Introduction

This teaching began in my heart several years ago, and was originally published in the winter of 1999, before Y2K, before 9/11 & before the changed world that both of them have brought our way. I have shared this teaching on two other occasions. Father has continued to increase my understanding of it and, hopefully, my ability to relay it, though personal application and revelation.

Carpenter To Calvary

By way of physical example, consider the effects of Jesus' cross on His way to Golgotha. Jesus was nearly naked. No heavy or thick cloths covered his shoulders. At best, a thin cloth "robe" may have been between the cross and His shoulder. And chances are it had begun to fall off of early on. Bottom line: there was no protection offered to his shoulder, or the side of his face, or his hands as He bore the His cross. Keep in mind. No great effort was taken to "sand down," or take the "edge" off of this cross. Splintered & rough was its finish. Cutting into His already beaten and bruised body. Upon the quickly raw skin, the cross would have torn and abused the exposed skin. Irritation upon blisters; dirt, sweat & inflection of further pain, upon raw irritation. This alone is pain beyond my imagination. Raw edges & splinters aside his face, and in his hands. Now we all know that Jesus had worked with wood. He knew the texture, the smell, and the potential pain. How interesting this wooden cross should now be so close to ALL His senses. The sight, feel, smell, yes, even the taste of sawdust, and the sound of the wood dragging upon the ground. How many times as a young man in Joseph's shop did Jesus get a splinter, or smell & taste the sawdust. Even as a young man, unable to carry a piece of wood; did he drag it, hearing it upon the ground? I wonder, as he was managing this piece of wood going up to Calvary, did his mind flash back to his father's shop? Or then, as a child, did his mind race ahead to this moment in time?

Indeed, there was a significant "mark" upon his shoulder. An unmistakable "mark of the cross." We too must carry our cross daily. Let there be no mistake, just as our Lord was physically "marked" by His cross, so shall we bear the "marks of our cross!"

The Passage
Romans 12:9-21

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

I found 21 clear and distinct "marks" that the cross will inflict upon those who "carry it daily." This study will be broken into 3 sections: Character Marks, Community Marks & Civic Marks. Character marks (vs. 9-12b) are made up of the 7 spiritual "marks" found herein, which could best be termed as "a state of being." The 7 Community marks (vs. 12c-16a) are those that are of the soul realm and could best be noted as "states of action." The last 7 marks are the Civic marks (vs. 16b-21). They are of the physical realm an are best described as a "state of witness."

The 7 Character Marks
"Witnessed by others, best seen by Father!"

When looking at verses 9-12b of Romans chapter 12 we find what I have termed the "Character Marks." I am a firm believer that we are a three-fold being (read: 1 Thes. 5:23) and that this is a principle of God that is mirrored through out his creation. With that understanding, the Character Marks are likened unto the Spiritual realm. They exist "within" the Christian. They are hard to define and even harder to point out. More importantly, they would be impossible to imitate. That is why I say that the Character Marks are birthed and empowered by God. They are true life. They are best witnessed in the Spiritual realm, both as joy to the Father & as a testimony of our Father to all other beings there. These marks are a "state of being." Finally, they are the absolute proof of "Christ in us."

First, most important of all: (1) Sincere Love. Love for Loves sake. Pure and free from selfish gain. Love whose motivation is to benefit someone other than itself. Love with no false appearances, no ulterior motives and no desire to be seen by anyone other than the one loved. It's only true desire is to reveal the love of the Father in the physical realm. Sincere love is costly and doesn't come naturally. (2) Hate Evil. Just as strong, sincere and pure as number one. To hate evil means that there is "no place (room) for" evil in your life - Moment-by-moment, day-to-day! To actually have a hostility toward evil - always being careful to separate the evil from the evil-doers. To hate, is to be at war with! Are we at war with evil? (Remember Eph. 4:12) To hate is to have "a resistance toward" - think of two magnets turned opposite one another - how they push away if pushed together: resistance.

(3) Be devoted to the Brethren. Have a loyalty towards the people of God. An inner desire (birthed not of your own accord), which draws you to the friendship, aid, concern and commitment of your fellow believer! Be dedicated towards the people of God. Having an addiction to Christian relationship. Devotion is attachment - this is the spiritual dimension of fellowship. (4) Honor others above yourself. Is it more important to have a quite Saturday afternoon on the couch watching football, or to be mowing your brother's lawn while he is out of town for a week on business? Is it more important to hurry and sit down to dinner so that you can hit the sack early or to take that extra $50 bucks and go grocery shopping for the family who is hard on their luck? Prefer your brother, put his needs ahead of your own; give the credit to others, even when you could take the credit yourself. Show special favor towards you sister; defer the reward - Honoring others is a CHOICE! (5) Be Zealous! Zeal is passion! Passion runs deep! Passion is sincere. The same is true of zeal. Zeal is not selfish and does not set out intending to draw attention to itself. Zeal is intensive desire & purpose! Are you CONVINCED in what you believe? Are you ENTHUSIASTIC about the Love of the Father? Are you eager to share Jesus' example? Do you put these things in action? That, my friend, is zeal.

(6) Joyful. To be joyful is to be glad. You can't fabricate gladness. Either you are glad or you are not. To be joyful is to be happy. You just can't fake happiness. To be joyful is to be filled with pleasure. To be filled - who (or what) fills you up...? Frustration? Anxiety? Envy? Worry? Lastly: (7) patience. Are we willing to endure waiting, pain and suffering without complaining? Are you calm when things seem out of control? To be patient is to be persistent! To be patient is to be constant & diligent!

