Sound The Trumpet

We know that Adam and Eve realized they were naked and were ashamed.  One could argue that they were ashamed because of their sin.  Certainly, they were ashamed of their sin and how they disappointed God.  However, as we examine Scripture, we can see that revealing the body, outside of marriage, also reveals one’s shame.  If it is shameful to show nakedness, it would be unreasonable of God to set a standard for us without defining that standard.  So, how does God define naked?  Answering this question will solve many of the problems we face as a result of the indecency we see around us today.  If you go to the typical beach in America during the summer and ask the people if they are naked, they will quickly tell you no.  As much as it reveals, a woman’s bathing suit still reveals much of the woman’s body.  No one on the beach would admit they are naked.  In fact, you may even be able to find many who are quite proud of their bodies and are showing them off.  Is this God’s plan?  Does God approve of this?

Isa 47:3 Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

God is saying that their nakedness shall be uncovered and their shame revealed.  In other words, God is saying that revealing your nakedness is revealing your shame.  So, what is nakedness? How does God define nakedness? Before we answer that question, ask yourself this:  Regardless of what the standard turns out to be, do you want to walk around naked or would you be willing to dress in a way that pleases God?

Exo 28:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach.

In this passage of Exodus, God is giving instructions to the priests about how they are to dress when they come before Him.  We do not have to dress like a Hebrew priest.  Rather, the point here is to see that God defined as covering ones nakedness.  This passage speaks of linen breeches.  Breeches are a garment worn by men – today, we call them trousers or pants.  God is instructing the priests to cover their nakedness with a garment that extends "from the loins even unto the thighs."  As we see in the next verse, this garment (which came to the knee) covered their nakedness.

Isa 47:2-3 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. (3) Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

We just looked at Isaiah 47:3, and how revealing ones nakedness also reveals their shame.  Isaiah 47:2 defines what nakedness is by saying, "...make bare the leg, uncover the thigh ... thy nakedness shall be uncovered..."  What is the Lord saying here?  He is telling us what nakedness is: uncovering the thigh.   The thigh is the part of the leg that extends from the hip to the knee.  In other words, it is the leg from the knee up.  In fact, it is not just the top of the knee where the thigh begins, it is the bottom of the femur (thigh bone).  The femur and the tibia / fibula bones (lower leg bones) meet in the knee.  We could argue that the thigh extends to the middle of the knee where these bones meet.
If we take God's Word as our absolute standard, as we should, would a skirt that only covers part of the thigh be revealing your nakedness?  What about a pair of shorts that do not completely cover the thigh?  What about a bathing suit that does not cover the thigh at all?  Do you walk around naked?  

God was not surprised when he found Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden of Eden.  After all, how can we hide from God?   It is not Santa Claus that knows whether you have been good or bad, it is the omniscient (all-knowing) God who sees every action we take and knows every though that crosses our mind.  God was not surprised when Eve was tempted, He was not surprised when Eve ate the forbidden fruit and he was not surprised when Adam followed Eve’s leadership. God knew that man had sinned and that they now knew of good and evil.  God knew that Adam and Eve were naked and hiding.  God even knew where they were hiding. 

 

Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

 

When God found them hiding, God also found them in their need.  Adam and Eve had made themselves aprons in an attempt to cover themselves.  However, their efforts were not enough.  The aprons they made for themselves did not cover their nakedness. 

Gen 3:21  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

When God found them, God killed animals and took the skins of the animals and made coats for Adam and Eve.  An apron may only cover from the waist down, the word translated as “coats” from the original Hebrew means “to wrap around” or “to cover.”  The coats God made did not just cover their private parts, these coats literally wrapped around them and covered their body.   

