Causing others to stumble

[judah]

As a child of about 9 or 10 years, I and one of my brothers went riding our bicycles and found ourselves with some other kids on an empty lot at the back of a veterinarian's clinic. The vet was doing autopsies on some sheep, and we stood there watching, mesmerized by the horrific gory sight. I don't know why we were not shoo-ed away. I had nightmares every night for some time after that, seeing those images all over again.

In my professional work (CNS, community mental health) I certainly got to see a lot of the seamy side of life, and coped with it just fine, just having to do so. It was just what we did. I've been away from it for a few years and don't think I could go back to it very easily now. Since leaving, I returned to the Christian faith and it probably does have much to do with the work of the Spirit... being more deeply touched by tragedies affecting others. I've been through some since with my own immediate and extended family, and I can't switch off from it the same as I used to... used to have to as the CNS of a large team in a low decile urban area.

As you have mentioned, 3GR, I have also found Paul's advice to the church at Philippi (Philippians 4:8) is a good antidote, together with prayer.

[Vic VDB]

Judah - You hit the nail on the head with Paul's wonderful words:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things'

I sat in on a lecture (LBC) about living as Christians and encouraging others. The Lecturer said he would leave us with something so memorable that we'd never forget it and this would serve us, and those we pastored in the years ahead, well in the years ahead. I was impressed that I was going to get such a gem and as we got nearer the end wondered what he was going to to give us.

The last fifteen minutes were taken up with 'causing ourselves and others to stumble' and dealt with ways we could make people aware of their own sin and the sin surrounding them without damaging them. An important lesson for those seeking to pastor - he passed out a sheet of A4 and on it were these words:

"O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see


O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear


O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do


O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go


O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say"

We all laughed - yet fifteen minutes later (with anecdotal examples of errors from others attempts to 'inform' we realised how true these words were).

Wished I'd always applied them!

[judah]

I talked (emailed) the person who sent me that email, and got a very good response. He agreed with me that we need to take care with such shocking stuff. He said that he had been so shocked himself that he had just reacted immediately without thinking, wanting others to know the dangers of sharia law making any inroads anywhere else, and that people should know the truth of the kind of things going on and perpetrated by Islam. On thinking it through after receiving my email, he agreed he would act differently next time.

I mentioned the incident of the little boy to another friend, one who reads Arabic, has studied Islam and knows it well, has lived and worked for a number of years in Saudi Arabia, and who is a nominal Christian. He had seen the pictures elsewhere. His immediate reaction was that "those people should be shot!"

That is just the problem - a reactive retribution without considering any other way of dealing with the people concerned. Seeing those pictures presented in that way does provoke responses like that. Maybe Islam has indeed set the hearts of many Muslims so hard that they will not be won over, but there are also accounts of a great many conversions to Christianity among them, and a judgment that goes straight to execution is hardly very different from the sharia law that we find so barbaric. 

[Vic VDB]

Excellent - Galatians six in full technicolour.

Well done Jude - great outcome with good (dare I say Biblical) balance displayed and a friendship maintained and strengthened.

Praise God!