{"id":47710,"date":"2004-08-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2004-08-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/stumbling-block-or-stepping-stone\/"},"modified":"2004-08-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2004-08-30T00:00:00","slug":"stumbling-block-or-stepping-stone","status":"publish","type":"sermon-illustrations","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/stumbling-block-or-stepping-stone\/","title":{"rendered":"Stumbling-Block or Stepping-Stone?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The following is an object lesson you might use in a sermon:<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Text:<\/strong> &quot;Let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother&#39;s way&quot; (Romans 14:13).<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Principle:<\/strong> Rather than becoming a hindrance, we should aid each other&#39;s spiritual journey<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Objects:<\/strong> Set up two pathways on either side of the platform. One path is strewn with stones of various sizes and shapes making an uneven walkway. The other path is laid out with patio stones.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Action:<\/strong> Have someone struggle across the uneven path. Then have that same person walk on the stepping-stones. Refer to Romans 14:13 and explain how we can choose to impede the spiritual progress of other Christians, or we can do what helps a person move forward with Christ.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Purpose:<\/strong> To encourage believers to edify rather than criticize one another.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tax_ctp_audience":[],"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[165],"tax_ctp_format":[171],"tax_ctp_illustration_types":[408],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3511,3526,3545,3548,3559,3592,3717,3844,3862,3972,4074,4140,4311,4395,5049,5096],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-47710","sermon-illustrations","type-sermon-illustrations","status-publish","hentry","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-body-of-christ","tax_ctp_tags-brotherly-love","tax_ctp_tags-care-of-church","tax_ctp_tags-caring","tax_ctp_tags-character","tax_ctp_tags-christian-life","tax_ctp_tags-criticism","tax_ctp_tags-edification","tax_ctp_tags-encouragement","tax_ctp_tags-faultfinding","tax_ctp_tags-golden-rule","tax_ctp_tags-help","tax_ctp_tags-judging-others","tax_ctp_tags-love","tax_ctp_tags-spiritual-growth","tax_ctp_tags-stumbling-blocks"],"acf":{"scripture_references":[{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Stumbling-Block or Stepping-Stone? - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/stumbling-block-or-stepping-stone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stumbling-Block or Stepping-Stone? - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The following is an object lesson you might use in a sermon: Text: &quot;Let us stop passing judgment on one another. 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