To be totally honest, I must have mishandled whatever time I had last week to deliver a literal rerun of my message last Sunday, today. But on the other hand, I’m not rationalizing here; I truly believe that we’re in a time and season where humility is of utmost efficiency and value. Humility is what works for us, and we’re only realizing it now.
Here goes:
Last year the main church issued the overall theme, ‘Seek’; That is, we’re to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness – and, as Christ mentioned, all these things shall be added unto us.
In our congregation we’ve done a lot towards and following that theme. If you remember, immediately following last year’s anniversary celebration and leadership summit, we sought and appreciated the goodness of God beyond all that man could ever conceive, by way of our going through Andrew Farley’s book, God Without Religion.
As 2024 started, we proclaimed that we would be shifting from a Year of Movement, to a Year of Trust – Indeed, as we seek the Lord, we find ourselves trusting less in ourselves and anything else in this world, and we find ourselves placing more and more of our trust in Him.
We’ve beheld the kingdom of God. We’ve realized that it was only by the grace of God that we have more than a taste, but a full impartation of God’s righteousness – and, as the Casting Crowns song goes, it’s not because of who we are, but because of what Christ has done, and it’s not because of what we’ve done, but because of who Christ is.
And, as it stands, we aren’t stopping in seeking the Lord… in fact, we’re seeking Him more, now that the call for us until the 44th anniversary of the main church we serve in is, to ‘School’.
In our seeking the grace of God, we also find that this grace trains us. It teaches us. We read in the book of Titus that this grace has appeared, ‘bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:11-12)’.
Until next year, we’ve been directed, not only to teach and declare, but really, to meditate on, live out and appreciate:
By the grace of God, we have been saved from ungodliness and saved into godliness.
By the grace of God, we have been saved from worldly passions and saved into self-controlled, upright and godly lives.
Really quick, it was also last week when I talked about how, in the Lausanne Congress, we found out about the growth of hindrances (both in impact and in quantity) to the global body of Christ. It was determined that before we were to take on all of these challenges head on, we were to remind each other that we all serve each other and help each other.
In other words, we were to move from telling each other, ‘I don’t need you’, to ‘We need each other’.
Finally, we did a recap of what we’ve been discussing as we went through the book of Romans in this season, and, again really quick, we beheld God’s awesome glory in Romans 1-3, God’s ridiculous grace in Romans 4-8, and the truth of God’s glory not being without His grace, and vice versa, in Romans 9-11.
With all this in mind, Bible scholars of the past would have us see that the remainder of the chapters in the book, starting in Romans 12, discuss Paul’s advice as to how we respond, even in this day and age.
In Romans 12 we were reminded to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. We were reminded that we were continually being transformed by the renewing of our mind. We were also reminded of our having our own unique gifts (further emphasizing how we really DO need each other).
In Romans 13 we were reminded that the authorities that we have over us ARE over us because the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Authority of Authorities instituted them, no matter how good or how bad we perceive them to be according to our limited reasoning.
Finally, in both chapters we were reminded of how the love of the true Christian is genuine and according to His will – it’s a love that we desperately need more and more, especially as we observe these very uncertain and anxious times.
Here’s where I move on to Romans 14.
Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Now during the service I took the most time doing the recap. I was a little overconfident in assuming that I didn’t need much time to browse over Romans 14, but upon actually going through it, I feel as if I needed more time to deliver something of value to the congregation.
However, I did mention one things I COULD say immediately: That we’re certainly doing each other a service to rebuke, but we really shouldn’t be judging each other – or, rather, we shouldn’t be passing judgment.
Rebuke is what you do to correct a person, while passing judgment is exercising your false assumptions of power and authority without proper consultation or substantial consideration.
To top everything off, I ended the same way I ended last Sunday. The prevalent theme above all of it was humility. That is, it takes humility, first and foremost, for us to realize and appreciate just how much God has done, is doing, and will do, before we humbly teach and school others.
It also takes humility for us to move from saying ‘I don’t need you’, to ‘We need each other’.
It also takes humility for us to witness and tremble before God’s glory, for us to take in God’s absolute grace, and for us to see how His glory is not without His grace, and how His grace is not without His glory.
It takes humility for us to be living sacrifices, realizing what gifts we have and how we add value to the rest of the body of Christ. It takes humility for us to pray for our authorities, understanding that the King of Kings is above them all.
Finally, it takes humility for us to shift our thinking from wanting to rebuke over giving in to the temptation of arrogance, and judgment.
Humility is what’s needed at this time and season, starting with me. And, of course, I ended with saying that it doesn’t start with humility. No, sir, as in everything, it all starts with Jesus, who in Matthew 11:28-29 mentions that we’re to cast our burdens upon Him, and, more importantly, we’re to lean upon Him, for He is gentle and… what? He is gentle and HUMBLE to teach us.
We’re humble to others because Christ was humble to us first.
Of course, I’ll be reiterating this yet again next Sunday… But until then, I’m going to start some serious study on Romans 14, and maybe even 15.
So stay tuned for that, and also a follow up post to that one prophecy given almost 10 years ago.
Much to write about, yes. I only wish I could get paid for all this but hey, it’s about this time where I remind myself that I do this primarily to clear and defragment this mind.
That’s already so much to take in.
Anyway, I’m rambling. I pray and declare we all have a good and great week ahead.
And until the next post, may our good and great Father continue to bless us with all the best.
Stay vigilant.
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