Author: missionspaul

“The Pastor is not reading from the proper original Bible.” That was the phone conversation last year as a purist member of the church demanded that I make sure the King James Version was brought back. I tried to explain that we don’t actually have the original Bible but I think I made it worse.

I have heard many things as a Pastor.

“Pastor tell the worship leader to put her shoes back on.”

“Pastor tell the worship leader to stop bringing a water bottle onto the stage.”

“Pastor the drums are too loud.”

“Pastor someone’s sat in my chair.”

I was just closing out a sermon series and I wanted to let my members study further the topic. So I called in at the Christian bookshop and got a pile of books on the subject on sale or return. The layout of the church meant that the rule was never to put anything of value in the entrance as opportunists would sneak in and take what was left there during the service. So that was not the place to display the books. Behind the stage where the pulpit stood there were 2 doors on either side which led to the toilets. I could have displayed them there but that would mean the books would only be seen if you went to the toilet. I did have regular toilet visitors but not enough to encourage the sale of the books! The only place to put them was in the ‘sanctuary’.

“Pastor, we are leaving the Church after all these years unless you remove the books from the sanctuary. You are selling in the sanctuary.”

I asked them if they would stay if I put the books in the entrance. They said yes. The entrance wasn’t the sanctuary. I asked them if they would stay if I put the books near the toilets. They said yes. The toilet area wasn’t the sanctuary (debatable I know!) I tried to explain my reasoning. Sadly those 2 members left my church because of holiness which had nothing to do with holiness. They hadn’t grasped the sanctuary domain is the whole world.

The verses we are reading in Paul’s letter to a divided Church in Rome are perhaps laughable to us. We don’t fall out over food do we? Perhaps not but the Church suffers for the sake of other stupid things.

“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 … 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.” (Romans 14 v 14, 20)

Paul is saying that we must not simply act oblivious of someone else’s conscience. Causing someone to stumble is not causing them to be offended at what you are doing but it is getting them or tempting them to do what their conscience says for them they must not do. The Church that enables everyone to be at ease with their own journey of God, to go at their pace and in alignment with how the Holy Spirit is leading them is the Church that will not be destroyed.

Remember Peter and his ‘conversion’ regarding unclean food.

Acts 11:8 – “Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.”

Peter was so careful.
He didn’t take into his body anything that was impure or unclean.
He didn’t drink or eat the wrong things that Jews would never take in.
He had a feeling of purity and cleanliness. He felt good about himself.
But then God broke into his life and he saw that he must not call anything unclean that has come from the divine presence.

For the sake of the protection from worldliness (which most church arguments are all about) do not destroy what God is doing.

Maybe the Pastor could refer to the KJV to help those who love it.

Maybe the worship leader could put some flat shoes on instead of her stilettoes that are uncomfortable.

Maybe we can ask the worship leader to drink from the water bottle in more appropriate times of the worship, perhaps after the song is over rather than guzzling during the song.

Maybe we can buy earmuffs for those who think the drums are too loud (something I actually did!)

Maybe we can guide the person to see that the growth of the church means we might have to let our seats go.

To my purists who left the church. I apologised to them. I said over all these years when I chose songs like, ‘This is holy ground, we’re standing on holy ground’ I recognise now that I failed you as a Pastor. You actually believed that the space where we hold our services was holy ground but the entrance, the toilet area, anywhere outside this space was not the sanctuary. I created a sacred/secular divide in you that now your conscience cannot shift from. I didn’t teach you that though I love the song about holy ground I wasn’t singing only about this space but wherever we are. Please forgive me. The books are staying where they are but I bless you as you leave.

We are going to get this wrong time and again but the battle is not with each other over the purity of the Church but it is over not letting the Church be destroyed for the sake of food, or other important/non-important things.

I have learnt and am learning to be wary of 2 statements:

“It was a privilege for me to lead those people to Christ tonight, thank you for the invite.” The statement isn’t about Christ or the converts or those who were the inviters, but it most definitely is about ME.

“You too can become like me!” But why would I want to leave ME and become YOU?

Paul has been focusing on the weak who condemn the strong and now he moves to balance it by saying to the strong to stop looking down on others.

