Acceptance

Back Together Acceptance Romans 14-15 May 9, 2021 • Don’t ___________ the way others follow Jesus—let _____ do that. (14:4-12) • Don’t _____________ weaker consciences—go out of your way to ___________________ them. (14:13-23) • Acceptance means ________________ each other out of love, the way _________ did for us. (15:1-7) The Situation • Early churches included Christians who followed Jewish _____________________ and Christians who didn’t. • Each congregation had to decide whether to follow the laws in the way they ________________. • In Rome, the non-keepers tended to _______ the concerns of the law-keepers, which hurt and ______________ them. • The law-keepers judged the non-keepers as ____________ Christians, which hurt and __________________ them. The Art of Reconciliation: • Reconciliation is not __________. It requires more of ______________________. • Reconciliation should follow God’s ____________________, not ours. • Reconciliation requires us to trust in God’s __________ and ________________________. The Solution: Acceptance (Romans 14-15) • • Accept each other—______________ them, welcome them into your home—without __________________. (14:1) If ________ accepts them you should too—even when they are ________________. (14:2-3, 14; Mark 7:18-19) Discussion Questions 1. Getting Started: • Last week you were asked to commit to one of Paul’s commands from Romans 12:9-21. How did that go? • What did you find most interesting about the sermon this week? The most helpful, eye-opening, or troubling? • Do you find it easy or difficult to accept people who disagree with you? 2. Into the Bible (Read Colossians 2:16-23) • How does the topic of this passage relate to the passage from the sermon? What subject do they have in common? • What is Paul’s personal position on rules about eating and festivals? What does he teach the Colossians about such rules? • How does this passage square with the instructions from Romans 14? How can Paul call these topics “matters of opinion” when he is so sure about them? • If Paul were here today, how would he tell us to treat people who were sincerely misinterpreting his writings? 3. Going Deeper • Why is it so hard for us to accept people who disagree with us? What are we afraid or—or angry about? • How can we maintain our beliefs without compromising our fellowship with others? • The word “accept” here means to welcome someone into your home. How can we “accept” people today to overcome the divisions between us?