Community: Preferring One Another (18/1/2026)

Preferring One Another in Community

Sarah spoke to us about the importance of unity and preferring one another within the church family. Drawing from Romans 14 and 15, she reminded us that while we may hold different opinions on secondary matters, the main thing must remain the main thing—Jesus.

Throughout Paul's letters to the early churches, a consistent theme emerges: believers were constantly arguing over non-essential issues. In Corinthians, they quarreled over leadership. In Galatians, they were "biting and devouring each other." In Philippi, Paul even named two women who needed to reconcile. The challenge of unity isn't new.

Sarah emphasized that Romans 14:1 calls us to "offer an open-handed fellowship to welcome every true believer" and to "refuse to engage in debates concerning nothing more than opinions." We must distinguish between core truths and personal convictions. As Romans 14:3 reminds us, if God has welcomed someone as His partner, who are we to judge them over secondary matters?

The heart of the message came from Romans 14:15: "If your brother or sister is offended because you insist on eating what you want, it is no longer love that rules your conduct." Even when we're technically "right" to do something, if it wounds a fellow believer, we must ask ourselves: do we want to be right, or do we want to be like Jesus?

Sarah challenged us with a powerful question from worship leader Jonathan David Helser, who once heard God ask: "Do you want to be right or do you want to be like me?" In community, we're called to prefer Christ first, and then prefer one another—laying down our own desires for the sake of unity and love.

The church is the bride of Christ, and it matters deeply to Him when we wound it. May we be a people who assume good motives, extend grace freely, and protect the unity of the Spirit through humility.

Listen to the full sermon above.