When Drinking, Politics, Cussing, and Circumcision Divide A Church, Part 2

Today on segment length with Jeannie Greer, the Bible means to say that we think about everything I think we need to learn to think biblically about taxation immigration for a lot of people, certain positions, like religious wall external side of whether you are right with God or not you should soften on their position. I don't want to make it hard for the Gentiles who are turning to God by making some secondary thing I gateway the first thing the Bible teaching ministry Jeannie Greer, pastor of the Summit church Raleigh Durham North Carolina. As always, I'm your host Molly benefits okay so if you're outside of the church looking it might seem like there are all kinds of rules and regulations to follow in order to be a Christian today on Summit life pastor Jeannie Greer explains how to remove these types of barriers that just may keep people from coming to Jesus. It's not about watering down the message but sometimes Lane aside our personal beliefs for the good of the body. Today's message is creatively title when drinking, politics, cussing and circumcision divide to grab your Bible and a pen and let's join Pastor JD chapter 15 story of how this is filled with the spirit ensure the resurrection with no money, no power, nothing else to their name spread that gospel message over the entire planet. Along the way Luke, who is the author of acts is going to stop to tell you stories about things that happened to this first church so you and I can learn from their example about the church that we are part of in our day and that brings us to accept her for a change of you have a Bible, you have an open there yet accept 15 were to begin might burst one the church encounters a problem so you could have significantly derailed the church, had they not handled it exactly the way that they did want to overstate this, but this was a subtle danger look that dangerous. On the surface but had I not done it the way that they did it not something you and I will probably not be sitting here today. Now also tell you that a lot of people reach the book of acts of business don't preach on this tax because it is about a theological debate and theological debates can be bore reading right right but this one is going to answer some really important questions for a for example, what role should politics play in the church like Republican and Democrat.

I can't stop house we talk about that, the church, how should we handle gray areas like is it okay to drink alcohol or marijuana is legalized in North Carolina. Is it okay for a Christian to smoke marijuana and what you do it people your small group disagree on those questions about alcohol how do you know should you handle that and even what should you do when a new believer cusses inserts something like this passage deals with little that you say that so your IBM, but let's unpack the story first, verse one. Some men came down from Judea were teaching the brothers unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved is 613 Jewish laws.

Circumcision, which is one of those, 612 others what you guys but I never felt like I was keeping them all and I was born a Jew. We could barely keep those laws ourselves, and we were born Jews why we project this burden on the Gentiles. Verse 11 but we believe that we will be saved to the grace of the Lord Jesus just as they will.

In other words, now these law say this anyway. They make us closer to God. What what we did that made us close to God is what Jesus had done.

We put faith in what Jesus is God, not what we were doing.

That's what saved us so that's what makes you close to God, while we project this burden onto first well all the assembly fell silent, and then they listen to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had gone through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied brothers listen to me, is my judgment, therefore, that listen that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who were turning to God. We have to make it not difficult for Gentiles were turning to God and how we do our church all sit here yelling about the need to volunteer because I want you to do a good deed I'm doing it because I don't want us to make it difficult for the Gentiles were turning to God. Verse 20 instead we should write to them, the Gentiles, that is, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality and from the meat of strangled camels, and from blood like what it was like always miss Whistler from 630 laws down to two, which are basically avoid sexual immorality or and and don't offend the Jews. That's quite a reduction or 28. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements that you abstain from what is in sacrifice idols, from blood, strangled and from sexual morality. If you keep yourself from these you will do well. So when they were sent off they went down Antioch you had to gather the congregation together they deliver the letter when they had rented and rejoice because of his encouragement and all the men went to Glastonbury next week. Andy Stanley was a pastor down in Georgia talks about several drifts that this text warns us to avoid drifts that the early church back 15 is already facing drifts that we as a church and every church in the face as well to use a few of of of his, and then add a few of my own every church listen and every Christian will face these inevitable drifts both in the church's mission and in your personal Christian life. Here they are number one drift from a passion for outsiders to pacify an insider's drift from a passion for outsiders to pacify an insider's every church you see tends to do this when we first got started as a church 12 years ago. I didn't plant the church we relaunch the church 12 years ago were so focused on reaching those people on the outside yet because that's how we we had to do with you now were established. Right now we've got a lot of people coming in now you got a big budget we got a lie we we got needs. We have preferences right so it's so easy for us to start thinking about herself. It's hard for me for a couple reasons. One, I will have my own preferences about what I want our church to be. Secondly, I want to make you happy to write. Now what job approval to be high. Once you determine that so I want to make you happy. Plus you want to write me letters tell me things you like in the church people on the outside were coming to church. Don't write and tell me the reasons are not coming to our church will get complaints from them.

