Why I Will No Longer Support the Olympics

This past Summer 2012 Olympics was the very last that I will support with my viewing. Make no mistake—my family and I tried to watch as much as we could, and we generally have supported the Olympics throughout the years. I have even written articles addressing the positive qualities that we are able to make from such (need for preparation, playing within the rules, striving for a common goal and such like). Nevertheless, the more I learn about what truly takes place “behind the scenes,” the more I see as a viewer and the older (and I hope more mature) I get, the more disgusted I have become—so much so, that I will no longer support them with my viewing. Please do not get me wrong or misunderstand the nature of this article—I simply want to share some things for you, the reader, to think and consider as I provide reasons why I, personally, have made this decision. Before I proceed, this is not a blanket condemnation of everyone who participates or enjoys such, as I realize that with most everything, there are always exceptions. Yet, from what I have gathered, I believe they are quite rare. I will no longer support the Olympic Games because they are primarily about the following three things.

First, the Olympics are primarily about sports. If you are relatively young, you are probably thinking, “Duh!” but allow me to expand. The older I get, the more I see sports becoming a god to many people, especially right here in our own nation—the United States of America. We are proud when we are able to attain more gold medals (or more medals cumulatively) than any other nation, and as the end of the games drew near, we watched the medal count even closer. It ought to be no surprise that we are among the top countries every year, because the concept of sports plays quite a large role in the lives of Americans. From the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and even to the role that college sports plays across the fruited plains, for far too many Americans, sports has become their god. It is that for which they eat, drink and breathe. Moreover, reports often come from other countries (such as China) as to the emphasis they also give to sports. It gets to the point where we may easily talk to strangers about such sporting events, but we rarely ever talk to them about Jesus Christ. We do everything we can to teach our children how to throw a baseball, but we rarely ever teach them the word of God. We are sure to get them to practice on time, but struggle to encourage them to memorize Bible verses. Yes, I admit that I am a sports fan, but I do not want it to consume my life, and when we watched it every single evening for over two weeks, it is too much. God must be first in my life, and such types of games are constantly trying to push God out of the lives of more and more people every year. Make no mistake, the Greeks were among the first to elevate the athlete upon the golden pedestal of society, and we are following in their footsteps. Modern-day “coliseums” are becoming more popular than church buildings, which only shows the role that sports is playing as a modern false god in our world.

Second, the Olympics are primarily about money. Being a part of the sports world (as I discussed previously), it is all about the financial gain. Olympics are televised in such a way that viewers will watch the commercials and support the respective network broadcasting them. Olympic athletes (as well as others) will make more money from endorsements than they will the games themselves. When it comes to sports, money rules; I believe I read in some good book that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). The American athlete may not earn very much for their medal placements, but again, when coupled with the exposure that media provides, it often leads to a lifestyle of debauchery funded by millions of dollars of revenue gained. From the earliest of Olympics, the winners would obtain a lifetime of financial ease, but with such also came bribery and cheating—we see such attempts even today among the modern athlete. Why? It is because of an unhealthy thirst for money, along with the power and prestige that it provides.

Third, the Olympics are primarily about sex. Not only was it difficult for the Christian viewer to watch ANY sport without seeing over-exposed, athletic bodies, but to read what actually takes place within the secluded Olympic Village (temporary home for the athletes competing in the games) was nauseating. One ESPN writer wrote an article entitled, “Will You Still Medal in the Morning?” In this exposé, he described in great detail the hedonistic atmosphere that reigns during this time among the athletes. Couple this with the number of condoms that the Olympic Federation makes available (more than 100,000, which has increased over the years), and it ought to make all parents seriously reconsider whether or not they want their child to strive for such mastery.

Therefore, it is because it sadly seems, in my humble opinion, that the Olympics have become less about friendly athletic competition between countries and general good-will between nations and more about the god of sports, the love of money and the lifestyle of hedonism that I have personally put my foot down and will no longer support the Olympic Games in the future. All I ask for you is to think about it.

