Welcoming One Another

Romans 15:7 says, "Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." (ESV) This verse is one of at least fifty "one another" verses in which all believers are encouraged to participate. Not one to all of the others, but one to another. How has Christ welcomed us? "God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8) We have been given the privilege and joy of welcoming people into God's family. "Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (LK 15:10) We also have the blessing of welcoming our brethren into whatever part of the Body of Christ that we are in. Some people can integrate themselves into new situations easily, others cannot. Our responsibility is to help and welcome all. But the best part of all of this, for those who believe that glorifying God is His ultimate purpose for us, is that welcoming one another gives Him glory.
One practical application of this for the saints in the E. Cambridge ekklesia is the opportunity to invite people to experience what God is doing in our midst. We are blessed to have this experience on a regular basis. We usually have a contingent from a nearby Christian college, young saints who have never experienced NT church life. We also have those who are considering starting a house church, or people from more isolated groups. "To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen." (Romans 16:27)