Sep 21, 2022
Do you catch yourself judging other Christ followers? Hi, I'm Mike Henry Sr. with Follower of One. Thanks for joining me again today on the Follower of One Podcast.
Today's passage. I want to read Romans 14:13, and I'm reading in the English Standard Version. Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother."
I'm convicted when I watch YouTube videos or read how certain pastors or certain people on YouTube are criticizing other Christians. I'm challenged often, because I believe that there's an interesting secret in this passage that we tend to forget. I want to judge everyone and compare them against myself.
And I'm practicing speaking in the first person, because I think we all do it a little bit. Maybe you are from a charismatic background or you're from a very conservative background. And we tend to be critical of those who come from a different way of worship or a different way of behavior. And when I read this verse and it's in a context, where Paul is actually encouraging the Roman Christians on how to live.
But when I read this passage all by itself, I see that I'm not supposed to be judging others. There's this wide variety of ways that I believe God wants to be worshiped. And there are certain ways that I choose to worship him because they're comfortable for me. And there are certain ways that others choose to worship him because they're comfortable for them.
And I don't need to judge those people or criticize those people or put a stumbling block, or as the Christian Standard Version says, or a pitfall in their way. I'm not trying to be an obstacle or a hindrance to people who practice following the Lord different than me. And I want to look critically at those people online and those people who publish books and criticize other Christians.
I do believe that it's important for us to examine ourselves and to be careful about the error that we perpetuate or that we pass along. In fact, as I'm talking to you about this passage, I want to be careful and I pray that God would give me wisdom on how to speak in this area.
But today in our marketplace, my challenge to us is this: let's not criticize fellow believers. Let's find ways to help them do what they're trying to do in glorifying God. Let's not pass judgment on them, but rather let's decide not to create obstacles or hindrances for them. Our goal is to cooperate.
We're both trying to promote our relationship with Jesus Christ as the answer to our friend's and our coworker's problems. We both want to live in such a way that other people might be drawn to the Lord. Therefore let's not put a stumbling block in someone's way today. That's our challenge for today. Let's look for ways to be encouragers of the other people that we work with. Let's encourage and bless and build up, as we said in the previous two episodes. Let's help other people live closer to Jesus.
That's our job as a minister is to help other people move one notch closer to him.
Thanks so much for being a marketplace minister. And thanks for being in Christ-follower, who wants to make a difference in the world with your faith. What you do matters. In fact, it matters a lot. Thanks also for listening to this podcast. Please consider sharing it with a friend.
Join us in our online community at https://community.followerofone.org. And also please consider making a contribution to pay it forward so that other people might be able to hear this podcast or join us in the online community. Thank you so much for being a marketplace minister and thank you for what you do in your faith.
It matters. Thanks very much.