Omniscience, or being all-knowing, is one aspect of God.  We see God’s character when we realize that Adam and Eve could not hide their location or their sin from God.  However, this is only one aspect of God’s character.  Another aspect of God is His pure sinless nature.  As you study the book of Genesis, you quickly see that there are severe consequences for Adam and Eve’s very simple sin.  They ate a little fruit and it resulted in God giving them a death sentence. Not only were Adam and Eve sentenced to death, but all of humanity was sentenced to death.  That is certainly a harsh penalty for sin.  However, God also provided a payment for sin.  As a result of sin, God required the shedding of blood to pay for sin.  Ultimately, Jesus would become the Lamb who would shed His blood to pay the debt for the sins of Adam and Eve as well as all of mankind.  However, many people lived and sinned before Christ shed His blood.  How were their sins dealt with? Just as Adam and Eve were physically covered by the skins of animals, the animal’s shed blood was symbolic of the blood Christ would shed for our sins.  These coats covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness but more importantly, it covered their sin as well.

 

Modest attire is one of the hardest struggles that a Godly lady faces.  There is a very delicate line a lady must walk to avoid drawing attention to her body while still showing her God-given beauty and countenance.  Sadly, the standards of dress we see today, even in churches, are horrible.  Women today seem to have lost even the very basic sense of what is modest and decent.

As you learned from the definition of the word modest, there are many aspects to being modest.  For many, the primary idea of modesty has to do with dress and how the body is revealed.  We will see more about other aspects of modesty later in this study.  It is true: how a person is dressed will say a lot about her.  Because of this, society has placed a large focus on the way we dress.  Popular styles tell us that the body should be revealed.  This is typical for the Devil.   He is a liar.  He is trying to establish an opposite to everything the Bible tells us.  The Devil would have us believe that revealing the body is necessary to attract a spouse.  That revealing clothes are glamorous and nakedness is natural.  One of the Devil’s goals is the destruction of every human on the face of the planet.  The Word of God offers us a very simple contrast:  outside of marriage, revealing the body is an open shame. 

Gen 2:24-25  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.(25) And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

In this passage, we see the beginning of the first family in the creation.  Adam and Eve were the first husband and wife, they were naked together and they were not ashamed.  This passage is often referred to when explaining the physical relationship between a husband and his wife.  However, that is not necessarily the only context here.  At this point, they were not ashamed because they had not sinned.  They did not know what shame was and they did not understand the concepts of nakedness, sin and shame.  They had not eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  We cannot understand what it would be like to live without a sin nature or exist without the knowledge of "good and evil."  This concept is impossible for us to comprehend.  However, this is the state Adam and Eve were in at this point.  Just as we could not comprehend living in a completely sinless state, they had no comprehension of good and evil, of sin or of right and wrong.

Gen 3:1-6  Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.(4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.(6) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

To begin, let’s parse, or take apart, this passage.  In verse one, we see the serpent.  Today, we know snakes as a sly, subtle animal.  It is able to sneak up on its prey and quickly strike.  Sometimes, a snake's strike seems to come from nowhere.  Likewise, the devil is a subtle creature.  The devil sneaks up on us and deceives us with lies and half-truths. That is just how it all begins here.  The devil lies to Eve by telling a partial truth.  Eve answers the devil explaining that they can eat of every tree except one.  She adds that they cannot even touch that tree.  Now, here, she is adding to God's command.  God never told them they could not touch anything.  In fact, they were the keepers of the garden.  How could they keep the garden if there were trees they could not touch.  Satan's reply is an outright lie. In Genesis 2:17, the Lord commanded them that they would surely die if they ate of the tree of knowledge.  The devil went on to add that their eyes would be opened and they would be like gods knowing good and evil.  At this point, it was only God and the angels who knew good and evil, Adam and Eve did not.  Eve believed the lies of the devil, ate the fruit and fed it to Adam.  Their eyes were opened, and they did now see good and evil.  They did not sin by being naked.  This was how God created them.  However, now that they could see good and evil, they realized that there was shame in being naked.  Consider the next verse:

Gen 3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

As soon as they ate this fruit, their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked.  Later, we will see that God compares nakedness to an open shame.  They realized this fact before God inspired the first letter of the Word of God to be penned.  Once they realized they were naked, and ashamed, they attempted to make coverings for themselves.  They sewed together fig leaves to make themselves aprons.  Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary defines an apron, in this context, as a garment tied around the waist.  In all likelihood, these aprons covered the "vitals," but were they sufficient?   By any definition, an apron would never be considered to cover ones nakedness. In fact, Adam did not even consider himself to be clothed sufficiently.

