Romans Lesson 40: Take Responsibility for Others :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: October 31, 2020 by RR7

Chapter 14:13

“Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”

I did not realize until I got the lesson sent to me that I had missed a part of it. I did something weird on my computer, and I ended up creating a ‘read-only’ document; and well, the rest is history. But the more I think of it, the more I am glad that I messed up. We live in a selfish time; we live in a time when people want to live the way they want and they don’t care how it affects others. Live and let live, they say. But this is not how the human system works. We are intertwined and no more so than in the church family. Even as a pastor I need to understand there are no superstars in the ministry; we all just serve the Lord and each other.

I write these lessons, then I send them to an editor who reads, corrects and publishes them for me to the direct email list for the church, a few hundred, I think. One of those few hundred is the editor for the Raptor Ready website; she sends me an email each Saturday that she ‘Got it’; she then does her work, and on Tuesday the lesson is posted to Rapture Ready. It takes a team of dedicated and committed persons to get one article out.

In the secular world, I also work selling cars, and the team does the work. I sell cars, a Manager lets the client know when the car will be ready, the Service department inspects the cars, even the new ones, the Lot Manager makes sure they get to the Detail station and get fueled, then they are brought back and the client gets their car. It takes a team, and no one is more important than the other. We simply serve in different capacities to get to the same destination; the car leaves with a customer, only then do we actually get paid.

I was reading in the book of Luke this week, Luke 24:46. Jesus reminded His disciples that it was ‘necessary’ for Him to suffer. Why? For Himself? NO!! For us. Jesus came to die for us. He did it all for us, at His cost and because He loves us. Jesus took responsibility for us, even the ones who reject Him; He has done all He can for them. No one will be able to accuse Jesus of not giving His all for others. In the story of the ‘Good Samaritan,’ in Luke 10:25-37, the Good Samaritan took responsibility for the man who was injured and made sure he had all he needed to recover. Often, we look at sin as what we committed, but sin can also be what we omitted. The religious leaders saw the need of the man and did nothing. Their indifference is sin, and so is our indifference to others around us, especially to our family in the Lord.

Don’t Be a Stumbling Block to People

It is hard enough to make a decision to follow Jesus and to look like an idiot to the outside world. It does not need to be made harder by unloving and self-righteous people inside the local church as well. Think of your local church as an ICU ward for your community. The local drunks know to come for food, the local ladies of the night know to come for shelter from the hardened pimp, the local mom with the seven kids and no husband and no fathers involved know to come and get some free babysitting, and on and on we can go. If we do church right, we will get dirty, we will see the dregs of society and win them to Jesus. We will be seen with sinners and tax collectors and questionable women caught in adultery, or by the roadside on her 5th husband and not liked by all the other women in the town. If it were not for the grace of God, we could be one of these people.

How many of us were one decision away from following the wrong crowd, choosing the wrong friend? I heard the testimony of a friend who tried to kill himself one night with a gun. It misfired or jammed, and the next night he was saved; now he is a pastor. The work of the ministry is one of being kind and loving, patient and loving, gracious and loving, merciful and loving, giving and loving, loving and loving. It is giving of yourself first and then of your stuff. It means that you and I will endeavor to build the bridge even when we have been wronged, and we will bear the burden when others have been wronged. And if you recall the account of Philemon, Paul told them to lay another’s charge to his account. We bear the burden even when others have wronged our brothers in the Lord. The idea is that we are to be ready to serve our fellow brothers and sisters even at our own expense and with joy.

We are to do all we can to bring them to maturity and strength in Jesus so they in turn can duplicate the process and help others mature. When a doctor takes the Hippocratic oath, there is a phrase in which they promise to ‘do no harm.’ Maybe we should have that in the Lord’s churches as well. We need to mature to the point where we no longer get offended and no longer offend. We should do all we can to build up and not tear down. Always ask ourselves is what I am saying going to build or tear down this person? And then, ask is the tone of voice I am using, the words I am saying, and the emotion I am expressing leading them to believe that I am building them up or tearing them down.

There are times to be stern; Jesus was at times. He was stern especially with religious hypocrites, but He was gentle with sinners and the broken. Mature Christians will know this and live this as well. I pray that I am not a stumbling block to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and especially not to young preachers as they enter the ministry.

Christianity/Church is about others

One of the hardest idols to tear down is ME! Man, do I like to worship Me. So many people leave a church because they come to be served rather than to be servants. They attend asking what can I get from here? rather than asking what can I invest? What can I contribute to this local church body? To whom has the Lord sent me? If everyone had that mentality, then we would have a lot less transient Christians; they would stay and fill needs rather than create them. They would live for others rather than self.

This church has no youth group, so rather than create one and begin to minister to my kid’s friends, we will go find a church with the Youth Program already running. This is the same kind of indifference that the religious men showed to the injured man who fell among thieves in the account of the Good Samaritan. There was a need; they just did not want to fill it. They were stumbling blocks to this man’s recovery.

