4/7/2009
<br>Author: Devin Pickard
<br>Title: 
<br><br><center>Romans 14:1-10</center><br><br>1”Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.”<br><br>I had the opportunity to spend a little time with our old buddy Bill Perkins over the last couple of days.  Bill was in town holding a gospel meeting with our good friends at the Totty's Bend Church of Christ.  Bill, Elayne, Cassie and Alex currently live in Athens, Alabama where Bill is the pulpit minister for the Central Church of Christ.  Bill reports that things are going great and that everybody is well.  I had the chance to go hear Bill speak on Sunday night, and his lesson centered around Romans 14.  Bill did his usual excellent job which got me to thinking more about the subject addressed by the Apostle Paul.  It continues to amaze me just how some things never change with the passage of time.  You can almost take any dilemma that we face today within the Lord's body of  believers and trace back some of the same issues to the lives of those who lived way back in the first century and even before.  I think we would all agree that there are many, easy-to-understand, “Thou Shalts” and “Thou Shalt Nots” in God's Holy Word.  Not only do we find those direct commands from God in His Word, but we also have examples and direct inferences regarding our Heavenly Father's desire for the lives of His people and their worship of Him.  For the most part, with just a little study, these parts of the Bible will jump out at you like a bullet out of a gun barrel.  These Bible passages leave nothing to chance....nothing to figure out....and no areas one would consider gray.<br><br>But, I think on the flip-side, we would all also have to agree that there are many issues relating to God's Word and His Church that DO fall into a “non-salvation” area that is not quite black nor white....those very areas that Paul seems to tackle above in Romans 14.   Pertaining to those subjects, one would almost have to come to the conclusion that each autonomous, Elder-led congregation can have the levity to act upon those subjects as they see fit and proper.  I have heard many and numerous horror stories over churches splitting or even closing their doors because of disagreements over things like....where the clock should hang....whether or not there should be a cloth covering over the Lord's Supper....the color of the carpet and curtains....what time the services should start....which should come first, preaching/Lord's Supper or worship/Bible  classes....and as always, the list could go on and on.  I think that it's safe to say that God is OK with whatever decision we make regarding any of these issues.  As the old saying goes, “Lets not major in minors”.  <br><br>My pal Brian Cost likes lima beans, and as you know,  I have already made my stance very clear on that subject.  I on the other hand think that it's blasphemous to have any meal without some big slab of meat.  Do I think Brian is wrong 'cause he likes those little green things?  Nope....not one bit.  He can do whatever he wants as long as he doesn't try to sneak any of them onto my plate.....thanks Apostle Paul.<br><br>Go the extra mile - Devin               <br>  <br><br><br><br>  <br>