Construction zone

Romans 14:9 says, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”

“You know what the issue is?” asks Jordan. “Not for you to be Lord but for Him to be. Now, who tells people what to do? The Lord. You’re not the Lord, so don’t try to be somebody you’re not.

“To be ‘fully persuaded in your own mind’ (Romans 14:5) means I have to be fully persuaded about what I’m doing. Now that eliminates careless living by requiring that I purposely think through the practice of my liberty.

“Don’t assume a position you’re not qualified to fill. I mean, first you determine where you stand. Live purposefully yourself. It will take away a lot of the threat that other people give to you if you know where you’re at and why you’re there.

“You see, I know what I believe about something. If I don’t know, then I don’t have an opinion about it. It’s a wonderful privilege not to have an opinion about everything. Get the conviction, have the conviction, know why you stand where you are, and then refuse to play God in somebody else’s life by making their choices for them.

“A mark of maturity is the ability to handle life and have the liberties without flaunting it in front of other people. That’s why in Romans 15:1 he says, ‘We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.’

“You see, we’re in the construction business as Believers, not the destruction business.

*****

“I’m convinced that some of the most dangerous people in the world spiritually are preachers and leaders—Bible teachers. The reason that happens is that, as we grow stronger in the Word of God and in our convictions about things, we feel more strongly about what’s right and what’s wrong.

“I mean, hey, folks, there are some things that are convictions of mine that I feel are absolute and no way to violate them. I mean, my doctrinal convictions, and then the convictions I grow in my life based upon the doctrine, there are some of those things that for me are absolutes. And the more I study and the more I learn, the more strongly I feel about what’s right and wrong on an issue.

“As soon as you do that, you know what you do? You feel more qualified than if you feel you know what’s right and you know what’s wrong. You just feel real qualified to look out there at everybody else and figure out whether they’re right or they’re wrong. You feel more qualified to judge people. The more you grow the more you have to watch out for that because the more dangerous you are in this area.

“The more you grow in leadership you have to watch out because it isn’t going to be long before you’re going to be thinking you’re the last word on the subject and you can go out here and just clean up anybody’s mess anytime and go tell everybody what to do right.

“You got to watch out for yourself in the ministry, and as you grow in grace, that you don’t slip back into this area of becoming everybody else’s critic and judge. It’s real dangerous for people in leadership, whether you’re a pastor or a teacher or just somebody who’s out ahead of everybody else in understanding and doctrine.”