Gen 3:9-10 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? (10)  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Just a few verses after Adam and Eve realized they were naked and sewed themselves aprons, God cam looking for them in the garden.  As God was looking for them, they hid themselves.  Adam told God they were hiding because they were naked.  Did their aprons cover any more of their bodies than the modern bathing suit?

Gen 3:21  Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Again, Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary gives us a definition to consider for the word coat: an outer garment worn on the upper body and varying in length and style according to fashion and use.  Clearly, a coat covers the upper body and extends below the waist to different lengths.  We can assume that whatever God made, it covered whatever God defined as naked. 

Since we are dealing with modesty, we should define the word modest.  The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth Edition, copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company) defines modesty as, “Reserve or propriety in speech, dress, or behavior.” Noah Webster defined MODEST in the 1828 version of the American Dictionary of the English Language as:

1. Properly, restrained by a sense of propriety; hence, not forward or bold; not presumptuous or arrogant; not boastful; as a modest youth; a modest man.
2. Not bold or forward; as a modest maid. The word may be thus used without reference to chastity. -- The blushing beauties of a modest maid.
3. Not loose; not lewd. -- Mrs. Ford, the honest woman, the modest wife.
4. Moderate; not excessive or extreme; not extravagant; as a modest request; modest joy; a modest computation.

Few would argue that a Christian should guard her speech and behavior.  However, for many it would seem that modesty has lost its definition. Followers of Christ should also demonstrate God-like character in every aspect of their lives, including their appearance. When you think of modesty, what images come to your mind? Do you think about a woman who is dressed a certain way or do you think about other things?  Modesty is revealed in a sense restraint, in not being bold or boastful, in having a sense of chastity.  In other words, modesty is much more than just the clothes you wear, modesty is revealing nothing but Christ.

Every day we make choices. The clothes we wear may not seem all that important in the grand scheme of life to anyone other than ourselves. Our clothes, however, speak volumes about us. Complete strangers may be able to surmise our gender, age, ethnicity, economic status, education, vocation, personality, and even character based upon what we wear. Employers, teachers, parents and peers will all take notice of our attire. The adornment of our bodies can either reinforce or change their ideas about each of us. The way we dress just may make the difference in obtaining a job, receiving an “A” on a school presentation, or making a good first impression and quickly earning the respect of our friends. Before we decide what we should wear tomorrow, let’s consider what God has to say on the subject of modesty.

Many of us will spend time gathered around a cake celebrating the anniversary of a loved one's birth. We will have a cake, perhaps some gifts. But all in all, someone's birthday is a special occasion.

Now, suppose today was your birthday. Everyone shows up for your party. Oh, there is a lot of food, and gifts. Oh, wow, gifts piled high almost touching the ceiling. You think, "Just look at all of this stuff. People must really love me." Then, all of a sudden, someone yells out, "Let's open presents." Your heart races. After all, it is your birthday, all of those gifts must be for you, right? Names are called and gifts are passed out. One by one, everyone gets a gift but you. "Where is my present. It's my birthday," you wonder.

What must Jesus wonder on His birthday? We spend the weeks leading up to Christmas hurrying about putting up decorations, shopping for presents for everyone on the list and going to parties. Some even deliver their child to an image of an antichrist in the form of a bearded, obese man in a red suit (that, my friend, is another article). Where is Jesus in all of this? When we take time to recall what Christmas is really about, we must remember that Christmas is not a season of gifts, it is the season where we should celebrate the greatest gift ever given - the gift of eternal life.

We would all say that Christmas is about Christ. we can see that even the atheists know this simple truth. They fight Christmas with a passion. Why? Because Christmas should be about Christ and they know it. Yet, so many of our Christian brethren take Christmas to a new commercialized depth. My friend, take time to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Romans 6:23b ... the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I must also ask if you have accepted that gift. There is no better time than the Christmas season to accept the free gift of eternal life and there is no better gift you can give Jesus than to allow Him to save you.