Too many of us are stumbling blocks to our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord because we just don’t want to get our hands dirty. We just don’t want to upset our routine, upset our schedule, upset our plans, and you know, just maybe he got attacked by thieves because he is a sinner, and God was judging him, and who am I to get in the way of the Lord’s judgment? Notice that Paul begins the verse in Romans 14:13 by telling us not to judge one another anymore. This simply means to think the best of each other; this man is in need; it is not God judging him. If we had been 30 minutes earlier in this way, it may have been us lying on the ground injured. Would we want this man to walk by or stop and help?

I will confess that being a servant is not always easy to do. The other night driving home, I passed a young man with a broken-down motorcycle. I did not want to stop, I was like the religious men, and I drove by. But the Lord kept telling me to go back, and I did. I was able to drive him home. He lives just a few minutes from my house. I was able to tell him that Jesus loves him as he was getting out of the car.

I don’t want you to think that I am looking down on you if you have passed by a person in need or because you know a need exists but have not filled it. I want us to all grow more and grow better into the image of Jesus so that our local churches are stronger, better and more compassionate to meet the need of all that Jesus will send our way. I want us to listen to the Holy Spirit telling us to stop, help, serve and make a difference.

As pastors, our job is to serve others. Too many try to lord it over their congregation, but the primary role of a pastor is the head servant. He is the under-shepherd to the Lord, and as such, he is simply there to feed, care for and protect the sheep, the Lord’s sheep. We do not live for ourselves, whether in our families or in the local church or in our communities. We live to serve others; we serve the lost to get them to Jesus, and we serve the saved to help them grow in Jesus. Paul puts it this way in Philippians 2: 1-4,

“Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.”

Paul is clearly telling us to take responsibility for each other. We are not to be busybodies in each other’s business but we are to respond to clear needs and not be indifferent to the hurts of our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Take care of them, even when it costs me something to get them back on their feet. Serve each other joyfully, thinking the best of each other. Sadly, we need to put ourselves out of the way. We have to put our schedules and our plans out of the way so we can see others and serve them. The Good Samaritan had places to go, I am sure, but that destination was not more important than the person in front of him.

The idea of being a servant is not revered in much in North America. We want to lead, to be the hero and to make a name for ourselves. I will remind you that most people in the world, even lost people, know about the story of the Good Samaritan, but no one knows his name; however, God does. He is the only one that needs to know your name. He is the only one, other than the person you help, that needs to know what you are doing or did.

We are told by Paul to live in lowliness of mind. To see ourselves as no one, as nothing, as no names and of no reputation. This will give us the right frame of mind and the right attitude to serve and do so lovingly and graciously for the sole benefit of others. We should do all that we can to not be a stumbling block to others, whether they be outside the family of God looking in or especially if they are in the family of God. We are to take responsibility for each other.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding

Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

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Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

Romans Lesson 39: Love and Liberty :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: October 22, 2020 by RR7

Chapter 14:1-13

“1 Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.

“7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 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 shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”

Salvation is an immediate action that transforms us from the Kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of Light. Once you and I put our complete faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as the only means of salvation and means of forgiveness for our sins, we were immediately and eternally saved.

In our journey through Romans a few weeks ago, we spoke about the transformation that we have in Jesus as we surrender our bodies to Him. This transformation, this metamorphosis, liken to the caterpillar and the butterfly, takes time. Yes, you and I are immediately saved, and we will begin to exhibit the symptoms of salvation, but there is still a lot to go. A baby will exhibit the symptoms of being human, he or she will eat, communicate, seek comfort, affection and attention, need sleep and need to be held, and desire face-to-face contact. But there is still a long way to go. This beautiful baby needs to learn how to walk, talk, sit and do the normal things that one does. They will need to learn to wash themselves and feed themselves; these endeavors take a lot of patience as they grow. This means spilt food, spilt milk, too much soap in a bath, shampoo left in the hair, and lots of puddles on the bathroom floor.

One of the most important things that a child will need to learn is to consider others. Children are intrinsically selfish. The world, your world, the universe revolves around them, or so they would like to think. Introducing a sibling into the mix often helps, and growing up in a neighborhood of kids to play with and attending a school helps them to learn that they are not the only ones on the planet. They learn to share, to wait their turn, and they learn the likes and dislikes of their friends and classmates. As they grow older, they will learn, hopefully, to be their own person. They learn right and wrong and to take responsibility for their actions, both good and bad. They learn why they are here, and they understand that they will answer to the Lord for their actions.

