Local Church Details, Part 5: What's a Deacon?
/
By Jon Buck & Jason Park
God ‘Opened a Door’ Part 1 - Is it Biblical?
/
by Jon Buck
“And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” ~ Matthew 5:19-20
Decisions can be really tough. What to do for work? To move or not to move? Who to marry? Even things as simple as where to go for dinner can turn into agonizing questions!
We live in a time of extreme pragmatism. Most decisions made around us are done using pro’s and con’s lists, cost/benefit analysis, and personal desires. Sometimes when we are faced with questions or decisions as believers, we can slip into this similar pattern of looking at all decisions through a pragmatic lens.
Often, as Christians, we can refer to these pragmatic circumstances as an ‘open door’. I’ve done this myself. The theological implication is that God has sovereignly opened a door, and is calling us to walk through it. The point, of course, is that the decision is somehow made for us—we had no choice but to follow God’s leading by walking through the proverbial door.
While this seems tidy enough, it is simply NOT Biblical.
While God is certainly sovereign, Biblical decisions are often completely irrational from a worldly pragmatic perspective.
Think, for example, of Christ’s interactions with the disciples. When He first meets them, they are fishermen. They have been fishermen for generations, probably had thriving businesses, owned their own boats and nets, and were doing quite well financially.
Jesus comes to them and, without a single hint of pragmatism, tells them to follow Him. To do this, they would have to leave behind their families, their boats, their nets, their jobs, their livelihood…everything they had known. But Matthew tells us that they ‘immediately’ left their nets and followed Him.
Every pragmatic door was closed, so to speak. Every ‘pro' was on the side of staying put, and every ‘con’ was on the side of following Jesus. And yet, they left their nets and followed Him. Just because a circumstantial door appears to be open does NOT mean that God intends for us to walk through that door! Sometimes, the doors open in all the wrong places, and God’s will very different than pragmatism would have indicated.
Rather than looking for open doors, we need to pray and ask the Lord to guide us. This requires true submission to Christ and His will! We must be willing to have our hands open, rather than closed, and be ready to leave everything we love to follow Christ!
Pride vs. Molech ~ Voting in 2020
/
by Jon Buck
“They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” ~ Jer. 32:35
I think, among those who will read this, there will be very little disagreement. However, in an effort to speak to the events of our day, I wanted to write a quick post about abortion.
In the past few weeks I have read several articles by men who I would consider to be within our theological camp comparing pride, boasting, racism, and other such sins with abortion. The argument follows that a vote for a proud and boastful candidate who is pro-life in policy is the same as a vote for a different candidate who is not pro-life.
This is, in my estimation, a gross misunderstanding of the ethical issues at stake in the elections that we have the freedom to participate in.
Pride is certainly a sin, and a damnable one. The first thing on the list of seven sins that God hates is haughty eyes (Prov. 6:16). Pride is the core evil that leads all humanity into the various sins that it commits. However, pride is not of the same ilk as murder, any more than coveting is the same as theft. While both are sins, one has far greater consequence.
Israel’s sin, and ours
No wonder, then, that God so vehemently condemns the children of Israel for their wickedness in murdering their children to the idol Molech. Of course there were countless proud men in Israel at that time, and God condemns them for their pride as well (Psalm 101:5, Jer. 9:4). But the sin which draws out God’s heart in absolute despair is the sacrifice of their children.
The Lord says that it had not ‘entered His mind that they should do this abomination’. The murder of their children was so abhorrent to God that he could scarcely believe that they would do such a thing! While God was sovereign, this sin was such an egregious violation of His revealed will that it stunned him.
The slaughter of innocent lives by abortion in America is a wickedness of a greater caliber than the sins of Israel. They killed a few children to the idol Molech. Since the last election, more than 2 million innocent children have perished.
November, 2020
I do not pretend to endorse either candidate. Neither is a Christian by any stretch of the imagination, and both are proud men. The third party candidates are also proud men, by and large, rather than paragons of virtue.
However, when I step into the ballot box in November, I will refuse to vote for a candidate who supports the murder of the unborn. This is not a statement of moral superiority. I am a sinner like both of the men running for President.
