A Formula for Growth

Churches were strengthened in the Faith in the times of the Apostles because believers avoided four particular sins. Most people ignore the way churches were strengthened in the Faith in the times of the Apostles because the method sounds antiquated. Holiness? Obedience? What to eat and drink? These are very unpopular topics for churches these days.

As they [Paul and Silas] traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So, the churches were strengthened in the Faith and grew daily in numbers (Acts 16:4-5).

If the Apostles prohibited four things, then those things should interest us—don’t you think? We need to see the relevance of each action they prohibited and understand how these prohibitions apply to our current age. Very few pastors attempt to apply the four demands of the Apostles to modern times, but let's see if we can. Here they are:

1.   no eating food sacrificed to idols

2.   no sexual immorality

3.   no eating the meat of strangled animals

4.   no drinking blood

Those commands will sound outdated to a Christian today, but they become very practical if we interpret them correctly. Furthermore, if we discover the principle behind each prohibition, and teach each principle, our churches will be strengthened in the Faith.

In addition, our churches will grow numerically if we obey what the Apostles commanded. We'll discover that the principles underlying each prohibition are still a formula for church growth.

So, let's now finish this study and examine what modern Christians must do to fulfill the last two restrictions: no consuming food with blood in it, and no drinking blood.

Food with Blood in It

It’s quite often that you or I will see a piece of chicken, turkey, or fish with a bloody vein in it. You may note a splotch of blood in a joint, near a vein, or on a bone in your steak or chicken. Sometimes also a restaurant might serve meat that's too raw.

In addition, you’ll notice that the ground beef (minced meat) you buy at the supermarket often comes with red juice in the tray. Well, that’s not juice actually; it’s blood! And you’ll need to cook the meat well for the blood to disappear.

Blood sausage is common in Northern Europe. The same sausages are called morcilla in Latin America and blood pudding in Great Britain. If you’re not careful, you might find morcilla on your plate in a restaurant in Colombia.

In Scandinavia they eat what they call blood pancakes. In southern China they eat blood tofu. There are many kinds of blood soups popular around the World. One that is popular in Ecuador is called yahuarlocro.

What Should Happen?

What do we do when someone invites us to eat food with blood in it? We should refuse. But why? Our refusal is for the same reason we refuse meat sacrificed to idols. It’s a matter of conscience. We don’t avoid blood based on scientific studies related to health. In fact, if you have anemia, a doctor might recommend that you consume blood.

The restrictions of the Apostles were not written because you’ll get the spirit of a chicken if you consume chicken blood, or the spirit of a cow if you consume the blood in beef. No, the prohibition is for the sake of each person’s conscience. And this proves how important your conscience is.

The basis for not participating in blood is because ‘the life is in the blood’ (Genesis 9:2-4; Leviticus 17:14) and the life-source of every Christian is the blood of Christ. We are committed to Jesus through a covenant based on his blood, and we drink often of the cup of the Covenant--that's what makes us feel strongly opposed to consuming any other blood. Our conscience dictates that any blood other than that of our Lord Jesus is prohibited.

Drinking vs. Receiving a Transfusion

There are scant few populations in the modern World who drink blood in liquid form. Some tribal peoples of Africa and fetish vampire groups exist, but these are a miniscule part of the World’s population. Very few of us will ever encounter those people. On the other hand, most people at one point or another are confronted with the decision of whether to receive a blood transfusion or not. So transfusions warrant some discussion.

In the United States and Canada, one out of every seven people who are admitted to a hospital will require a blood transfusion during their stay. Over 4.5 million people need a blood transfusion at least once a year in these countries.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) insist that God prohibits transfusions. The JWs have gained notoriety in the medical community because they refuse to receive blood transfusions—but is their position justifiable? What if a JW mother has massive blood loss while giving birth? If she’s unconscious and the doctor asks the husband whether he’ll allow for a transfusion, and the husband refuses—is the woman’s death medical malpractice?

What if a child of JW parents is hemorrhaging from a gash in a broken leg after a car accident, a paramedic offers a transfusion, and the parents resist it, leading to the child’s death? Are the parents justified in their decision? Was it a decision based on faith?

How Serious are These Sins?

