The Book of Romans ~ Lesson Thirty-One

"Ain't No Good In Judgin'"

Romans 14:1-4 (NCV) Accept into your group someone who is weak in faith, and do not argue about opinions. One person believes it is right to eat all kinds of food. But another, who is weak, believes it is right to eat only vegetables. The one who knows that it is right to eat any kind of food must not reject the one who eats only vegetables. And the person who eats only vegetables must not think that the one who eats all foods is wrong, because God has accepted that person. You cannot judge another person's servant. The master decides if the servant is doing well or not. And the Lord's servant will do well because the Lord helps him do well.

Ain't no good judgin'! We all do it. We pick each person's actions, appearance, personality, tone of voice...and hold in our hands, rotating it around in our minds, picking them apart. Some of us sit in church and do it. I pick apart sermons, music, and people around me. Lately, I've been convicted about it; yesterday, in fact. It's a constant struggle for me. So, each time I lay the thoughts, down at Jesus' feet and confess my sin. What other Christians do to worship God is NOT my concern.

Let's not confuse this with saying that we shouldn't stand up for right and wrong. God clearly tells us to be on guard against things that bring more sin into the body of believers. What Paul is talking about here is how we choose to serve and worship God. When it comes to seeing a fellow believer falling into sin and He brings this to our attention, we must respond and take action.

James 5:19-20 (Message) My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

We aren't to be politically correct, but holy strong. God's Holy Spirit prompts each of us into action when He sees fit. If we are in tune with what He wants, then we will know when to act. Otherwise, it is our responsibility to leave judgment to God.

Luke 6:37-38 (Message) "Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."

My mother taught me that when I judge others the same will happen to me. Go figure, she was right. It's written in the Bible as the very words of my Lord. I find this to be the hardest thing to do. That is, to keep my opinions on how other Christians worship Jesus. If they love Jesus, have given their heart to Him, and trying to live their lives for Him, I must leave them alone. They are God's servant, not mine.

I have some friends who are Catholic and worship Jesus in a liturgical way. I have friends who are charismatic and worship Jesus loudly and emotionally. I worship in a church where there is more media, lights and sound going on. I have some friends who worship Jesus by observing the Jewish holidays and follow Sabbath rules. All of these people love Jesus and are sincerely worshiping Him. It's not mine to judge.

Romans 14:5-8 (NCV) Some think that one day is more important than another, and others think that every day is the same. Let all be sure in their own mind. Those who think one day is more important than other days are doing that for the Lord. And those who eat all kinds of food are doing that for the Lord, and they give thanks to God. Others who refuse to eat some foods do that for the Lord, and they give thanks to God. We do not live or die for ourselves. If we live, we are living for the Lord, and if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So living or dying, we belong to the Lord.

Our hearts speak the truth about how we worship. If we are worshiping for show, it isn't worship. God knows each motive and He judges, not us. If we are worshiping in spirit and in truth, then our hearts are right and God blesses us because of it. Our lives, as Christians, are to be lived for Jesus and not for appearances.

2 Corinthians 5:15 (NLT) He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

The question we must ask ourselves is this: "Are we worshiping Jesus for His glory or for our own?" We don't ask it of other believers. We ask it of ourselves. What is my answer? What is your answer? When we ask ourselves, we stop the "judgin'."

John 4:23-24 (NLT) "But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.  For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

There ain't no good in judgin'. In other words, there is no good to come from judging other believers in how they worship. Unless, God directs you to stop a brother or sister from turning away from God and into sin, then our job is to focus on how we live our lives before God. This isn't political correctness, the is God's correcting. Let's worship God through Jesus faithfully and wholly holy.