Prayer. God of welcome,
you invite me into your family. I sit at your table
now and savior your Word to me. Help me receive all the
nourishment You have for me today. Amen.
Story of Lloyd Cook.
When I was at Keele University Christian Union, there was a tradition.
Every first meeting of the CU, in September as new academic year
began, a local preacher – Lloyd Cook – would come and preach. And
his message always swung round to a theme – he’d encourage
everyone there: regardless of whatever Christian tradition you came
from, you were welcome, whether you’d call yourself, Baptist,
Pentecostal, Catholic you were welcome; and for people to feel
comfortable to worship in whatever way they preferred – not to feel
they have to copy others, so whether you raised hands in worship or
did not, whether you kneeled or danced, all was fine…
It was a point – we were united in Christ, yet there was diversity and
people did not have to conform or should not feel pressured to…
No one should feel pressured to accept the convictions of another…
We had said that one of the reasons Paul has written is to do with tensions in the Church Communities in Rome, between the Jewish and Gentile members. Chapters 1 – 11 Paul has explained what the gospel is; then from Romans 12 he shares what a gospel shaped life looks like. In chapters 14 and first part of 15, he applies the gospel to the problem.
There are two groups – described as weak and strong. These believers had different convictions about how to live out their faith. These were more than simply personal choices, but were deeply held convictions. This led to a situation, with attitudes of judgementalism, criticism, arrogance, pride.
6 words in this briefer talk as it is All Age.
- BUT!
In Greek. ‘’But accept the one who is weak in faith.’’
Our bibles do not point out the BUT in the Greek.
The word BUT shows he is continuing this thinking from Romans 13. Why is this important? Paul has been talking since 13:8 about ‘’love one another’’ –this is the ‘’leading principle governing relationships strained by differences on important matters affecting faith and communal lifestyle.’’ Basically we hear – Love one another – and now Paul is telling us what this looks like in a diverse church.
- WELCOME!
Paul teaches us about a welcoming attitude. Welcome is perhaps a better translation than accept. He is saying in these opening verses, that there is sadly a spirit of rejection within the community than a spirit of acceptance in the church.
Some believe they should eat only vegetables; others believe they can eat what they want. Some believers – quite possibly Jewish – believed certain foods were not to be eaten. Therefore vegetables were the way. Some other believers – probably Gentile – believed you could eat anything.
Paul does not have a problem with some groups living out their deeply held various convictions. They can follow their consciences and convictions. Paul does not take sides.
His problem.
V3 – the man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not – look down can be translated – despise.
And the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does…
Why – for God has accepted – welcomed him.
John Stott: ‘’How dare we reject a person whom God has accepted? Indeed the best way to determine what our attitude to other people should be to determine what God’s attitude to them is.’’ Stott, Romans.
What seems to have happened. A Christian has a conviction. They have made that conviction a standard for others. When that standard is not met – the Christian criticises the other.
Paul is clear, this despising, looking down upon, passing judgement on each other is totally inappropriate – it threatens the unity, and lack of unity affects the witness of the Christian community, as Jesus points to in John 17.
Third word.
- SERVANT!
v4 Who are you to judge someone elses servant?
Every Christian is God’s servant.
Therefore it is inappropriate to judge another servant if God has accepted such a person.
Yes, there are times in a church life, when the character or conduct of a believer may need speaking into. Paul discusses that in 1 Corinthians and Jesus in Matthew 18.
But here, these issues are convictions and not sins.
- ATTITUDES!
Paul elsewhere has shared that he believes dietary laws do not apply nor do special days.
Yet he does not judge those who think differently to him. Why because of their motivation.
V6 – we hear the triple repeat – those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord… those who eat, eat in honour of the Lord… those who abstain in honour of the Lord.
We can sometimes look at a conviction – and think – they are wrong. Yet how does it change us to think – they do it to honour the Lord.
Paul says that a defining mark of a community our constant concern to honour and serve the Lord. V7-8 – we live to the Lord, we are the Lord’s…
Paul is challenging us. As a Romanian theologian put it: ‘’ to honour and serve this Lord, means to allow diversity and different manifestations of THE truth, while being concerned for harmony and unity of the community.’’ Pg 1338.
Loving one another, Paul is saying, is not about imposing uniformity, or eliminating differences. Remember the Body image from Romans 12 – a Body has variety, not everyone is an eye, or a lung or an arm. That word that the Spirit has given to the Church – BODY – declares that there is variety within the church. Differences, diversity cannot be reasons for despising or looking down upon or passing judgement on other Christians.
We are to accept differences,
and we are to express our differences with the motivation to honour and serve the Lord.
- STUMBLING!
V13-23
Paul takes the argument further. It doesn’t leave us with ‘’do not judge’’.
V13 – do not put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another.
The aim – to build the community than cause harm. He speaks to those who believe they have the freedom to eat what they want. Paul would agree with those convictions.
Yet he says – if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. ‘’Love is the standard, love is the path, love is the limit of our freedom, and love is considerate of other people’s consciences.’’
Think back to the gospel. Paul says – ‘’your brother for whom Christ died.’’ If Jesus loved everyone, all of us so much, that he died for us and our well being, then we should refrain from harming and wounding people who think differently from us.
- PATH
V17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit – so what matters to God,and what is essential in the kingdom, is not diet but faith expressed that builds the community, that shows deep concern and love for others including those we disagree with, and faith that displays the new life God has given of righteousness, peace and joy. Romans 12 – we are to be living sacrifices – with righteousness, peace, joy as the focus. That is the path we walk.
Conclusion
Six words – But, Welcome, Servant, Attitudes, Stumbling, Path.
Words that Paul’s teaching points us to in Romans 14. These words can also help us when we are in disagreement with a fellow believer
BUT – love your neighbour
Welcome – to seek to be welcoming and accepting of diverse Christian convictions
Servant – that each of us are serving the Lord, are his servant, that is our identity.
Attitude – to notice, in the disagreement, how we share the same attitude – to bring honor to the Lord, we live for him.
Stumbling – we do not want to judge, how can we avoid causing this brother or sister to stumble
Path – the path we are all on, righteousness, joy, peace, puts things into perspective.
Shall we pray.