But, because God has saved me, and opened my eyes to His glory, I will not vote for a candidate who exults in a sin that God finds so reprehensible. I will not vote for a man or woman who considers murder a fundamental right. I may hold my nose while I vote for the other candidate, but I simply won’t cast my vote for murder.
Local Church Details, Part 4: Choosing Elders
/By Jon Buck & Jason Park
Don’t Miss the Beatles
/
by Jon Buck
A fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. ~ Proverbs 12:15
A Decca Records executive made one of the biggest gaffes in music history in 1962 when he concluded that the Beatles had ‘no future in show business’. He told Brian Epstein, the band’s manager, “We don’t like your boys’ sound. Groups are out. Four-piece groups with guitars, particularly, are finished.”
The band found another label (Parlophone), recorded an album for around $500, and within a year, the band had released Please Please Me, which is still considered one of the greatest albums of all time. It has reached multi-platinum, and has 3 of the top 500 songs in rock and roll history.
How could someone have missed the mark so terribly?
The answer, very simply, is that the record executive was right in his own eyes. He was blinded by pride and his confidence that he knew best what was coming in the future.
We can often be just like this record executive. We can think that we are right in countless areas, when the truth is that we have been blinded by our own pride.
We can convince ourselves that we have thought through all the possible outcomes, have considered all the options, and have reached the only possible conclusion. And yet, we can be wrong.
How do we avoid being a fool? Solomon tells us in Proverbs 12:15 that the only way is to listen to counsel. We need to hear from others around us in order to have true wisdom.
So ask yourself some questions:
Are there Godly people around me that I regularly go to for advice? Or do I think I have things pretty well handled on my own?
Do I actively seek out those who I know love me enough to tell me I might be wrong? Or am I scared to ask them their opinion in case they contradict me?
When someone comes to me with counsel, am I willing to listen? Or is my first reaction defensiveness?
Local Church Details, Part 3: What Do Elders Do?
/By Jon Buck & Jason Park
Why Does God Allow False Teachers?
/
by Jon Buck
“For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.” ~ 1 Corinthians 11:19
I can often catch myself questioning God regarding why He allows false teachers to continue teaching. I can understand why He would allow theological chaos to reign in the world, but when it comes to the church, why wouldn’t he put false teachers out or destroy their ministries?
Paul explains God’s purposes in the verse above. When divisions occur, and false teachers wreak havoc on the church, this simply puts attention on those that are approved by God. Both the false and true believers become ‘evident’, and Paul explains.
God remains in sovereign control. False teachers simply reveal the reality of what was in their hearts from the very start. Those that follow them, while less culpable, are revealing the same thing about themselves.
God’s purpose in false teaching is therefore good. He is simply uncovering the hearts of the teachers and followers in plain sight for all to see. Allowing falsehood to exist produces a good result, as the purveyors of falsehood are no longer able to hide in the shadows.
God uses evil people, evil events, and evil doctrine to carry out a good purpose in His church. While we may love those who go astray, and long for their renewal, God’s purposes stand. He will protect His church, and will sometimes use false teachers to accomplish that end. I need not question His purposes, but only truth that, in spite of all that I may feel, His goodness is over all His works.
Remember the Worth of a Soul
/
by Jon Buck
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.” ~ C.S. Lewis
I sometimes find myself categorizing others…thinking of them in terms of what they do, what they espouse, or how they interact. However, Lewis reminded me this week to think of all people more in terms of who they are.
Every person you meet today, from your children and spouse, to the man at the gas pump next to you, to the person at the grocery store, is an immortal soul. They will never die, in the truest sense.
America will die. Eventually. Rome did.
The Republican and Democratic parties will die. Maybe sooner, rather than later.
All that is American culture will die. Food, movies, music...all passing away forever.
Philosophies will pass away.
But those you meet today will never pass away. They are immortal, and will live forever, either as beings of resplendent glory, enjoying everlasting life in the presence of God, or as beings of perpetual death, receiving the appropriate penalty from the hand of the same God.
The difference between these two outcomes is simple—are their sins paid for by Jesus Christ, once and for all, at the cross? Does the man next to you at the fuel pump know Christ as his Savior? Does your child know and understand the depth of his sin, and his need for the cross.
We must remember these things, especially in the midst of all the turmoil around us. Your political enemy is a soul—a soul who will live forever in suffering or joy. The politics will pass away, but they will remain forever! Let’s set aside what is passing away for the sake of that which is eternal.
