It has been said that a child will often take upon themselves the character traits of their parents and those who they spend the most time with. I certainly know this to be true myself, as a young child I often tried to imitate the mannerisms of my friends and family. Thankfully I had a Godly upbringing that set me on the right path early, but not every person has had that blessing.
The right role models in the life of a person can be a great benefit to them, but a bad influence can be equally detrimental. How many people are in prison because they were misled into a wrong or sinful way of life? On their own they may not have even contemplated that kind of action, but because of the stumblingblock that others placed in their way, they fell to that sin.
Romans 14:13 says, “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.”
A stumblingblock is an obstacle or hindrance to progress, or a problem which stops someone from achieving something. In the Christian faith we all have a set of guides and commands to which we must live by in order to keep ourselves from sinning. A stumblingblock is anything that causes a person to fall short of that and sin.
Jesus was greatly angered by the Pharisees because they would search all over trying to find someone to convert to Judaism, and once they did they would make that new convert more sinful than themselves. Through the stumblingblock which they laid they became the cause of someone else’s sin.
Matthew 23:13-15 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
It is bad enough to sin yourself, but to be the cause of someone else’s sin, that is so much worse because you were the origin of that sin. Those who cause others who believe in Jesus to sin, Jesus taught that it would be better if they would just throw themselves into the sea. It is just a place that you do not want to enter into.
Matthew 18:1-6 “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
It is very important that you understand this. We are called to be lights of the world (Philippians 2:15), a light to those in the world to lead them to Christ. It is to these people, as well as to the other believers in the church, that we need to be an example for them to look at. We need to set the right example for others to follow, and never put a stumblingblock in another’s way.
In Christ,
Andrew
Note: Andrew is no longer a part of this ministry, as he purposely lied, deceived me, and then betrayed me. I baptized him by submersion over 25 years ago, gave him Holy Communion and biblical instruction regularly, but then he chose to do things that completely deny the things I ever taught him. The actions that he took were done willfully and with intent and go completely against many of the things that he speaks about in his writings. What he is now no longer represents the things that I believe, and most of you already know that he’s no longer a part of this ministry. The things that he has written were done during a different period of his life, and although many of these writings are helpful, he completely abandoned this calling, and joined up with the world instead. Nothing can dictate Our lives more than a love for Christ Jesus and being chosen to His service, but he chose to forsake the plow and love the world instead.
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 