Caution!!!!

 WE SHOULD NOT TRY CHRIST, AS SOME OF THE ISRAELITES TRIED IT IN THE DESERT ...

                                        1 Corinthians 10: 1-31

Advice against idol worship

1 Brothers, I want you to remember what happened to our ancestors who followed Moses. All were protected by the cloud and passed through the Red Sea. 2 As followers of Moses, they were baptized in the cloud and the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from that spiritual rock that went with them; and the rock was Christ. 5 But God was not happy with most of them, so they died, and their bodies were scattered in the desert.

6 All this happened in order to serve as an example, for us not to want bad things as they wanted, 7 nor to worship idols, as some of them did. As the Holy Scriptures say: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to enjoy themselves." 8 We must not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did. And because they did, twenty-three thousand of them fell dead in one day. 9 We are not to test Christ's patience, as some of them did, and for that reason they were killed by snakes. 10 You must not complain, as some of them did, and that is why you were destroyed by the Angel of Death.

11 All of this happened to our ancestors to set an example for others, and those things were written to serve as a warning to us. For we are living in the end times.

12 Therefore, one who thinks he is standing is better to be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations that you have to face are the same as others that you face; but God keeps his promise and will not let you suffer temptations that you do not have the strength to endure. When a temptation comes, God will give you the strength to endure it, so that you can get out of it.

14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idol worship. 15 I speak to you as with people who have the capacity to understand what I am saying. Judge yourselves what I am saying. 16 Think of the cup for which we give thanks to God at the Lord's Supper. Are we not taking part in the blood of Christ when we drink from this cup? And when we break and eat bread, are we not taking part in the body of Christ? 17 Even though there are many, we all eat the same bread, which is one; and that is why we are one body.

18 Think of the people of Israel. Those who eat the things offered in sacrifices take part together in the sacrifice that is offered to God at the altar. 19 What do I mean by that? That the idol or the food that is offered to him has any value? 20 Of course not! What I am saying is that what is sacrificed on the pagan altars is offered to demons and not to God. And I don't want you to take part in the demons' things. 21 You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord or from the cup of demons. You cannot eat at the Lord's table and also at the table of demons. 22 Or do we want to provoke the Lord by making him jealous? Do you think we are stronger than him?

                                    Respect for the opinion of others

23 Some say, "We can do whatever we want." Yes, but not everything is good. “We can do everything we want”, but not everything is useful. 24 No one should pursue his own interests, but the interests of others.

25 You can eat everything that is sold in the butcher shop, without any doubt of conscience. 26 For, as the Holy Scriptures say, "The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord."

27 If someone who is not a Christian invites you to eat, and you decide to go, eat whatever is put in front of you and do not ask questions out of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, "This food was offered to idols", in this case do not eat, because of the one who said this and also because of conscience. 29 I am not talking about your own conscience, but the conscience of the other.

But someone may ask, “Why should my freedom be diminished by the conscience of others? 30 If I thank God for the food I eat, why am I criticized, if I have already thanked God? ”

31 Therefore, when you eat, or drink, or do anything else, do everything for the glory of God.

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