1. ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER
Romans 15: 7

2. Romans 15 v 7
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

3. Rejection. The opposite of acceptance is rejection.
Rejection causes people a great deal of pain in society
We all have an inbuilt desire to be loved and accepted
Jesus knew about rejection: Isaiah 53: 3, Matt 21: 42

4. God Accepts Us. How does God operate?
GOD LOVES YOU, and GOD ACCEPTS YOU, just as you are.
We are to accept one another.
Just as Christ accepted us.
In order to bring praise to God.

5. Christ Accepted Us.
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (NLT). 2 Corinthians 5: 21
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Timothy 1: 15.
‘Save sinners’ in the Greek comes from the same root as the word accept – dechomai.

6. Accept One Another.
Acceptance can be defined as being received with approval or pleasure.
Church throws together the most unlikely mix of people
The basis of our acceptance of one another is twofold:
We are called to love one another.
We must accept one another because Christ accepted us just as we were

7. Created in God’s Image.
‘God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him’ Genesis 1: 27
Acceptance is based on accepting one another as we are, not as we would like each other to be!
There is an important and significant difference!

8. In Order to Bring Praise to God.
The credit for the fact we are accepted and received in the Kingdom goes to God the Father who took the initiative through Christ to reconcile us to Himself and to one another.
We have the ability through Christ to love one another and accept one another because of the Spirit of God living within us.

9. Conclusion.
Christ accepts you as you are UNCONDITIONALLY – no strings attached.
Our role as Christians? To model that same unconditional love and acceptance to one another and to the world at large
How? by being hooked up to the power source – God the Holy Spirit.