LET'S NOT DO LUNCH
Romans 16:17-20 CSB
17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, 18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
No, this is not an April Fool's Day prank title. These are instructions from Paul to the church at Rome which includes a warning about some people.
The warning is about the people who cause divisions and obstacles in the body of Christ. Digging a bit deeper, we see that the word 'divisions' means to stand apart. Avoid those people who want to cause you to stand apart from the body or ministries that help you. Division is not what we are called to, so no lunch for these people.
And the word 'obstacles' can be rendered, cause to stumble, or upset someone's faith. We want to be around the people who encourage our faith in God and His Son, people who encourage us in God's Word. These are the people who help us in our walk with the Lord. Not the people who raise doubts, cast criticisms, discourage the work of God's church, and don't help us move forward in Christ. The Scriptures say to avoid these people - no lunch for them.
The challenge, no, the problem, with these folks is that they are not serving the Lord but instead are serving themselves. These are selfish people doing things for their own good. A good way to uncover these folks is by their smooth words and flattering speech. Avoid smooth-talking people who flatter you. Heaven takes a very dim view of flattery because flattery is deceitful. Flattery is using words that seemingly build up people, but it's not for the benefit of the hearer. Flattery works for the benefit of those giving the flattery. Their motive is to get something from you, as opposed to putting something in you. Unfortunately, flattery works on those who are unsuspecting. So many people are hungry for words of affirmation, so starved for attention that they buy into the insincerity of flattery. So, no lunch for the smooth talkers throwing verbal flowers.
Evidently, the church at Rome was doing well in their obedience to God. But Paul warned them about being wise or skilled in what was good and innocent, in what was evil. The word innocent means pure, no mix. Paul was rejoicing at how well the church was doing but wanted them to stay on the good side. It appears that too much contact with division-causing people brought a mix of evil, bad things into their assembly.
Verse twenty is a verse that I can not explain how it will look, but it sure sounds good. The God of peace would soon crush Satan under their feet. Paul did not write this to everyone, so this sounds like an inspired word for this particular church. I don't know how God was going to crush Satan under their feet, but I am all for it. Anytime God wants to do that for His people, I am yes and amen to that. Positionally, Satan is already under our feet, put there by Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. As part of the body of Christ, Satan no longer has authority in our lives, and we can resist him in Jesus' name. But I still relish the thought of him being crushed under our feet.
A closing thought to the church at Rome was to stay wise to people who divide and hinder our faith. We don't hate them, hurt them, or do lunch with them.