1 The Christian and Culture1 Corinthians 8

2 The type of movies we should go to
· Whether it is alright to drink or not
· Some people won’t play cards
· Some ladies feel that it is a sin to wear make-up
· Or some feel like dancing is a sin
 · Should we have a Christmas tree
· Should we celebrate Christmas with Santa
 · What is appropriate dress to wear or not- to sphagetti strap or not?
· How about smoking or owning a liquor store?
 • Easter eggs
 • Dungeons & Dragons
• Meditation
QigongStock market, buying hedge funds or mutual funds..I know the church had a lot of problems with suggestions to put our fixed depoisits in mutual funds.Mixed flattingLong hair for men.Dyed hair for men…you could argue that if God meant you to be blond you would be born elsewhereSpiky hair for men

3 e picture shows Zumba dancers swinging to a Latino merengue beat at one of Paris’ many Fêtes de la Musique held to celebrate the Summer Solstice, — Picture by Helen HickeyGEORGE TOWN, Aug 14 — A Malay rights non-governmental organisation (NGO) demanded today that the popular Zumba dance be banned from being performed in public places in Penang, pointing out that the sport has been prohibited by a fatwa council – Persatuan Mukabuku Pulau Pinang secretary Muhsin Abdul Latheef said since the Sabah mufti has issued a fatwa (edict) banning the Zumba, the dance should be considered un-Islamic. “This kind of dance is unsuitable for Muslim women as they will be dancing to upbeat tunes in public,” he said. He added that some of the aerobic workout’s movements go against Islamic teachings. “I hope the Penang Fatwa Council will emulate the Sabah Fatwa Council to issue a fatwa against Zumba events being held in public places,” he said in a statement issued today. Muhsin also criticised the Penang state government for endorsing an upcoming Merdeka Day “Let’s Zumba Carnival”, which will be held on National day at Sunway Tunas Bayan Baru. A picture of Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon was used in a banner promoting the event. “How could the deputy chief minister, who is a learned person in religion, be endorsing such an event?” Muhsin asked. He called on the state government to cancel the event to respect the sensitivities of the Muslim community in Penang. When contacted, Mohd Rashid said the event was just an aerobic event. “So far, I’ve not received any complaints against it so let me check on it,” he said. Zumba is a popular aerobic programme created by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez during the 1990s. The group workout, that has been gaining popularity in Malaysia as a form of fitness programme, incorporates different types of movements from samba, salsa, mambo and hip hop to martial arts. - See more at: See more at:

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5 How Paul Deals with Culture1 Cor 8 :1 Now concerning food offered to idols: Chapter 8 Loving knowledge Chapter 9 True Liberty Chapter 10 Dealing with temptation of culture

6 Loving knowledge: Understanding the issues culture posesKnowledge alone cannot be the sole basis for action (vv 1-6) Different people have differing level of knowledge and consciences(vv 7-8) People are stumbled by imitating our behaviour but not having our conscience vv9- 11 True freedom is found in the exercise of both love and knowledge (v. 13 and 1 Cor 10:25-29

7 The issue of knowledge 1 Corinthians 8:1-4 (ESV) 1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

8 Philosopher Michelle Foucault was the one who put forward the idea that "knowledge is power" . Doesn't matter to him as he believed there is no objective truth in the world everything is relative Automaker Henry Ford asked electrical genius Charlie Steinmetz to build the generators for his factory. One day the generators ground to a halt, and the repairmen couldn't find the problem. So Ford called Steinmetz, who tinkered with the machines for a few hours and then threw the switch. The generators whirred to life -- but Ford got a bill for $10,000 from Steinmetz. Flabbergasted, the rather tightfisted car maker inquired why the bill was so high. Steinmetz's reply: For tinkering with the generators, $10. For knowing where to tinker, $9,990. Ford paid the bill. Today in the Word, MBI, April, 1990, p. 27 Knowledge is power, have you ever wondered how any simple letter in plain English but is written by your lawyer is immediately worth at least RM500?.