Those of you who know me know that I have the attention span of an ADD gnat. If you're from the south, you know just how annoying a gnat can be. They will flit around in your face darting back and forth so quickly you cannot smack them down. Likewise, it often seems as though I change direction as often as these gnats.

I have been working on a series entitled, "What To Look For In A Church." That series is far from complete, but it is coming. In the meantime, I will be posting a series which is complete and which addresses a dire need in society.

Sadly, even in churches, we see the need for sound teaching on the topic of modesty.  So, stay tuned and enjoy the forthcoming series on modesty.

Krystl asked:

I read your article on dating. And it didn't answer the questions I wanted to know.... I just got saved not to long ago. But I still have a boyfriend. He is very sweet, and well mannered. He has good respect. He is a hard worker, and loves to work! And he is saved!!! But lately we've been wondering 'bout some things. And we was wondering if you could give me some bible scripture on why preachers in church say its wrong to hold hands, hug, kiss, exc. Thanks for any help you can do. :)

Krystl, that is a great question! Have you ever considered the wedding ceremony? Think about the end of the ceremony where the preacher says, “I now pronounce you man and wife. Sir, you may now kiss your bride.” Is the preacher really giving them permission to kiss? Come on!! After all, this is 2010 – everyone kisses on the first date, right? Well, as Christians, we should not look at what everyone else does, we must look at what the Bible says. I hope you’re in a good church where the preacher has a backbone and preaches the Word of God! If this is the kind of church you’re in, you may have heard some of what I am about to say already. :)

The very first place we can look is 1 Corinthians 7

1Cor 7:1-2 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. (2) Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

God established and ordained a physical the relationship between a husband and his wife. Notice the context here: husband and wife. Outside of the relationship of a husband and wife, any physical contact between a man and a lady is very dangerous. In 1 Cor 7, Paul says it is ‘good’ for a man not to touch a woman. He did not say that a man should never touch a woman. Consider two examples, for a moment. First, picture a man who is in the military and who has been deployed in a warzone for a year. The day of his return is at hand and his wife waits patiently as his plane lands, taxis to its parking space. She is excited as the soldiers begin to come off the plane and finally, her eyes meet her husband’s eyes. They run to each other and meet in an embrace. On the other hand, imagine the same man coming home and, as his wife runs to him, his daughter runs along beside. Now, picture his daughter jumping and the soldier catching her in mid-air, spinning her around in a father’s loving embrace. Technically, they are both expressions of love and possession, but are the two embraces the same? No. One, in the bounds of marriage, is a forerunner of a romantic reunion which is long overdue where the other is a pure embrace showing a father’s love for his daughter. What is the difference between the two forms of love? One is born in romance where the other is the fruit of a father’s love.

Second, consider the word ‘love’. In the example above, we understand there are two distinctly different kinds of love being expressed: the love of a man for his wife and the love of a father for his daughter. Beyond those two types of love (romantic and parental), there are many other kinds of love. Remember, English is an imperfect and imprecise language. There is ones love for his dog, ones love for a certain car, football team, church, favorite shirt, pizza, etc. These are all different forms of love for different kinds of things. If you give your dog a hug, is it romantic? If you give your boyfriend a hug, is it romantic? There lies the difference. Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: (28) But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Mat 5:27-28, emphasis added). So, if a man can be led to commit adultery just because of the way a woman looks, how much more dangerous is a little physical contact? In that passage, what does the word “lust” mean? Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is the one I use to look up King James Bible words. In this case, Webster defined lust as: 1. Longing desire; eagerness to possess or enjoy; as the lust of gain. Ex. 15. 2. Concupiscence; carnal appetite; unlawful desire of carnal pleasure. Romans 1. 2Peter 2. 3. Evil propensity; depraved affections and desires. James 1. Ps. 81. So, lust is an illegal or unlawful desire of carnal (physical) pleasure.

