THIS IS TABLE ROCK FELLOWSHIP – PASTOR RYAN LADEN
| DAILY DEVOTIONALS Cultures As people from all sorts of religious and sociological backgrounds came to faith in Jesus Christ, they each brought with them their own religious culture and perspectives. While the Lord calls each person to leave their old ways of thinking behind in pursuit of the mind of Christ, this work often takes a while, and almost always requires some teaching and encouragement along the way. The church in Rome was struggling to be unified around the various practices that each of these groups brought with them into the church. One example of such a conflict centered around the eating of foods that the Jewish believers found to violate their religious customs. Others in the church did not share these customs and therefore were happy to give thanks to God for any food that they could get their hands on. Into these differences of opinion, sin was born. Disunity Each group within the body of the church began to take sides and hold the other group as being in error and in need of correction. This conflict led to judgment which led to disunity, which led to the church at large being plunged into a never-ending controversy. It was this situation that the Lord used the Apostle Paul to address as he wrote the following: “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.“If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.”Romans 14:10-21 NIV11 Easy One of the easiest ways to divide a church or a family is to have opinions become laws. In this setting, one side held an opinion about what food should be eaten and this opinion turned into a personal law that everyone else should follow. Failure to adhere to these arbitrary laws was seen as grounds for judgment and condemnation. Better In this teaching, we are again reminded that it is not God’s will that we should stand in judgment over others in regard to their sin and salvation. We are not God and should not attempt to take on the mantle of judge. Better than this divisive act, we should seek to show love to one another. We should speak to one another with respect and compassion. Where we feel others are in error, we should address these issues with them directly, speaking the truth in love. “We need to remember that our treatment of others is governed by the greatest law of God, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.””Luke 6:31 NIV11 Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, help me reflect the love you have shown to me as I work with those with whom I have differences of opinion. Help me to hold the unity of the church as a treasure that my opinions should never violate. Help me honor you in the way I bear with others and show them mercy and grace. In Christ, Ryan Laden |
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