In much the same way, Paul is going to talk about the process of maturity as we grow and our responsibility for the younger Christians around us. I grew up in an era, the late 60s and on, where any adults that were the friends of my parents could tell me what to do and took responsibility for my well-being. This is how the family of God in the local church should work. The mature adults need to take responsibility for the younger Christians. Over the next few minutes, we will explore how to do this from Romans 14.

Be careful with the Weak ones, verse 1- 3

Newborn or maybe even stunted Christians are weak. They need us to be careful with and around them. There are some movies that I will watch with my wife, maybe scary ones or intense ones, that I could not watch with my children. My younger one especially is not ready for the intense emotions that come with certain movies. So, we just don’t watch them when she is awake or home. We are mindful of her inability to separate fact and fiction. One day she will grow out of that, and she will be the one shielding her kids. This is how we should be with the weak Christians around us. Be careful with them; they are fragile. Too many Christians have been hurt by uncaring ‘mature’ Christians who live to themselves and not for the protection of the weak one.

There are some things that weak Christians will not understand. When broaching these subjects, be careful, use small words and entertain questions, even the seemingly foolish ones. I recall when I began writing these Bible lessons 10+ years ago, I had a dear brother, a mentor, tell me that my writing was too high for most to understand. He said that I should write to a grade level, and then everyone would get it. It took a long time to learn, but over the years I have learned to keep it simple. There are discussions that I will have with fellow preachers and pastors that I would not broach with a new or weak Christian. They are not spiritually ready for the ‘meat,’ as Paul would say.

You and I were the weak ones a time ago. And may the Lord grant that we always have weak and new Christians in our midst. We need them. You cannot force someone to grow up, but you can throw them to the wolves to be destroyed. You and I must live in such a way that they see the benefits of growing up in Jesus. This means we need to be honest about failure and failing to the weak ones. Cheer them on and help them up when they fail; it is a part of growing. In fact, there is no growth in the human life without failure. The same can be said of the Christian walk.

We answer to God, verses 4-5, 11

We are responsible to live and act in obedience to God. We are not responsible for what others do with that. You cannot force a child to grow up as far as maturation is concerned. They grow in size and strength physically, but there are some who never grow up mentally; they never learn from their mistakes, and never accept responsibility for their actions, and mess up. It is always someone else’s fault. All of the Lord’s children will answer to Him, and we will answer for our own actions and inactions.

Sometimes, God calls people to do some weird stuff. Just look at Samson, look at the victory in Jericho, look at the selection of Gideon’s army, and on we can go. Just because they do it differently does not mean it is wrong. If they are not breaking Biblical precepts, then let them be. The Lord is their judge as He is yours. Time will tell.

In the early 1980’s, I began to follow a Christian rock band named Stryper; they were edgy, loud, had a great lead singer, and had long hair. I was attending a very conservative Baptist seminary that did not allow us long hair nor beards. We wore suits to class each day, and most of our services had pianos only. You know, 35+ years later, Stryper is still preaching about Jesus in bars and pubs. They sing about Jesus: just about every song they sing will talk about salvation; they are not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.

Back then, many conservatives would have written them off as simply not one of us, but they are messengers with the message of Jesus and His salvation from the very beginning, and they continue to be just as adamant decades later. They could have traded the Gospel for more money and fame, but they chose Jesus. Some of the ones who berated them are no longer serving the Lord. We will each give an account to the Lord; never forget that.

Principles over preferences; know the difference, verses 6-10

Over the years I have learned that in most cases, not all, churches split over preferences, not the principles of the scriptures. There is a time to make a stand and a time to stand down. If there is a dispute over clearly stated doctrine, then stand up; state chapter and verse to prove your opposition to the statement or direction that is being discussed. But if it is a preference, then be careful what you say and how you say it.

I will give an example. There are those that worship on the Sabbath, Saturday, as a matter of convenience. There is a group of persons in the local church who, for whatever reason, cannot make the Sunday services. So, the church provides a Saturday service as a matter of help and care for their members and attendees who need such accommodations. A local church has every right and duty to serve the persons that the Lord has put in her care.

On the other hand, there are some churches that think that the only day one can worship God is on Saturday as they are following the Fourth Commandment and believe that any deviation from this is testimony that you are not saved. This second one needs to be confronted in love and with chapter and verse. Jesus has fulfilled the law for us; He is the absolute fulfillment of the law (Matthew 5: 17-20). The New Testament Church met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2). In John 20:19, Jesus met with His disciples after the resurrection on the first day of the week. But as we read through the book of Acts, we will see that Paul and the apostles went to the synagogues to reach the Jews scattered all over Europe, Asia and Africa.

As we were discussing, one is a preference and the other a principle or a doctrine of scripture. One needs to be dealt with lovingly with chapter and verse; the other needs to be encouraged so that we can serve the persons that the local church is responsible to God for and may end up being an outreach ministry to others that cannot make it on Sunday. Sadly, there may have been a time when so-called mature Christians left that church for doing her job.