When he brushed into you for the first time, in your heart, did it feel different than it did when your dog ran by your leg? When he took your hand for the first time, was it different than shaking some visitor’s hand at church? Did you want him to hold your hand again? Of course. This is completely natural, this is how God designed us. God designed each one of us to be a perfect match for someone. God has that perfect husband waiting for every girl. It is the unmarried person’s job to preserve all of their physical purity for the one and only one God intends to be their spouse. The first touch should be special. The first hug, the first kiss, the first embrace should all be firsts. If you give those “firsts” away to someone you will never marry, you have stolen something away from the one you ultimately will marry. Again, in 1 Cor 7, Paul is dealing with the husband and wife. In that chapter, he goes on to say that the wife should not defraud her husband and the husband should not defraud his wife. He is not talking about one stealing from the checking account, he is talking about the fraud that can occur in the physical relationship. Will any kiss ever be more special than your first kiss? No. Even if you are not married and have no idea who you will marry, if that first kiss was not shared with your husband, you have defrauded him of something.

Aside from the firsts, the real danger is in the unlawful affection. God designed the physical relationship to be confined to marriage.

Heb 13:4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

So, imagine this: some guy slides up beside his girl and takes her hand. They both like it. They hold hands for a while, then one day he slips his arm around her. That’s nice too. Now, they both want a real hug. Maybe she thinks, “this hug is nice, I bet a kiss would be nicer.” She finds out that she was right. See how there is a progression? See how one leads to the next? God designed this process and He designed it to continue to an end in the marriage bed. However, outside of marriage, even that first touch creates a desire which cannot be lawfully fulfilled outside of marriage. If that process were taken to the end God designed, outside of marriage, it would become fornication. In order to avoid fornication, some in our society, try to claim that you can put the brakes on the physical relationship. Some have created a rule that says so much and no more (though, in reality, the world has abandoned these rules). We want to appease our flesh by allowing a little of the physical process but we lie to ourselves when we claim we can control it. God never intended that process to stop with a kiss, God intended it to be fulfilled in the marriage relationship. When we are honest, we all know we want more than a kiss. This is lust – it is a desire for that which we cannot have. Paul’s position in 1 Cor 7:1-2 is a protective one. Fornication and adultery are sins. Physical contact between a man and a woman can easily lead to fornication (the unlawful physical relationship) or adultery (the unlawful desire for a physical relationship which occurs in ones heart). By completely avoiding physical contact in a romantic context, you never create that desire.

More dangerously, if your first kiss (and we will leave the discussion at kisses) is not your husband, there will always be a point for the devil to tempt you saying, “you know, that other guy was a better kisser than this one.” You will always be tempted to look for something that is better than the your husband. Does God want you to marry the one who is best for you or who is the best kisser?

What if you are dating the perfect guy and you know he is the one you will marry. Is it okay to kiss? No. Whether you call it dating, courtship, betrothal or fishing, it is a process where you are getting to know someone and actively looking for reasons to eliminate him (her) as a potential spouse. So, what if you know he is the one and you kiss him, then you discover he is a total jerk and not worth the air he breathes? You have stolen from the purity God intended for your husband and given it to a total jerk.

About being “pure.” Suppose you had been out in the hot sun all day long. You’re tired, beaten from the sun, hot and thirsty. Then I come along and offer you a cold glass of crystal clear, ice cold water. Would you take it? What if I told you that I took just a few drops of water out of the toilet and put in that glass. Oh, it still looks crystal clear. You’re hot, tired and it seems like you’re about to die of thirst, would you drink it? It’s just a little impure. Would you drink it?

All to say this: the practice of no physical contact is not a precept as in “thou shalt not lie,” but it is a very clear principle of the Word of God placed there to protect us from violating a very clear precept (thou shalt not commit adultery). Whether we are married or unmarried, we must actively guard our purity. Any impurity is a contamination, it is a taint. A kiss, a hug or even holding hands, in a romantic context, introduces impurity.

Ladies, do you use Facebook, a blog or other social media to reprove, rebuke or exhort others? Are men reading your posts? If so, you are preaching to men! Do you stand and teach a mixed class of young men and young ladies (teens and above)? You are preaching to men.

Ladies, this is confusion and it is absolutely wicked. Since the Garden of Eden, God’s plan was for the woman to listen to the man. Not the other way around. God never intended you to preach!

