There is really no clear rules in the Bible about the “HOW MUCH” of drinking. But on the other hand, we know that there are lots of bad effects of beer and other alcoholic beverages can do to our body. Alcoholism definitely cause many serious diseases such as cancer and heart diseases.
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How To Resolve Marital Problems
Currently, me and my wife is attending a bi-monthly seminar on “Fireproofing Your Marriage”. So far, we are really enjoying discussing things about marital relationship within the couple’s group of our Church. Each partner in the group is also trying to work on our daily task, “The Love Dare”.
Today’s reading is a very useful tool in resolving marital conflicts. I believe each couple should try to take note of this post since this has been a great treasure in most successful marriages. And I do agree to what the author says about marital conflicts and problems. I quote this post from “The Love Dare” book by Kendrick.
The post is all about the boundaries in dealing with conflicts. Before I forget, I suggest that you print this post or at least bookmark this page so that you will be able to go back here if in case you will be needing this post in the future.
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Why Alcohol Drinking Is Not For Christians
Alcohol Drinking Is Not Good For Our Lives
This is one of the most common heated debates inside Christian communities. This is because there are many Christians who still drink alcoholic beverages even after several years of being a Christian.
The main issues raised were the following:
* Is alcohol drinking forbidden in the Bible?
* Is alcohol drinking an immoral practice?
* Is alcohol drinking encouraged in the Bible?
* Moderate drinking is a healthy practice as long as you do not get drunk.
Many of those Christians who used to drink uses the following issues above to defend that alcohol drinking is completely allowable and it is only “us” who forbid it to do. Plus quoting the incident in the wedding of Cana where Jesus turned water into wine.
But why is it that many Evangelical Churches forbid or at least impose a “no alcohol drinking” policy among its members?
Now, let’s go to the main discussion of the issues raised.
Is Alcohol Drinking Forbidden In The Bible?
The answer of course is no. The fact is, most people in the Bible drink at least a wine coming from grapes. One thing is clear about the limitations in drinking, and it is found in Ephesians 5:18. “Do not get drunk.” This is why most Christians that still drink alcoholic beverages hold this very strongly. As long as they don’t get drunk.
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Bible Teachings About Marriage, Marital Relationship and Divorce
The Sermon below tackles about the Biblical teachings about marriage, marital relationship and divorce. Our world today is full of marital problems, and the moral values of Christians when it comes to marriage have degraded rapidly and in a very alarming state. In the US, the highest rate of divorce is within the Evangelical churches whose ratio is 1:2.
Christians seems to have forgotten the values and Biblical teachings about divorce and marital relationship. This is because people has been so concerned on the exemptions rather than the Biblical teachings itself. As a result, more and more people wants to justify their own personal view to indulge themselves into the temptation of divorce.
In contrast to this, Jesus Christ gave a very strong emphasis about the divorce. May this sermon help our marriages.
Sermon About Immorality
The sermon below is all about the truths of immorality and how it affects the church.
Title: About Immorality
Text: 1 Corinthians 5
Introduction
For the past few Sundays, I have talked about the works of a servant of Christ. We have also touched about one of the main problems of the Corinthian Church, the division inside the Church.
Today, we will be talking about another problem, Immorality. Immorality is one of the most common sins that we have in our time. There are lots of forms of immorality. We have incests, adultery, homosexuality, abortion, etc.
Adultery, one of the most common problems of our society. Instead of building up families, because of extra marital relationship, people tend to destroy their wonderful family. Before, most offenders are men, but now women has become equally aggressive when it comes to adultery.
Homosexuality. Before, homosexuality is a form of “disgrace” among the society. Today, it is now becoming a “norm”, a way of life, a choice. This is because of the mass media. Blockbuster hit movies now are about homosexuality. A pretty good example is the upcoming movie, “In My Life” , having a ground breaking record of Php20,000,000 gross sales for just a premier night.
How about abortion? Some other countries now are trying to eliminate the population problem through abortion. And the government itself is implenting this program.
In our passage today, we will be talking about truths about immorality.
Truths About Immorality
Immorality is something to be grieved about (v.1-5)
In the passage, the immorality committed was an incest. Such kind of immorality is completely not acceptable in the society. And such emphasis can be seen in the statement of Paul; “a kind that does not occur even among pagans”. The offense was that, a man has his father’s wife.
