Over the last few weeks in our sermon series on 1 Corinthians we’ve looked at stuff like ‘the Stumbling Block Principle’ of Paul.
It’s really important for us to remember that when we use that principle, good things happen.
In Acts 15, Peter tells the Council of Jerusalem that anyone – whether a Jewish person or non-Jewish – can turn to Jesus and be saved. But some people had other ideas.
"They have to be circumcised, according to the Law of Moses", they said*.
Why did they say this? Perhaps they were a bit alarmed at the freedom non-Jewish people were exercising in their faith.
In contrast, the Jewish believers were still fresh from observing all the Jewish customs and were finding it hard to break away.
To cut a long story short – the Council decides to apply what we know as ‘the stumbling block principle’! And it has a wonderful effect on Christians everywhere!
The council sends a decree to the new Gentile Christians, saying they are pleased they are saved by grace, but asking them to voluntarily steer clear of a few things that would really truly cause offence to the Jews.
"We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are…It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (Acts 15:11; 19-20)
In this way, the Gentiles would care for the 'weaker' Jewish Christians.
Because of applying the ‘stumbling block principle’ so that Jewish people were cared for, here’s what happened:
As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. Acts 16:4-5
Just remember from this example in Acts: when we obey God’s word and care and build up our brothers and sisters in Christ, good things happen.
*Acts 15:1
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