Posted on November 22, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Freedom Fighters
“Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” Luke 17:1-2 (NKJV)
Of the 638 aphorisms contained in his book, “Human, All Too Human,” it would be #298 where Nietzsche would pen this about the most dangerous party member: “In every party there is one member who, by his all-too-devout pronouncement of the party principles, provokes the others to apostasy.” I’m guessing that he is also the guy who tells you about the punishment that awaits you if you dare to press that shiny red button in front of you. “Be ye mindful to know the rules! If ye dare to press such a button then all sorts of calamity will fall upon thee!” I’ve met that guy…I pushed the button anyway.
Yes, Secularland is full of folks who would protest the evils of littering, plan a community march against it, make huge colorful signs with fancy slogans against it, and then be the very same people who would leave the mess they make behind for the city sanitation department to clean up. So, I ask you this, is it better for them to have a millstone hung around their neck and then be thrown into the sea? Well, to be honest, it appears that Secularland allows for the negotiation of punishment for its own apostasies but right at the start of the 17th chapter of Luke’s Gospel Jesus assures His disciples that being thrown into the sea is a better option than facing divine judgement.
We live in a fallen world, so it is impossible to stay totally away from the temptations to do wrong. Even if you went and lived as a hermit on a mountain somewhere, I’m sure some bad thoughts about stuff would still pop up in your mind. Jesus will acknowledge this right at verse one, “It is impossible that no offenses should come” but this isn’t some get outta jail free statement either. The apostle Paul will make mention on what we are to do in this case, “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:5b-6) What then is it that would cause woe to someone if wrong doing occurred through their actions? Thought we lived in a fallen world…
“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” — Luke 12:4-5
I have often stated in the past that, at times, I feel like I write a better Freedom Fighter than I live and that should be a cause for concern. If I get away with deliberately writing something that is outside the framework of living the victorious Christian life and cause a reader to go out into the world, saying to everyone that “Brother Hughes made a case for disobeying all authority and it is now feasible to press the shiny red button right in front of me” and calamity befalls this reader and they fall deep into disobedience, then that’s on me. I created that stumbling block and I gotta answer for that. Why? I spent a lot of time studying God’s Word and to not rightly divide it has its consequences.
Your community could watch you go in and out of your local church 1-5 times a week and maybe that’s a cool impression to leave them with. But if you’re at the local little league baseball field, watching one of your kids playing ball, and an umpire calls a strike that was clearly outside the strike zone and you decide to right this great wrong by yelling at the umpire and suggesting he gets his vision checked, then those people, who desperately seek salvation from the mess they’re in and thought maybe that church you go to can help, well they just changed their minds and now that contested strike falls upon you as you have just, unwittingly, tied a millstone around your own neck…ker-splash.
In a nutshell, we are called to live a life that brings glory to God. He already knows about the sin issue out there in Secularland that can so easily ensnare. He just doesn’t want us to go out of our way to ensnare our own, so being mindful that our thoughts are captive to the obedience of Christ, let’s allow the millstone to pass us by. I’m gonna work on it as well. Amen?
Written by Chris Hughes: Chris is a child of El Elyon, a son, a husband, a father, and has recently become a grandpop. He has an education in Biblical doctrine and is a graduate of The Colony of Mercy, 11/2003. He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008. You can email him at cphughes515@verizon.net.
Think About This: “A large share of our time is already spoken for by the exigencies of civilized living, but we do have some free time. What we do with it is vital. Most people waste it staring at the television, listening to the radio, reading the cheap output of the press, or engaging in idle chatter. What I do with mine reveals the kind of man I am.” – A.W. Tozer
The Daily Bible Reading: Acts 14,James 1-4. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
