As I mentioned on Sunday (and many times before in sermons!), my wife and I have two dogs. They are pretty much well-behaved for the most part, but the younger of the two dogs, Sadie, is more of a troublemaker. Oftentimes when we are away for an extended period of time, Sadie will find a roll of toilet paper, a trash bag, or an old newspaper and just rip it to shreds. When we come home, she gets a terribly guilty look on her face–she knows that she did wrong and that we absolutely know it was her!

Guilt is something we often experience in life. Whether it is feeling remorse for how we treated someone or what we said, we’ve all felt like we could have done a better job at living rightly.

One of the most confusing passages of the entire bible (for me at least!) is Romans 7:14-20 where Paul talks about what he does and does not do in life:

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

If you’re like me, you might have to reread that passage at least a half dozen times to even have the faintest idea of what the apostle Paul is saying! Not understanding what he does… what he does he hates… not doing what he truly wants to do. That’s A LOT of do’s and don’t’s mixed all together. Romans 7 is quite the tongue-twister, and I’m glad I didn’t read it in worship on Sunday for those reasons 🙂

What Paul means by the passage is this: God has given you and me an conscience. We have a sense of what is truly right and wrong. When we do the wrong thing, we feel a sense of guilt come over us. We know deep down that lying or cursing someone else is wrong. We know in our hearts that cheating or stealing isn’t the right thing to do. Yet we do those things anyway. In Paul’s words, we do what we hate, and what we want to do, we don’t do it!

By grace, God has gifted us with a sense of right and wrong. Likewise, God has also given us the gift of conviction–feeling that little voice in your head to pursue righteousness rather than evil.

In our bible passage on Sunday, Jesus told Peter three different variations of the command to care for others. This surely convicted Peter because he had denied Jesus three times earlier in the story. Even though this might have challenged Peter greatly, Jesus saw the need to press him onward to be a more loving, bold, and caring kind of person.

How can you better listen to God’s conviction this week? Its important to ask ourselves that. And when that conviction does come, it is important to lean into any discomfort and let God transform your guilt into the newness of Christ.

On Sunday we talked about how the church must always be an outwardly-minded kind of thing. I preached on several things:

• We are called to serve others, rather than to be served.
• God calls us to make disciples by sharing the good news of Christ.
• Church is more like a mission-driven aircraft carrier, instead of an entertainment-focused cruise ship.

In addition to Jesus’ “Great Commission” of Matthew 28, another mission-focused bible story is Luke 5:17-20:

¹⁷ One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. ¹⁸ Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

At first, this seems like just another miracle-story where Jesus heals someone in need. But once we look closer, this has huge implications for our ministry and calling as followers of Christ.

The paralyzed man’s friends were quite impressive in how they acted. Facing a packed house and inaccessibility, they literally tore a hole in the roof so their friend could get to Jesus. Upon witnessing their faith and eagerness to pursue him, Jesus offered up his healing and redemptive power.

In applying this passage to our world today, it is clear that paralysis isn’t simply limited to a medical condition. We are all infected with the brokenness of separation from God. We all face sin. We all fall short. We all are in desperate need of a savior. Yes, so many people we know might be sick and in need of physical healing, but every single one of us needs the restoration that only God can provide.

As Christians, you and I are called to break down any barrier which might prevent someone from encountering Jesus. We are called to bring the message of hope outside the walls of the church and into the world. We are called to clearly communicate the gospel to others, which often means working to tear down walls or any sort of thing that might separate someone from God’s love. I think this is what Peter meant in 1 Peter 3:15- “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Be prepared to preach Jesus in word and deed to everyone you meet. Be prepared to be a witness of God’s kingdom. Be prepared to meet people where they are. Be prepared to give some kind of answer when folks ask, “Why should I follow this Jesus guy?”

The man in Luke 5 needed healing and his friends were willing to do whatever it took to help him meet Jesus. And it is also noteworthy that Jesus didn’t scold the friends for opening up the house even more–he was just impressed with their faith! This shows that Jesus is primarily concerned with a relationship with us.

Everyone needs the healing of Jesus, and Jesus directly calls us to be preachers of his good news. Just like the paralyzed man’s friends, we need to see the barriers which might be preventing people from encountering God’s love. Follow their example in Luke 5 and be diligent and persistent in spreading God’s love.

Let’s be the kind of church that would be willing to tear down our roof if that will mean more people can experience that salvation of Jesus Christ.

What is a biblical approach to faith versus doubt? We often think that doubt is the complete opposite of faith.

Perhaps you’ve heard some of the following popular sayings in our culture today:

• “Your faith has to be stronger than doubt!”
• “Doubt your doubts before doubting your faith.”
• “Feed your faith and your doubts will starve.”
• “Cast out doubt, cultivate faith.”
• “Faith moves mountains while doubt creates them.”

I’m not so sure that telling ourselves these kinds of proverbs is all that helpful. Whether it be the death of a loved one, a broken relationship, feeling lonely or isolated, or not knowing how to handle a new season of life, there are many ways in which we have all doubted about God’s presence in our lives. Doubt seems to just come naturally to us, and I don’t think that’s always a bad thing.

On Sunday we explored the infamous story about good old doubting Thomas. We often give Thomas a hard time for the doubt he expressed when faced with Jesus’ resurrection. The church usually has a complicated relationship with issues of doubt. We almost always assume that doubt is the complete opposite of faith. We view doubt as a sign of weakness and a troublesome sort of thing. In the past, I’ve hear well-intentioned Christians simply tell others experiencing uncertainty to just believe and ignore any hesitations. Is doubt truly a sin, as so many people assume?

Based off of my experience and examination of scripture, it is not a sin to doubt. We all face uncertainty. Not everyday we live is filled with 100% confidence in experiencing God. Oftentimes throughout our lives, we actually walk through spiritual deserts, where we don’t hear from, feel, or encounter God in our day-to-day life. Characters in the bible also struggled with doubt, too, including Jesus himself. For any faithful follower of God, doubt is usually a part of his or her journey.

In fact, there might actually be benefits to doubting–a literal “benefit of the doubt” so to speak! Doubting in our walk with Christ means that we are living an active faith. In other words, we develop a lively relationship with God instead of being passive. Praying to God during times of doubt and sharing those concerns allows us to become closer to God simply because we are honest and don’t hold anything back.

After preaching on Sunday morning, I reread some accounts of Mother Theresa’s life. Many people do not realize that this famous Christian from the 20th century often felt spiritually dry and distant from God during her ministry to the poor in India. Sister Sheila McGrath reflects on Theresa’s encounters with doubt: “We aren’t wrong or bad for having questions and doubts. It’s helpful to have doubts–they can strengthen our faith. Think of how much we appreciate the sun after a spate of overcast days. Hope helps us get through. And remember, saints from John of the Cross to Teresa of Avila had profound doubts. So when we doubt, we are in good company.”

Nevertheless, Theresa continued to serve and love her neighbors, despite feeling distant from God at times. She didn’t view doubt as a stumbling block to faith, but instead as a normal part of life.

Keep that in mind as you love and serve God this week. Continue to follow in the steps of Christ, even if you don’t feel the warmth of God’s presence.