Drunkenness of Holidays Not for Kings

Drunkenness of Holidays Not for Kings

While many think of the holidays as a season of peace, good-will and giving, a more honest assessment might conclude that as the end-of-year holidays descend upon us (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years), it is a season for revelries and parties.

This is not a new thing. Since just after the creation, sinful men have long sought out any excuse for drunkenness and lechery. Holidays seem particularly prone to the behavior.

This is one of the reasons why, when our forefathers first landed on this continent, they outlawed Christmas. Literally. The pilgrims had a very bad opinion of the festive season, viewing it not only as an unscriptural addition to the Gospel message, but having also grown disgusted at the wanton carousing and drinking that so often accompanied the celebrations in England and other parts of Europe. Thus, celebrating Christmas was made a criminal offense in several of the colonies. It wasn’t until the beginnings of the 19th century that Christmas celebrations were fully accepted in the young United States.

holiday kings

Don’t be fooled by the sparkle which corrodes the soul.

Though many attempt to project a spiritual air onto the Christmas season, it is clear that the practices of 18th century England are not too far removed from the practices of 21st century America when it comes to revelry and the holidays. It is just another excuse to get drunk and high.

But, let us be blunt, the Bible teaches us that Christians who want to go to heaven should have no part in such behavior. Drinking and drunkenness is suitable for people who are going to hell and don’t care, but for those who are children of God, it has no place in any celebration or other activity.

There are actually several passages of the Bible which admonish against the use of alcohol (and other drugs) as a beverage, but to keep this simple, one shall suffice. Proverbs 31:4-7 reads as follows: “It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more(NKJV).”

Let us first note that kings and princes are told that it is unsuitable and wrong for them to ever drink intoxicating beverages. They have duties: duties to the law and duties to doing the right thing. Mind altering substances are going to interfere with those duties, and perhaps cause them to be done wrongly.

This admonition is of particular relevance to Christians who have been told by God that they are both kings and priests in God’s Kingdom (Revelation 1:6). This degree of honor is true of all Christians, not just a select few. Peter reminds his readers that they are a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). If you have been saved by Christ, then you are a child of God, an adopted heir of the immortal Lord, a brother to the King of kings, and God expects great things from you. (cf. Romans 8:14-17) If this is your calling, you should walk worthy of the calling. It is not suitable for kings and princes to drink.

On the other hand, the Scriptures are quite clear that drunkenness is suitable for the “perishing.” The original context of the proverb likely refers to criminals about to be executed for their crimes, such as rape or murder. Alcohol was used to dull their pain and make the death more humane. But the application is made broader by the context of scripture, wherein the perishing refers to those who are lost in their sins, separated from His grace and destined for hell (cf. Romans 6:23; Luke 13:3; Revelation 21:8).

The message is quite clear. If you are lost in your sins – going to hell, and don’t really care enough to change and seek the salvation God offers, go ahead, drink, get drunk, carouse, and try to pretend that everything is fine. But if you are a child of God, a prince in the Kingdom of God, and have been promised a throne and a crown of your own in His eternal home: you have better things to do with your time and your mind.

 

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Where Did the Apostle Peter Worship?

Where Did the Apostle Peter Worship?

Peter, James, and John all walked with Jesus (Matt. 4:18-22). For three and a half years they listened to Him preach and teach, as well as watching Him heal and perform many miracles among the people. During His earthly ministry, it was these three who became His ‘inner circle’ so to speak (Mk. 5:37-42; Matt. 17:1-2, 26:36-38). They were there the night He was arrested to be crucified (Jn. 18). They were eyewitnesses of the fact that He was raised from the dead (Acts1:1-3), just as was the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:1-11).

apostle worship

What Church was it that existed during the time of the apostles?

Now, while James suffered martyrdom fairly early on thereafter, these other three apostles – Peter, John, and Paul – all lived on for several decades after Jesus’ ascension. Therefore, the critical question for all sincerely God-seeking folks today to consider, is this: In the decades that followed Jesus’ ascension back into heaven, which church did those who were His very own hand-picked apostles, assemble, study, work, and worship with? Which specific church, did those who best knew God’s Son in the flesh in the first century, seek to work and worship God with after His return to glory?

Was it the Baptist Church? No, it couldn’t have been. The Baptist Church is never seen or named anywhere in Scripture (largely due to the fact that it wasn’t even established until 1607, by its founder, John Smyth, in Holland). Was it the Lutheran Church? No. Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church, wouldn’t even be born for in excess of another fourteen centuries. Did they work, worship, and assemble with the Catholic Church? Once again, not a chance. They couldn’t have. The Emperor Constantine would not establish the Roman Catholic Church for well over two hundred years after the last living apostle of Christ – John – had died.

So how, and with which church, did the apostles worship then? Let us examine their own words to find our answer. It was a church that taught that a person must repent and be baptized specifically FOR the forgiveness of their sins in order to be saved (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21); a church which taught that baptism is indeed the act of faith in God by which one is saved (Col. 2:8-14), just as their Lord and Savior had said (Matt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16; John 3:3-5). It was a church which utilized neither choirs, soloists, or mechanical instruments of music in their praise and worship, all members joyfully singing to God and one another instead (Eph. 5:17-21; Col. 3:16-17); again, just as their Lord had done with, and hence taught them to do (Matt. 26:30).

Actually, it is very easy to know exactly which church they attended; not only because there was only one church in existence (Eph. 1:22-23, 4:4-6) just as God had always planned (Matt. 16:18-19; Eph. 3:8-11), but because they actually told us which one it was (See: Rom. 16:16)! After all, why would anyone who truly loves and knows the Lord, choose to worship with and within someone else’s church, other than His; the one He came in the flesh and shed His blood and died to establish (Acts 20:28)?

