THE STUMBLING BLOCK
OPENING: COPS SHOT A GATOR…WELL SORT OF
Concrete evidence! Police shoot dangerous looking alligator, only to find it's a lawn ornament
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Created 9:27 PM on 2nd June 2011
They don't get many alligators in the suburbs of land-locked Kansas City, but if and when they do the local police like to think they can handle it.
Officers responding to a rare sighting in the suburb of Independence, Missouri, left nothing to chance.
Seeing the alligator's head lurking menacingly in the weeds leading down to a pond they fired off one shot with perfect precision.
Head of the beast: The alligator that police fired at is a life-sized lawn ornament
Noting that the beast hadn't moved, they fired again.
When they saw the bullet bounce off the gator's head they realised that they were tackling a concrete lawn ornament.
A Independence police spokesman said, in defence of the officers, it was growing dark when the incident occurred.
The drama began when a neighbour who had not spotted the fake gator before called 911 to report that his children spotted the monster while they were playing in some nearby woods.
Realistic: The alligator in Rick Sheridan's back yard that caused all the commotion
Police consulted with a conservation agent, who told them to kill the gator if they felt it posed a danger.
Police spokesman Tom Gentry said three officers went to the scene, with one officer firing twice.
Mr Gentry said: 'It didn't move. They inched up closer and closer and discovered it was a mock-up of a real alligator made to look like it was real.'
Easy mistake to make: Lurking in the weeds, a giant lawn ornament
He added that it was partially submerged in the weeds, which didn't help matters.
Rick Sheridan, the property owner, told police that the gator was meant to keep people off his lawn, Mr Gentry said.
Officers told him a no-trespassing sign would have been wiser.
'Now he'll have to patch up his alligator,' Gentry added.
Conservation agent Derek Cole said the department has received calls in the past about alligators that had been set free in populated areas, so there was no reason to believe the Saturday sighting wasn't valid.
'The department doesn't get involved in something like that,' Mr Cole said.
'They asked if they could go ahead and dispatch it if it was a danger, and I said there's a kill shot on alligators, a small kill shot on the head. I said if they can get a shot like that, go ahead.'
The drama mirrors an incident in the UK last month, when reports of a white tiger in a field prompted a police alert.
A cricket match was interrupted, golfers were escorted from a course in the area following the sighting at Hedge End in Hampshire, BBC News reported.
Police drafted in zoo staff with tranquilizer guns, and a police helicopter from another county was also brought in to investigate.
However, a Hampshire Constabulary spokesman told the BBC that it became 'obvious it was a stuffed life-size toy' when the downdraft from the chopper just blew it over.
TRANSITION: The point is, the police officers had the best intentions, but they just screwed up. Yeah now, when you are a Christian living in a wealthy society, a lot of times we do exactly the same thing: and our mistakes become a stumbling block. So let’s look at stumbling blocks and then some other aspects present in Corinth.
POINT: WE DO THINGS CAUSE IT MAKES SENSE, EVEN IF IT’S WRONG
Let’s have a serious discussion about some things that we do, even if it’s wrong…
BIBLE VERSE: 1 Corinthians 1:5-11
5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.
ISSUE #1: MODESTY
STUMBLING BLOCK LESSON:
As a student pastor, I am constantly looking at studies, stats, and charts in order to see what Christ is doing and what people are thinking. I came upon a study completed by a group called the “Rebelution” that I found to be absolutely amazing. The folks working overtime at therebelution.com have burned the midnight oil by interviewing thousands of men on what clothing styles they feel to me modest or immodest. Would you like to take a look at the results? I thought you would. Out of the hundreds of questions, here are just 12:
THE QUESTIONS:
THE QUESTIONS (ALL ANSWERS ARE DIVIDED INTO AGREE/DISAGREE):
1. Modesty is an important feature for a future wife to have. ______% Agree
2. You have less respect for an immodest girl than a modest one. ______% Agree
3. Character, intelligent, and personality are more important than physical beauty. ______% Agree
4. Zipping a form-fitting jacket just below the chest draws too much attention to the bust. ______% Agree
5. Denim jackets with faded sections on the chest draw too much attention to the bust. ______% Agree
6. Leotards, sheer skirts, and tutus in theatre or dance performances are immodest. ______% Agree
7. Immodest clothing is less of a problem for you when a friend wears it. ______% Agree
8. A technically modest outfit can be a stumbling block when it has attached sexual associations (such as Brittney Spears wearing a school girl outfit) ______% Agree
9. It is okay for girls to wear tighter and/or more revealing clothes if they are working out. ______% Agree
10. Showing any cleavage is immodest. ______% Agree
11. Bending over so that cleavage is visible down the front of the shirt/dress is a stumbling block. ____% Agree
12. It is a stumbling block when a girl reaches into her shirt to adjust her bra strap. ______% Agree
THE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:
THE QUESTIONS (ALL ANSWERS ARE DIVIDED INTO AGREE/DISAGREE):
1. Modesty is an important feature for a future wife to have. 95.4% Agree
2. You have less respect for an immodest girl than a modest one. 75.6% Agree
3. Character, intelligent, and personality are more important than physical beauty. 91.1% Agree
4. Zipping a form-fitting jacket just below the chest draws too much attention to the bust. 56.8% Agree
5. Denim jackets with faded sections on the chest draw too much attention to the bust. 31.9% Agree
6. Leotards, sheer skirts, and tutus in theatre or dance performances are immodest. 35.8% Agree
7. Immodest clothing is less of a problem for you when a friend wears it. 14.3% Agree
8. A technically modest outfit can be a stumbling block when it has attached sexual associations (such as Brittney Spears wearing a school girl outfit) 61.8% Agree
9. It is okay for girls to wear tighter and/or more revealing clothes if they are working out. 26.3% Agree
10. Showing any cleavage is immodest. 70.4% Agree
11. Bending over so that cleavage is visible down the front of the shirt/dress is a stumbling block. 89.8% Agree
12. It is a stumbling block when a girl reaches into her shirt to adjust her bra strap. 65.4% Agree
The men of USA have indicated that they want their wife to dress modestly and have less respect for those that do not. Tight-fitting clothes are immodest, as in anything that accentuates the bust area. Overall, it appears that everything that involves the female chest area may be a stumbling block in men’s thoughts, including the time tested excuses for wearing less including “we’re just friends,” or “I’m working out,” both of which indicated to be stumbling blocks according to this study.
