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| "Joy in the Holy Spirit" |
Eating together in the ancient world meant friendship. It was scandalous for Jesus and His disciples to eat and drink with known sinners and tax collectors. Nevertheless Jesus extended them His friendship, saying that He had not come to call the righteous, but the sinners. Those who are not sick do not need a doctor. Jesus came to heal the sin sick souls of the world.
To be fair, the verse above has nothing to do with potluck or pitch-in dinners. Paul is teaching about questions about what foods we can or cannot eat as Christians. The Jews have their dietary restrictions that set them apart from the gentiles. Gentiles love bacon. Jews are not to eat any pork. But even more critical were questions about eating food sacrificed to idols. The meat market in ancient Corinth came from sacrifices at pagan temples of which here were more than one. Since the gentile converts to Christianity were accustomed to getting their meat from the city market, they now had a question of conscience. Paul meant to ease their minds and encourage peace and mutual upbuilding in the church.
Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own master that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (Romans 14:2-4)
There are many ways in which disciples disagree within the church. That's why there are so many different denominations and traditions in the church. We can find the smallest things to argue over. God save us from ourselves. That is exactly what God can do. God can make our fellowship stronger and reflect the love of God in all our relationships.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist tradition, learned a lot from the Moravian tradition out of Germany. Wesley met them on his journey to the colony of Georgia in the new world (North America). A terrible storm attacked their sailing ship. Wesley was terrified for his life, but he noticed the Moravians singing songs of praise and praising God. At that point Wesley wondered if he had any faith at all. Eventually his encounters with the Moravians led him to look closer at their beliefs. The Moravians helped him with his crisis of faith. John Wesley experienced his heart strangely warmed when, by the workings of grace, he acknowledged in his heart that Jesus had died for him and was truly his Savior and Lord.
At a much later date, however, Wesley, pulled away from his fellowship with Morvaians. He disagreed with their understanding of sanctification. Wesley met with the leader of the Moravians, Count Zinzendorf. While the German church leader did not speak English, both men knew Latin, so that is how they communicated. You can read the entire conversation with translation here. http://www.churchofthebeyond.com/index.php/history/grays-walk-in/
Count Zinzendorf held that humans are only holy through their union with Christ. If they are not united with Christ in heart and life, they are not holy. It is the holiness of Jesus, which makes the sinner clean and able to stand before God unblemished. They can never be more holy or less holy once their lives come under the lordship of Jesus.
Wesley felt this was not fully accurate. While he agreed that no one become holy unless they are united with Christ, he felt that Christians grew toward greater and greater levels of holiness. ON this point the two could not agree.
Here's a excerpt from their conversation.
Wesley: But I believe, that the Spirit of Christ works perfection in true Christians.
Zinzendorf: Not at all. All our perfection is in Christ. All Christian perfection is, faith in the blood of Christ. The whole of Christian perfection is imputed, not inherent. We are perfect in Christ;—in ourselves, never.
Wesley: We contend, I think, about words. Is not every true believer holy?
Zinzendorf: Certainly. But he is holy in Christ, not in himself.
Wesley: The dispute is altogether about words. You grant that the whole heart and the whole life of a believer, are holy: that he love God with all his heart, and serves him with all his strength. I ask nothing more. I mean nothing else by Christian perfection or holiness.
Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own master that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (Romans 14:2-4)
There are many ways in which disciples disagree within the church. That's why there are so many different denominations and traditions in the church. We can find the smallest things to argue over. God save us from ourselves. That is exactly what God can do. God can make our fellowship stronger and reflect the love of God in all our relationships.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist tradition, learned a lot from the Moravian tradition out of Germany. Wesley met them on his journey to the colony of Georgia in the new world (North America). A terrible storm attacked their sailing ship. Wesley was terrified for his life, but he noticed the Moravians singing songs of praise and praising God. At that point Wesley wondered if he had any faith at all. Eventually his encounters with the Moravians led him to look closer at their beliefs. The Moravians helped him with his crisis of faith. John Wesley experienced his heart strangely warmed when, by the workings of grace, he acknowledged in his heart that Jesus had died for him and was truly his Savior and Lord.
