Romans 14-16

I think the devil created demon-inations, I mean denominations. What a great way to get Christians off the subject of Christ and fighting amongst themselves. Which Bible version did Jesus read, are guitars and drums kosher, is it ok to sing only the first and third verses of the hymns? I'm not saying that denominations are bad. Each one has a purpose and brings in a certain group that others could not reach. But rather than bringing in new people, many churches are in competition with one another. Most things that Christians fight over are insignificant, disputable matters. Things that don't have a clear boundary. Instead of leading people to Christ, we're too busy bickering over the type of wafer to use in communion.

Some individuals, some groups, and some churches have certain ways of doing things. That's perfectly fine. But don't start judging others. As long as we are in agreement about the same God and the same Jesus, I think we'll be ok. Jesus said to love God and love others. And you can't be very loving when you're looking down your nose at someone.

"Weak in faith" doesn't mean that someone is a lesser Christian. They are just more sensitive to their convictions. And we should respect their values. Also, they should not judge or condemn others who might not feel the same way about certain issues.

I've heard countless arguments over issues like gambling, drinking, observing the Sabbath, speaking in tongues, etc. Everyone has their own conscience and set of experiences. If a former alcoholic is coming to my home, I would put the bottles away. If a new Christian is coming to my lifegroup, I wouldn't speak in tongues around them (not that it's one of my gifts anyway). We don't need to be a stumbling block to someone else just because we have freedom in Christ. Jesus wasn't worried about Pharisees and teachers of the law. His focus was on pleasing God and preaching the good news. We should be leading people to the kingdom, not driving them away or dividing ourselves. Paul said it beautifully in these verses:

Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn't just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
~1 Cor. 9:19-23 (The Message)