We must pray for these things. Though they can be learned, only God can teach them. However, no matter, you cannot simply decide to do these things or discipline yourself into them. God teaches them - God empowers them in you! They are within! They are real, genuine and cannot be faked. Ask for these things, He who has called you is faithful!

The 7 Community Marks
John Wimber said it best: "Doin' the Stuff"

Now, when looking forward to verses 12c-16a we find what I have termed them "Community Marks." Herein, we are referring to the Christian community, that is, God's people.

These marks can be likened to the soul realm. They are certainly traits, which we can choose to do. In contrast to the Character Marks, with these we can take an active role in whether or not these will be evident in our lives; & though the Character Marks demanded the grace of God to be empowered, these desperately need the grace of God to become a result of our transformation (Rom. 12:2). These marks are very much contrary to the sinful nature & will take great sacrifice and willful obedience to be manifest in us. These marks are "where we are at." Therefore we view them as a "state of action" within the body of Christ. They become our spiritual habitat as believers - know that we can chose to live anywhere, but to flourish we must reside in our habitat.

First up we find: (8) Faithful in prayer. The word faithful indicates: a loyalty to, a reliance on & a confidence in. By being loyal to prayer, confident in prayer & having a reliance on prayer, we further discipline ourselves towards selflessness, & dependence on the Father. Remember too, that faithfulness suggests belief in the unseen, knowing that we are having an effect whether we are witness to the results or not. Next, (9) Share with the brethren. Now there is one that will grind the flesh. To ask: "do you have need?" while being fully prepared to assist in fulfilling that "have not" out of your "have." Not only sharing, but also enjoying the time & fellowship that results from doing so. (10) Practice hospitality. Understand that the term practice indicates that you don't need to be an expert. Give it a try. A dinner invitation doesn't have to be a T-bone. Soup, chili, or spaghetti is fine. The only requirements for hospitality are friendliness, generosity and sincerity. (11) Bless your persecutors. Ask God's favor for those who don't "fit in your puzzle." Be kind to them; remember that our past is a bit sorted too. Ever been an annoyance to some one or treated anyone badly?

Grouped together, (12, 13), rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Quite simply: sympathize! We need to be delighted and filled with pleasure when one among us is honored. As well, we should help carry the load & share the sorrow with those that are hurting among us. Trust history, you will probably be next in line. Make a sincere effort to be gentle with those who are hurting. Save your advice for later. Most people have plenty of advisers, but few shoulders to cry on. Will you be a "shoulder?" How many among us are scared to share our lasted blessing? Fearful that rather than joy & shared excitement in our brethren, it will create jealousy & envy? Sharing in their joy may be the key to your blessing next. Lastly, (14), Live in harmony. Our common points usually outnumber out differences. Work to not major on the minors. Work to be orderly and in agreement. Arguing is easy. Fighting is common - build character and go against the grain. Focus on the areas you agree and let iron, sharpen iron.

The 7 Civic Marks
Fulfilling the Great Commission

Verses 16b - 21 wrap up the marks with those that are our state of witness. These are our commission from God, & our responsibility to the "physical" realm. They affect the area outside of where I live, yet the arena which I once called home. Remember where you came from and (15) do not be proud. "No conceit allowed" must be our motto. Resist satisfaction & complacency, and always seek more in your relationships & wisdom. Don't become exalted, but remain humble always. Loose all sense of "what self is due." One of the greatest witnesses to a lost world is (16) not repaying evil for evil. Talk about turning heads! Evil simply means, "morally wrong." Turn the other cheek, remembering that we haven't always been so "wonderful" ourselves. There is a spiritual law at work here; God's wrath will not fall where your wrath has already made an impact. Therefore, if wrath is due, leave room for God's. (17) Do what is right. Think first, & then choose what is right or fitting. Occasionally what is proper in one circumstance may be different in another; be willing to be flexible. Take the time to examine your situation. Some things are appropriate, others are not. Remember, though all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial. It is all about choices. The Word has taught us what is true, now we must choose to walk in it.

Think of the unsaved now. (18) Live at peace. Be free from strife. Choose not to war. Choose not to argue! Though some minds have been changed though a persuasive debate, few, if any, minds have been changed by a heated argument. Fighting is easy - rather, choose the hard road and live a life of peace that carries a persuasiveness that cannot be debated. Demonstrate selflessness in the face of selfishness.

Again, like number 16 above: (19) Take no revenge. 1 Corinthians 13 teaches us that love keeps no record of wrongs. We may desire vengeance on the outer man, yet God desires to clean the heart. Let God be God. As a flawed humans, any judgment we dish out, is really only judgment upon ourselves. (20) Love your enemy. All of 1 Corinthians 13 applies here. Check the characteristics of love: be kind to your enemy, be patient with your enemy, do not be rude to your enemy, etc. etc. Lastly, simply (21) Be good! May my tombstone read: Gary was excellent, kind, friendly, real, genuine, useful & pure - Gary was Good. Therefore, be good! What do non-believers say about you? Do they say that you are a "good" person? Civic Marks - you must do these things, even if you don't feel like it. If for no other reason, do them because they are right. We are strangers; we are pilgrims; we are sinners; we are saints - but first and foremost, like the wound upon Jesus' shoulder - WE ARE MARKED!

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