“Between the Lines: Dealing with Church Fires”
Romans 14:1-15:7
Max Lucado has related A PARABLE. “Every sailor could agree on one fact. Had it not been for the captain, they would never have survived. The storm came suddenly. In a matter of moments hulls were broken, decks were awash, and sailors were floundering. But as quickly came the storm, so cam the captain, maneuvering his large vessel between the waves and rescuing one sailor after another. Before they knew it, they were deposited safely on an island, listening to the instructions of the captain who said, ‘There are still more at sea. You stay here until I return. Build a tall fire using the trees of the island to keep yourselves warm and to send a beacon for those who need safety.’
Of course, the sailors were happy and quick to oblige, and they set about the task of building a large fire. Then they waited and they waited and they waited. The longer they waited the more their gratitude passed. And thankfulness to be there turned into restlessness to be there, and appreciation for the captain mutated into aggravation with each other.
No one could remember exactly when the argument started, but it had something to do with the captain’s instructions. Did he say use trees only for the fire or trees mostly for the fire? As they began to discuss it, they couldn’t agree. Some said, ‘Surely he meant trees only. He said build a fire made out of trees.’ Others said, ‘A little brush and some grass and leaves won’t hurt. He’ll understand that. Tress mostly won’t hurt.’
Conversation led to opinion; opinion led to discussion; discussion led to dispute; and dispute led to debate. Soon debate led to division, and there were two fires on the island. There was the trees only fire and the trees mostly fire.
Peace returned to the island for a short time, until dispute broke out in the trees only camp. One day in conversation someone said, ‘I’m sure he wants us to use cypress trees only on the fire, because, after all, he gestured to some cypress trees as he spoke.’ Another one said, ‘But he was standing closer to an elm tree.’ Still another said, ‘The predominant tree on the island is oak. Surely these are to be oak trees in our fire.’ Conversation led to opinion; opinion led to discussion; discussion led to dispute; and dispute led to division. Soon the trees only camp splintered into three other camps – elm only, cypress only, and oak only.
Things didn’t go much better on the southern end of the island, where the trees mostly camp was. They didn’t have trouble with the contents of the fire, but they had conversation and conflict over the height of the fire. ‘The captain has left instructions to build a tall fire. How tall is tall?’ Your definition of tall and his definition of tall might not be the same, and so in short order, new fires were started, each of differing heights.
In time, the island was freckled with small fires rather than one large fire. The captain, who had been watching this from the ocean, shook his head and sighed.” 1
Most of us has already begun to name the fire groups we have experienced in our religious lives; we can quickly identify the issues that have divided the church. Such is, unfortunately, the history of the church. Even in Paul’s day, getting along with fellow Christians was a difficult task. Take a look at his PICTURE OF DISUNITY. In writing to the Christians in Rome Paul issued A TROUBLING REALISM: THIS WAS NOT A UNITED CHURCH! Members were arguing with one another – about diets and special days. Verse 2: “One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.” Verse 5: “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike.” Diets and days were their fires. The Jewish Christians argued from 2,000 years of tradition and heritage. They still believed that God regulated certain foods and days. The Gentiles, who were not steeped in the Jewish religion and background, had no clue – and it all seemed ridiculous to them in light of the freedom they experienced in Jesus Christ.
And before we shake our heads in wonderment, consider: We Older Dutch folk love our Russ’ fried chicken dinners; these young folks believe heaven’s banquet table is a sports bar with massive, multiple television screens. We tried and true Reformers know the only true church dinner is a potluck; this younger generation relishes served, catered meals. We Traditionalists know, beyond a doubt, that worshiping twice on Sunday – with Sunday School thrown in between – is the 11th commandment; these boomers and Gen-Xers can’t seem to find it in their Bibles. Our older generation knows that, beyond a doubt, suits and nice dresses are the appropriate garb for worship; these younger generations know that, beyond a doubt, Jesus accepts them as they come and as they are. Many love the hymnbook hymns; many love contemporary hymns. Get the idea?
Notice that Paul never issues a verdict of right and wrong. He recognizes that within the church there are many opinions on these issues – and they all have some validity. If Christians are talking about Jesus Christ – His virgin birth, His death, resurrection, and ascension – there is no room for discussion. But beyond these core issues, there is a lot of room. So Paul is urging the Romans to recognize and live by A TRUTHFUL REALITY: WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST. And who is Jesus Christ? He is the ultimate representative, the supreme model, the exact personification of God’s perfect love. JESUS, in fact, IS LOVE. He is the tall fire that warms the sailors and sends a beacon of light to those in need of safety.
Since Jesus is love, and we are His body, WE ARE TO LOVE. The mandate from the captain was to build a tall fire. We are to be the love we already are! If we fail to personify the love of Jesus, then we – in Lucado’s terminology – distract the believers, discourage the seekers, and discredit Jesus. Lack of love and unity distracts the believers – all their time and energy is spent defending positions, writing policies, sharpening bureaucracies, and leveling criticism. Lack of love discourages seekers – who wants to join an organization that spends its’ time pointing fingers and complaining? People get enough of that at work and at home. Lack of love discredits Jesus. Remember His prayer in John 17? “Father, I pray that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me.” Jesus also said (Jn. 13:35) “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” When will the world believe that Jesus was sent by God? When will the world know we are Christians? THEY’LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE.