I get complaints from you so I want to re-shake this church around my preferences around the things that make you happy but we ought not to make it hard for the Gentiles who were turning to God.

So the question is not what I prefer and what do you prefer the question is how are we going to reach those that God is bringing to himself outside of our church in everything we do. I gotta be considering people who have no voice here is what were doing, making it hard for them is sad to me to be judgment here, but it is said to go to churches you walk in there if you feel like that there's a group of people that have been sit in the same seats of the Revolutionary war right.

The average age is 78 or four years old in your mid-40s, your youth group and in that place walk in these places all my men of the 1940s ever come back these people to be ready right there to be cutting edge when they do that but they won't change even on another not reach the next generation. Like when I reach an argument would not reach another young people in our church and I don't change your know why this is sad because they love their traditions more than they love their grandchildren. It seems we ought not make it hard for the Gentiles, with others Gentiles are our children. Whether the Gentiles are neighbor we should make it difficult for them to come to God. Every church in every generation has to ask the question how we more concerned with pacify me insider for a passion for the outside. The drift from a passion for outsiders pacified insiders number two the drift from grace to law the drift from grace along the ones you were calling out for circumcision will save people. They believe they were saved by putting faith in Christ.

See after they were saved they started to drift back toward a rules-based relationship with God is that's what always happens. Martin Luther said the human heart is hardwired for works righteousness works righteousness means the idea that it's what you do and how will you do with the determines how God feels about you to update Luther's analogy walk a car severely out of alignment.

At the moment you take the wheel. We veers into the ditch of thinking that it's how well you keep the laws that determines how God approves of you. Now our list. Our law is different and I would say probably the circumcision is probably not a big deal to most of you anymore. Right is not a big deal to us when we have our own list of things we say about their single unity things. These are to make you right with God is to show everybody else that you're a good Christian whatever bad things are almost always good things. Questions like you involved in ministry doing a quiet time every day. You've all been a small group would you share Christ with last week you adopt kids, you have a perfect family, do you ever been divorced, how much money do you give all good things, but these become the measure of our spiritual lives and the measure by which we evaluate others not only listen. Does this make us lose the gospel in our own lives.

It makes it really difficult for other people to come to God because they start seeing type of profile that they have to fit before God will accept them.

Your been really lost like so I physically will psychologically know where to like where to turn, would start to get back anybody knows me knows that I have a notoriously bad sense of direction all the brain cells God gave to me. Thank you, of all the brain cells I got gave to me. I've chosen to direct none of them toward direction can use them over something else. That means that I just cannot.

I'm the worst worst for me is whenever I go to a new city like you. I'm traveling. If I'm staying downtown. I think it's a cool thing to get up in the morning to run in downtown that's a horrible idea for me because every single time it happens the same way I want for 50 minutes and I'm always like I have no idea where I am not how I got here how to get back on even know where to start to get back right you still so lost. I know where to begin. Do you understand that there are people coming to our church that feel that way. Spiritually I have no idea how to get even get back to the starting point we had this thing we we we we we present. Therefore my call.

This is what it looks like the gospel is listen.

Jesus has done everything necessary to make you fully right with God you believe not in your ability to fix yourself.

