May the mumbling commence!
It is far past time to remove the stumbling blocks in each others’ lives. Let us worry more about building others up rather than proving ourselves right. Righteousness belongs to God alone. Let God decide the issues that we cannot puzzle out. Read from Romans chapter fourteen:
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. (Verses 13-23)
The kingdom of God is much more than food or drink. The kingdom of God has more to do with table fellowship. And table fellowship calls for peace and respect built upon the righteousness and joy of the Holy Spirit. Table fellowship calls for acting in love.
So do not destroy your relationship with fellow Christians. Do not tempt a fellow Christian to do what he or she thinks is sinful. And do not give a weak non-believer any excuse for continuing in his weakness. I abstain from alcohol for this last reason.
At the basis of this passage is discovering together what is essential to the Christian faith and what is not. That battlefield is strewn with many broken and burning bridges and homes in the Christian community. So, whenever in any doubt, leave the judgment with the Lord. Judgment could not be in any better hands.
What food is eaten was a hotly debated question in those days. Should they eat meat or not? It was not based upon the vegetarian or vegan or omnivore or carnivore diet plans. The worry in that day was whether or not meat was first offered to the gods.
What things of our day have the same connotations for us? What things in our lives have been offered to our gods? Our gods can be categorized as the wealthy and powerful and famous – just to name a few possibilities. Should we go to the gridiron or the basketball court? Should we support Hollywood and the movies they make? Should we listen to the subtle messages of our need for more and our entitlement to all the things our hearts desire?
Each of us makes decisions on all of these things. In moderation, these things are periphery. We decide upon things like these with what God is telling our conscious. There is no clear cut answer in Scriptures. We must do what our faith calls us to do, and we must be sensitive to the weaknesses of those Christians around us.
There are enough stumbling blocks out there already! Let us remove any that we have so small amount of control over.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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