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Study: Becoming a Serious Bible Student

It is remarkable how little time and effort many are putting into the study of the Bible. Far too many preachers, teachers and church leaders think that if they read a book or commentary such makes them Bible scholars. They are wrong. Preachers from the past spent many hours each day in study. Our brother, Gus Nichols, devoted five hours every day for more than fifty years inside the Bible. I remember, as a young preacher, hearing him say that there were 10,000 sermons he had which he would never be able to preach. He was truly a student of the Bible and his life reflected this.

Franklin Camp probably had the greatest impact on me of any preacher I have ever known. I was a student at Lipscomb in 1961 when I heard him say, “If brother Nichols needed to study the Bible five hours each day,  then I need to spend more than that.” So every day he went to the his study at 4:00 A.M. to begin his time of study—six hours every day! Those of us who were able to be around him know the depth of study he presented in every one of his classes or sermons.

These men may be exceptional in the time they devoted to study, but the decision remains for each of us to make as to how much time we devote to study. I am not just speaking of preachers, but of every member of the church. How much time do you devote to reading and meditating on His revelation? Have you ever read the complete Bible? How many of the fifteen judges can you name? Can you name fourteen apostles? What well know character in the Bible is Nathan associated with? What about Shem? Achan? Uriah? Abimelech? Balak? Caleb? Sheba? Naboth? Gehazi? Sennacherib? Jochebed? Orpah? Dorcas? Eutychus? Matthias? Og? Antipas?

What about Bible places? What event happened at Gethsemane? Carmel? Horeb? Troas? Kadesh-Barnea? Jericho? Moriah? Cana? Ono? Lystra? Damascus?

What about the location of important verses? Can you show someone the plan of salvation? What verses show the difference between the two covenants? Can you use your Bible to discuss the day we must partake of the Lord’s supper? What verses reveal God’s attitude toward abortion? Toward homosexuality? The works of the flesh? What verses show the permanence of marriage and the sinfulness of divorce?

Brethren, let’s study the Bible. Some of the people and places above may have little importance, but they serve as a challenge to each of us to study more. Be truthful—when was the last time you spent five hours in a week in study!

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All Good Things Come From God

Today, many people are placing the blame for bad things in their life on God. Many people are blaming God when they really do not understand that God cannot do evil things, God is the source of every good thing that occurs in our lives. Perhaps the reason some people blame God for their problems is that they do not believe in God in the first place and any opportunity to degrade God in the eyes of others is considered by them a way to get even.

As we stated, God is the source of all good things that we receive in life –

James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” NKJV.

James 3:17, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” NKJV.

1 Peter 2:20-22, “20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth” NKJV.

On the other hand, the Bible tells us that the cause of all misery, sickness, death, and every evil thing that happens to man is from the Devil and his agents, and a consequence of sin –

Matthew 13:38-39, “38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels” 

John 8:44, “44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” NKJV.

Acts 10:38, “38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” NKJV.

Acts 13:10, “10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord” NKJV?

Ephesians 6:11, 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil“

Hebrews 2:14, “14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, NKJV

Even though the Devil (i.e., Satan, the evil one, etc.) is the source of all wickedness the Christian can resist him and he will flee (i.e., cannot overcome the Christian) – cf.,

James 4:7, “7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” NKJV.          … Glc

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Christian Ethics

According to Dictionary.com, ethics is, “1. A system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture. 2. The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics. 3. Moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence. 4. That branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.” As we can see from the above definition, one’s ethic is the method by which one determines how one is to conduct himself. It is the decision making process by which we determine if an action would be moral or right. When faced with a dilemma, our code of ethics is what helps us to make the distinction between right and wrong.

Our ethics are determined by our world view. How we view the world will determine our course of action in life. The atheist believes that there is no God, thus no afterlife and no soul. They believe that the “here and now” is all there is and that there are no absolute values with regard to right and wrong. When they look at a situation where they are forced to make a choice between one thing and another, most simply choose the path of least resistance. Others, who are more “thoughtful” atheists, may make a choice based on what they think serves the “greater good.” However, since they do not believe there is such a thing as an absolute moral standard, what they consider the “greater good” may vary from circumstance to circumstance. In the name of the “greater good” many “good” things have been done along with many atrocities. For instance, Adolph Hitler thought killing all the Jews served the greater good while the Allied Nations thought that killing Adolph Hitler served the greater good!