You believe in what he is done to save you and by believing that you are reconciled to God and made right with him and we don't ever want to communicate to people that if you look like this and talk like this then you'll be right with God like I don't even know how to begin that we want to communicate is listen to Satan about what you do about what he's done. When Jesus said it is finished he meant it was his finish for you as it was for the most religious person on the planet by believing in what he did not and what you can do will be right with God. So you'll see this drift from grace the wall which leads to 1/3 drift after you drip from grace to law to see a focus on internal transformation shift and one on external conformity focus on internal transformation. One of external conformity. The gospel focus usually is on transforming the heart. Jesus said, the essence of all the wall so undoubtedly are the love of the people. He said he did this in your people. The walls that's the essence of what it means to be a believer now only to be clear on this Bible outlines for you what love for God looks like you not as I will have one things for God so I can get a three wives, and that is how I love God and the Bible tells you what purity and justice and what love for God looks like. But the point is, it grows out of the heart of love for God. Listen, and that heart of love for God is produced by faith in Christ. When we say here is listen love for God in you is produced by embracing the love of God for you. It is not becoming a religious righteous person that you love God is understanding what God has done for you in Christ believing that is what produces that heart of love for you is the love of God for you that produces love for God in you in places that lose their focus on the gospel, they began to replace a focus on inward transformation becomes less about loving God and loving others and begin to put an emphasis on outward conformity and when that happens, inevitably a whole host of things that become laws that determine whether your spiritual, not always bad things is what this is.

It's totally what you should look like and that determines where you stand with God. In those days it was circumcision. I got so jealous of like as many of you that probably that's a big deal you anymore.

So to give you a few that are common in our church backgrounds by alcohol. Alcohol what you should drink alcohol and I grew up with teetotaler utility trailer is great for any reason our church a teetotaler your hundred and 10 through teetotaler part right is membrane-bound offering reason whatsoever right and if you asked them why that you have really good reasoning. The Bible often speaks very negatively about alcohol wonders of the dangers near 1/6 people who drink alcohol become an alcoholic. I saw a New York Times article this week that said that same day. 1/6 people drink out of alderman alcoholic and their reasoning was, I would keep a dog in the house a bit. 1/6 people I would walk around the gun that randomly shot.

1/6 people. Why would I keep a drink in my cabinet for the lies 1/6 people 110 children in our country grew up in a home with his alcohol abuse. There are 100,000 alcohol related deaths every year and if that is your thinking and for that reason, you do not drink alcohol.

Listen, I commend you. That is very conscientious is very loving toward your fellow man bites their other Christians who say well just because something is abuse is maybe she should get rid of it totally sucks is abuse we get rid of it, words, or abuse will remain silent. Food is abuse. We stop eating. You want talk about things that kill last year there were 100,000 else related alcohol.

There were 300,000 else related to obesity.

Nobody's advocating get rid all desserts will match if you people are but you know, say, even though the Bible warns is that alcohol can be abused. We clearly see people in the New Testament who were drinking for many beverages like Jesus you know Paul one point even prescribes little alcohol for Timothy: those are also good arguments. So rather than leave.

This is an issue of conscience.

Some churches pick a side and make it all. Remember this church, you better sign this covenant is what we do here. It just seems to me that we ought to lead this is a matter of conscience and we should like they did there not something we should try in deference to each other not to offend you, not the spirit what happened and accepting, and all but I'm also going to be very conscious of people that are around me see if your ears heard that right air filtration. The second part will yeah get back to my small group in your face is open up a Heineken in front of them and I got told Joe right that just shows how much of the will allow a little gospel you actually understand your attitude really is so selfish and all about me that you would say will forget what anybody else thinks is what I'm doing. I'm free in Christ, then you know this shows you how we love each other and we are following our consciences and listen when you have a church full of people that are not uniform about some of the things it makes for some really interesting unity.net it easier if we all disagreed on everything all the time. I told you before my marriage made for some interesting unity to my wife come from a Presbyterian background and they are free in Christ all over the place right and so you know told you that when we got married. Our compromise was a made a quick drink in a baptizer and I consented to the fact that it was all predestined to happen. That was the way that we we we want our unit or pastor are presently possible. When we got married. He said the only difference with the prospect Presbyterian Anabaptist on the on the issue. Alcohol is Presbyterian waxy wave hi to you and the ABC store alcohol, that is until I cannot even there, so it's been it's been interesting as we form this more perfect union point is listen. This is what gospel charity is what leads us to do right. Here's another Christian appearance or vocabulary Christian appearance of vocabulary some of you urban churches and Christians rest in certain ways to see some rabbit that to anybody you know is this body. Jesus debut. You should market often poke up with any piercing, so that's just what if that's your conviction shares. That's fine. I understand why you would think that Weibel is not make that into a new wall about this when on the use of profanity here me out of this and Christians have a certain way that we talk we have reasons for that. That's fine. You will hear me using profanity right. I don't want to judge somebody else's heart, especially somebody new just because they want to talk like us yet you follow them saying I'm not saying it's okay that you just don't have that. I'm just saying I understand that external conformity always match internal transformation. On the other they'll say right on your after the sermon I got who was pretty new to our church. I can tell you.