9 Michel Foucault “knowledge is always an exercise of power and power always a function of knowledge”

10 The use of knowledge to deal with cultureWhat's the big deal with the food offered to idols, why is it an issue. For many of us I realise this is not an issue at all. I was just sharing with my children the same bible study and I was just amazed at the blank stares I had gotten because they simply had no contact with such things. But not so are some of us in the older generations where we have come from Chinese religions especially ancestor worship. I remember vividy going back to my grandmothers house for Chinese New Year and inevitably all the food there would have first been offered to idols as well as to my long deceased grandfather. There would be the special cakes and pork legs the Hokkien call "Too Kar Bak" , the favourite of my late grand father. This would all be cooked up and left in front of his portrait with joss sticks burning and emiting the smoke in the back ground. When I happened to have commented on the flies landing on the food offered and volunteeredmy service to swat them I was firmly told that the spirit of my grandfather resided on the flies and it would not be a good idea. As a young child I remember spending long hours observing the flies and pondering over actual mechanism of how my grandfathers spirit actually came to reside within the body of the fly. For some of us here today we may still live with our Non Christian parents and we are often invited to accompany our parents to these temples and we are then confronted with the difficult decision when we are offered food that has obviously been sacrificed to the idols there?. Or what about some of us from small towns when we are invited to a wedding or a celebration sometimes it is in the temple premises how would our hosts feel if we did not partake of the meal?.

11 Temples Temple of Tyche ApollosThe Corinthians in Paul's time came from a similar back ground but only more intense. While my family had to deal with food offered to idols only once a year, the Corinthians had to deal with it all the time. Right on the city itself were at many temples with the worship of Aphrodite, Dionysus/Bacchus, Apollo, Isis, Serapis and Poseidon. Aprhodite was the all important god of the sailors and sacred prostitution and Protector of the city. Every time a Greek would embark on a new bussiness venture or even celebrate a birthday or even set off in a long voyage by sea they would often have a party in the temple. You see there weren't the many restaurants around PJ like we have at the country kitchen or Tai Thong or Mac Donalds. Whenever they had a party or big meal it was held in the temple. The food would first be offered to the respective god or idol and then after those formalities were dispensed with then they would settle down to have a good time. Meat was not part of the average diet of the Corinthian it was very expensive and almost always offered to the idols first and the only time most ordinary folk had a chance to eat meat at all was at these temple feasts. Closely associated with the these pagan cults was temple prostitution and many of these meals would then degenerate into sexual orgies with the temple prostitutes the equivalent of our modern GRO's.

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13 a. Knowledge alone causes pride1 Corinthians 8:1-4 (ESV) 1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

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15 Makes them look larger than what they really are

16 Plato Phytagoras SocratesKnowledge was the underlying basis for their behaviour. They were able to act as they did and continue to go to these temple feasts because they had knowledge. Knowledge to a Greek is a very important aspect of life . Many of them spent much of their lives accumulating knowledge because knowledge is power. This aspect of Greek ideology is also the basis of western culture. Phytagoras Socrates

17 a. Knowledge alone causes pride..divisions1 Corinthians 4:6-7 have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. 7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? 1 Corinthians 4: Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 1 Corinthians 5:2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? .. It puffs you up like a balloon so that you float above the other person who is not as far advanced in knowledge as you look down on them, feeling superior. Knowledge fills you up and makes you appear inflated in your self worth. It can make you unsympathetic toward the person you regard as theologically ignorant or naive. This characterises the effect of knowledge on this group of Christians. Love on the other hand looks to build others up. Wait a minute, isn't that stupid ,we spend all this energy getting knowledge just to build up other people? I want the type of knowledge like Charlie Steinmetz where I personally benefit and get the $10,000. But that type of knowledge is arrogance Arrogance, as we have already seen in our study in this letter, was a besetting sin in Corinth, Paul uses the word on the Corinthians 6 times in this letter itself. Look back at 4:18: "Now some have become arrogant...." In 4:19 Paul again expresses concern about those who are arrogant. Then in 5:2 he says, "And you have become arrogant...." Finally, look back at 4:6b-7a: "...That no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. [Arrogance divides and sets up competition.] For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive?"