Local Church Details, Part 2: What's an Elder, Anyway?
/By Jon Buck & Jason Park
Respecting Nero
/
by Jon Buck
“Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” ~ 1 Peter 2:17
If modern politics has taught me anything, it’s that ‘good’ politicians are few and far between. A brief look at the Presidential debates last night only confirmed that perspective.
However, regardless of the status of politics in the United States now or in the future, I’m reminded that we do not offer respect to the man, but to the office. Regardless of who wins the coming election, or elections in the future, as a Christian, I am obligated to offer him or her respect.
Not as bad as Nero
When we’re tempted to think that things are bad in the US, remember that Peter likely wrote the verse above when Nero was emperor. Nero came to power in AD 54, and Peter likely wrote in the early 60s AD.
Nero was no exemplary public servant. As emperor, he murdered his own mother, Agrippina the Younger, his first wife, Octavia, and allegedly his second wife, Poppaea Sabina. We may have political problems, but they pale in comparison to the problems the early church faced.
And yet, in spite of the absolute political chaos surrounding the apostles, not a single one speaks politically in any letter. Instead, the call is for respect—not for the man, of course, but for the office.
Respect for God
How could Peter possibly call his readers to respect a man as bad as Nero? The answer is quite simple…respect has nothing to do with Nero. Instead, Peter understands that the one who truly puts men on the throne (or in the White House) is God Himself.
Respect for Nero, President Trump, or Vice President Biden is not founded primarily on who they are but on who God is. If God is sovereign (and He is), we need not fear the outcome of the election, or condemn the victor.
If you can’t say anything nice…
What does respect look like? To make a long story short, it starts in the heart, as we respect God. But it moves very quickly to the mouth where we speak about others. However, in our day, it extends to the fingers where we type on social media.
Respect for God calls us to respect the office, and that calls us to speak and type with respect for those who are over us. A respectful tone reminds a world full of grumbling and complaining that we serve a higher master than the one in the Oval Office.
Local Church Details, Part 1
/By Jon Buck & Jason Park
When a Fish Looks Like a Snake
/
by Jon Buck
“Of if he asks for a fish, will you give him a serpent?” ~ Matthew 7:10
As believers we know two things for absolute certain…first, that God loves us with perfect Fatherly affection, and second that God is sovereign over every detail in the universe.
Sometimes, though, our lives can feel like God is sovereign, but He must not love us that much.
The moment of the news of the miscarriage.
The moment when we hear the cancer diagnosis.
The moment when we realize we don’t have a job.
The moment when the fight just won’t get resolved.
At those lowest of low moments, God wants us to trust that He loves us. In fact, Jesus goes so far as to say that as our Father, He would NEVER give us something that isn’t good for us. Just as an earthly father wouldn’t give his son a snake instead of a fish, God would never give us anything but a good gift.
Snakes or fish?
Even very young children know the difference between a fish and a snake. One they’ll catch, eat, or watch, and the other they know is dangerous.
The problem is that sometimes, we are like a child who might know the difference, but refuses to trust that a fish is a fish!
When sufferings come into our lives, we look at them, and rightly identify them as painful. We begin to think of that suffering as something evil…something wrong…a snake.
But Jesus, in His wisdom, tells us to trust our heavenly Father. He always gives fish. He NEVER gives snakes.
So when something comes to us that looks like a snake, what should we do? We need to stop examining the thing to make our own classification. We need to stop playing zoologist. Instead, we need to accept that the thing is a fish—it’s good!
And we know it’s good because it has come from our loving heavenly Father—He knows a fish from a snake! If he gave up His Son, He will certainly give us everything else for our good (Rom 8:32)!
It’s On You, Friend!
/
by Jon Buck
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” ~ Matthew 5:23-24
Have you ever offended a brother or sister in Christ? Perhaps it was unintentional, but suddenly you have that sneaking suspicion that you’ve truly offended someone, and you can feel the sense of distance growing between you and that person. Maybe you notice the way they look at you. Or perhaps you find that the closeness of your relationship has dwindled, but you’re not sure why.