IN CASE OF THE PROTAGANIST ARGUMENT:
“Now Tom, you can’t really mean that the way a women dresses can cause a man to sin, men are inherently pigs, and they would sin regardless in this area,” one could say to me. Well, then putting public opinions aside, let’s look to what the Bible states. Matthew 18:7 states “Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come.” Whenever God uses the words “woe to you,” that is very harsh Biblical chastisement. If 7 out of 10 men surveyed say cleavage is a stumbling block, are we as Christians really to ignore those findings and dismiss them?
Friends, seriously, what are we doing? A handful of generations ago it was improper to show our knees and elbows, and now we are wearing thongs and string bikinis at the beach. Women’s undergarments used to be sold in the back and called unmentionables at department stores but now have flashy billboards in the front of the store. Have you tried to purchase a modest swimsuit for your 8 year old girl lately? I have, and I can tell you that the world has fed us a lie that skin is in, and we are all paying the consequences of that dearly. Getting our nation back to a point of moral purity begins in our homes, let’s take an honest look in the mirror, and wear items in such a way that God our savior is glorified.
ISSUE #2: BEING A DOER OF THE WORD
LET’S CONTINUE…
The Christians in Corinth were wealthy beyond their wildest imagination. You could say there were hearers of the word—not doers of the word.
ARE YOU A DOER OF THE WORD?
IF YOU ARE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
In a wealthy community, a lot of people sometimes get demanding of the church, it can become a give me, give me, give me mentality because the amount of wealth gives a certain amount of entitlement to the people. Corinth was exactly that. And to those people, Peter stated:
BIBLE VERSE: 2 Peter 1:3
We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness.
-Peter wrote that from Prison
The point is everyone wants someone else to clean it up. But it is our responsibility to clean it up. We think we need so many things because of the culture we live in. We think that way, even I think that way. If you take all the clothes/shoes/cars/food we have in comparison to world history, I feel even British kings of centuries ago would be envious of the typical American teenager.
ISSUE #3: ETERNAL SALVATION
TRUTH: ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED
QUESTION: DO YOU BELIEVE THAT?
WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THAT?
DOESN’T SINNING MAKE US APPEAR DIRTY TO GOD?
(Youth workers, before providing the answer, ask these questions and see what is talked about).
1 CORINTHIANS 1:7-9
…eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
ANSWER: YES, WE ARE SAVED FOREVER & CANNOT LOSE IT (FOR THOSE THAT OUR IN GOD). THIS VERSE AND OTHER VERSES CONFIRM THAT, LISTED BELOW OUR SOME KEY POINTS TO HELP YOU CLARIFY THE ANSWER. FOR THOSE WHO WERE WORRIED…WHEW.
A) The word translated “eagerly waiting” is used seven times in the New Testament and conveys the notion of an eager and active participation of an event that is certain to take place. To the church, the imminent return refers to the rapture of the church (most clearly described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). It appears that a person in Christ, regardless of how clean or dirty they are currently living, can rest assure that whether in the rapture or at the end of their life, they can indeed expect to be called heavenward.
B) Let us remember what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:8, that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The lives of most Corinthians were marred by behavior that was downright contemptible. If anyone was in danger of losing their salvation it would have been many of the individuals who made up this lukewarm congregation. Yet, Paul assured them that God would “confirm” them in the end.
C) The term “confirm” means “to establish” which has a meaning of something to be used like an anchor, something with an unshakeable foundation. This is the CONFIRMATION of our security. And it is good forever and ever and ever and ever.
ISSUE #4: THE TRUE FOLLOWER
Here’s the final truth: The follower of Christ longs to obey the Savior he loves. A true follower of Christ hates making choices that displease Christ. So here are the questions…
DO YOU HATE MAKING CHOICES THAT DISPLEASE GOD?
(Youth workers, let the students answer this here a bit, then come up with the other questions).
Do you hate dressing immodest?
Do you hate how other believers dress immodest (notice, the question is not about hating other believers)?
Do you hate how easily some believers make up excuses to party?
Do you hate NOT bringing new people to church or youth group?
Do you hate it when you miss your quiet time?
What is it that you hate for the kingdom of God?