18 b. Our Knowledge is always deficient1 Corinthians 8:1-4 (ESV) 1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

19 Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae—“Truth for Christ and the Church 1692

20 Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae—“Truth for Christ and the Church 1692In 1692, Harvard College adopted as its motto Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae—“Truth for Christ and the Church.” Its crest showed three books, one face down to symbolize the limitation of human knowledge. But in recent decades that book has been turned face up to represent the unlimited capacity of the human mind. And the motto has been changed to Veritas—“Truth.” The pursuit of knowledge is praiseworthy, yet learning can quickly lead to pride and a refusal to acknowledge any limits on our mental abilities. When that happens, biblical truth is ignored or rejected.21 Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae—“Truth for Christ and the Church 1692

21 Current knowledge Cognitive gap

22 Missing dimension involves love1 Corinthians 8:1-4 (ESV) 1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”

23 Dimensional gap Conceptually Relationally KnowledgeTrue knowledge , right theology is never used as a club to beat other less in formed Christians into submission in our intellectual debates . True knowledge is never used to embarrass other believers True knowledge is never divorced from love . They are inseparable. The Christian must think and act in two ways, conceptually and relationally. We must have the ability to understand biblical truth and the ability to relate them to others. Love is the medium through which truth is to be communicated. We must have the ability to understand biblical truth and the ability to relate them to others. Love is the medium through which truth is to be communicated.

24 This "knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. True knowledge does not lead us to be insensitive to others I was talking with a fellow colleague who came to give some lectures recently. He is a primary care physician from Melbourne and he described having an obviously depressed patient come into his room to be assessed by a group of medical students. The man was stooped over, talked very slowly , his face was sad and eyes dull. Lots of questions flew around the students gleefully discussed all sorts of physical problems that he might have , heart failure , diabetes, arthritis they all looked at him as a diseased entity but non of them looked at him as a person and missed the most important diagnosis in the patient at that time which was depression. They failed to relate to the person and failed as medical students in their primary duty which was to the patient. In many ways divorcing knowledge from love is the same thing In fact in many medical schools all over the world the trend is changing from just taking in the best and brightest most knowledeable students the emphasis is now in students with character and compassion for people. A friend of mine related how is colleagues son a top A levels student went for an interview for selection into the Medical school at Kings College London and he was flabbergasted at the question asked at the interview. They asked supposed you had a couple who had a sick child and who need treatment which could only be provided by using the stem cells from another fetus. How would you advise them, do you think it would be alright to have another child just to harvest the stem cells in order to provide a possible cure for the sick baby? They weren't interested in just pure knowledge , but ethics the application of the knowledge in relation to people. Knowledge cannot stand alone In fact the end of knowledge is love Apostle Paul: “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). Melbourne interview Kings College interview

25 Proof that true knowledge includes love1 Corinthians 8:1-4 (ESV) 1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” (4) Christians are not to boast in knowing, but to rejoice in being known by God, and this is the result of loving God (verse 3). When Jesus sent His disciples out to proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God, they returned, rejoicing over the mighty works God had accomplished through them. Jesus gently corrected them saying, “… do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Here, Paul tells Christians that they should not rejoice in knowing, but in being known by God. Salvation surpasses any sheepskin (diploma) we will ever obtain. Moreover, the way that we are known by God is not because of our knowledge, but because of the love which God has produced within us for Himself. Once again, love takes priority over knowledge. What a humbling truth Paul has put before these all-knowing, stronger saints. If knowledge was the most important thing of all, and if they knew more than others, than they were the spiritual elite. But they have sought to excel in a category which is subordinate to love.

26 Georgina Bethany Gallagher

27 Galatians 4:8-9 8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? God takes the initiative

28 Luke 10:20 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." The main issues is not us knowing God but him knowing us

29 “Moreover, the way that we are known by God is not because of our knowledge, but because of the love which God has produced within us for Himself” Bob Diffinbaugh God Us Us Love

