Worry About Yourself

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray opened Romans 14 and made the case that this chapter, after thirteen chapters of theology and application, is the point Paul was building toward all along. The subject is disputable matters, things reasonable Christians can disagree about, and how the church handles those disagreements says a great deal about whether it actually believes what it preaches about unity in Christ. The...

Read together

1. Romans 14 the main passage being preached through, covering disputable matters and Christian conscience
2. Romans 12:2 cited as the rationale a church policy manual used for its list of prohibited worldly amusements
3. Romans 12 referenced as the chapter covering spiritual gifts and how not every Christian is gifted the same way
4. Romans 13 referenced as closing off the application section before Romans 14 begins
5. 2 Timothy 2:15 quoted in King James to support the call for each person to be fully convinced in their own mind through diligent study of scripture
6. James 4:17 cited to show that failing to do what God has personally convicted you to do is sin
7. Romans 14:11 quoted as every knee shall bow and every tongue shall give praise to God, from the formula as I live says the Lord
8. Psalm 101:3 cited in the church policy manual as scriptural rationale for its media restrictions
9. Psalm 1:2 cited in the church policy manual as scriptural rationale for its media restrictions

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray described the command to 'accept' the one who is weak in faith as an aggressive, ongoing, personally motivated act, not a passive one. What does that kind of acceptance actually look like in the day-to-day life of a congregation, and where do you find it hardest to practice?
2. The sermon draws a sharp line between accepting someone into fellowship and accepting them 'just to change them into being who you are.' Have you ever been on either side of that situation, and what did it cost the relationship?
3. Pastor Ray said he is convinced that you cannot help someone until they ask for your help, and that only the Holy Spirit does the convicting. How does that sit with you, and where does it get complicated when someone you care about seems to be heading in a wrong direction?
4. The passage says each person must be fully convinced in his own mind, and the sermon connected that to the idea that failing to do what God has specifically led you to do is sin for you, even if it is not a universal command. Can you think of a time when you either obeyed or ignored that kind of personal conviction, and what happened?
5. Pastor Ray read from an actual church policy manual that prohibited items ranging from striped tires to daily newspapers, and said the person who wrote it should live by it if that is his genuine conviction, but that imposing those convictions on others crosses a line. Where do you think the line actually falls between holding a personal standard and placing it on others, and how do you decide which disagreements with other Christians are worth raising and which ones are not?