Acceptance, Judgment, and the Essential Point of Nonessential Points - Part A

Are we supposed to is Christians judge one another.

What is the role of acceptance, judgment and the essential point of non-essential points each and every one of us has our own unique background, so must cover a background of absolutely no church at all what others come from a background of far too much church for too many traditions.

God's people and sometimes we can be overly critical of other believers today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip's roommate height shares how you can embrace unity with the body of Christ. First you want to grow in your knowledge of God's word want to share about an exciting opportunity you have to do just that. Calvary College is now open for registration. Calvary College is offering select online classes as an opportunity for individuals to take their lives calling to a whole new level with educational emphasis in biblical studies with our unique partnership with Veritas international University of Calvary Chapel University. You will have the opportunity to obtain your bachelors or Masters degree with complete online program. Whether you're looking to obtain an accredited online degree or take individual courses to become better equipped in your knowledge of God's unchangeable truth. Calvary College has you covered with a range of opportunities. On-site classes are scheduled to begin in 2021. Updates on classes and registration information for Calvary College's visit Calvary ABQ.College that's Calvary ABQ.com for Calvary College, Calvary Q.College down here in Romans chapter 14 guided to be teaching with mega-judgment is a really funny thing is that it's something in our culture that drives the economy of our culture today. We try so hard to fit into that we can avoid judgment. That's why we do say address certain ways we pass it on so many people before we ever get a chance to really know them. Judgment is something we love to give, but we hate to receive right no one likes being judged or been judged before is not a fun thing right deserving criticize. Nobody enjoys being judged.

One of the things we hear so many people say today is don't judge me right, don't judge me bro.

But let's be honest, usually if we have to say.

Don't judge me. We deserve to be judged away with ever said that. Don't judge me right now.

You guys, now you know I am not saying for instance. Maybe her a bath, athletics, strong, manly man maybe like a contract, you work with your hands and having friends over today for Super Bowl and you're ready to chow down on some wings and you get into the living room and you turn on the Apple TV and the first thing they see before the game can come honest you been binge watching Gilmore girls for the past eight weeks.

Don't judge me bro don't judge me. Or maybe you and your girlfriends decide has 2020 were going to die 20 2020 pounds and 20 days, that's not healthy. By the way, don't do that and you guys have the solidarity packed you guys really do this together in one day, lunch time, your friend finds you in the parking lot of McDonald's eating for big Macs and a large fry, don't judge me or maybe after church today to get your car you had to restaurant have some food you can your car in the first thing they hear is the saw you last had plan on your iPod, 000.

You need to calm down. No nobody I don't judge me here in Romans 14 we find a passage that addresses this very subject addresses the subject of judgment are we supposed to is Christians judge one another. What is the role of acceptance, judgment and the essential point of nonessential points each and every one of us has our own unique background, so must cover a background of absolutely no church at all what others come from a background of far too much church for too many traditions you know traditions are some of the hardest strongholds for us to break in our lives and some of us never do. And the result of this often times is friction. The vision arguments and judgment within the church of different groups who have different backgrounds and different traditions and Paul addresses that topic here in Romans 14 C. It was the same in the early church in the early church there were some who were Gentiles and they were used to idolatry and then there were some who were Jewish, who had very very strict laws and in Rome. Paul is addressing a huge debate that emerges in the early church a big division and argument and disagreement over certain practices and really boils down to days and diet again were timeout nonessentials today and working to talk about several different nonessentials with the nonessentials that Paul is specifically addressing here in Romans chapter 14 is what days to worship on what kind of diets should we have seen Roman culture was normal to offer animal sacrifices in the temples and then take the meat that was offered in the temples and sell the best meat to the public for food now for the Gentiles, that no issue with this said no problem with this with eating meat that had been sacrificed in a temple for them.

It was just me. It was just a meal.

They ate the meat. They enjoyed the meat didn't mean anything to them, but for the Jewish person. This was a little bit too close to idolatry. This is a little bit too close to idol worship and so a huge argument arose with two sides. Different traditions different backgrounds judging each other for the what they were doing within the church that will point out the church has never been a perfect church. Historically, the church that we all are a part of the church has never been perfect all the way back to the early church.