But what should we do about those moments? What do we do when we’re just not sure about our relationship with another brother or sister? The temptation can be to just ignore it, or try to ‘push past’ the situation. We might even find ourselves saying, “If they’re offended, it’s on them to tell me!” But the Bible tells us something very different.
Jesus knows that coldness between brothers and sisters will eventually rip the body apart. He knows that offenses, even unintentional ones, can lead to huge rifts in the church.
So He commands His followers to do something about it.
In Matthew 5:23-24, He offers specific instructions about how to respond to those moments when we worry we’ve offended someone.
He imagines a situation where a man has come to worship at the altar, and he realizes his brother is offended, and ‘has something against’ him. Notice—this isn’t because he has sinned against that brother. The case is very general. He simply realizes that there is something between them in their relationship.
Jesus tells him, “Leave your offering!” He essentially says, “Don’t bother worshipping until you’ve dealt with the rift that you feel is there.” Jesus commands us to be reconciled to our brothers and sisters (even from perceived offenses) before we come to worship.
So, is there a person who you think you may have offended? Is there a relationship that feels suddenly distant, and you’re not sure why? The responsibility to deal with that falls to you! It’s on you, friend!
So go to your brother or sister, and humbly ask them, “I don’t want to presume at all, but is there anything between us where I’ve offended you? If not, I’m sorry! It’s just a feeling I have.”
If there is something real, deal with it right then. If there isn’t, rejoice, and apologize for presuming on their motives. Either way, you’ve won your brother.
Precious Unity
/
by Jason Park
Unity is such a fragile thing. The smallest offense, grievance, or difference can tear families, regions, and countries apart.
Today, we’re being rocked internally by massive ideological polarization. It’s not enough to take a side on some issue; doing that means you have to demonize the other side.
I wish the church of Christ were different. But we know it’s not. The spiritual unity of the saints, of Christ’s bride, is so delicate. The turmoil in the world infiltrates the church all too easily. It’s no small wonder that God left it in our hands to maintain it.
So how we do that – maintain and foster unity among brothers and sisters in Christ? If it’s so delicate, how should we go about this business? Philippians gives us several answers, but I want to focus on one in the beginning of chapter 2.
How do we preserve and promote unity in the body of Christ?
Consider the encouragement received in being united to Christ (v. 1). Think of all the ways you’ve been blessed by the grace of Christ just in your salvation.
Consider the consolation of love (v. 1) – Christ’s love and His love through believers. How many times have the consolations of God cheered us up? How many times have we been comforted by Christ directly in our hearts or through others?
Consider the fellowship of the Spirit (v. 1). He reinforces to our hearts that we are children of God. He bears His fruit in and through us. He prays for us because we are weak and don’t know what we ought to pray. He enables us to see the glory of Christ in the gospel. And He convicts us of our sin so that we would repent and turn to Christ. He makes His internal presence known in such sweet and powerful ways.
Consider the affection and compassion (v. 1) – of God and of His people. The affection of Christ for sinners like us never diminishes, and there’s no end to it. His compassion is new every morning. He cannot help but feel this tenderness toward His people. And He’s so kind that He lets us experience these realities through believers. Their care for us is Christ caring for us through them.
When we consider all these gospel-graces, it becomes easier to be united in heart and purpose. It becomes easier to put the needs and interests of others ahead of our own when we see by faith Jesus doing just that for us, who have no business receiving anything good from Him.When we realize all that we’ve been blessed with in Christ, it softens our hearts toward one another. So that even where there are differences of opinion, we love one another as Christ loved and loves us. And thus, we preserve and promote unity below the surface: true unity, the unity of the heart.
Giving Credit
/
by Jason Park
If you think about the fruit of the Spirit, you notice that they are all character-qualities, virtues. You can love, be joyful or rejoice, and have or make peace, but before any of these can be expressed on the outside, they have to be residing on the inside, in our hearts. And because Christ does dwell in us, we do bear the fruit of the Spirit.
But in all our fruit-bearing, in all our growth in godliness, who gets the credit? Who is the power-source behind it? Even when we’re doing well spiritually, there’s still enough evil pride left in us that we can look at our growth and our good works and secretly (or not) glory in ourselves. We never fully outgrow self-exaltation!
