As a younger man, I listened to a seminar on the volatility in the stock market, the devaluing of the dollar both nationally and globally, and the way the national and international banks manipulate the economy. It got me worked up and I went home to tell my dad what I had learned. I was so excited to share what I learned and convince him to act. Before I even finished the story, my experienced dad interjected, “Let me guess, you want me to buy gold?” He totally beat me to the punch! He had heard those arguments before. So instead of buying gold, I got instruction.

Paul says the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). But, if our minds are consumed with matters of performance and purity our evangelism, our excitement to spread the gospel gets stifled. Our next section in Romans is Paul sharing his ministry plans as he delights in something better than gold! Join us as we celebrate the gospel and worship the gospel Giver!

In our text Sunday, the Apostle Paul is leading us to his benediction in Romans 15:13, Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The opening words, God of hope, might confuse us: Is God the author of hope or the object of our hope? The preceding text answers that question, saying in essence, welcome each other regardless of ethnic differences because Christ served both Jew and Gentile. For the Jew, He kept God’s promises, while for the Gentiles, He showed God’s mercy by making them family. Clearly, God is the object of our hope!

Join us Sunday as we worship God, the object of our hope!

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably had that moment when you’re in a store and your child is acting out. In that moment, you try to respond appropriately to calm and direct your child, but you feel it, all the eyes in the store are on YOU! You can feel the judgmental stares piercing your soul, and you know what they are thinking to themselves: Why doesn’t he get his kid under control? Probably a bad parent. My kids would never do that. In that moment, my reputation as a parent, what others are thinking about me, and similar thoughts can dominate my thinking; or I can brush off the embarrassment and shame to patiently address my child’s needs.

That feeling of embarrassment and shame is what Paul is addressing. The Jewish Christians, with their strictly formed consciences could create some awkward situations in public. It would be easier to avoid them in the markets, hiding behind the frozen food section, avoiding association with someone who is culturally out of step because of their religious traditions. But Paul brings us right into gospel truth, saying of Christ, The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. Christ embraced us even though we are unclean and out of step. He isn’t concerned with the shame that we bring upon Him because He loves us!

Worship with us Sunday as we celebrate the grace and humility of Christ!

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and his hobbit companions set out on a dangerous mission to carry the One Ring to Rivendell, desperately needing a faithful guide. Gandalf, a wise and trusted figure, cannot meet them himself, so he sends Aragorn, a weathered ranger with a mysterious air, to lead them. To help Frodo identify Aragorn, the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor, Gandalf shares a poem with these key lines: All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost. Aragorn’s journey shows us that wandering with purpose, yet rooted in His God-given identity, leads us to experience the presence of God in a powerful way.

In contrast, the Psalmist in Psalm 119:176 pours out his heart, recommitting to God’s Word but confessing, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep.” This is not purposeful wandering but a drifting from God’s path, a moment of feeling lost and disconnected. Sadly, the Christian life can feel at times isolating and aimless. How can we find hope when all hope seems lost? Join us this Sunday to find out!

Don’t you wish you could go back in time and make better decisions? Better financial, educational, dating, parenting decisions? I know a couple who had Sam Walton knock on their door and ask for a $1,000 investment in his new store, Walmart. They turned him down since that was their entire savings account.

In our text, Paul makes an amazing statement, “Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves.” It points to a deep motivator for many believers: self-condemnation or guilt. It seems so contradictory to live with guilt in a faith that emphasizes complete pardon through grace, but I find it true in my life and those that I minister to. Guilt through self-condemnation is a regular motivator. The problem is that guilt is a horrible sickness of the soul and a life destroying motivation.

Join us Sunday as we consider this statement and worship the One who can truly set us free.

The Roman church, and most NT churches, were in conflict over traditions from the Jewish culture and traditions from the Gentile culture. Jewish believers would struggle to eat meat that wasn’t butchered in a kosher manner, while Gentile believers would struggle to eat meat from an animal sacrificed in the pagan temples. Either group could face a moment where they are afraid of being unclean before God. How does the church have a fellowship meal under these conditions? Should they just form two different churches or model the gospel by joining together? How are these two cultures able to come together as one? How does the gospel, justification by grace through faith in Christ, enable us to experience unity?

Love is the answer! No, not the squishy, emotionally driven teaching of our culture, but the willingness to give up our rights for the sake of another. We are to value others over ourselves (Philippians 2:1-11). Join us Sunday as we worship the One who gave up His rights for the sake of those He loved.

Our text this week is amazing, but it raises several questions. In essence, the Apostle asks the church, “Who made YOU judge of your brothers and sisters?” After all, God has made Jesus Lord and Judge of humanity, as Paul states, quoting Isaiah, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. Paul says in Philippians 2:10, so that at the name of Jesus ever knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. So, Paul is rebuking the believers for usurping the role of Christ as Judge.

But it raises several questions. One question: aren’t we called to judge within the church (1 Corinthians 5:12)? Second, if we are justified, what should we expect if we will give an account of ourselves to God (2 Corinthians 5:10)?

Join us as we worship the One God made Judge of the world and consider our role in each other’s lives.

I do some cooking at home in service to my family. Debbie and I coordinate which nights I’m cooking dinner, and I plan my meal around what I know they like (we have some picky eaters). I print my recipe, highlight what I need from the store, head to stinky Kroger after work for food, then rush home. I put on my “have you hugged a Presbyterian?” apron and get to work in the kitchen. Having put it all together, food cooked, I present it to the family, alongside a cake because my rule is “When dad cooks, we all get cake.” Then I wait, watching their reactions, hoping they enjoy it and give me rave reviews. Why do I do that? Is my ego tied to my cooking? Is my identity determined by whether the food is a hit or not? Does my standing in the family change if the food is a bomb? After all, I did provide cake!

In our text, Paul goes after the motive behind our piety. Piety just means our religious practices. In the Roman church, some continued to celebrate religious days and ceremonial food laws. The issue the Apostle challenges is their motive. Their motive explains their desired outcome. Are they acting piously for recognition from others or to get extra credit with God? Neither motive rests in Christ’s grace. So, what should be our motive? How do we evaluate our motive and seek grace to change? Join us Sunday as we engage the only One to live out of love successfully and faithfully.

Have you ever faced criticism from extended family (in-laws) for something that you’ve done differently than the cultural norm? You sit down to family breakfast with grits being served and you put sugar on them instead of butter. Sugar on grits is a southern sin! You’re eating your grits, delighting in the flavor, and notice that everyone is silently looking at you with judgmental eyes. Am I not free to enjoy my grits the way that I want?

Sunday, we’re going to consider one of several principles that help us know how to respond to people who stumble over our freedom in Christ. Join us as we worship the One who made grits and freed us to enjoy them without boundaries. And stop judging me for liking sugar on my grits!

God shows no partiality, Romans 2:11. There is no partiality with Him, Ephesians 6:9. In Scripture, the word partiality is an idiom expressed as accepting face. The simple idea is that we show favoritism to some people based on our preconceived perspectives. Another word is prejudice, which etymologically means to pre-judge someone. We do this with social status, as with the French Revolution, or ethnicities as with the Nazi regime. But we express multiple other prejudices as a people group.

As we will see in the next section of Romans, the church had significant partiality within the community, centered around ethnicity, culture, and conscience. In our text, Paul applies the gospel with precision to expose the sinful root issues, the heart issues that divided the church. Not only is partiality contrary to our common humanity, love itself, and all considerations of grace, it is the opposite of God! Join us as we worship our Holy God, who shows no partiality, Acts 10:34.