Oct. 06, 2024

Loving Other Churches (That Church Does WHAT?!!) (06 October 2024)

Introduction - This lesson advances our understanding of skills and attitudes which we must master in the near future as the Lord begins to mingle his saints together in the building of His church.  In the backdrop of this lesson is the new concept of the church in our city (Monessen) being one church in God’s eyes.  This comes from the singular form of the word for “church” seven times in Revelation 2 and 3 in the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor and in Acts 8:1, 11:22, and 15:4, referring to the “church” (singular) in Jerusalem.  We’ll be taking a detailed look at Romans 14, a chapter which we don’t have to apply very often, because the churches we fit into today are already cloistered.  We automatically choose a church group which is most like us, socially, economically, and spiritually, so we interact with only a small number of Christians who are different from us in any way. We become, as a congregation, “us four and no more.”

Let’s take a quick look at how we got the Book of Romans.  The apostle Paul, who wrote the book, had wanted to visit the church in Rome but was much delayed in his arrival there.  He wrote a letter to them instead, until his proposed visit could take place.  His visit was not under the circumstances he had hoped for.  Instead of coming as a free citizen and fellowshipping freely with the church in Rome, he was a prisoner most of the time he was there, being arrested in Jerusalem and deported to Caesarea, then shipped to Rome to be shackled day and night to a praetorian guard, under house arrest.  He wrote the letter, which we call the book of Romans, in 57AD, almost 30 years after Jesus was crucified.  By that time, the church of Jerusalem had been scattered due to persecution from the Romans and Jews.  There had also been a number of Jews from Rome visiting Jerusalem during and after the Day of Pentecost, who likely carried the gospel with them after witnessing the  events of Pentecost.  These migrants from Palestine to Rome are very likely the people who started the church in Rome. The church in Rome was not one, or even several big, organized churches, but it was most likely a collection of small house churches.  When Paul wrote Romans, the church in Rome was mostly a Gentile church. This is because the emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome for a 5 year period because they would not worship the emperor as a god.  When the Jewish Christians who probably started the church returned, it was not the same culture they were used to.  Their observance of circumcision, the Sabbath, the eating of certain foods, etc. really created problems of judgment between theJewish Christians and the new Gentile believers. The church of Rome had some serious cultural and theological divisions! 

The church of today, right here in Monessen, is just as divided up as the Church in Rome was. To address this problem, Paul wrote Romans 14 and 15.  If we are going to cooperate with God in the uniting of the churches of Monessen, we must understand these chapters.  Let’s start to examine them:

    Romans 14:1-9 Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.

    5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable. 6Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. 7For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and     of the dead. NLT

We can find all kinds of customs and beliefs in other church families which are strange to others outside that church family.  We really are all like human families in this regard.  These customs are not all sinful, nor do they all have to be abandoned, they just make us all different.  We are not responsible to adjust our traditions when other people come in to our congregation from outside of it, unless the practice in question is plainly sinful.  We are, however, responsible to accept others when we enter their church family or meet them anywhere outside of ours. For example, a person coming into our church who criticizes our display of a Christmas tree does not compel us to take down the tree.  They should be extending acceptance to us concerning our approval of a Christmas tree. Here are some other common traditions or practices  which differ between churches, and the biblical basis for questioning them:

• Praying to Mary and the saints - 1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus NASB  Neither Mary nor the saints have any power to influence our petitions to God.
• Exclusive communion - 1 Cor 11:27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord… NASB There were no membership restrictions on who was able to take part in the Lord’s Supper, the only one being belief in Christ.  
• Special dates, like Lent - Colossians 2:16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—17things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. NASB No calendar dates or festivals are prescribed for the Christian in the New Testament.  
• Symbols (like ashes) placed on the forehead.  2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us. NASB  Roman Catholics can get ashes applied to their forehead on the Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) which marks the beginning of Lent (6 and 1/2 weeks before Easter.)  No mandate in the Scripture to do this; just a tradition.  
• Unusual, out of date dress (Pentecostals, Amish) A tradition, same as above.
• Tongues and the gifts of the spirit; Tarrying (waiting for long periods) to receive the Holy Spirit - Acts 19:6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. 7There were about twelve men in all. NLT. There was no prolonged waiting, just the laying on of hands followed by speaking in another language.  Lots of dialog with the recipient I, when tongues was spontaneous in this passage, as opposed to the day of Pentecost.  Many churches today teach that tongues ceased (cessationism), but there is no Bible basis for it.  
• Praying in the name of Jesus (as a suffix after a request)  Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. NASB It is evident that we don’t have to say “in the name of Jesus” after everything we do.  Yet, many Christians feel that without that suffix, a prayer is not authentic. Truth is, we are already “in Christ” so that phrase doesn’t make our prayers any more effective.  Asking for what God is interested in, rather than our interests, really does.  For example Jesus spent a whole chapter in John 17 praying all the disciples would be one as He and the Father are one.  

There are many more examples we could add to this list.  It is pointless, because the real goal of the Lord is to have us accept each other, not judge and separate ourselves from each other.  

    Romans 14:14-20 I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good. 17For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life o goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. 19So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to             build each other up.Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. NLT

Food, here, is a symbol of all the customs and beliefs we judge each other on as in the examples given above.  

Conclusion - Romans 15:1-7 We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2We should help others do what is right and built them up in the Lord. 3For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.”a 4Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6Then all of you can join             together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore,             accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.  NLT

God’s overwhelming desire is for us in different church families to accept each other.  HE is the one who is doing the work of transformation in every single person and church.  We cannot bring that about by force or judgment.  We have concentrated so long on saving the lost, bringing them into OUR church family and inoculating them with Our traditions.  We have lost sight of the bigger picture of the church in the whole city.  Maybe most of our work should be directed to befriending other churches.  Accepting another Christian is different from letting them peacefully coexist.  It requires some proactive reach-out on our part.  One of my great friends, Rev. Todd Levin described a situation in Prague, Czech Republic, in which he, as a young man, was led to introduce himself to a dignitary of the Catholic Church in Prague to see if they would let him pray for people for healing.  The interview went so-so, until, as Todd was leaving, he turned around and asked if he could pray for the man who had just interviewed him. The gentleman thought for a moment, and said “yes, I have a chronic knee problem, please do.” Todd prayed, and as he was leaving the man said “You will have access to all of our churches! God just healed my knee!”  Todd and his wife took up the invitation and had laying-on-of hands services in a number of churches (they had to wear the traditional cone-type headgear with a veil and robe).  God is ready to add people when we move toward acceptance!