The Christian, on the other hand, views the world from a biblical standpoint. The Bible teaches that there is a God who created man and who endowed him with an immortal soul. It teaches us that there is an absolute standard by which we will be judged; that there is a place called hell for those that do evil and a place called heaven for the faithful child of God and that all people will spend eternity in one or the other. This world view colors our actions and gives us our ethics. When faced with a choice, the Christian looks to the scriptures to guide him. Even things that are not addressed directly, (e.g. smoking marijuana or viewing internet pornography) are covered at least in principle by the Scriptures. With a ready knowledge of God’s word, the child of God is fully equipped for “all good works” (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17) and has access to “all things that pertain unto life and godliness…” (2 Peter 1:3) and can thereby be able to “discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14).

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Choosing a Church

The Christian Chronicle has recently reported that the number of Church of Christ adherents (members and their unbaptized children) continues to decline.  Since 2003, the number is down 102,000 or 6.2%.  During the same time, the number of congregations fell by 708, or 5.4%.

That’s not a “decline.” It’s a free fall.

The number of members hasn’t fallen as fast, meaning that we’re declining more rapidly among children and young couples. That’s a really bad sign, indicating that the rate of decline is likely to accelerate.

We’re having congregations close their doors at a rate of about 1 every 4 days – over 7 per month. We’re losing on a nationwide average about 35 adherents per day.  That’s 35 souls leaving the church every time the sun goes down.  Tomorrow morning when we open our eyes ands get out of bed, there will be roughly 35 members of the Lord’s church who will never walk through the doors of a congregation of the Lord’s church again.   

Where are our youth going?  There are only two possible answers to this question.  They are either transferring to denominational churches or leaving Christianity all together.  The trend is that the youth who leave Anti congregations are just dropping out of Christianity altogether while the mainstream churches of Christ are losing their youth to the denominations who offer more flash and excitement and less accountability for sin. 

We should be concerned for our youth in this congregation.  We have a substantial number of young adults in this congregation who are just a few  short years away from being on their own.  They are soon going to be making decisions that will be effecting them, their future spouses and their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren for generations to come.

When I grew up and left home to find my way in the world, encountered some circumstances in my life that tempted me to look to other churches in order to find my way.  I was young and eager to live my life as I saw fit I thought I wanted something more than what I thought the church I grew up in had to offer.  I wanted something more exciting, I wanted something different, I wanted something a little more accepted by the religious community in general.  I hated it when people made comments to me like, “you are one of those people who don’t use musical instruments” or  worse yet, “you are one of those people who think you are the only ones who are going to heaven”.  When I was young, comments such as these bothered me.  They bothered me because people who were not religious at all thought I was ignorant because I was a Christian, and people who were religious to a degree but members of other churches also rejected me as somewhat of a religious fanatic and a kook.  As a young adult, rejected by both general groups of people, there was almost no support group I could turn to in order to find any companionship with.  I attended some denominational churches and eventually just stopped attending church altogether for many years. 

I eventually found my back.  Thankfully I was given the time to find my way back.  Not every one gets that chance.  We have all seen the little memorials set up alongside the roads the parents and others have lost their loved ones to accidents on the roads.  We have all seen the news reports of the senseless killings of innocent people.  We hear of soldiers dying overseas in attacks.  There is no guarantee any of us will be alive this time tomorrow.  It is unwise at best to wager your soul on the time you think you may have to get things right. 

