Towards Unity and Diversity- Traditional (3)

In one paragraph

This message continued a series through Romans 14 and into chapter 15, picking up where the previous week left off. Pastor Kevin worked through Paul's teaching on how believers with different convictions and backgrounds are called to live together in unity, bearing with one another rather than being a stumbling block. The sermon closed with a benediction passage about the God of hope filling...

Read together

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 quoted as 'encourage one another and build each other up,' introduced as the first memory verse Pastor's daughter Pascal learned
2. Romans 14:19 quoted as 'we pursue the things which make for peace and for the building up of one another,' described as the benediction from the previous week
3. Romans 14:13 quoted as 'let us not judge one another anymore on these disputable matters, but rather determine not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way'
4. Romans 14:14 referenced as Paul saying 'I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself'
5. Romans 14:22 quoted as 'the faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God' and 'happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves'
6. Romans 14:5 quoted as 'one person regards one day above another... each person must be fully convinced in his own mind'
7. Romans 14:23 quoted as 'he who doubts is condemned if he eats because his eating is not from faith and whatever is not from faith is sin'
8. 1 Corinthians 10:23 quoted as 'all things are lawful but not all things are profitable... all things are lawful but not all things edify'
9. James 4:17 quoted as 'to the one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin'
10. Romans 15:1 quoted as 'we who are strong ought to bear with the weakness of those without strength and not just to please ourselves'
11. Romans 15:2 quoted as 'each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his upbuilding'
12. Romans 15:3 quoted as 'for even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me'
13. Psalm 69 identified as the source of the quote 'the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me,' called a messianic Psalm
14. Romans 15:4 quoted as 'whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction so that through perseverance and encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope'
15. Romans 15:5-6 quoted as 'may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ'
16. Romans 15:7 quoted as 'therefore be accepting one another just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God'
17. Romans 15:8 quoted as 'Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the father'
18. 2 Samuel 22:50 quoted as 'I will give praise to you among the Gentiles and I will sing to your name,' noted as also appearing in Psalm 18:49
19. Deuteronomy 32:43 quoted as 'rejoice, oh Gentiles, with his people'
20. Psalm 117:1 quoted as 'praise the Lord all you Gentiles and let all the peoples praise him'
21. Isaiah 11:10 quoted as 'there shall come the root of Jesse and he who arises to rule over the Gentiles, in him shall the Gentiles hope'
22. Romans 15:13 quoted as 'may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit'
23. Romans 1:16 quoted as 'I am not ashamed of the gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek'

Talk about it

1. Pastor Kevin described the medium as neutral, whether speech, music, food, or worship style, and said these things only become evil when they cause a brother to stumble. Where do you find it hardest to distinguish between a personal conviction and something you are imposing on others?
2. Eugene shared that meat does not tempt him at all, but video games would be a genuine stumbling block for him. What does his example tell us about why real relationships are necessary before we can know what harms or helps a brother?
3. Pastor Kevin said we are much better at separating ourselves than at coming together, pointing to the number of denominations as evidence. What habits or attitudes in your own life have pulled you toward separation rather than unity?
4. The sermon quoted Romans 14 that whatever is not from faith is sin, and connected that to the idea that action follows belief rather than the other way around. Can you think of a time when your actions were running ahead of, or behind, what you actually believed?
5. The benediction in Romans 15 ties joy and peace directly to the words 'in believing,' and the sermon said that taking those words out leaves you stuck. What does it look like practically to keep believing when you have been praying about something for a long time and see nothing happening?