Watch out Against Misleading and Being Misled

Mark 9:42 (NIV) – “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

To mislead someone is to cause someone to miss the right way and take the wrong way. To mislead someone from Jesus is to cause someone to leave the path to eternal life and find themselves in the path of eternal damnation. To mislead someone from Jesus is to eternally kill the person.

Jesus warned that anyone who misleads those who follow Him, will pay the highest price. If someone is already following Jesus, and you cause that person to doubt, or to stop following Jesus, you will be punished in unforgettable ways. Jesus says that such a misleader should have a stone tied to their neck and then the person is thrown into the sea. Such a person should drown, never to be seen again.

If you mislead just one follower of Jesus, you will regret eternally. Not two but just one. Jesus greatly values those who follow Him. Jesus jealously protects those who follow Him. Do not mislead anyone from the faith!

This also implies that following Jesus doesn’t mean all matters are settled. It doesn’t mean the followers are now safe and so knowledgeable that they can’t be deceived. The followers of Jesus can still be deceived. Jesus warns those who will deceive them to desist or suffer greatly. 

The followers of Jesus are saved. Once saved is not always saved. A saved person can still be misled. Jesus says do not mislead my followers, or else I will punish you in the worst way possible.

You can mislead people by planting doubt in their faith. You can mislead people by introducing false teachings. You can mislead a person by tempting them to sin. You can mislead a person by living a life that  attracts them from Christ to the world. Whatever you do that misleads a person will be punished in the worst way possible. Do not mislead anyone!

Does what you post on social media mislead? Does your choice of friends and places you visit mislead? Does your preferred entertainment mislead? Does your opinion and arguments mislead? Do your teachings mislead? Do your calls and chats mislead? Does your conduct at home and away from church mislead? The punishment for those who mislead is great. Watch out against misleading anyone!

Are my clothes tempting and misleading? Is my choice of food and drink misleading? Is my political involvement misleading? Whatever you do or say, be intentional that you do not mislead anyone who follows Christ. The punishment for those who mislead others will be eternally regrettable.

Mark 9:43-48 (NIV) – 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [ 44 ] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [ 46 ] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

Jesus went further to warn against being misled. He advised that whatever misleads you should be cut off from your life. It is better to be dismembered than to be misled. Cutting off is not necessarily literal cutting off. Cutting off is taking action that keeps you away from being misled.

End relationships that mislead. Quit groups that mislead. It is better to be lonely than misled. Abandon projects that mislead. It is better to lose investments than be misled.

Quit social media if it causes you to be misled. Live without internet and TV if it causes you to be misled. Whatever causes you to be misled is not worth compared to the loss of eternal life and a relationship with God.

May God help us not to mislead anyone. May we be actively conscious that what we say and do can mislead. May God give us courage and wisdom to cut off that which misleads us. In Jesus name, Amen!

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