This lesson this morning is primarily for the youth but it has an application for everyone here.  What we are going to do in this lesson is to pick out a church.  Let’s forget for just a while that we are setting in an assembly of the church of Christ and let’s look at what the Bible says about this and let’s just pick out a church to attend.  Let’s all pretend that we have never stepped a foot into any old church anywhere in our whole life and we want to choose one from out of all the choices there are out there.  Since the Bible is the inspired written record of God’s will for man, then we will let God tell us what He wants in His church by using it and only it to guide us in our selection.  When we boil it all down to the basics, it doesn’t matter what we believe, or how we feel, if it isn’t in harmony with all the written will of God, then we are wrong and we need to adjust our thinking and our actions to what the Bible teaches.  

The first thing we need to understand is whether or not we are free to choose just any old church out there that we like the looks of.  Perhaps one is more exciting, perhaps it has more young people to socialize with, perhaps it’s more popular, perhaps its more fun.  Does the written record of God’s word say we are free to choose any old church we want?  No it does not.  In fact, there are some things the word of God does say which forbids choosing just any old church out there. 

Matthew 15:8-9
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

This is Jesus speaking to a group of Pharisees and scribes when He made that remark.  The Pharisees and scribes were known to add a whole bunch of nonessential things to the religious practices of the day.  There is an application for us today which is unmistakable.  These Pharisees and scribes were worshipping God, they were honoring them with their praises and worship but Jesus says “their heart is far from me”  Why?  Jesus tells us why.  Because they were “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men“.  Jesus said “in vain they do worship me“.  The word vain means ‘to no purpose’.  In other words, Jesus accused these people of worshipping Him for nothing because they were teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 

So we need to recognize the application here for us today.  If people in the 1st century could worship God for nothing because of the commandments of men, then we can today as well.  It didn’t matter how much they praised God, it didn’t matter how good they felt about it in their hearts.  Jesus said their hearts were far from Him and their worship was for nothing because they added the commandments of men to it. 

Does the Bible say anything about how we are to avoid following the commandments of men?  While praying to God on one occasion, Jesus said in John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”  So we understand that the written record of God’s word is the source of truth today.  In 1 Corinthians 4:6 we read, “Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not (to go) beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.” (ASV).  God’s word is truth, and if we add to it, then we have added the teachings of man to the word of God.  Let’s keep in mind what Jesus said in Matthew 15:9, “in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” 

What about taking things away from the word of God?  John wrote in Revelation 22:18-19, “for I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:”  There’s that adding to the word of God which we have already looked at.  Now, what about the opposite? “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.“

Notice carefully that John wrote “if ANY man shall add” and “if ANY man shall take away”  God gave us His word.  His word is truth.  And any additions to it, or subtractions from it is done by man.  It is a commandment of man and Jesus said in words impossible to misunderstand that such things make our worship vain, empty, of no effect, worthless, useless or basically just a waste of our time.

Some additional scriptures we need to consider while on this topic are: Romans 10:1-3, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God“. (ASV)  The people in Paul’s view here were rejecting the faith of Christ and trying to follow after the teachings of men instead.  They had zeal, they had all kinds of feeling and devotion but it was for nothing because they substituted God’s righteousness with their own.

And now let’s look at 2 John 9-11, “Whosoever goeth onward (goes too far, NASB) and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son.”  When we go onward beyond the word of God, and go too far, we are adding the teachings of men to our work and worship to God.  John went on to say in verse 10, “If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not this teaching, receive him not into (your) house, and give him no greeting: for he that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil works” (ASV).  Not only are we not to go beyond the word of God, we are not to approve of or go on with those who do go beyond it. 

So let’s say we have never been in a church in our life and we woke up this morning and decided we wanted to pick out a church, we know from this handful of scriptures we have looked at this morning that we need to pick one that precisely follows the word of God, adding nothing to, nor taking anything away.  No commandments or teachings of men included.  Anything that they do which cannot be found in the word of God is too much.  Anything they may leave out of the word of God is not enough. 

So now, on our quest to pick out a church to go to, if we are going to use the word of God to direct us, then we now know that we cannot choose one that adds to or takes away from His word.  So now what else do we need to look for? 

