1 Corinthians 8:9 - But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
Ah, yes, liberty in Christ, one of the first and foremost excuses that many a person who claims to be a Christian will use to do the things that they do. Many of them have the "Sin now, Repent later" mentality and will do whatever it is that they want to do from now until the judgment seat of Christ without any shame. Many listen to things they are not supposed to listen to, watch things they are not supposed to watch, say the things they are not supposed to say, read what they are not supposed to be reading, slander instead of let the truth be made known (there is a fine line there), advocate another revolution or civil war when they are supposed to live a peaceable life, the list goes on and on... and people do all this stuff in the name of Jesus nonetheless!
I wonder if they realize that they are casting forth stumblingblocks for ALL who look upon them and see their actions and the fruit thereof...
Stumblingblocks... we all come into contact with them at one point or another. They are things that hurt our personal walk with God, and things that can hinder others from coming to Christ. They are things that we do and things that we expose ourselves to that may cause others to fall. What things are those? Thank you for asking. I will be going over a few of those things here in this post.
I. Music
Whoa now, wait a minute. Retract your claws and hear me out. Some of you may have already closed out of this post by now, and many others are fuming mad, and there are some of you who will read on and actually get something from it that you will apply to your life. Music is something that we must be careful about. Something we may enjoy listening to, especially those of modern Christian music, can and do cause other Christians who may not be strong in the faith to fall, and do cause alot of lost people to turn away from the Door to heaven, the Way the Truth and the Life. Do you want to be held responsible for a weaker brother or sister falling back into sin that they may have been delivered from?
Though the song you listen to may have Godly lyrics, and a Godly message behind it, what about the beat of the song? What about the instrumentals? Do they sound like something you would hear at an Avenged Sevenfold concert? Do they sound like something you would hear at a bar? Do they sound like something you would hear at a Metallica concert? Do they sound like something you would hear on a pornographic video? Do they sound like something you would hear at a night club?
More must be taken into consideration on this than just "Oh, the lyrics sound good, and it has a good message behind it, so it is okay to listen to and blare on my iPod with my headphones in my ears, or in my car with the windows down, or in my room with the stereo cranked up all the way, because I think it is okay, and my mom says it's okay, and I believe God is fine with it."
We must take into consideration every aspect of the music that we listen to. Are the lyrics truly Godly? Is the beat one to amplify the message of the song? Are the instrumentals not too aggressive and not too sensual as to trigger a response based solely on emotion?
What would happen if you were to blare that favorite 'Christian' rap song of yours in your car while you are driving, and a lost person who knows you claim to be a Christian hears that bass pumping as you approach? What would happen if you were to blare that favorite 'Christian' metal song of yours in your ears while listening to your iPod in a library or even at a church function, and a lost person walks by you or sits by you and hears it? Better yet, what would happen if you were to be sitting in your room, blaring your stereo with your window down while listening to that favorite 'Christian' pop song of yours and your unsaved ex walks by your house while on his/her way to his/her house?
Would you want to be held responsible for someone going to hell because of your unwillingness to walk the higher road that we have been called to walk? Would you want to be held responsible for someone who could have been a mighty man or woman of God falling into sin because of your unwillingness to abstain from ALL appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22)?
II. Movies
Yes, the movie card has just been pulled. How many of you have gone to a movie theater lately to see that movie you have been wanting to see since you saw the first preview for it? How many of you have seen that it was playing the latest Harry Potter movie (witchcraft, darkness vs. darkness, and NO you CANNOT find Jesus ANYWHERE in it!), the latest Twilight movie, the latest romance movie, the latest horror movie, the latest war movie, etc.? Though the movie that you may have watched at any given time in a theater may have been considered a "Christian" movie, what do you think went through the minds of any of your lost acquaintances that may have either seen you go into the theater or walk out of it? I will give you a hint: It most likely was not "Oh wow, what a Christian." It was probably, "That Christian went into that theater to watch that movie? I could go see any movie I want to and still go to heaven just the way I am."
This is another thing that seems to be overlooked by many a Christian. The movie titles I mentioned above are just one of many that some see as alright to watch simply because it is fictional, but the darkness in them is just as real as the devil we are to be resisting every day.
III. Books
As a Christian, the main thing we should be reading is the Bible. Actually, it should be one of the only things we read. Sadly so many Christians do not take this into consideration, and they read things that go contradictory to it and ALLOW themselves to be ENTERTAINED by them. There is nothing satisfying about the works of darkness, no matter how appealing it may seem. Knowing the difference between truth and fiction does not matter when it comes to making decisions that involve the souls of men depending on you. Regardless of who you may buy it for, pick it up for, or drop it off for, if some lost person sees you, a person they know to be a Christian, dropping a book off that does not glorify God in any way (examples: ANY of the Harry Potter series, Twilight saga, 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, anything and everything that could be CONSIDERED evil), we cast forth a stumblingblock for that lost person. Even worse, what if a younger Christian saw you buying, picking up, or dropping off those things and thus has his life ruined by books that go contrary to God's word?
The fact that we may know the difference between truth and fiction does not change the fact that our actions could potentially cause someone weak in the faith to stumble or a lost individual to reject Christ completely. There are multiple things that we must take into consideration before we act upon our desires.
I do know that there is not much scripture used here in this post. I am not trying to keep the truth hidden, I am just trying to provoke the brethren to take time and think about what they do. Our actions could potentially cast forth stumblingblocks for not only our friends, but also families, people we do not even know, and possibly even the generations to come. The decisions we make, whether we realize it or not, do have an impact on others. If we do something that goes against God, we cast forth a stumblingblock for those weak in the faith, and also those not even saved at all.
Take time to think about your actions. And before you act, search it out in the scriptures, see what God has to say about it. Anything that looks evil, sounds evil, or could even be considered evil, we are to stay away from it (1 Thessalonians 5:22, "Abstain from all appearance of evil."), and also we are not to be in any way compromised to the world's standard for any reason(Romans 12:1-2). Take time to search out your actions in the scripture, and see if it be pleasing to God in EVERY way. If it is not, you should not do it.
Just some food for thought from a fellow soldier of the cross.
Your brother and fellow warrior in Christ,
William L. Payne
1 Corintihians 15:58