Imagine that I changed jobs and decided to sell a hair growth product. How successful do you think I’d be? I have persuasive skills, I can communicate, I can be persistent. But I wouldn’t be able to sell this product. Why? Take a look! What’s wrong with this picture? To see and hear me pitching a hair growth product means either the product doesn’t work or I don’t use it. In either case, there would be no incentive to buy – in fact, there would be motivation to resist buying. Similarly, disunity and lack of love among Christians is not a selling point, but rather a deterrent.
So along side this picture of disunity Paul wrote A PRESCRIPTION FOR UNITY. It has three parts. The first is A NEGATIVE ACTION. In verse 13 Paul wrote: “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.” Most of us are prone to, and like to judge others. Someone once said, “Most of us are umpires at heart; we like to calls balls and strikes on somebody else.” Paul states, STOP PASSING JUDGMENT. I believe Eugene Peterson was truly inspired when he wrote his translation of the Bible, The Message. He was especially in tune, I believe, with Paul here in Romans. Listen: “And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with – even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with…God, after all, invited (us) both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be learned, God can handle that without your help…It’s God we are answerable to – all the way from life to death and everything in between – not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other. So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly – or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God…So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God. Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is.” Russ’ or sports bar, potluck or catered, once or twice on Sunday, dress up or dress casual, the music style – these are not the stuff of salvation. Stop passing judgment.
The second two parts of the prescription are POSITIVE ACTIONS. One is stated in verse 19: “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” As the New Living Translation puts it “So then let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.” STRIVE FOR PEACE. Living with acceptance is more than just “not judging.” It is actively doing what makes for peace and harmony in our relationships and in the church. Verses 17-18: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.” When conflict arises, always ask yourself, “What will it take to have peace between us?” If it does not violate any truth about Jesus Christ, do it. Give up any feeling of personal rights, any stubborn pride, and do what makes for peace. Don’t argue over where to eat – alternate potlucks and catered meals – use Sunday night as you see appropriate – look past the clothes – rejoice that God’s music is varied enough to touch a variety of people.
An anonymous poet worded it appropriately, in a poem entitled, “It Isn’t the Church – It’s You”:
If you want to have the kind of church Like the kind of church you like,
You needn’t slip your clothes in a grip And start on a long, long hike.
You’ll only find what you left behind, For there’s nothing really new.
It’s a knock at yourself when you knock your church; It isn’t the church – it’s you!
When everything seems to be going wrong, And trouble seems everywhere brewing; When prayer meeting, youth groups, and all, Seem simmering slowly – stewing, Just take a look at yourself and say, “What’s the use of being blue?” Are you doing your ‘bit’ to make things a ‘hit’? It isn’t the church – it’s you.
It’s really strange sometimes, don’t you know, That things go as well as they do, When we think of the little – the very small mite – We add to the work of the few. We sit, and stand’ round, and complain of what’s done, And do very little but fuss. Are we bearing our share of the burdens to bear? It isn’t the church – it’s us.
So, if you want to have the kind of a church Like the kind of a church you like, Put off your guile, and put on your best smile, And hike, my brother, just hike, To the work in hand that has to be done – The work of saving a few. It isn’t the church that is wrong, my boy – It isn’t the church – it’s you!
Stop passing judgment, strive for peace, and PRACTICE ACCEPTANCE. Listen to Paul’s conclusion in 15:7: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” We bring praise to God by accepting each other. This is a powerful, active step. The Greek word for ‘accept’ literally means to receive into someone’s heart. It’s the same word used in John 14:3 to describe how intimately Jesus will receive us when we go to our heavenly home. Think about it – how does Jesus accept you? On the basis of your looks? Because he approves of everything you do and say? Because of your attendance at church events? Because of you perfect life? No! A thousand times, “No!” Jesus accepts you on the basis of His cross. And He accepts me the same way. When Jesus is our brother and God is our Father, we are in the same family. We come from the same family tree – the cross of Christ. Receive one another into your hearts.
For more than a year a little old charwoman who lived on the wrong side of the tracks had been trying to join a fashionable downtown church. The pastor was not eager to have a seedy looking person in faded, out-of-style clothes sitting in a pew next to his rich members. When she called for the fifth time to discuss membership, he put her off or the fifth time. “I tell you what,” he said. “You just go home tonight and have a talk with God about it. Later you can tell me what he said.” The poor woman went her way. Weeks moved into months, and the pastor saw no more of her, and his conscience did hurt a little. Then one day he encountered her scrubbing floors in an office building, and felt impelled to inquire. “Did you have your little talk with God, Mrs. Washington?” “Oh, my, yes,” she said. “And what answer did he give you?” inquired the pastor. Pushing back a wisp of stringy hair with her sudsy hand, she replied, “God said for me not to get discouraged, but to keep trying. He said that He Himself had been trying to get into your church for 20 years, with no more success than I have had.”
Never forget who we are – we are the sailors saved by the captain. We did not select each other – He selected us. This body is His idea. Accept one another as Jesus Christ has accepted you. Through our acceptance, let us build a fire so tall that anyone who is searching will see it’s light, come and discover its warmth, and experience the acceptance of Jesus Christ. Then the Captain, watching from His post, will look at us, nod his head, and smile.
1 Max Lucado, Love in Spite of Differences, from Preaching Today, tape #227