30 1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” Knowledge is not an end to itself it is a means to an end. When we accumulate biblical knowledge, when we study the theology it is not to pass exams or get good grades or a string of degrees that will make people sit up and notice you when you speak. The knowledge is not an end to itself it is a means to an end. It enables us to know God , the almightly , unknowable God of the universe. Only by a careful study of this Word we can catch a brief glimpse of what and who He really is. When we read about the cross we see the tender heart of God. When we read about God's dealings with the nation of Israel in all their betrayal and idolatry we learn something of the patience and loyalty of God. The knowledge touches our hearts as well as our heads and we bow in awe and worship with each new discovery. The knowledge excites us because we are learning about a very exciting person God!!. The end of knowledge is love. It transform our lives so that we live it differently , we learn to love God , we learn to love each other , we are inclined to love the lost , the world for whom He died for. The following story, attributed to Mohandas Gandhi is very instructive to all who claim to be more superior and knowledgeable than others: A mother approached the Teacher for assistance with a domestic matter. “My son has horrible eating habits,” she said. “Please, he will listen to you if you tell him to stop eating foods with so much sugar.” The Teacher listened sympathetically. “I ask that you come back next week and make the request again.” The mother agreed and returned seven days later. “My son’s problem continues,” she said. “I am greatly concerned about his health. He rarely eats vegetables or fruits. Please, won’t you talk to him about the danger of eating too much sugar.” “Please, come back and see me in a week,” the Teacher said simply. Though the mother was disappointed, she left and returned one week later. Once again she made her plea. This time the Teacher agreed to talk with her son. When the conversation was completed, the mother thanked the Teacher. “I am grateful that you took the time to talk to my son, but I don’t understand why it took three requests for you to do so.” The Teacher looked at the woman and said, “I didn’t realize how hard it would be for me to give up sugar.” This story reminds us all that love builds up and knowledge puffs up. The Teacher exercised humility rather than superiority or arrogance, by love for the son and his mother in being able to practice the same thing as he was advising the son—to give up sugar. Here is where we connect with our gospel today too—Jesus taught with authority in that he met people where they were; he offered them an authority rooted in love. His authority was not remote or top heavy—it was born out of love for people. Jesus never requires his followers to do what he himself did not do.

31 Michel Foucault “knowledge is always an exercise of power and power always a function of knowledge”

32 Christian AlternativeKnowledge Love

33 Loving knowledge: Understanding the issues culture posesKnowledge alone cannot be the sole basis for action (vv 1-6) Different people have differing level of knowledge and consciences(vv 7-8) People are stumbled by imitating our behaviour but not having our conscience vv9- 11 True freedom is found in the exercise of both love and knowledge (v. 13 and 1 Cor 10:25-29

34 2. Different people have differing level of knowledge and consciencesIf I believe that keeping a pony tail is wrong, then whoever wears a pony tail to church on a Sunday must hear about it from me. I 've got to go up to them and wag my finger in front of them and tell them they are such a bad witness. I think this is where all the fighting begins. We need to respect each persons conscience. I was watching the "Pirates of the Carribean" with my two sons, it was their first pirate movie whilst pirate movies were standard fare for me whilst I was growing up. The cinema was a huge one with the THX system and there weren't many people sitting in the hall with loads of empty chairs. Some folk came and sat right in front of us and partially blocked our views. Instinctively , since the theatre was mostly empty anyway I and my youngest son moved up to a better seat but my eldest son Joshua refused to budge. He reasoned that we were assigned these tickets and we had not right to sit elsewhere. And he stuck there even though both of us moved out to a better seat for while but we later went back to rejoin him. It was his conscience and we had to respect that. Strong Weak

35 The “strong” 1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "an idol has no real existence," and that "there is no God but one." 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth- as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"- 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

36 The “weak” 7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.

37 THE NEED TO BE CONSISTENTRomans 14:23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

38 Knowledge Conscience Experience SIN GUILT

39 What it really means to stumble othersKnowledge alone cannot be the sole basis for action (vv 1-6) Different people have differing level of knowledge and consciences(vv 7-8) People are stumbled by imitating our behaviour but not having our conscience vv9- 11 True freedom is found in the exercise of both love and knowledge (v. 13 and 1 Cor 10:25-29

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41 “many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs“many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs. Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia, but they were insulted. We have enuf enemies."

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43 Knowledge Conscience Experience Others behaviour SIN GUILT

44 3.People are stumbled by imitating our behaviour but not having our conscience vv 8-111 Corinthians 8:8-11 (ESV) Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.