The ‘disputable matters’ are meat and drinking wine which have been in contact with the idol-polluted world. For us we have a long list of ‘disputable matters’ in the Christian Church. I have used 2 verses at the start and end of the section as they are linked:

“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 …. 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 v 13, 21)

The easy bit is this: Stop being the expert on all things and in doing so judge those who have not achieved or are free to do what you have done supposedly. The humble brag is not pretty.

The expert who judges others stands in the place of God, the final authority on all things and speaks as if God was speaking. Stop it.

Don’t send people to hell; don’t write people off; don’t dismiss a person as worthless.

Then the not so easy: Stop living your life with no concern on how others will be impacted by watching you.

Not that you want to please everyone and you don’t want to offend them, otherwise what would there be left to do? But it is to allow other people to have a different conscience to you and to protect that so that you do not tempt them away to become like you. “Go on take this cream-filled cake, one won’t do your diet any harm.” But it does and you have put an obstacle of temptation in their way.

It isn’t enough to say ‘I love people’. Love is not being an expert who judges by condescending or humble brags and love is not convincing someone to do what their conscience says is wrong for them.

“I’m leaving the Church!” Every Pastor has heard these words. It comes with the territory. One Sunday morning after the service a ‘brother in the Lord’ pulled me to one side and said, ‘Enough is enough, I asked you to speak to that woman and today she blasphemed the Lord’s table once again, so me and my family, we’re off.’ On this occasion I was so happy and relieved! My Christian brother had recently joined the Church and was determined to cleanse us from all impurities that were on his list. The woman he spoke about was a recent convert from a terrible background. She came forward to the Communion table that morning wearing once a t-shirt with a slogan that was obviously on my brother in the Lord’s list! I wasn’t bothered what she was wearing I was just grateful that she was there! I had suggested he closed his eyes and focused on the Lord but I guess when you are cleaning up the Church you have to keep them open.

The truth is that what this new convert was wearing at the Communion Table had absolutely nothing to do with him. It was none of his business. It was however, the business of the Lord and I was yet to see any thunder strikes!

Paul is hitting hard in this section of his letter. There is a problem in the Church in Rome. They are trying to dictate to one another over disputable matters. One side are condemning and the other side are looking down with contempt.

“For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister^[a]? 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.” (Romans 14 v 7-12)

If we all simply focused on our own discipleship, aiming to follow Jesus closer, listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying about our own conduct, making changes because we want to glorify God and not please man, the Church would be a safer place. It is one thing living your life within accountable structures and we all need them to grow but they do not have the final say over our lives, God does. Paul quotes from Isaiah 45 which is set in the context of God being in charge, He is Sovereign and it is to Him alone we will give an account.

A lot of people leave Churches because they are offended at what others are wearing or other ‘disputable matters’ like ‘steak and broccoli’. They need to understand that in order to get their own lives ready to kneel before Him in the final accountable end-of-life moment, they don’t have the time or the energy to be campaigning against someone else. They should indeed mind their own business.

A friend once told me how he and his wife were celebrating their anniversary in a hotel they had booked for one night. They were enjoying their meal in the restaurant which involved a very nice wine. They were not big drinkers by any stretch of the imagination but nevertheless they were secret drinkers for the vast majority of their friends were teetotal and viewed alcohol as demon-drink. The couple were enjoying their evening when all of a sudden my friend spotted 2 couples that they knew come into the same hotel restaurant. They only had a split second to decide what to do so my friend said to his wife to do what he did and follow him. He gulped down all the wine and hid the bottle out of sight. They then very quietly tip-toed and walked down the side of the bar and out of the restaurant back to their room. No one saw them. However, because he stood up so quickly and was rushing, the wine seemed to have had a bit of an effect and instead of walking past the bar he had to rest his arm on it to stop the dizziness and slid the whole length creating quite a comical scene! The picture he had created was far worse than the scene if his friends had seen him have a glass of wine in his hands. However, for him, it was worth the risk rather than face the wrath of the judging panel.

We seem to be coming to the part in this letter to the Church in Rome which gives the reason why Paul writes it. There is division within. There are those who look down on others, he calls them the strong in faith believers. Then there are those who condemn the strong in faith believers, he calls them the weak in faith. What exactly is going on is not clear. But isn’t that the same when ‘disputable matters’ (v1) boil over into the public domain today? I’ve been in church all my life and in some form of church leadership for 35 years. When I look back on the ‘disputable matters’ over the years and the intolerance that has surfaced it looks really petty and pathetic today.