There have been divisions arguments and squabbling Xanax six. Ananias is the fire pretended to be holy and they were dropped out of the church in acts 15 Paul and Barnabas had a falling out, not over any doctrinal issues, but over a guy that Paul simply didn't like named John Mark to the Corinthians. Paul said there are envy, strife, and divisions among you understand this, there's always going to be people in church that you don't get along with, there's always good to be people who are part of the body of Christ that you don't agree with on certain issues.

There is always to be people sitting next to you or in front of you or behind you that you just don't like for some reason and what is all response supposed to be as people within the church to those people that we have the tendency to judge what is our response supposed to be. As Christians in acceptance, judgment and the essential point of nonessential points. Let's read Romans chapter 14 verses one through six. As we see how Paul admonishes us.

Verse one receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one, believes he may eat all things, but he was weak eats only vegetables. Let him who eats despise not him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has received him, who are you to judge another's servant to his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand for God is able to make him stand.

One person esteems one day above another. Another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind he will observe the day, observes it to the Lord, and he who does not observe the day to the Lord.

He does not observe it. He who eats each to the Lord for he gives God thanks, and he who does not eat to the Lord.

He does not eat, and gives God thanks West out there in this text we see three things in our response to acceptance, judgment, the essential point of nonessential points number one, we see that we need to start accepting all believers number two we see that we need to stop judging some believers, and then third and finally we see whatever you do that is to say, whatever you choose to do in relation to these nonessential points. Be convinced that our first point stop start accepting all believers a diverse one again with me.

Paul says receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to dispute over doubtful things.

Basically Paul is saying in this whole tax that we need to begin to receive people in the fellowship receive believers and we just stop arguing about dumb thing. Why is it that we as human beings love to argue about unimportant issues. Why do we love to argue about dumb things. What we love to fight.

It's ingrained in us. You know my kids fight over the dumbest things they fight over like what color a toy is new with this color know it's that color. Why are you fighting over that, but only gets worse as we get older. Right. We as a nation or a nation of offense we get offended over everything. It's impossible to post anything on social media without somebody getting offended. It's impossible to share a message from the stage without somebody didn't offend a case in point, last week the message that I shared, wake up.

We had two different letters that were inside the agape box. One of them said how dare Nate talk about alcohol in that way the other one said what a great message I needed to hear that two opposing viewpoints. Two very different thoughts on the same message. It's impossible for people not to be offended not to argue about anything in society today. Paul says in verse one receive one who is weak in the faith. I want to define our terms as we begin to dive into this text. What does Paul mean by week receive one who is weak in the faith. While he's not talking about somebody was morally weak.

That is to say's not talking about somebody who falls into sin and temptation because they have certain struggles in their lives is not talking to somebody was weak in character. That's to say is not speaking of somebody who's spineless somebody who refuses to stand up for their faith in God. Rather, he's talking to somebody who is weak because they're having a hard time believing in the great liberating truths that Paul has delivered so far in the book of Romans, that is to say there weak because they haven't yet grasped Romans 81 there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. They haven't yet grasped. Romans 51 that salvation is apart from works, not through being legalistic.

The weakness that he is speaking of is weakness that is traditional baggage that weighs on people and in turn causes them to judge everyone else around. He's speaking of weakness in relation to an oversensitivity to the non-essentials that we all know people like this don't we people who are oversensitive to nonessentials and were afraid to ever say anything in front of them because there and start judging us and jumped down our throats with like you don't want to say you went to a concert you want to say you went to a restaurant you want to sale man the other night I was going to move because they're getting all the movies you're going to hell. All I do is read my Bible 24 seven like there's so oversensitive to everything because of the traditional background.

