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<v Speaker 00>This is the Love One Another Podcast from Beach Point Church.

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<v Speaker 00>Together, we're exploring the first letter to the Corinthians with the hope that we will be formed by the way of the cross and the love of the one who bore it.

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<v Speaker 00>Admitting, as the letter says, that we are nothing without love.

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<v Speaker 00>Love empowered by the Spirit through the work of Jesus is an unstoppable force.

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<v Speaker 00>It invites each of us to join God in the work of redeeming all things back to God.

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<v Speaker 00>With that in mind, let's open our hearts to God's word today.

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<v Speaker 01>Today's reading is 1 Corinthians 8, 1 through 13.

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<v Speaker 01>Now, about food sacrificed to idols.

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<v Speaker 01>We know that we all possess knowledge, but knowledge puffs up while love builds up.

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<v Speaker 01>Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.

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<v Speaker 01>But whoever loves God is known by God.

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<v Speaker 01>So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols.

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<v Speaker 01>We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.

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<v Speaker 01>For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we live.

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<v Speaker 01>And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

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<v Speaker 01>But not everyone possesses this knowledge.

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<v Speaker 01>Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food, they think of it as having been sacrificed to a God.

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<v Speaker 01>And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

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<v Speaker 01>But food does not bring us near to God.

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<v Speaker 01>We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

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<v Speaker 01>Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

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<v Speaker 01>For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, won't that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?

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<v Speaker 01>So this weak brother or sister for whom Christ died is destroyed by your knowledge.

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<v Speaker 01>When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

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<v Speaker 01>Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

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<v Speaker 01>The goal of truth is to be right, the goal of love is to build up.

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<v Speaker 01>What do you do when your rightness requires you to tear down the people around you?

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<v Speaker 01>Paul gave us a model here in this conflict over meat sacrifice to idols.

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<v Speaker 01>Again, a very first-century problem that we have to understand in our 21st century context.

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<v Speaker 01>Most first century people were polytheists.

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<v Speaker 01>They believed there were many gods.

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<v Speaker 01>There was often a hierarchy among these gods, like Zeus being the supreme god and gods like Pan being the minor god of shepherds and herdsmen.

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<v Speaker 01>There would be celebrations and holidays throughout the year designed to celebrate and worship each of these gods.

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<v Speaker 01>And most involved the process of sacrificing meat to these idols.

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<v Speaker 01>Some of the meat would be burned at the altar to Zeus or Pan if you were a shepherd.

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<v Speaker 01>The rest would be taken home to cook for the celebration or even sold in the marketplace to make back to some of the money lost in the sacrifice.

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<v Speaker 01>As we saw in Acts 18, these Gentile polytheists became the focus of much of Paul's ministry in Corinth.

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<v Speaker 01>And they now found themselves struggling to figure out whether they could eat the meat sacrificed to these other gods, whether served to them at someone's house or purchased in the marketplace.

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<v Speaker 01>Some people in this fledgling Christian community knew the truth.

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<v Speaker 01>These idols were statues with no power, no gods behind them, and no meaning besides being sometimes beautiful marble carvings.

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<v Speaker 01>There was certainly no Christian concern about eating meat sacrificed to these idols because they were fake stone idols.

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<v Speaker 01>But others in this community, likely Gentile converts, were still struggling with the feeling that their consumption of these sacrifices was in some way giving their praise and worship to whichever idol had received the sacrifice.

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<v Speaker 01>So what was Paul's response?

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<v Speaker 01>Truth to be right or love to build up.

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<v Speaker 01>Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again so that I will not cause them to fall.

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<v Speaker 01>Paul was ready to go vegan for his brothers and sisters in Christ, and that's love.

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<v Speaker 01>But how often are we tempted today to choose truth that allows us to be puffed up rather than to choose love that allows our brothers and sisters in Christ to be built up?

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<v Speaker 01>Paul wasn't going to endorse something that was untrue, but he was willing to live in a way that embraced his weaker brother and sister so that they could continue to experience the life that Jesus had for them.

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<v Speaker 01>Let's take a moment to respond together.

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<v Speaker 01>Do you show patience and compassion or frustration and pride?

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<v Speaker 01>If Paul was willing to give up eating meat sacrificed to idols for the sake of his brothers and sisters, what might you need to give up so that others can experience more of the life Jesus has for them?

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<v Speaker 00>Thank you for taking intentional time to align yourself with God's love and the call to love one another.

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<v Speaker 00>You can find the Love One Another Sermon Series and other resources at Beachpoint.com slash messages or on the Beach Point Church app.

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<v Speaker 00>May you carry the love of God into every encounter you have today, but I'm not sure.