{"id":31293,"date":"2022-09-10T15:24:39","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/why-yielding-to-others-is-critical-during-covid-19\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:24:39","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:24:39","slug":"why-yielding-to-others-is-critical-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/why-yielding-to-others-is-critical-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Yielding to Others Is Critical During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-image-101139 is-style-default\">Jeremy Yap photo &#8211; Unsplash<\/div>\n<p><em>By Lynn Pryor<\/em><\/p>\n<p>You\u2019d think Christians would be elated to be coming back together after so many weeks of physical distancing and online services. We\u2019re coming back together\u2014but we\u2019re not all happy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some in our churches think it\u2019s stupid to cower in fear, hiding behind masks instead of hiding in the shelter of God\u2019s protection.<em>&nbsp;Where\u2019s your trust in God, people?!<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Some in our churches think we\u2019re being hasty to bring the church family together when there\u2019s still so much at risk.&nbsp;<em>Why do you think trusting God means you can be foolhardy?!<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Some despise the \u201csnowflakes\u201d who are afraid to do anything without first bathing in hand sanitizer.<\/li>\n<li>Some judge the callous, non-mask wearers as people who don\u2019t care who dies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I don\u2019t think there\u2019s been this much dissension about meeting together since Sue Ellen Johnson wore that pantsuit to church in 1972 \u2026 or David Clark brought that pair of drum sticks into the sanctuary in 1987 \u2026 or, well,&nbsp; come to think of it, we\u2019ve been fairly consistent in finding fault with the way others have approached life in the church and life as a believer.<\/p>\n<p>We can go all the way back to the first century. Jewish Christians struggled with letting go of the old dietary laws and judged the Gentile believers for being \u201ctoo loose\u201d in what they ate. Meanwhile, the Gentiles despised the Jewish believers for being so backward and not joining them in a pulled pork BBQ sandwich.<\/p>\n<p>Paul jumped into the foray taking place in the church in Rome.<\/p>\n<p>Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but don\u2019t argue about disputed matters. One person believes he may eat anything, while one who is weak eats only vegetables. One who eats must not look down on one who does not eat, and one who does not eat must not judge one who does, because God has accepted him\u201d (Romans 14:1-3).<\/p>\n<p>Paul did not rebuke either the \u201ccarnivores\u201d or the \u201cvegetarians\u201d for what they believed, but he did rebuke them for their attitude.<\/p>\n<div class='code-block code-block-1' style='margin: 8px 0;clear: both'> <\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>The \u201cweak\u201d group was condemning the other side.<\/li>\n<li>The \u201cstrong\u201d group was despising the other side.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Paul also addressed their squabble over the disputable matter of observing certain days as holy. While Paul had a definite opinion on the matters, he didn\u2019t argue for his viewpoint. Instead, he said that, whatever you do, be convinced in your own mind and do it unto Christ.<\/p>\n<p>Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since <strong>he gives thanks to God<\/strong>; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and&nbsp;<strong>he gives thanks to God<\/strong>. For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. If we live,&nbsp;<strong>we live for the Lord<\/strong>; and if we die,&nbsp;<strong>we die for the Lord<\/strong>. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord\u201d (Romans 14:6-8).<\/p>\n<p>Whatever we do, we do it to honor Christ\u2014and we do it with a heart of thanks. As Paul said elsewhere, \u201cSo, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God\u201d (1 Corinthians 10:31).<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:1em\">\n<div class=\"centered-text-area\">\n<div class=\"centered-text\" style=\"float: left\">\n<div class=\"u42adaca0a6ea0f952a5ebcce0b60b0c5-content\">See also&nbsp; 4 Changes I&#8217;d Make If I Could Start Ministry Over<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ctaButton\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>OK, Paul, we get it: accept one another. But Paul isn\u2019t through with us. Just leaving each other alone in our respective views is not enough. We must also work to build the other person up:<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister\u2026. For if your brother or sister is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy, by what you eat, someone for whom Christ died\u201d (Romans 14:13,15).<\/p>\n<p>The world\u2019s way is to tell the other person to grow up and get over it. But the law of love says to stop what you\u2019re doing for the sake of the other person\u2014even if your viewpoint is right. We face something far more important<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>than being right. The most important thing is to act with love.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit\u201d (Romans 14:16-17).<\/p>\n<p>Let me put this in the context of the debate entering the church over COVID-19. The kingdom of God is not a matter of facemasks, distancing, and hand sanitizer, but living in the righteous, peace, and joy found in the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, Paul kept referring to the weaker brother or sister. In the debate raging about how to come back as a church, who is the weaker person? With whatever issue we face, it\u2019s always the other person, right?<\/p>\n<p>OK, so let\u2019s assume that, regarding COVID-19, you are right and you are the more mature believer.&nbsp;<strong>As the \u201cstronger\u201d person, your responsibility is to not put a stumbling block in the path of someone else.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t judge the other person. Build him up.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t despise the other person. Build her up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We\u2019re going to get past COVID-19. And when this is all behind us, what will matter is how we loved and treated each other.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-profile-box square gb-has-avatar gb-font-size-18 gb-block-profile gb-profile-columns\">\n<div class=\"gb-profile-column gb-profile-avatar-wrap\">\n<div class=\"gb-profile-image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gb-profile-column gb-profile-content-wrap\">\n<h2 class=\"gb-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Lynn Pryor<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gb-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\"><strong>@lynnpryor<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"gb-profile-text\">\n<p>Lynn leads Lifeway&#8217;s ongoing adult Bible study team that develops and produces\u00a0Bible Studies for Life and\u00a0MasterWork Bible study curriculums for adults.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"gb-social-links\"><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Read more from Lynn at&nbsp;lynnhpryor.com, where this article first appeared.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-box su-box-style-default\" id=\"\" style=\"border-color:#000000;border-radius:0px\">\n<div class=\"su-box-title\" style=\"background-color:#333333;color:#FFFFFF;border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px\">Dig Deeper at Lifeway.com<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-box-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"border-bottom-left-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px\">\n<div class=\"one-third first\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"two-thirds\">\n<h3>One: Unity in a Divided World<\/h3>\n<p>Deidra Riggs<\/p>\n<p>  FIND OUT MORE <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class='yarpp yarpp-related yarpp-related-website yarpp-template-thumbnails'>\n<h3>Related posts:<\/h3>\n<div class=\"yarpp-thumbnails-horizontal\">  What Do Pastors Believe About the End Times?  What Do Pastors Believe About the Book of Revelation?  3 Ways to Reach Non-Religious People in Your Community <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jeremy Yap photo &#8211; Unsplash By Lynn Pryor You\u2019d think Christians would be elated to be coming back together after so many weeks of physical distancing and online services. We\u2019re coming back together\u2014but we\u2019re not all happy. Some in our churches think it\u2019s stupid to cower in fear, hiding behind masks instead of hiding in &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/why-yielding-to-others-is-critical-during-covid-19\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Why Yielding to Others Is Critical During COVID-19&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31293\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}