Sermon Series: Faithful Heavyweights
Sermon Title: Shake Hands Not Fingers
Sermon Text: Romans 14:1-12
Preparation Question: When you disagree with a brother or sister in Christ, is your natural instinct to point a finger of judgment or extend a hand of fellowship?

1. Welcome the Brother, Don't Weigh the Opinions (v. 1-4)

2. Focus on the Lord, Not the Locker Room (v. 5-12)

Response Questions:
1. Why is it so tempting for us to turn a non-essential matter (a personal preference or conviction) into a primary matter (a test of true Christian fellowship)?
2. How does the reality of Romans 2:5—that God is storing up perfect wrath to handle all ultimate judgment—free us from the exhausting burden of trying to referee everyone else's life?
3. In Matthew 7:1–6, Jesus commands us to address the log in our own eye before dealing with a brother’s speck. What does "log-removal" look like in practical, daily life before we engage in correction?
4. How can we practically cultivate a church culture that maintains fierce clarity on the essentials (doctrine, moral holiness) while offering radical, open-handed freedom on the non-essentials?
5. Identify one specific area or relationship where you have been pointing a finger of judgment or contempt over a secondary issue. How will you actively lower your hand and extend a Christlike handshake of grace to that person this week?