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46 Knowledge Experience Conscience Conscience No sin or guiltOthers behaviour No sin or guilt

47 Hasty judgment

48 Consequences of stumbling others11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Romans 14: :1 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. A man consulted a psychiatrist. He complained, “I’ve been misbehaving, Doc, and my conscience is troubling me.” The doctor asked, “And you want something that will strengthen your willpower?” The fellow replied, “Well, no, I was thinking of something that would weaken my conscience.” I guess that’s what most of us would rather do. Like and internal barometer the conscience lays limits to our behaviour. But itself it is calibrated by our knowledge , if this is incomplete then it will limt our behaviour more. But in the end we are judged not by our action actions but on our intentions. We are never to act against our own conscience. He never says " we need to re-educate these folk with a weak conscience so that they will think just like us" Paul accepts that we all have incomplete knowledge and we need to act according to our consciences. True spirituality is evidenced by empathy--being able to see the world from another’s point-of-view. It’s not merely a question of how good you are, it’s a question of how good you are to others. Paul tells us that if we want to be spiritual, we have got to learn to empathize. We will give thought to how our actions affect those around us. We’ll learn to see the world through the eyes of others. The exercise of our freedom based on our correct knowledge can be the cause of another person stumbling. Look very carefully at how we can stumble others. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol ’s temple, won ’t they be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? When they see the people in the first group "the strong" eat ,they are tempted do likewise , they are copy cats.They are emboldened. They think to themselves if they can do it so can we, Ah he is a Christian leader and he is eating so I can too after all he is eating it why can't I ?. But unlike the strong the weak have a guilt reaction internally. 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge The value of this person is highlighted by Paul. This person is no ordinary person but someone of infinite value so valuable that Christ personally , God personally gave up His life for him. The problem is we do not often look at each other with that sort of value in mind. We look at him and say that’s collateral damage. We will often say, what I do with my own life is my bussiness, if he follows me and gets hurt I is not my fault. I never asked him to follow me!. At the very least they sin against God at the worst of it they back slide and fall away What's the big deal about that you say? The big deal is what Paul says

49 Weaker brother Legalist

50 What is not stumbling Professional weak brotherAnything new or novel refuse to change Control the church..dog training, talent show Dancing, We need to make a distinction here. Paul is talking about sacrificing for a weaker seeker/fellow Christian. If anything causes a weaker, younger, spiritually immature believer to question the validity of his or her faith, we should be willing to sacrifice in order to prevent that person from stumbling. On the other hand, there are some people who may disapprove of something you do, but it doesn’t cause them to question the validity of their faith, it causes them to question the validity of your faith—and they want to judge you because you keep long hair or dye your hair or keep pony tail. They find this kind of hair do offensive and punkish, they themselves will never in a million years be tempted to try it out for themselves and they are wagging their fingers in front of you to persuade you to retune your conscience. These are not people with weaker consciences whom you can stumble. These are legalists and want you to conform to their restrictive ways. If they cannot win the argument with you they may even mention that your action offends them or causes them to stumble in order to exert some control over you. This is wrong and we need to reject such actions. Chuck Swindoll relates a story in his book "The Grace Awakening" where a particular missionary family was sent to the field. Now this family loved peanut butter a great deal but the country which they were sent to did not have peanut better at all , so they made special arrangements to with a friend Stateside to send over an occasional bottle of peanut butter so they could have this with their meals. Soon the news of this regular supply leaked out to the other missionaries in the compound and they made noise. Apparently all the other missionaries considered a mark of spirituality if you did not have peanut better with your meals. They said " We believe since we cannot get peanut butter here then we must not have it with our meals, we must contextualise, we must be like the natives , we must sacrifice for Christ. We must bear the cross by not having peanut butter. The young missionary family did not give in to the legalistic pressure and had it secretly shipped in and ate it with their meals but the pressure grew more and more intense. All for a bottle of peanut butter and in the end the family was so discouraged by the petty legalism that they left the mission field in disgust. You see these other missionary families were never in danger of stumbling. Charles R Swindoll, The Grace Awakening, page Dallas : Word Publishing. In 1828 a Malaysian slave brought her dark-skinned husband to a Dutch Reformed Church which officially taught no discrimination for communion. This was absolutely outrageous for many of the white folk in the church at the time. How dare a coloured person come in and want to share the Lord's supper. Some whites were “offended” to share Lord’s Supper with him. Leaders knew better they knew all men were created equal and we are not to judge and exclude anyone but they used this verse 1Cor 8.13 to exclude him . They said that if we let him take the bread with us it will stumble all the others .This was a blatant misuse of this verse and ended up starting Apartheid in South Africa. These folk will steal our Christian freedom and enslave us again as they had enslaved South Africa for years.

