Trip

Good morning and welcome in everyone.  Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.

When I was in middle School, the School bell would ring signaling that it was time for changing classes.  As I quickly walked down the busy hallway, someone would trip me so that I fell down and lost all my books on the floor.  This happened numerous times, and for some people, it was a source of enjoyment to watch me fall flat on my face.  

In the Christian life we don’t want to trip others who are trying to walk steadily in their personal convictions toward God.  Some people have permanently given up coffee, being convicted that it is bad for them.  Maybe they drank it way to much.  You certainly don’t want to be a stumbling block and tempt them to have a cup of coffee with you.  We are not supposed to be a stumbling block like that to others, otherwise you can become responsible for their failure.  

Every man has certain weaknesses, or temptations in the flesh, whatever they may be.  You want to be mindful of the convictions of others, rather than convincing them to go against them.  The church is supposed to love one another, helping each other to overcome these temptations, rather than lead each other into a place of temptation.  This is what the devil did to Eve.  He convinced her to go against her conscience, and to disobey God’s will.  He was a huge stumblingblock and was punished accordingly.

In the church, we are trying to keep ourselves free from sin.  Each of us have certain convictions, depending on the sins that we lived in our past, or the way that we have been raised in scripture.  We need to lovingly submit to the convictions of others, so as to not lead them away from them.  Because of our carnal nature, all of us must deal with certain temptations in the flesh, but we must understand what each of us might be tempted by, so that we don’t become a stumbling block unto them.  Someone may have given up alcohol and refuses to drink it anymore.  You certainly don’t want to have a drink around them.  The Apostle Paul had temptations too.

Galatians 4:13-14  Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.  And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

The church did not condemn Paul’s personal temptations. Each of us deal with the sinful carnal nature. The church is a place that is filled with people who have come out of many sinful behaviors and are now trying to walk a life of faith and purity towards the will of God.  Each of us have done certain things in our past that we don’t want to be a part of anymore.  

For example, a woman is supposed to dress modestly in public. One reason is so that she doesn’t lead a man into a place of temptation, where he could have impure thoughts about her, or cause him to have a sinful desire to commit fornication with her. Many people in the church have had great difficulties with sexual temptations in their past and they don’t want to walk into the church and see women who are dressed up in all sorts of worldly attire.  They want to come out from the world,… not to see the world displayed in the church.

Even at certain public schools they have dress codes for this very reason.  If someone feels it’s inappropriate for you to be wearing it in public, then for their sake, you shouldn’t be wearing it. Otherwise you can tempt them and cause them to stumble and fall.  The Christian Life is thinking about the convictions of others, understanding them, and submitting to them so you don’t lead them into temptation.  There may be policies like no makeup, putting your hair up, or wearing long dresses that don’t display your figure.  These things are done so that you don’t lead other people astray from the struggles that one might have had previously. 

Instead of being part of the problem, Christianity is about being part of the solution.  We can aid others in their strugles to overcome, by our own actions towards them.  Not everybody shares the same convictions that we do, but we must bend to those who have them.

Romans 14:13-15, 21  Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.  I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.  But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.

We also must remember that something wrong for one person might be alright for the next.  But just because it’s ok for you, doesn’t mean that you should tempt those who can’t do the same thing.  That’s what it means to be a stumblingblock.  You may have certain liberties in Christ to do certain things, while another persons conscience forbids them from that same activity.  You don’t ever want to do something that would cause others to become weak, or to do something contrary to their conscience.  In the church, people are trying to do the will of God,  trying to walk steadfastly and do what is right.  A stumbling block wants to prevent this from happening.  This is what the devil was essentially was trying to do Jesus in the desert, to get Him to go against biblical convictions. Impossible because He is the Word of God made flesh!

Some people in the church have turned away from false religions and activities, and converted to Christianity.  They are convicted in there own conscience how wrong it was for them to participate in such things. For their sake, there a certain things that you don’t want to do around them.

1 Corinthians 8:7-13  Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.  But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.  But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.  For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;  And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?  But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.  Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

You don’t want to cause your brother to sin by leading them into temptation through your actions.  It may be ok for you, when it’s not for them.  It could be just about anything, so be mindful of others.  On the quest to do what is morally right in both our minds and in the sight of God, make sure that you don’t cause others to……

….Trip

Let’s think about these things for right now, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow.  Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️

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