When we look into the new testament we do not read of the inspired writers teaching about more than one church.  Paul was not a member of a denominational church.  Peter was not a member of a different church than John was.  James, Timothy and the rest of the faithful Christians were members of and taught about one church.  Paul wrote a great deal concerning the church in his letter to the Ephesians.  He wrote in Ephesians 1:20-23, “which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (NKJV)   Notice Paul said the church was the body of Christ.  Later in the same letter Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:4, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling” (NKJV).  Paul taught the Ephesians that the church is the body of Christ and that there is only one body.  Since the body of Christ and the church is the exact same thing, there can be only one church. 

There was only one church written about in the new testament.  Paul belonged to it, Peter belonged to it, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John belonged to it.  If we are going to set out to choose a church, we need to choose the one they belonged to.

The one church belongs to Jesus Christ.  It is His possession.  Let us consider the words of Jesus as he was speaking to his disciples one day. Matthew 16:18, “and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  Notice two things Jesus said here.  He said he would build “my” church, meaning it belongs to Him.  Notice also, He said “church” singular.    How many churches did Christ promise to build?  He said only one.  How may churches did Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James Timothy belong to?  They belonged to the church that belonged to Jesus Christ.  they belonged to the Lord’s church.

So what’s going to happen to those who choose the wrong one?  Does the Bible have anything to say about that?  Let’s consider Paul’s words in Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (NKJV).

Let’s back up and look at the word “heresies”.  Notice those who are guilty of heresies will not inherit the kingdom of God.  That’s pretty plain.  The original Greek word for that is, ‘hairesis (hah’-ee-res-is) which carries the meaning of a sect.  This is the exact same word used in Acts 5:17 in reference to the sect of the Sadducees.  The Sadducees were a sect or a denomination of Jews who believed there was no such thing as a resurrection of the dead.  It is also the exact same word used in Acts 15:5 in reference to the Pharisees who were for the most part guilty of a whole bunch of manmade doctrines added to the law of Moses.  The Pharisees were a sect, a denomination in modern English, of the Jewish faith.  Paul said in Galatians 5:20 that those who were guilty of sectarianism, or denominationalism would not inherit the kingdom of God.  That is what Paul said in the original language. 

People in the new testament times who added to or took away from God’s word were called “hah-ee-res-is” which is where we get the English word ‘heretic’ which Paul said would not inherit the kingdom of God.   Those who do not inherit the kingdom of God will not be saved and will not spend their eternity in heaven. 

If we are going to choose a church, not only must we choose the same one Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter and the rest were members of, we must avoid the ones which they were not members of.  We need to reject them, we don’t want to be any part of them.  God said in His word that they won’t get us to heaven, they can’t get us to heaven. 

And lastly, let’s look at what Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, “and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (NKJV).  And now let’s look at Romans 2:5-10, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (NKJV).

The gospel must be obeyed.  The truth must be obeyed.  God must be obeyed.  In our search for just the right church, we need to seek one that teaches us to be obedient to the will of God in all things.  Those who do not teach this are not teaching the whole counsel of God.  Sometimes the truth is hard to hear.  Sometimes obeying the truth requires sacrifice on our part.  Sometimes obeying the truth is not going to be popular and will result in persecution and rejection by others.  Sometimes obeying the truth is not what we want to do.  Obeying the truth means we have to change who we are and how we live.  Obeying the truth means we have to set our own personal wishes and desires aside and submit to the authority of God.  We must honor God by obeying Him and submitting to His rules.  We can’t do it our way.  Hell is full of people who did it their way. 

We must choose the Lord’s church.  There is only one.  And that’s the one we need to be a part of.  We need to choose correctly and wisely.  The choices we make in life are going to effect us the rest of our lives on earth and in the eternal hereafter.  We must choose the right path.  We must choose the narrow way.  And for the youth in here, you need to choose the path that you know will help guide your loved ones yet to come on a path which will get them to heaven so they can live forever.  It’s not about just you and what you want.  It’s about what is best not only for you, but for whoever you marry and whoever your children are and whoever else is in your life that you love enough that you don’t want to see them suffer eternal condemnation. 

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