19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
(I Corinthians 16)
As Paul closed his difficult letter to a church with a number of struggles - just before his final personal signature - he sent this greeting from the other believers where he was presently located. In doing so, he reminds them that they are not alone; there are churches and believers and fellowships of believers all over the world who share their faith and hope in Christ. This reminder, in the midst of struggling, is as essential today as it was then. We need to know that someone else out there gets it: our struggles of faith, our battles with sin, tendancy to take off on our own, isolate ourselves, then find we need someone. Probably no one feels this more keenly than persecuted churches and believers across the world. We need to remind them, and ourselves, that we are not alone. The Holy Spirit unites us. Blessed be the tie that binds.
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