We have a glimpse from Paul but we still have to guess much of what the division is about. The strong eat anything and every day is a sacred day; the weak eat only vegetables and a certain day is more sacred. It seems nonsense to us in 2022. Okay let’s read the verses:

“One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.” (Romans 14 v 2-6)

Are you caught up in a ‘disputable matter’ today? In future years will people look back and think it petty?

“Who are we to judge someone else’s servant?” That person which we either look down upon or condemn belongs to the Lord and it is the Lord who will judge them.

The person that we are intolerant with may truly believe that their practice, behaviour and belief is in alignment with the Lord’s will for their life. Isn’t that the same with us? So isn’t the main point that God is glorified? What is good for them may not be good for me but so long as God is worshipped, glorified, honoured, isn’t that the most important point?

Of course, like any parent who steps into their children’s argument and ends up being the villain, often those who try to unite the church end up being the worse enemy.

One thing I do believe is that when we breathe our last here on earth and enter our eternity, the disputes that occupied our lives with such passion will not matter one jot. The fights we had because we have to be right will fall to the earth as we realise we wasted a lot of time on the petty and pathetic. “Who are you to judge …?”

Belief and practice filter through the story of life. Understanding a person’s story therefore is crucial to not dismissing them.

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling over disputable matters.” (Romans 14 v1)

In this chapter it seems there were 2 kinds of believers: those who had strong faith and those whose faith was weak. From the list of ‘disputable matters’ we will read in the next few days it is probable that it is referring to Gentile believers (strong) and Jewish believers (weak – who struggled to let go of some of their practices). This is a message to the strong to give the weak a chance; to stop judging; to let people journey at their own pace; to accept them. Something that is still relevant to the church today.

Today is a special day. It starts at 2pm. It has been in the diary for a long time and the last few years it has been about this moment this afternoon. But let us read our next few verses first:

“And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 13 v 11-14)

Today my daughter is being ordained as a Reverend. It’s a special day for us all.

We are up early. The food is being prepared. Clothes are washed and ironed. We are eagerly awaiting the 2pm service. There is a sense of excitement and rightly so.

This is not the time to spend the morning getting dirty in the garden; neither is it the time to get stressed about other things that need doing; it is the morning for reflections of times past and dreaming for the future; it is the morning for thanking God for all He has done and the family and friends that have supported her to this point. It is the morning of love and kindness.

Why do I say all this?

Paul is wrapping up a section about Christian lifestyle (that he began in our chapter 12).

We don’t know the time but 2,000 years ago Paul believed the day of Christ’s return and what will be in effect our glorious ordination as believers is upon them. Well …. Even more so now!

What’s occupying your attention today? Make sure it is Christ.

What are the temporary, earthly desires that you are tempted to chase after?

Is your life being wasted on things that pass away?

Are you dressing your attitudes and conversations and behaviours with that of Christ?

Why? It is nearly 2pm.

The greatest need in our world today is for people to love others sacrificially.

We can turn the world upside down with love. True love is the love that hurts the lover.

Where will that hurt be most felt? It is not when you are loving someone the other side of the world. But it is to love those closest to you. It is to love your neighbour, the person next to you, who lives near you, even in your home.

“The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.” Romans 13:9-10

It doesn’t matter which commandment you choose and which one you profess to be successful at. The reason for obedience is not for any other reason but because God has transformed and renewed your mind and now within you is the love of Christ for other people.

Adultery, no, because you are committed to your spouse.

Murder, no, because you don’t want anyone to be harmed.

Steal, no, because you don’t want the person to be without.

Covet, no, because you know how to celebrate what others have.

The commandments could continue and your response is the same, you want the best for others because within you is Christ’s love for the world.

Why? Because you see God in people. They bear the image of God.

After an interlude about governments, Paul gets right back to relationships and the love of God that we share with others.

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13 v 8)

Some focus on the debt and use it as a proof text to show we shouldn’t borrow anything. They not only miss the whole point about the outstanding extravagant love for each other but they miss even what Paul was saying about debt. He isn’t saying don’t borrow but he is saying make sure you pay back what you borrow.

