The Problem with Church (part 4 of 4)

Are you known as someone who offers grace? Are you known as a grace-giver? Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭9-18‬ NIV) Why aren't these things true about me? About you? What keeps us from offering grace? Two things keep us from being grace-givers: 1. We compare. If others are like us - OK. If not, we judge them. We become legalistic. We destroy grace. Comparison is poison in the church. 2. We love to control. We influence and intimidate and manipulate. We bully people to do things our way. This stifles creativity and love and nullifies grace. What magnifies grace: 1. We have got to learn to accept each other. To love one another - without conditions! A grace-giver accepts and loves unconditionally. What about music tastes in worship? What about alcoholic beverages (without getting drunk)? Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 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. (‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭1-4‬ NIV) I must love you, accept you, and offer you grace even if your standards are different than mine? 2. We have to allow God to guide. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Let the Holy Spirit do His work in every believer. He is the only one that we will give an account to. 3. Don't judge each other. Jesus died for all man so that only He has the right to be Lord over all. So why do we think we can be God (the judge over all). Our job is to let God do His job. The way we do that is to offer grace. 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. 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. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (‭Romans‬ ‭14‬:‭13-19‬ NIV) 4. We must express our liberties wisely. We have no right to rub it in the face of our brother and sister in Christ. We must not be a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters. We must express our liberties wisely when we are with them. We must respect our brothers' and sisters' beliefs. The only thing the church has to offer is the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. We have to accept each other, in love, without conditions. For more information, visit our website at http://www.truthatlife.com/