That’s why when we consider growth in godliness (ours or anyone else’s), it’s critical that we give credit where credit is due. In Phil 1, we see Paul giving thanks to God for the Philippian church’s partnership in the gospel through thick and thin. Paul is confident in this church’s growth because God began a good work in them and will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus (1:6). And at the end of his prayer, in 1:11, Paul affirms that they will grow more in love (for one another) because they’ve already been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. And since godliness comes through Christ who lives in them/in us, all the glory and praise go straight to God alone (1:11)!
So, let’s summarize and tease out truths about our growth in godliness based on Phil 1:1-11:
Growth will happen because God is working in us through Christ.
No matter how weak your faith is or how small your fruit may be, God is working and will not stop working in His children until we see Christ.Growth is not the result of my good works; my good works are the result of true, heart or character growth.
This keeps me from spiritual pride. And it focuses me on true godliness, which is inner-Christlikeness; not just external conformity to God’s commands.When there’s real growth in my life, I will naturally focus on Christ and praise Him for it.
When I trust in God’s work in me to grow me in Christ, I will be more grateful, more joyful, less self-absorbed, and less conscious of my good works. And in this way, I will give glory to the One who gives all the growth.
Imitators of Christ Means Willing Submission to Others
/
by Jon Buck
"Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” ~ 1 Co 11:1.
Remarkably, Paul asked people to imitate him! This speaks volumes about his own walk with Christ, and his desire to see others grow. However, he also knew that he wasn’t perfect, and so, his command to imitate him came with a caveat. Paul ultimately wanted the Corinthians to imitate Christ, and so Paul became their example, insofar as he walked in righteousness and in the pattern laid down by his Savior.
So just what exactly caused Paul to command their imitation? What was the specific thing that Paul wanted them to imitate?
The Way of the Cross
To this point in 1 Corinthians, Paul had been considering all that the cross meant for life. It meant a life of being seen as foolish by Gentiles, and a stumbling block to Jews. It meant not being wise, mighty or noble. It meant being called to serve, even when reviled. It meant calling the church to unity, even as they hated him. It meant correcting and rebuking the church when they were in sin.
But interestingly, the immediate point that Paul is making is found just at the end of chapter 10. There, Paul explains that he pleases everyone in all things and rejects his own profit for the profit of others so that they might be saved.
Paul’s walk with Christ meant that he would happily submit to others for the sake of their salvation. In the context, Paul is talking about carefully protecting the consciences of his brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul could happily eat anything sold in the marketplace, but would not participate in idolatry.
However, when someone else struggled with this, Paul willingly gave up that freedom for the sake of the one who was struggling. For Paul, his weekly menu was far less important than the souls that were around him.
Following Paul, and Following Christ
We live in an age of strong opinions about many things. But Paul would call us to get in line behind him, and ultimately behind Jesus, in submitting ourselves to others for the sake of the Gospel.
This doesn’t mean that everyone else will do the same. But this is our calling as we walk the way of the cross behind Christ!
Word to Word
/
by Jason Park
Sometimes I pause for a moment in my heart before to telling someone who is struggling with sin to read the Bible. Not because I don’t believe in its inspiration or inerrancy or infallibility, but because it can sound legalistic or even just old-hat.
I’ve tried reading. I’ve tried memorizing Scripture. I’ve tried meditating on it. And I know it’s good, and I should keep reading, but I need something else.
Now, it’s true, just telling someone to read the Bible and leave it at that, as if the sheer act of reading automatically helps them overcome a sin-pattern, is unhelpful at best and harmful at worst. Because we can easily use the Bible to get what we want – to get immediate results in our sanctification.
But that’s not why the Bible was written. If we simply read the Bible (or memorize it), thinking this act automatically and perhaps even quickly solves our heart problems, we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment.
We read the Bible because it is “the word of Christ”; we read it because it points us to Christ. We read it because in the very words that God breathed out through His Spirit through human authors, we can know and experience Christ – His glory and His grace.
The written word feeds our faith in Christ (Rom 10:17) and enables us, by the power of the indwelling Spirit, to spiritually see the Truth, specifically the Truth of the glorious excellencies of Christ our Lord and Savior (2 Cor 3:18).
In other words, the written word gives us the living Word (John 1:1; 1 John 1:1). Through the Bible, we get Christ; we see His glory; we experience His love, grace, and power; we know Him more and more. The written word testifies about Christ (John 5:39) – and when we hear it with faith, we have fellowship with Christ in our hearts.