The aim for your Christian life is not about being more powerful and doing great exploits. It is not even about not being in debt. But it is about grasping, comprehending, perceiving, learning, reaching, testing, plumbing to the depths and rising to the heights in discovering the love of Christ for other people. It is to learn the unconditional, non-judgmental, selfless, sacrificial love within community where you will always be in debt. There will never be a time when you can say I have loved that person enough. You are to go on and on and on. You are to die loving. Yes there are heartaches and yes we have to move on but we do so not with bitterness and anger but with love. It is to give extravagant, outlandish, loud and courageous love to others. It is this love that fulfils everything that God wants in terms of obedience (known as the law).

We are going to read a section that might be difficult depending on your political persuasion or your experience of working for management or other leadership forms.

But spare a thought for those who live under the regimes of evil dictators as you read the following:

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. ⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. ⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.” (Romans 13:1-7)

What are we to make of this?

The powers that be are there because God appointed them.
For the Christians, living under the wicked Roman Emperor, Nero, they would find this hard to swallow.
You may also. For your powers that be may not act anything like God.
You may struggle to obey them.
Your government.
Your manager or supervisor.
Your spiritual leader.
All these can make things difficult for you.
In turn you may want to belittle, rebel and usurp the authority above you.
But strangely God has them there for a season.
They are serving a bigger picture than just your life here and now. You are part of that big picture so submit, do what’s right and respect those people.
For when you do this you are in line with God.

But this is not blind obedience.

Paul says 2 things: God has established these authorities and you must obey otherwise they will punish.

How do we weigh this with resisting the beast’s demands for worship?

Or how do we hold to this teaching alongside the refusal to be silent about Jesus, ““Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!”? (Acts 5:29)

Perhaps it is this:

1. No government or spiritual leader has ultimate authority over you; that belongs to God.
2. God is in control of history and governments and we need faith to believe this even when we cannot see Him.
3. Do all that we can to obey respectfully those in authority.
4. When it is against that ultimate authority we serve God not man.

Let’s be different today. Where there is hurt let us bless. Where offence comes let us take every barrier down. Where there is war let us bring peace. Who do you struggle with today? Bless them. Show kindness. Demonstrate the cross. Die for them. Do not pick up the sword no matter what they have done.

Paul continues on from instructing not to retaliate by speaking of doing all we can to reconcile: “On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12 v 20-21)

The Rwandan genocide in 1994 only lasted 100 days. But during that time 800,000 citizens were brutalised and murdered by their own neighbours.

Though Hutu and Tutsi tribes are the same ethnic group, share the same language, lived and worked together, shared the same religion (mainly catholic), Tutsis and supportive Hutus were slaughtered by people they had co-existed peacefully with for generations.

Even from school age Tutsis became dehumanised.

They were called snakes and cockroaches.

The killings were horrific and sadistic.

Here is a story of a mother whose son was killed in that genocide.

The woman had nursed bitterness, grievance and thoughts of vengeance; she just wanted to find her son’s killer and bring due punishment. But one night she had a dream and in the dream she was going down the street and saw a house and she knew it was a house of her enemy.

And she heard God say, “Go into the house”.

She said “I don’t want to go into the house”

She went into the house and God led her through many rooms and then up the stairs.

And He said “I want you to go up the stairs”

She said “I don’t want to go any further in this house”

“I want you to go up the stairs”

She went up the stairs, opened the door at the top, and found it led into heaven.

And she had a revelation.

That the path to heaven goes through the house of her enemy.

Two days later there was a knock on her door.

A young man is standing there at the door and he is shaking.

He says to her, “I am the man who killed your son. I place my life in your hands, whatever you want to do with me, I accept it. I have had no peace since I did what I did. And I will accept whatever. If you want to kill me, you can kill me.

If you want to turn me in to the authorities turn me into the authorities. Whatever you want, my life is in your hands.

And because she had a revelation from God, she said “I will not do any of this. But I do have one request. You must now become my son.”

She took him in and fed him at the table where she fed her son. He’s the same size so he wore his clothes. He actually moved in and became a son to her, because heaven passes through the house of her enemy.

Who is your enemy? Who is the person that hurt you? Would you believe that heaven goes through that house? It does. It’s called the cross. Pick it up today. Love is your most treasured commodity that no one will take from you. Give it today. Do what you can to reconcile.