So, how serious are the four sins the Apostles prohibited? What are the consequences of violating any of the four apostolic prohibitions? Eternal condemnation? Are they unpardonable? No. Only one sin is unpardonable: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

What is the consequence of committing any of these sins? Well, death is the consequence of any sin, but each of these can be forgiven. For example, the man in Corinth who committed sexual immorality with his father’s wife repented, then he was welcomed back into fellowship. And Paul stated outright that he had no issues eating meat sacrificed to idols.

When Paul spoke of consuming meat sacrificed to idols stated that ‘nothing is unclean in itself’ (Romans 14:14). In other words, consuming meat sacrificed to an idol is not a sin per se. However, Paul argued that if his eating meat sacrificed to idols caused someone with a weak conscience to stumble, then he would be guilty of sin.

This is complicated, so let's look at what Paul said in his own words:

… 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?’ (1 Corinthians 8:10).

No Stumbling Blocks

So, the sin in the case of eating meat sacrificed to an idol is not acting in love towards a brother with a weaker conscience. If he’s there, and he sees you doing something he thinks is wrong, you are tempting him to do it. He might do the thing you’re doing. Because his conscience still tells him it’s wrong, if he does it, he sins.

Since you provoked him to sin, you’re complicit in his sin. You have placed a stumbling block before him. At the same time, eating foods sacrificed to an idol is not a sin for someone who has a mature conscience—it’s not a sin if no one with a weak conscience is observing or affected by it.

So the command not to eat meat sacrificed to idols was based entirely on the principle of not putting a stumbling block before a Christian brother or sister. Paul said that if eating such meat causes a brother or sister in the Lord to violate their conscience, then Paul ‘will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall’ (1 Corinthians 8:13).

Paul put the Law of Love above every other law—and rightly so. It is Jesus’ commandment to the Church. Our Lord Jesus called it ‘a new commandment’ (John 13:34). How highly do you regard this commandment? How much effort do you put into assuring that you keep other Christians far from temptation?

Love is Part of the Faith

We’ve discovered that the Faith—a set of doctrines best expressed through a lifestyle—encompasses a very special behavior: love. In fact, if our knowledge of sound doctrine is not undergirded with love, it counts as nothing. Love is indispensable.

If I… know all mysteries and all knowledge… but do not have love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2; NASB).

We need to flavor our doctrinal knowledge with love for the brethren. Obedience to Christ’s command to ‘love one another’ (John 13:34) is part of living in the Faith. In other words, it's an aspect of sound doctrine.

We temper the Faith through our love for the brethren. This is the very love the apostles insisted upon when they sent news of the four restrictions to the churches. Your firmness in the New Covenant is based on your degree of love for other Christians.

Grounded in the Covenant

So, in order for us to become strong in the Faith—a lifestyle based on sound doctrine—we must be grounded in the New Covenant and in love. We start a new life in the New Covenant when we’re baptized. And we keep ourselves in that Covenant by loving the brethren.

The passage we're examining, the passage about the Apostles' orders, proves that the Christian tradition of the Lord’s Supper is an important element of the Faith. A New Covenant believer eats the body of Christ and drinks his blood regularly--it's a custom that characterizes his or her life. Doing so reminds you to keep a clear conscience, to live victoriously over temptation, and to identify the Body of Christ.

Discerning the Body

Yes, the activity of eating Christ’s body and drinking of his blood is more than keeping a clear conscience, it’s also a spiritual exercise in what Paul calls discerning the Body. To discern means to perceive the spiritual dimension. Can you perceive the spiritual dimension of the Body of Christ? Can you detect whether or not you are in the presence of Christ’s True Church? It’s very important if you are going to share communion.

We all must be keenly aware of what the Church is. We must be able to discern it from imposter churches. The requirements for true fellowship must be fulfilled. The requirements cannot be lowered. God's Church must live in love and holiness. Each person at the Table of the Lord must examine themself to see if they are in Christ—and each person needs to discern whether their fellowship group is truly the Church!

… those who eat and drink without discerning the Body eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment (1 Corinthians 11:29-31).

Did you see in the passage how discerning the Body is synonymous with discerning ourselves? Notice the parallelism! Notice that we are the Body of Christ.  We are the Church of the Lord Jesus, the One Body, his Bride.

It's a grave mistake to pick the wrong bride. Make sure you don't commit that error--but we're speaking of your fellowship. Understand the metaphor. We're speaking of your church.