At a much later date, however, Wesley, pulled away from his fellowship with Morvaians. He disagreed with their understanding of sanctification. Wesley met with the leader of the Moravians, Count Zinzendorf. While the German church leader did not speak English, both men knew Latin, so that is how they communicated. You can read the entire conversation with translation here. http://www.churchofthebeyond.com/index.php/history/grays-walk-in/
Count Zinzendorf held that humans are only holy through their union with Christ. If they are not united with Christ in heart and life, they are not holy. It is the holiness of Jesus, which makes the sinner clean and able to stand before God unblemished. They can never be more holy or less holy once their lives come under the lordship of Jesus.
Wesley felt this was not fully accurate. While he agreed that no one become holy unless they are united with Christ, he felt that Christians grew toward greater and greater levels of holiness. ON this point the two could not agree.
Here's a excerpt from their conversation.
Wesley: But I believe, that the Spirit of Christ works perfection in true Christians.
Zinzendorf: Not at all. All our perfection is in Christ. All Christian perfection is, faith in the blood of Christ. The whole of Christian perfection is imputed, not inherent. We are perfect in Christ;—in ourselves, never.
Wesley: We contend, I think, about words. Is not every true believer holy?
Zinzendorf: Certainly. But he is holy in Christ, not in himself.
Wesley: The dispute is altogether about words. You grant that the whole heart and the whole life of a believer, are holy: that he love God with all his heart, and serves him with all his strength. I ask nothing more. I mean nothing else by Christian perfection or holiness.
Zinzendorf: But toil is not his holiness. He is not more holy, if he loves more; nor less holy, if he loves less.
Whatever is the right answer, these men separated kindly. God was calling Wesley to a new mission, not the vision Zinzendorf held, but his own. We Methodists all benefit from John and Charles Wesley and all those who forged the tradition we now live within. For certain, the apostle Paul would have his own opinion, but he wouldn't let that lead to division if he could keep from it. He would not tolerate heresy, but he would practice patience as he corrected faulty doctrine. And I think even Paul had difficulty with keeping an even temper, if his letters are any indication. (See Galatians 5:12)
Let's face it. We humans deal with human weakness. Only when we allow the divine love of God to rule our every inclination and thought and behavior, can we truly behave as Jesus would have us behave. The Lord knows our weakness, for He Himself was tempted in every way that we are tempted, but He did not fall to weakness. He did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15) And that is why His sacrifice and His priestly ministry is so vitally important. His blood sacrifice is a once for all deal. His sacrifice is eternally before God the Father. All those who participate in the sacrifice of Jesus, through the new covenant in His blood, are eternally forgiven.
And so the church is a mixture of sinners on the way to perfection in the holiness of God through their worship and service of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must learn to bear with one another for we are all on this journey. We are all saved and all being saved. We are all stained in sin and cleansed by the blood of Christ. We are both slaves to our weakness and new creations through the grace of God.
So why not choose to enter into the kingdom where love rules? Why not choose to love one another with all our imperfections and frustrating failures and embrace our brothers and sisters in the household of God? Why do we continue to judge each other and cause division? Why not choose to be blessed peacemakers?
For the kingdom of God is not about food restrictions, or any other religious law. The kingdom of God is about love, and where love reigns, there is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Love for God begets a desire to do as God wills. Seeking to please God, by doing His good and perfect will, begets righteousness. Righteousness begets justice and peace. And peace begets joy, for our needs are satisfied in the goodness of the Lord and His church.
As we work together to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, let us be about love always and leave behind the quarrels. God is bigger than all the petty stuff and you are His and He is yours. The Lord is able to make you stand.
This is my last post for a while. Thanks for joining me on this journey. And make God bless you with His amazing love and perfect you according to His right ways and perfect will. And may He make you a faithful and powerful follower of Jesus Christ, our Lord, so that through your life and ministry more and more people will come to know His transforming love and holiness.
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