Should I or Shouldn’t I Calvary Chapel Oxnard（我应该或不应该我还是丝毫不懂加略山的教堂奥克斯纳德）.pdfVIP

Should I or Shouldn’t I ? • Romans 14 I. INTRODUCTION A. Meat or Not st 1. It’s the late 1 Century. The city is Neopolis, with a population of 100,000 in northern Italy. 2. The church there was started some years before by believers from Rome. 3. Things have gone well the church has grown to a couple thousand. 4. Both Jews Gentiles worship side by side. 5. And the distinctions that mark the rest of life in Neopolis, like slave master, rich poor, are left at the door when they assemble. 6. But recently a controversy has erupted that’s threatening to tear them apart. a. It has to do with eating meat. b. You see, all the meat sold at the market in Neopolis comes either from the temple to Mars, the Roman god of war, or from the temple of Jupiter, chief of the Roman pantheon. c. It was originally the offerings of worshippers. 1) The priests put a part of it on the altars of Mars Jupiter, 2) But most of it was sold at wholesale prices to the meat-sellers in the marketplace. 3) It was then resold to customers who took it home to use in their meals. d. The Jewish community in Neopolis would have absolutely nothing to do with idols so they shunned the meat-market, buying only from the single kosher butcher in town. e. The Jews who’d become believers continued this practice; as Jews they wanted to remain kosher even though they’d come to faith in Jesus as Messiah. f. And this is where the problem began, because Christians love to fellowship with one another. 1) And fellowship usually means sharing a meal. 2) But when Jewish believers went to the homes of their Gentiles brothers sisters, the meat was from the pagan meat-sellers. 3) The Gentiles had no problem with it because they’d come to see idols as nothing. 4) In their