The passage is could possibly mean that a man had a relationship with his stepmother instead of the mother. This is because Paul used “father’s wife” instead of “his mother”. In any way, we are assured that it is still a form of incest.
What’s bothering in the situation was that, the audience or the people who knows it seems to be even proud of it. Probably the sinning man is boasting about it and the Corinthian Church is doing nothing to stop such an act. For this, Paul recommends that the Corinthian Church should not be proud of it, instead to grieve for it and that such man should be “put out” of the fellowship.
Then another radical statement that Paul gave. He is instructing the Corinthian Church on the next thing to do, that is if they have assembled together, and that Paul was with them in the spirit (because Paul has already passed judgement on that immorality in v.3), and that the Spirit of the Lord was with them, they are to “hand this man over” to Satan. This is to destroy its sinful nature and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
Let us note here that there is a purpose in handing the man over to Satan. That is to destroy the sinful nature, but to save the spirit on the day of the Lord. As I am trying to think about it, this could probably mean the intercessory prayer or something like an imprecatory prayer. And here, we can see some harsh statements of Paul.
Immorality is something that can affect others (v.6-8).
Now Paul uses here another metaphor here. He used the “yeast” in two sense. The first is that the sinning brother can affect the whole dough, “Get rid of the old yeast that you maybe a new batch without yeast.” To which could mean, to “hand over to Satan” the sinful man. In other words, to disfellowship the sinful man.
By reading the preceeding paragraph and the latter paragraph, Paul deal with his statements corporately, as a body. The first paragraph is an instruction about coming together of the congregation and handing over the sinful man to Satan.
The second interpretation is that the yeast is about the sin. “But just like the bread of the Pass Over, we need to put off the yeast of malice and wickedness so that we can be pure, without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.” Now we are seeing that the sin is referring to sinful things such as malice and wickedness.
This is an opportunity therefore to ask God for forgiveness and guidance. For us to be pure from malice and wickedness.
Sermon About Humility: The Foolish, The Weak and The Lowly
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
Introduction
Last time we have discussed facts about the Corinthian Church. We have learned that they are a called church, a religious and knowledgeable church, a waiting church, and a problematic church.
We have seen that one of their early problems was division among them (1 Corinthian 1:10-17). Many of them have their own favorite ministers. Ironically, Paul is thanking that he was not able to baptized any except for some people among them.
Today, we will be studying about how God works in the lives of the people.
How God Works?
We really cannot fathom the vastness of God’s wisdom for it is beyond our understanding. Furthermore, Isaiah 55:8-9 says ”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Obviously, there is nothing in this world that can explain how God works. The things that we will be seeing today is just a small glimpse of the impossibilites where God made it possible.
God Chose The Foolish (v. 27)
“God chose the foolish things in the world to shame the wise.” Salvation is not through human wisdom. Unlike the beliefs of the pagan world, salvation is by grace through faith. It cannot be attained by knowing the fullness of the doctrine of Christianity.
Corinth was predominantly influenced by Greek culture at this time. This is why most people are interested in philosophies of the Greeks. But what does we benefit from wisdom? The book of Ecclesiastes teaches us that wisdom is a chasing under the wind. It is vanity unless used for the things that is of God.
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Compassion: The Ministry of Paying Attention by Keri Wyatt Kent
This monthly column is my gift to you, a faithful servant in ministry. As a co-laborer in Christ, I want to encourage you to care of your own soul, to take time to nurture your relationship with God through spiritual practices. We regularly reflect in this space on how soul-care is critical to long-term ministry success. If you’re not growing, if you’re not keeping your own soul healthy, it’s hard to tend to the souls of others. I sometimes feel like the gal who gets to ring the bell at recess, to give permission for you to play, to rest, to just enjoy God. I pray that refreshment will water your soul, help it to thrive.
There is another type of growth and it comes from serving, from imitating Jesus who took on the nature of servant (see Philippians 2). If that’s true and we want to be like God, we have to know what he’s like. Throughout the Bible, poets and prophets describe God in this way:
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger, abounding in love.” (see Psalm 86:15, 103:8, 145:8, and Joel 2:13).
And the Bible is clear, that God’s people are called to be much the same: gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, loving. We know we can’t attain God’s standard, but with his help, we can do much more than we thought. If that grace flows through us, we can share it with others. If we experience his compassion, we can pass it on.
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