Message by Chad Kelly
Introduction
The story is told of “a converted nightclub singer, a fresh, new Christian, who was asked to sing at a church meeting. Wanting to do her very best for the Lord she had come to love, she dressed up the best way she knew how and sang a song that she thought expressed her faith. She did it in the “torchy” style of the nightclub singer. Someone came up to her afterward and ripped into her: “How can you sing a song like that and claim to be a Christian? God could never be happy with a Christian who dresses the way you do, and sings in a nightclub style.”
The poor girl stood for a minute, then broke into tears and turned and ran.
Ray Stedman
The favorite indoor sport of Christians””trying to change each other! This problem has plagued the church throughout its history. It comes from thinking God is clearly pleased by how WE live””but others don”™t yet live like we do!
How much fellowship can you have with a Christian who lives in a different way than you do, who does things of which you do not approve?
Our answer to that question speaks volumes about our understanding of grace.
Living Grace
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
Romans 15:7 (NLT)
So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.
The Message: So reach out and welcome one another to God”™s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
H. St. John
Should a man not lay his hand upon his mouth before he criticizes his brethren? When we pass swift, uninformed, unloving, and ungenerous judgments, surely we have forgotten that if we speak evil of them, at the same time we speak evil of the Lord whose name they bear.
Ephesians 1:3-6 (NKJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
Romans 14:17-19 (NLT)
17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. 19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
Romans 14:17-19 (MSG)
17-18 God”™s kingdom isn”™t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness”™ sake. It”™s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you”™ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
19 So let”™s agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don”™t drag them down by finding fault.
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
MacArthur
We don”™t need to show the world how free we are; we need to show the world how loving we are.
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
Sometimes this “acceptance” of others is taken a step further”¦and actual forgiveness is called for!
Matthew 18:21-35 (NLT)
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn”™t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold””along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned””to pay the debt.
26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ”˜Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.”™ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ”˜Be patient with me, and I will pay it,”™ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn”™t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ”˜You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn”™t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”™ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 “That”™s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
Ephesians 4:1-3
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other”™s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
Philip Melancthon
In essentials, unity. In nonessentials, liberty. In all things, charity [love].
Conclusion
Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
Oh, the comfort””the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts, nor measure words””but pouring them all right out””just as they are””chaff and grain together””certain that a faithful hand will take them and sift them””keeping what is worth keeping””and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away!
And that is how we should feel around our church family”¦and that is how our community should feel around us!
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
Bill Gothard wore a pin with the following letters on it:
PBPGINFWMY
Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet!
Accepting others is what accepted people do!
Prayer
Romans 15:5-6 (NLT)
5 May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help [US] live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. 6 Then all of [US] can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
AMEN