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How To Bless Others

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also. Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings. ROMANS 16:1-16 CSB

When we greet others, we dignify them

Greet one another with a holy kiss. ROMANS 16:16 CSB

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help…Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew…I, Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord…Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus greet you. ROMANS 16:1, 11, 22, 24 CSB

Greetings help us to invite others in rather than push them out

…according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ—to him be the glory forever! Amen. ROMANS 16:26b-27 CSB

The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him. “Come and see,” Philip answered. JOHN 1:43-46 CSB

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost. LUKE 19:10 CSB

Greetings create an opportunity to bless others

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. GENESIS 1:28a CSB

A blessing is a life-giving word spoken over someone

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. PROVERBS 18:21 CSB

With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. JAMES 3:9-10 CSB

Blessing comes from me because God is living in me

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us because it is written; cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith. GALATIANS 3:13-14 CSB

Then he led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, and lifting up his hands; he blessed them. And while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. After worshiping him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they were continually in the temple praising God. LUKE 24:50-53 CSB

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Find a quiet place where you can focus your attention on God. When you sense you have become reasonably calm inside, think about how to be inviting and to bless others with your words. Recall a recent encounter with a person. Ask God, “Was I welcoming to them and did I bless them with my words? If I didn’t, how could I have done better? What life-giving words could I have spoken to them?” Remember an experience when you felt genuinely welcomed by another Christian. What did they say and do? Do you recall any encouraging words that they spoke to you?  If you do, how did that feel? Think of several family members, friends, and other people you regularly engage with and consider what you would say to each of them that would be inviting and life-giving. Consider sharing how Jesus has blessed your life in a way that would be meaningful to each of them. Ask God to give you several opportunities this week to be welcoming and to guide you in speaking a blessing over them. Thank him for the opportunities he gives.

Discussion Questions

  1. What have you been learning about yourself, God or others in your personal Bible reading time? What stood out to you this week?
  2. Read Romans 16:3-5. In a world where many of us pretend to check our phones instead of talking to a stranger in the elevator or on the sidewalk, in what ways have you experienced a greeting from a stranger that opened a door to a more meaningful conversation?
  3. Read John 1:43-46. As you think about the people who invited you to “come and see” about Jesus, your first church and/or Sandals, what did they have in common and what can that teach us about who we can invite?
  4. Read Luke 19:10. With the idea that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, what are some of the practical things that you do to seek out, “greet” or build relationships with the lost? If you aren't doing these things now, what’s keeping you from it and what can we do to help you start doing them?
  5. Read Acts 2:42-47. As the first church was born, they grew with a strategy of good deeds, leading to good will from the people, which led to those same people listening to the good news of Jesus. As you think about your friends, family, coworkers, classmates and those other people in your relational world, what practical steps do you need to take to begin to share the good news of Jesus with the people God has placed around you?
  6. Read Luke 24:50-53. As you think back over your life, who has been blessed by the Jesus that is in you and who in your life today might need to hear that blessing as well?
  7. When you close group this week, speak a blessing over one another. Encourage each other to do that in the lives of others around them (family, work, etc.) as a means to greet others and help invite others into relationship/life with Jesus.