2 Corinthians 6:3
We give no opportunity for stumbling to anyone, so that the ministry will not be blamed.
*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4349
Stumbling: cause for offense, shock
From the Greek word 'proskopé' (pronounced pros-kop-ay'): to do something which causes others to stumble, to err, to sin.
We do not deliberately commit sins against God now that we are in Christ. Remembering that sin is going against what God says to do and not to do: He has a list, you know. When in doubt about what is and what is not right in God's eyes, we always go to the Word for our betterment and understanding.
When God says to do something and we don't then that's sin. When God says not to do certain things and we do them anyway, that's sin, too.
The closer a born again believer is to God in Christ, the less likely we are to deliberately sin against God. In fact, the desire of the flesh just seems to melt away from a person. We want to please God so we seek Him out in His Word, searching for what makes God happy.
Those who preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ absolutely must live the gospel. It is an imperative. To not live what one preaches is to mock God and put the gospel to shame. This is a hypocrite in action and the hypocrisy practiced will always cause someone or several someones to fall away from the faith, to never believe anyone who preaches Christ. That's causing someone to stumble. We must be ever vigilant in our ministry. Peter tells us that the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, 1 Peter 5:8. To be sober-minded is to have presence of mind (be alert and aware); it is to be rational and not intoxicated by the pleasures of sin. For the pleasures of sin are fleeting, but the joy of the Lord is forever. Hebrews 11:24-26 speak of Moses' faith. Verses 25-26: "He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin. He valued disgrace for Christ above the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his reward." So, too, does the believer choose to suffer oppression with God's people, for we are looking ahead to our reward, too.
Our outward lifestyles must reflect (mirror) an inward change that has happened in our hearts. The life and love of Christ in us must shine forth through us. A discerning heart will know the truth and the Spirit of God will reveal the false and the fake who only pretend to be Christians. Remember that not everyone who followed Christ followed Him for the right reasons. For example, Judas Iscariot followed Jesus so he could keep control of the pursestrings: he was in charge of the money that came in and was spent. Eventually turning Jesus into the religious authorities for a mere 30 pieces of silver, the price of betrayal as outlined in Zechariah 11:13. Undervalued and underloved, Christ is thrown to the wolves to be torn apart. Judas' example is a warning to those who follow Christ that we must follow Him for the right reasons and not the wrong ones. In John 6 Jesus refers to Himself as being the Bread of Life that comes down from heaven (48, 51). Many of His disciples who had followed Him faithfully until that point turned away. This is the apostate church, the unbelieving who had not the Spirit of Truth in them; who believed to a point but no farther. They were without discernment and turned back, walking with Him no more (66). Appearing to be faithful but having no actual faith to back it up. They were broken cisterns: dry and dusty. Let us pursue God in Christ zealously, faithfully, in our lives, in our ministries, that we might be called "good and faithful servants" at the end of our race, our journey, our life in this world. The nearer we are to the cross of Christ the stronger our faith in Christ will become because we will see Him more clearly. And the Light of Christ in us will burst forth from our hearts into our faces, our hands and our feet, for His radiance cannot be hid.