51 Chuck Swindoll relates a story in his book "The Grace Awakening" where a particular missionary family was sent to the field. Now this family loved peanut butter a great deal but the country which they were sent to did not have peanut better at all , so they made special arrangements to with a friend Stateside to send over an occasional bottle of peanut butter so they could have this with their meals. Soon the news of this regular supply leaked out to the other missionaries in the compound and they made noise. Apparently all the other missionaries considered a mark of spirituality if you did not have peanut better with your meals. They said " We believe since we cannot get peanut butter here then we must not have it with our meals, we must contextualise, we must be like the natives , we must sacrifice for Christ. We must bear the cross by not having peanut butter. The young missionary family did not give in to the legalistic pressure and had it secretly shipped in and ate it with their meals but the pressure grew more and more intense. All for a bottle of peanut butter and in the end the family was so discouraged by the petty legalism that they left the mission field in disgust.

52 In 1828 a Malaysian slave brought her dark-skinned husband to a Dutch Reformed Church which officially taught no discrimination for communion. This was absolutely outrageous for many of the white folk in the church at the time. How dare a coloured person come in and want to share the Lord's supper. Some whites were “offended” to share Lord’s Supper with him. Leaders knew better they knew all men were created equal and we are not to judge and exclude anyone but they used this verse 1Cor 8.13 to exclude him . They said that if we let him take the bread with us it will stumble all the others .This was a blatant misuse of this verse and ended up starting Apartheid in South Africa. These folk will steal our Christian freedom and enslave us again as they had enslaved South Africa for years. 1828

53 Peter refuses to eat with Gentiles

54 Who was stumbled? Galatians 2:11-14 (ESV) But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.

55 Who was stumbled? 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

56 4. True freedom is found in the exercise of both love and knowledge (v4. True freedom is found in the exercise of both love and knowledge (v. 13 and 1 Cor 10:25-29) 1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. 1 Corinthians 10: Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience….Freedom Freedom is offered on the altar of love

57 1 Corinthians 10: But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience I do not mean your conscience, but his.

58 Free But Constrained "You take a dog, in the city perhaps, but anywhere, and you fence him in a small yard and he barks and barks, pacing back and forth. He jumps at the gate begging to get out. When by chance he gets someone inadvertently lets him out or he escapes, he runs through the neighborhood, knocking over trash cans, scaring cats and chasing cars. Take that same dog on a ranch in Wyoming with wide open spaces and no fences. That same dog sits on the porch with little desire to run and chase even the prairie dogs within a few feet from its nose. He knows that he is free and does not need to prove it to anyone. I think it is amazing how when we are fenced in we run and run around, chasing our own tails just waiting to get out, but once we realize how free we truly our, it is on the porch with the familiar where we are content." - eric j. sherman I have the right to choose I am no longer bound I am free in Christ but freed in order to serve Him Paul's idea of church is completely different. It is first of all a community , no it is more than a community it is a body where each part lives not in isolation or independence but in interdependance on each other. Where we are each obligated, we are actually bound to each other by cord of love. What we do should never to reduced to merely what works for us or is for our personal benefit it is what works for the benefit of the body. When we have been crucified with Christ, we declare that we have crucified our rights we live no longer live merely for our own rights and our own wants .We declare that we live for Christ .How can we dare say we live for Christ and we ignore His body

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63 Give each other lattitude-no judgingRomans 14:1-3 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.

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65 1 Corinthians 10:19-22 (ESV) What do I imply then1 Corinthians 10:19-22 (ESV) What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?