Romans chapter 14 verse 1 (NIV)
Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.
Romans chapter 14 verses 17-18(NIV)
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.
Acts chapter 15 verses 24-29 (NIV)
We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
I was struck today by the whole of chapter 14 of Romans. In particular how important Paul’s teaching is for those of us who have been following Jesus for a while and who may be a bit set in our ways. This is especially true when we read of the number of people who are coming to church seeking to find God. Some may have tried looking online, or attended different churches. They may have had differing experiences and expectations so we need to be wise in our interactions with them. The important issue is that they understand what Jesus has done, that they recognise that they, like us, are sinners, and they acknowledge their need for forgiveness and God’s grace. There are other things that are less important that we can choose to do differently.
It’s interesting that the leaders of the early church in Acts, after seeking God’s guidance, put very few requirements so as not to “burden” new Gentile believers. So it’s interesting that Paul reiterates similar advice to the Roman Church. So let’s follow that advice and not burden new believers with things that are our preference. As Paul says the most important thing that they, and we need to know is the righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit in order to serve Jesus in a way that pleases God, not man.
Dear Lord,
Help me to conduct myself with Your grace and the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit, in order to encourage others, but most importantly to please You. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.