 

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School is Ready, Is the Church?

Schools are Ready, Is the Church?

School is back in session, which means Satan is putting in overtime trying to pervert the hearts and minds of young people. He will use every means possible to get young people to question their faith and abandon God.

school corruption

The social design of public schools aims to pollute Christianity.

Consider this–Satan is sitting at DEFCON 1. He is ready for immediate action and is on the highest alert. Sadly, many Christians in the church are sitting at DEFCON 5, thinking back to school time is a period of peace. Here’s what I would LOVE to see the church prepared to do:

  • When the school encourages “Boys wear a dress day” respond by pulling your children out that day and offering a free community seminar on the importance of “Manning Up” and being the spiritual leader! Spend some time in youth classes discusses what a spiritual leader looks like.
  • When the school encourages students to be “tolerant,” spend a month in the pulpit teaching the congregation examples of when Jesus, Peter, Paul, and John were intolerant!
  • When the school teaches on the various religions—making them all sound equal, respond by offering to buy lunch for students if they will allow a Christian parent to have an open Q/A during the lunch period about Christianity.
  • When the school sponsors “LGBTQ silence day” respond by pulling your children out that day and instead go to a local park and put on a community-wide lesson on marriage to remind your youth and community Who instituted marriage.
  • When the school promotes abortion as just another choice in a sex-ed class, respond by hosting a community-wide movie night showing the movie Unplanned and take your youth to pray outside a Planned Parenthood clinic.
  • When the school holds a special Drag Queen Reading Hour featuring someone who is transgender, respond by pulling your child and encourage other parents to do the same. Instead offer your building for a special Bible Reading Hour where young people learn about the courage of Daniel or David.
  • When the school begins teaching macro-evolution, respond by hosting a creation/evolution seminar or pass out Christian evidence material on the sidewalk.
  • When the school cracks open the humanistic textbooks to use in the classroom, respond by starting an after school Bible club that teaches the Truth.
  • When the school promotes “Diversity” in their sex-ed classes, respond by pulling your children out of those classes and encourage parents to use something wholesome, like the “Passport for Purity” kit, to teach their children the beauty of sex as intended by God.
  • When the school promotes rebellion against parents by encouraging independence, in an encouraging manner to build the bonds between parents and children. Invest in a weekend seminar that focuses on the relationship between parents and children. Have some informal devotionals about what it means to honor parents.

These are just a few ideas that will show Satan and our community that we are not just going to give up and surrender the souls of our children. It is important that we be kind and reflect Christ as we carry out our mission, but it is also important that we take this battle seriously! What DEFCON level is your local congregation sitting at? Isn’t it time that we stand united—ready for battle?

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The Mark of Cain

The Mark of Cain

What is the essence of the mark on Cain’s forehead?  Also, Genesis says Cain traveled to the east of Nod and married.  Who were the people who lived there at that time?

Actually, the Bible never says that a “mark” was set upon Cain’s forehead (Gen. 4:15).  Mark comes from the Hebrew word oth, which means “sign” or “token.”  Thus, what’s actually said is that the Lord showed or gave Cain a “sign” to convince and assure him that none would be allowed to kill him.

cain able

Many things are said about Cain, truth is found in the Bible.

Cain traveled to the east of Eden into the land of Nod, literally the “place of wandering” (Gen. 4:16-17).  There he “knew his wife” (v. 17), a phrase not referring to him meeting her for the first time, but rather to physical marital relations.  Cain probably was already married to his wife when he killed Abel and was exiled.  Eve, “the mother of all living” (Gen. 3:20), had sons and daughters with Adam (Gen. 5:4).  From these Cain found his wife, and from these came those who eventually inhabited the city Cain built in the “place of wandering.”

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Dealing With Adversity Like David

Dealing With Adversity Like David

Do you want to know the heart of the man whose heart was like the heart of God? Read the book of Psalms, for they give such great insight into the heart of David. Look at the opening verses of Psalm 16. “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” Think about the humility of one who says that apart from God there was no goodness within him. Then, sense the faith of David as he openly affirms that his trust was in God.

adversity david

How do you deal with adversity?

Study the life of David in first and second Samuel. It was filled with adversity. Shortly after David killed Goliath, King Saul turned against him and on two occasions sought to take the life of this godly young man with a javelin. When this was unsuccessful, David fled into the wilderness, and Saul’s army sought to find him to kill him. David was then forced to flee from Judah but found trouble in the nations where he sought refuge.

How did David deal with this? Perhaps the words of Psalm 16 will help us. He looked toward heaven and prayed that God would preserve him. He showed his total commitment to the Lord when he said, “For in You I have put my trust.” Other translations render the word preserve as “protect me” or “keep me safe.” The marginal reading in the NKJV is “watch over me.” He was confident of God’s presence and found comfort in knowing the nature of God.

After David became king, adversity came again in his life as the consequence of his sin with Bathsheba. Think of how you would have felt if your own son led a rebellion against you, seeking your life and your kingdom. Think of how you would have felt if four of your children died. Think of how you would have felt if one of your sons raped your daughter. How did David handle all of this? Look at those opening verses in Psalm 16. He looked upward and begged for God to preserve him, to protect him, to keep him safe and to watch over him.

Read those words again to see the difference in saying, “I trust You” and saying, “In You I have put my trust.” Is it possible that one might say they trusted another and that trust be shallow in depth? However, those words “For in You I have put my trust” demand a deeper level of trust. They show a complete investment in God. This is the kind of heart David had.

So, the next time troubles come into your life, look upward and let David’s words be part of your prayer. Ask God to preserve you, to protect you, to keep you safe and to watch over you. Trust Him but not on a shallow level. Do not just put your trust toward God, put your trust in God. Remember that God does not change. He will preserve you like He did David.

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