-Building Up One Another-
ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER
Romans 15:7
Introduction
Romans 15:7 “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
In his letter of 16 chapters, he raises this in chap 15! This is an uncomfortable, difficult, and counter-culture teaching that is based solely on the love of Christ. They had a hard time with it - it was a shock to their system to hear it - but it was God’s way forward.
Something that all of us need is to be loved / accepted. Dr. Larry Crabb: “What every Christian can pour into another is the powerful passion of acceptance, a passion that flows out of the center of the gospel, a passion that fills the heart of God.” David Ferguson in his book Never Alone Church: “We all have a deep relational need for others to accept us for who we are.”
God has created us all to need to be loved and accepted, and for the church to be the welcoming place where love and acceptance exists.
I think it’s no less true today - and it’s no less difficult. To accept one another means to ‘welcome’ one another. It means “To receive kindly or hospitably” and “to treat with kindness.” When we wonder what it might mean to welcome / accept someone, our text clarifies with the phrase, “just as Christ accepted you.”
We welcome being accepted by Christ, but do we offer that to the people we encounter in life?
1. How Did Christ Accept Us?
Not because of our appearance or attributes. Getz: "Jesus does not “accept us into His family based on our color, our status, our wealth, our age, or our sex. When we become Christians, Jesus accepts each of us unconditionally.” Prejudice of any kind has no place in the Body of Christ.
Not because of our goodness or strengths. Grace undermines all of our perceptions of importance of self - in the end, our only hope is the grace of God. Brennan Manning: “Jesus comes not for the super-spiritual, but for the wobbly and the weak-kneed who know they don’t have it all together, and who are not too proud to accept the handout of amazing grace…”
Not because of experience or intelligence.
Christ Accepted Us As We Are So We Could Become as He Is.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Christ's work was for everyone / every life is important to Him. Getz: Jesus Christ doesn’t even ask us to clean up our act before He accepts us. Rather, He has said that He accepts us just as we are - our weaknesses and all. He tells us to come to Him and receive Him and He will clean up our act. If this is how Christ accepted us, this is how we are to accept one another.
2. Principles For Acceptance From John 4
In John 4, Jesus met up with a Samaritan woman as he rested at a well. When his disciples joined him, they were surprised that he would talk with her.
*She was a woman - and in that culture a man shouldn’t be conversing with a woman in public.
*She was a Samaritan - and Jews hated Samaritans and would not associate with them at all.
*She was a Sinner - she had been divorced five times and was now living with her man.
This story touches on so many of the judgments, prejudices, and rejection of people of their day. What do we learn?
-Accept people as potential followers of God! Jesus accepted her as someone who was loved and needed the Lord. Jesus said the fields are white for harvest – people who need God are everywhere, all we need to do open our eyes.
-Accept people where they are if you ever hope to help them get closer to God. Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees for spending time with sinners. Matthew 9:12: Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.”
-Accept that everyone has some changes that need to be made in their lives. Jesus spoke kindly to a woman
caught in adultery. John 8:10-11 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
Dr. Fred Craddock, the famous professor from Emory University, tells about an experience he had in Winnipeg, Canada. He had gone there to speak at a church, but a snow storm came in on Saturday night. On Sunday morning he awoke to a couple of feet of snow. His host called him at the hotel and told them that the services had been canceled for the day. Fred asked his host, “So what should I do?” The host said that a block and a half from the hotel there was a deli he could walk to get something to eat. Craddock says that the place was packed, but the people moved over and made room for him. He ordered a bowl of soup. A few minutes later the door opened and in came a rather unkempt woman. Some people made room for her and she sat down. The man with a greasy apron came to her and asked, “What do you want?” She said, “I’ll just take a glass of water.” The employee with the greasy apron brought the water and then asked in a gruff voice, “Now what do you want?” She replied, “The water is all I want.” He said, “Look lady there is paying customers in here; either you are going to order something or else get out.” She said, “Can I just stay in out of the cold?” He said, “No, you have to order something, or leave.” Slowly she scooted out of her seat and started to leave. But when she did, the person on her right and left also got up to leave. Then the persons on each side of them got up to leave. And pretty soon everyone started to leave. The man with the greasy apron quickly assessed the situation and said, “All right, lady, come on back. You can stay.” So everyone came back and took their seats. The man with the greasy apron even brought the lady a free bowl of soup. Craddock asked the man beside him, “Who is that lady?” The man said, “I don’t know, but if she’s not welcome, then I’m not welcome.”
Shouldn’t we share the sentiments of that man – “If she’s not welcome, then I’m not welcome”?
Romans 15:7 “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
Conclusion
So we must do our best to accept people without prejudice or being judgmental, because Christ has accepted us in all of our weakness, frailty, imperfection, and faults.
Our goal is to accept others in order to help them come closer to God. We realize that most people have a lot of things to deal with as they move closer to God. We can help them overcome the sin in their lives by building trust in God. But if you are struggling to accept others…
Action Steps if You Struggle With Accepting Others
-Examine your own attitudes and heart. Honestly appraise if you are accepting or rejecting others based upon prejudice (pre-judgment)?
-Acknowledge any sin that has kept you from accepting others as Christ has accepted them. (1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.)
-Pray and ask God to help you overcome your sins. Pray specifically about specific problems.
-Take an action step. Be baptized as a response of faith in Jesus. Do something kind for someone you have had difficulty accepting. Find a mature Christian and ask if they will help you grow in your discipleship in this area.
Building Up One Another involves being members of one another, Being Devoted to one another, Honoring one another, Having the Same Mind with One Another, and none of that is possible unless we accept one another.
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Discussion Questions
1. Can you name someone who is quite different than you but with whom you have a good relationship? What role does acceptance have to play in that relationship?
2. Read Romans 5:6,8,10 and reflect on the way in which Christ has accepted us. What do we learn about accepting others from this?
3. Getz: “Prejudice is a very subtle sin. Do you realize it took the Apostle Peter at least five years after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost to understand and accept the fact that Gentiles could be saved?” If the earliest Christians and Apostles struggled to accept one another, it is not surprising that we need to be reminded of this essential practice. In what ways does the sin of not accepting one another become something we can overlook in ourselves and not think about?
4. Read Matthew 25:40, 45. How does this impact the way we accept others? What are some ways can we see Christ in those we have a hard time accepting?
5. What are the biggest struggles with the idea of ‘accepting others’? Which of the Action Steps listed at the end of the lesson is one that you will find hardest to engage?
6. What can we do to make sure our church is a welcoming / accepting church?
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Resources
Building Up One Another, by Gene A. Getz, Victor Books, 1981
Sermon by David Owens
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/5-accept-one-another-david-owens-sermon-on-church-general-140018
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