DO NOT LAY UNNECESSARY BURDEN ON THEM

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Matthew 23:4
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.

We live in times when caution has been thrown to the wind and people even believers live careless lives and have adopted or accepted false doctrines and abominations because of personal gain, the lust of the flesh and the need to prosper.

The categories vary from those running after earthly things; to those who have been taught erroneous things about heaven; to those who seek to lord it over others; and those who remain under the curse of the law.

In all we should remember that Christ came to give us liberty, not a license to sin, but delivering us from the bondage of sin and setting us free from the curse of the law.

So when some came to trouble believers as recorded in Acts 15:

Acts 15:1
 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, [and said], Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

The church needed to arise and act:

Acts 15:7-11(NLT)
At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe.
God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.
He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith.
So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?
We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

Then also did James speak, and finally the church resolved thus:

Acts 15:28-29 (NLT)
“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements:
You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”

We must be careful as Christian leaders not to lay burden on those who hear us, that we may not unconsciously put them in bondage again. Christ came to set us free, to serve and to bring others to liberty and not the other way round.

Remember:

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things [done] in [his] body, according to that he hath done, whether [it be] good or bad.

Beware how you lead: Beware how you follow.

We have the Spirit, we will not err.

We are the blessed.

Love
@the watcher

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