Read the Bible, by all means. Read it everyday. But read it expecting not just to know more about its history or its doctrines. Read it expecting to know Christ more. The written word feeds us Christ Himself, the source of all life, righteousness, and wisdom. So, enjoy Him and the intimacy of His fellowship as you read the Bible.
Don’t Fret the Election—Your True King is Coming
/
by Jon Buck
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ Phil 3:20
Perhaps you’re like me and you’ve been watching the news on the presidential election. I can tend to watch news reports, read stories, and track polls when the election draws near.
Inevitably, I find myself tempted to anger with the opinions of others. Those who are on the opposite side politically can tempt me to anger when my position is being mocked. Those on my side of the political spectrum can tempt me to anger when they say and do things that hurt the cause.
Either way, the election can cause me temptation to anger.
The Root of Anger—Fear
The root of my anger is, of course, fear about what will happen in the coming election. I worry that a candidate will win who will cause problems for our nation.
As I watch the news, I find myself fretting over both sides of the aisle, growing increasingly concerned. This can quickly drive me to anger.
The Cure for Political Fear—Jesus
Interestingly, Paul probably had some understanding of what this would have felt like. As a Roman citizen, Paul had rights, and during his lifetime, the Roman political world was in some chaos.
Certainly everywhere he went, other Romans had opinions about the current state of politics. A host of different viewpoints must have confronted him.
But remarkably, Paul didn’t fall victim to the political wrangling of his day. Instead, he happily affirmed that his citizenship was in heaven. Paul had one true King—the Lord Jesus Christ. He understood that Caesars would come and go, but Christ would remain forever.
And for that reason, when Paul considered his citizenship, he looked right at Christ, seated on the right hand of the majesty on high. Paul knew that a day would come when Christ would return and take His rightful place as King of the world.
When he remembered that, he couldn’t help but wait eagerly for Jesus to come!
In America
You may find yourself like I do—thinking about politics. That isn’t wrong. It isn’t wrong to vote, or have opinions on any number of political matters.
But if you find yourself fearful or angry, remember—you are a citizen of heaven first. Just like Paul, you can remind yourself that your Savior, Jesus Christ, is coming to rule the world. When that happens, you can rest and trust that the Lord will do what He pleases.
COVID Can Kill Our Church!
/
by Jon Buck
"Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.” ~ Romans 14:13
My dear friends, I write this blog today with a heart of petition before God for each of us. We are in the midst of unprecedented times as a church family, and I want to appeal to each of you regarding the current COVID crisis.
The title of this blog is designed to shock. COVID-19, regardless of the statistics that seem to change daily, represents a serious global health crisis—perhaps the largest of this generation.
But COVID-19 is not the most deadly thing for churches in America. Neither is cancer, heart disease, or any other sickness for that matter.
The most deadly thing for churches in America right now is the polarization of the church in areas of conscience.
Friends, don’t judge!
Regardless of your perspective on the COVID crisis, the wearing of masks, or the California Health Department, we must be convinced in our own minds. But these issues can do FAR more than hurt our bodies.
They can destroy our church and tarnish the name and glory of Jesus Christ.
And the way that will happen is if we allow ourselves to judge one another in our hearts.
Paul’s point in Romans 14:13 is just that—the stumbling block that we can place in front of another person is through judging them in areas that are conscience issues! Paul, amazingly says that rather than judging each other, we should judge ourselves that we don’t hurt our brothers and sisters!
Rather, LOVE!
Just like the speed limit, when it comes to masks, social distancing, and church gathering, we may approach what obedience looks like differently. Nevertheless, each of us will give an account to Christ for what we have done.
However, if we judge each other in these areas, we are sinning against the Lord Jesus Christ. And, if we allow ourselves to judge, we will eventually tear away from our brothers and sisters, and go find others who share our conscience perspectives. How sad to see us lose love for the sake of COVID!
The only way to fight this danger is through love!
If we love one another, we will joyfully keep our opinions to ourselves, and love those who have different opinions than we do.
And so, my prayer today is that during these challenging times, we would love one another well, and we would guard our hearts against judgment. This is the only way forward that will bring glory and honor to Christ!
Loving His Appearing
/
by Jason Park