Be ever vigilant how you proclaim Christ

Not too long ago, I remember experiencing one of the worst pains imaginable.

Now, I know that the pain of giving birth is considered the worst of pains by most, with kidney stones coming up a hard second. But let me tell you, stepping on a Lego in the middle of the night with bare feet hurts big time.

You see, you don’t just step on one of those little building blocks, you step on a pile. If that isn’t bad enough, you are shedding tears of pain, trying not to wake the child you are checking on, only to stumble and jam your little toe on the edge of the bed. Raising children hurts.

I was reminded of this as I was preparing my sermon for this past Sunday.

We were discussing stumbling blocks and the Lego incident came to mind. Mark 9:42, “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck, and you were thrown into the sea.” Stumbling blocks are not a good thing, and like the Lego’s they cause way more pain than their size would suggest.

Have you ever thought about the stumbling blocks you may have put down? Now, I’m not saying you did it intentionally, but I am saying we have all put out stumbling blocks. So, what kind of stumbling blocks have you put down?

Anytime we don’t fulfill the two commandments of Love God and Love your neighbor, we put down stumbling blocks. If we call ourselves followers of Christ and still do un-Christlike things, we lay down stumbling blocks. The little ones are always watching, and they pick up on our inconsistencies.

The little ones aren’t necessarily children.

The little ones Christ is talking about are the new converts to the faith. If we cause someone to walk away from the church because of our actions, or lack there-of, we have built a stumbling block.

Being a follower of Christ is not something to take lightly. The effects of our actions can be far reaching. Many times, our own churches can build up stumbling blocks that keep people from fully knowing Christ.

Many Doctrines and Dogmas act more as walls, than as invitations to the body of Christ. We must be ever vigilant in how we proclaim Christ in our lives.

Make no mistake, everyone who follows Christ proclaims Christ in one way or another. I remember reading about an Amish farmer who was asked if he was a Christian. His answer was, “You need to ask my neighbor.”

And thus it is with us, if we are Christian, then it will be seen by our neighbors and the little ones. In this day and age, the last thing we need to do is lay down spiritual Lego’s in the path of those who desire only to know Christ.

By the way, I had my child pick those Lego’s up next morning. Perhaps, we need to do the same.

See you in church.

Rev. Kent Wilfong is the pastor at the United Methodist Church, Doniphan/Neelyville.