They might've had because of how they grew up, they have put a certain amount of baggage upon their shoulders that they hold themselves to. But that more dangerously, they hold other people to as well. We have to constantly as believers think essential think focus on the essentials of the Christian faith on the atonement of Jesus Christ that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins that we are saved by the blood of Christ. There's only one way to heaven, and his name is Jesus that he rose from the dead, that the Bible is the inerrant word of God that Christ was born of a virgin, the deity of Christ that he was God and man the Trinity that there is one God in three persons, these essentials we need to think on and yet so often times I find what most believers get bogged down in his the nonessentials what you eat what's at your glass what you drinking right over there will, I heard you praying in tongues. I don't think you should do that will that church had a woman teach or or that person did this or that person did that and we get so bogged down in these nonessentials and this problem still exists very much in our modern day church life see in this passage in Romans 14 he was speaking to a group of people who put upon themselves the baggage of the Old Testament law in this baggage of the Old Testament law, cause them to judge other people in accordance to what they thought they had to do and there are still some people today who revert back to the Old Testament laws they abide by the Old Testament dietary standards. Some say that Saturday is the only day to worship that it's a condition to fellowship there. Some people would say that you being here at church on Sunday is a sin. Some say that you can only take communion if the bread is unleavened and if it's not, it's not true. It's not valid you can actually take communion. Some say that you can't have any tattoos or piercings you know it's interesting that the weak believer that Paul speaks about here is the legalistic one. He says receive one who is weak and when he starts talking about the one who is weak. He's talking or somebody says I can eat that he's talking about somebody says will know I have to worship on this day the weak believer is the legalistic one but you know it's funny the legalistic believer thinks the strong one, the legalistic believer thinks that they're stronger that they're better than their more holy because they're doing a certain number of things, sometimes even things that God didn't even ask them to do. The Pharisees did the same thing. They were so righteous, so holy they were abiding by laws that the Bible didn't even give and they thought it made him strong. They thought it made them better. They thought it made them more holy in this tradition. This baggage that they put upon their shoulders.

It caused them to judge others around them.

Why is it that the weak believers, the legalistic one because it takes more faith to believe that Jesus is enough and that you can't add anything you want to measure your faith, measure how much you believe that Jesus is enough there weak in the face there weak in faith that Jesus is enough there weak in faith to say that man God is enough what he accomplished on the cross is enough to wash me white as snow. Some people here then say yeah I believe that but I'm just to hedge my bet I better still do XYZ just to make sure that I'm okay.

Just to make sure that I'm good and they think that these good deeds that they add on top of their faith in Christ somehow makes them more holy than other people around them looked true faith is the Isaiah syndrome.

The says all my good deeds all the things that I could do to try to please God, they're just filthy rags. They're just drunk. All I need is faith in Jesus.

That's enough anything else that I try to do to make myself look good. It doesn't make me look good. It's just filthy rags see legalism seeks to add to the gospel to attain salvation through works and good deeds to say that Jesus is enough, but you should also do this. It was also interesting that this text is written to the strong believer this is written to both, but it's initially dressed to the strong believers as received him, who is weak in the faith look who it has ever been judged by a well-meaning believer or criticized by a well-meaning believer who said something to you and they were trying to be jerks, but they were they just said something really needs you and hurt you, and it cut you some way. Paul is addressing this passage to those strong believers who are being attacked or judged by weaker believers and the reason he's doing that is because we can't control how people judge us, but we can control what our response to those people should be and posting to those were strong in the face. Hey when somebody judges you with so many jumps down your throat when they get mad at you and and try to put something on you the law upon you that you don't have to abide by. Instead of arguing back instead of fighting back. Instead of completing your case and hitting them with the Bible join them all the verses of why they're wrong instead of getting into it with them, receive them, love them except them put a hand of fellowship out to them. Don't fight with them because that's not to get anybody anywhere.

We are to welcome them and received them, not tell them how stupid they are not kick them out.

Look again. Larry asked who's been judged by well-meaning believer. I think we all have. We've all been judged at some point by a Christian who meant well but just to go about it the right way. I've been judged. I well-meaning believers. It might shock you to know the amount of letters and emails I've gotten of Christians criticizing me and judging me, not because of something on biblical instead. Not because of a false doctrine of spread not because of an in an errant word that I gave her because of some secret sin, but because I wear ripped jeans.

I have tattoos and I have facial hair literally. I've had people say would you consider wearing flesh-colored sleeves to cover up your tattoos. I've had people say we been praying, a group of us that you stop wearing ripped jeans dinner government.

