If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.  
Romans 14:15-18

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When I was young, I remember listening to a sermon that left me full of questions. I asked my mother to help answer some of them. She tried her best, but it had been a long day, and I think she was a little tired. With hesitation in her voice, she asked, “Did you learn anything good from the sermon at all?” To which I replied, “Yes, there were some good points.”  There was a look of relief on her face, and she smiled and said, “Well, chew the meat and spit out the bones!”  When I asked her what that meant, she replied, “Just take what was for you and leave the rest.”  I think this is a helpful posture to take in the church world regarding secondary doctrinal issues that can easily divide us.  We should take what is for us and leave the rest.

Recently, our church completed a series called “TL;DR—To Long; Didn’t Read,” where we launched a daily Bible reading plan that will have us make our way through the New Testament by the end of the year. 

While reading through the book of Acts, I came across a passage where the disciples were arrested and dragged before the Jewish leaders to be questioned about preaching in the name of Jesus after they were told not to. The disciples boldly stood up for themselves, resulting in the Jewish leaders wanting to have them killed. But then a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, stood and recounted tales of other religious uprisings that did not last after the leader was killed.  He ended his speech with this,  “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39)

In a similar way, when it comes to secondary Christian doctrines or ways of worship that are different from the way you do it, it does not mean that it is inherently bad or evil. It just means it is different and perhaps there may be something that you can learn from it.  So then you can just “chew the meat and spit out the bone.”  If you have some deep seated concerns about a different way of Christian worship or doctrine, I invite you to lean into the posture of Gamaliel and remember that, “if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop.” it. 

Next Steps

• Download the Willow app and follow along the New Testament Reading plan or need a print out? Download one here.
• Prayerfully consider asking for God to open your heart or thoughts about different Christian religious practices or traditions.
• Research Christian religious practices or doctrines that are different from your own and see if there is anything new you can learn.