Forgive all that bad, walks past me and stops the pastor doubles 1HELL of the sermon. I said thank you very much right no you complement your pastor, I love it I love it.

Discipleship group or the guy was a brand-new Christian was describing something something awesome about God and discredit me as I wrap attention to his mouth. I saw McKenna whisper using the AMN like he just worshiped Lacoste for me.

Seriously. After a while, probably figure out. We don't talk like that. There's a reason that we you know talking to the ways of the point is I don't want external conformity eclipse what God is doing to my heart. Politics is one thing the Bible means to say that we think about everything I think we going to learn to think biblically about moving from taxation immigration reform. But for a lot of people. Certain positions become like religious law and external sign of whether you're right with God or not, and listen. Maybe you're right about your political position the menu are good reasons. Am I don't, you should soften on their position, but I don't want to make it hard for the Gentiles who are turning to God by making some secondary thing a gateway to the first think let's have the discussions but let's have them in the right way and let's never make them. The main thing because the main thing is the gospel of Jesus Christ to be the perfect word for this, Jesus had 12 disciples write you for every bright red light of this and never noticed it. One of the disciples was guarding Simon the zealot, you know that means it was a guy believe that Israel ought to secede from Rome and do whatever it took to get away from them. You also had in the last Matthew the tax collector, which really got it took MONEY for Rome you had a tea party conservative in a big government liberal in the same group of disciples and somehow Jesus brought about together and I'm sure they had some great discussions around the campfire missing the point was to listen. The main thing remain. The main thing and so people of wildly different political positions could come together and find the gospel in the same place those three shifts. Those three drifts to destroy the forward movement of the church in every generation what they are. I don't from a passion for outsiders to pacifying insiders from grace to law from a focus on the internal will focus on the external guys. This was a moment.

It was a moment of them subtle but incredible danger for the church.

They could have ended the rapid expanse of the Christian movement) ask 50. Many churches go through this same chapter and they don't make it in the dying. Do not get self-righteous and do not think it will pass this chapter. Every year we got we go through this chapter, I don't want to make it hard for the Gentiles in our community who are turning to God.

I would like a horse. So will you be asking the question now what you want, not what I want. How do we make it easy for them. If the gospel is offensive. Let's make nothing else offensive. If you're not a Christian. Listen here you should take out of this God wants to know you as the gospel you care so much about you when you are alienated from him.

He came to earth to rescue you and died in your place suffering the full penalty for your sin in your place so that you can be reconciled to him no matter how lost you are right now. No matter how lost you feel you can be fully reconciled to God because the basis of your reconciliation is not in your ability to fix yourself.

It's in what he is done on your behalf. Jesus last words of the cross were not go fix yourself and come back. It was, it is finished you will believe that it is finished on your behalf. You can write down this moment be fully reconciled to God. All you gotta do is receive it.

Maybe you been overwhelmed because you look at a church full of people you thought on the site like this, people listen. It's not becoming like us, that makes you a believer simply believing that Jesus loved you, but he wants to know you and receiving his gift is your salvation don't have to clean up and come to him when he comes into your life pretty thankful for that.

You're listening to Summit line, pastor, author and theologian Jamie Greer. Every believer is supposed to become the pastor or move overseas as a paid missionary but we are all called to be missing around Senate life we say it this way, you're either a missionary or the mission field we can do great new resource for you that gets more in depth about the role of the Holy Spirit is called the book of acts, volume 2, and we left to get a copy of it into your hand. Our prayer is that through this teaching series on year through the work that we created to you will be encouraged to join God's mission and leverage the opportunities and get you thinking to reach you work back study done.

He suggested level $XXV and just give us a call at 866-335-5220 study guide when you get online. Jamie dear Dr. website. Also, sign up for our information about Katie tomorrow when we different examples of people that's Friday on Senate night. Katie