Remember, the air my dad a goatee. If you do, you been here for a long time in that era he had people come up to and say hey, several of us are together praying weekly that you would shave your goatee look is your prayer life consists of trained people would stop wearing ripped jeans and shave their goatee's you need something better to pray about now when we get those emails and we get those letters when someone comes up in those say a joke of hey you need some more money to get some new jeans for my Bible and criticize them and condemn them for looking at the outward appearance a man should look at the heart. God judges the heart we don't start addressing those issues. I don't get mad at him and say, how dare you judge me. I laugh it off.

I let it go. There's no reason to fight about is no reason to argue about.

There's no reason to get up in arms about it. You receive them when someone judges you, for something dumb receive them except them put a hand of fellowship them and say hey it's okay if you want to wear khakis and Hawaiian shirts, that's fine.

That's you you be you do what you better do what you want to wear if you don't like long hair, shave your head. I don't care if you like facial hair go clean-shaven. Don't fight with them over those issues receive them love them. That's the desire that God has for us within the church, and yet it seems that too often the church resembles a playpen with babies throwing rattles around screaming at each other throwing tantrums. I want that you did this to me you hurt me you push me on it puts you in a resembles this contentious atmosphere. It says that we should receive the NIV and NLT transit buses except the ESV translates the says welcome the passion translation says offer an open hand of fellowship. The basic idea is stop arguing about dumb things and start loving each other start receiving each other start accepting each other start welcoming each other start fellowship being with each other. The message translate this passage.

Is this welcome with open arms, fellow believers who don't see things the way that you do and don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with. Even when it seems that they are strong opinions but we can the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently look it doesn't matter if the person you disagree with isn't the same level of maturity as you are doesn't matter if they disagree with your viewpoint is a matter for even hostile towards you. They badmouth you and talk poorly about you to other people you hear from somebody of so-and-so was say this about you. It doesn't matter if they do those things receive them except them, love them with an open hand of fellowship. It's sad that so many churches are so exclusive they have to go through some spiritual gauntlet to be gained acceptance into their club. That's why we as a church of never had membership because you don't have to be a member here. This is in the club. This isn't some secret society. This is a family. All you have to do their part of this family believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth died for your sins, rose from the dead, you can find salvation, and no other name than the name of Jesus Christ you believe the word of God. We believe those things your family accomplish something to be here.

You are here with us. The job of Christians is to help resolve start. That's one of many hydrogen messages from the series heart shall want to share about an exciting resource that will help you pray more soul-searching prayers that inspiring to pursue God's calling for your life, ready to radically upgrade your prayer life still stuck in blessing mode, you have come to the right place. If you are ready for dangerous prayers really start playing three new players and I will warn you. These are not easy. Prayers does not say prayers are not benign prayers, recalling the dangerous prayers are dangerous and a good one and that is just my opinion. Most people I know in this part of the world most people's prayers away to say that Craig Rochelle from his book dangerous prayers. And this is our summer resource offer. If you are ready to get out of your comfort zone was some players are not safe to play noble into the when you pray this prayer to really ask God to do something that will take you out of your comfort zone. Unlock your potential Craig Rochelle's book dangerous prayers is our gift to you when you give $35 or more today to help keep this ministry on the air. Request your copy when you get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer or you can call 800-922-1888 another clip from Craig's book dangerous prayers talk about where we'll start on your right to the last thing it was one of the underside of brokenness is a real intimacy with God on him to any other way will have enough encouraging books yet one that will grab you by the throat and get her attention. Replace send me another set of single will do what I want to do you recycle blank contract basically whatever however you whatever you want to do. My life is yours soon connectwithskip.com/offer or you can call 800-922-1888 the word of God works in you as you read it daily.

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Tune in tomorrow Skip sending hugs explains how you can encourage and lift up your brothers and sisters in Christ be great if as Christians we could sit together arguing back and forth about how we agree on the nonessential job fellowship with one another and encourage one another strengthen one another one another for good works, go out and make a difference in our Skip Presentation of Connection Communications Changing Truth