Genesis 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

I realize you may rule your home, but please don’t give Christ a black eye by claiming you are a Christian then coming out and publicly preaching to everyone. It simply is not your place.

1 Timothy 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

That verse applies to men of all ages. Yes, young men who are in their teen years are considered to be men. Physically, once a boy reaches puberty, he is a man. In the Hebrew law, a boy becomes a man at the age of thirteen.

If you are woman who is preaching to men, you should not call yourself modest, either. But, that is an entirely different discussion. Please repent of this sin and do so publicly. Please also apologize for bringing your husband to an open shame.

If you are a man reading this, you should not tolerate it either. Tell these immodest, preachy women to sit down and be quiet. Otherwise, you are as guilty as they are.

What you just read was the text of a recent post on my wall on Facebook (see Facebook). Since posting this thought, several women got very upset and a number of men parted company with me accusing me of causing divisions, citing Romans 16:17.

Ro 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

These men are defending what is clearly a violation of a Scriptural principle and accusing me of causing divisions contrary to the doctrine we have learned? I have not taught anything contrary to sound, Biblical doctrine: women should not be preaching to men. This is a clear Biblical precept. Among those who truly hold to the truths of the Word of God, this is a settled fact: women should not preach to men!

So, why are these men, men who are preachers in fundamental churches, defending women preachers? I could only speculate. Perhaps they are blinded; perhaps they enjoy the women’s preaching. I could not say.

Do you have a question about the Bible? Do you have a question about some doctrine or why we do what we do? Click here to send us your question and we will try to give you an answer as soon as possible.

“My daughter likes Twilight. What should I do?”

That is a very serious problem on a number of levels. The “Twilight” series is a very dangerous threat to the home. Because this series of books and movies is such a threat, and because of the reasons I will outline below, I would immediately be concerned about my daughter’s salvation.

There are many problems with this series. On the surface, it may seem like any other love story (not that those are necessarily healthy or right). In this case, the love story centers around murder and a lust for blood. Those two traits exist, by default in a vampire. The lead character, Bella, is in love with a vampire! Right away, anyone with half a brain will equate vampires with Satanism and the occult. Sadly, however, many have been blinded to this fact just as Bella was in the series.
Click here to read more...

When dealing with teens, there is often the problem of music to deal with as well. When we consider music in the light of separation, we see that all this contemporary mess doesn't fit! No, it may not be the same hymns and songs they had 200 years ago, but I believe the Spirit-filled believer from 200 years ago would not be so concerned about the music in our churches as they would be the absence of real preaching.

Throughout the country, men stand behind the holy desk and look over various crowds of people. When they do, are they addressing the problem at hand or are they offering a salve to hide the stench of sin? I am sick of people looking at only one aspect of Jesus. Yes, Jesus is the epitome of love, but He is also the very standard of justice and of righteousness. People today are saying that Jesus would never preach hard. Remember: Jesus said that if one would offend a child, it would be better that a millstone be tied around his neck and he be cast into the sea. Wow. Sounds like some hard preaching. Jesus walked into the temple and drove the merchants out at the end of a whip. That does not sound like the preaching most people get today.
Yes, preachers, we need more preaching on sin. Why is our country in the state it is in? Why are countries sending missionaries to the United States? BECAUSE PREACHERS AREN'T PREACHING!!! Come on men, be MEN and PPPPRRRRREEEEEEEAAAAACCCCCCHHHHHH! If you need to, go by Wal-Mart and get a back-bone (I know ... many of you had your back-bones removed at your local Bible College). Get out your Bible and PREACH! Throw these pansy, don't want to offend anyone, easy-sleazy, feel good messages away and get out the SWORD ... Let's do some HOLY GHOST SURGERY. We need the men of God to preach the Word of God. Yes, that means we need to call sin by it's name. If you have brain cancer, you don't want the doctor to tell you what a lovely head of hair you have - you want him to CUT IT OUT!!!

If we, as preachers, would preach the whole counsel of the Word of God, that would include preaching on sin.

2Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

Yes, we are to exhort or lift people up, but we are also to preach on sin. We are to reprove and rebuke. The apostles showed the love of God but they PREACHED that men needed to REPENT!!! We need preachers that expose the cancer of sin, not pink-pantie wearing "pasthors" who are afraid of losing their retirement if they make momma know-nothing mad.

Recently, I received the following question:

Ok ... so I go to this church that is supposed to be all old-fashioned and everything. The preacher always preaches against contemporary music and that kind of stuff. So whatever. Should a woman lead a choir? should a woman lead a youth choir? should a woman preach? should a woman teach a class of teen guys and girls? when is it ok for a woman to teach? To preach? to lead choirs?

The Bible has a great answer. Click here to see it!

Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Since I have been saved, I have always heard that we are to wait, asin be still, and see the Lord move. Certainly there are times when we should wait. However, there are times when waiting, as in being still,can lead to slothfulness.

Read more at Teens-4-Christ.

On different occasions, various churches have come up in discussion. Often, someone will say something like, “Oh, I know that church, that used to be one of those shoutin’ churches.” What changed in those churches? More importantly, what is happening to fundamentalism as a whole?

To read the complete article, click here to be taken to Teens-4-Christ.

What do you really know about dating? When should you (or your child) start dating? What is proper? What about courtship? What is God's plan? Here is a link to the first in a series of articles to answer all of these questions about dating and more. http://teens-4-christ.org/dating

Ps 146:1-2 Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. (2) While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.

Ps 147:1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.

Ps 148:1-5 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. (2) Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. (3) Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. (4) Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. (5) Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.

Ps 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

Ps 150:1-6 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. (2) Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. (3) Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. (4) Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. (5) Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. (6) Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Did you notice a theme there?  You should.  We should praise the Lord.
I know, you think your church is the greatest church on earth.  Well, if you are saved, you are a part of the body of Christ. As a member of the body of Christ, you are a member of the greatest church.  However, I am convinced our local church is the best local church around. I know, you disagree.  You are entitled to be wrong.
Tonight's church service was one of those services.  I don't want to say it was a service where the Holy Spirit moved in or took over -- the Spirit of God is always in control at our church.  It was, however, a different service.  People started praising God for His grace, mercy and salvation.  As the testimonies continued, Preacher interrupted to ensure everyone knew the alter was open. It was clear that God was helping people and people were praising God for the help He was giving.
I am glad I am in a church where the Spirit of God is real and welcome.

Gen 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (6) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

The serpent here was described as subtle.  In fact, we know this particular serpent was Satan himself.  Someone who is subtle is someone who is sly, who can easily deceive someone.  The devil was being subtle to convince Eve to sin. However, in the Word of God, there is another kind of person who is described as subtle:

Prov 7:10 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart.

When we take the passages we have studied so far and put them together, it becomes easy to imagine how Eve convinced Adam to eat the fruit.  True, she was enticed by the devil as he lied to her.  However, I can imagine her going to Adam and showing him the fruit.  Perhaps winking at him and begging him with her flattering words to eat.  Likewise, the harlot is described as subtle of heart.  In a previous section, we discussed how the devil often uses women as bait in his snare.  The harlot is another kind of woman Satan uses as bait.  No one would debate that the harlot is a trap.  However, how many other women are walking around with the attire and language of a harlot and do not realize it? 

The attire of a harlot includes more than her clothing.  Likewise, the attire of a harlot is subtle.  If a man is not careful and vigilant, he will quickly be ensnared by her.  Once in her snare, his testimony or life could easily be destroyed.  Sadly, there are many women walking around us every day who are adorned in the attire of the harlot.  If you approached some of these women and accused them of being a harlot, they would be deeply offended.  As we will see, many of them unwittingly occupy our churches in every service. So, what is the attire of the harlot?

Prov 7:10-12  And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart. (11) (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: (12) Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

The true harlot is clearly dressed in a certain way.  She reveals her body in a way that it intended to attract a customer.  The harlot is also acting in a very specific way and she is speaking a specific way.  We understand why she is dressed the way she is, but why is she acting and talking the way she does?  For the same reason: she is advertising what she has to offer.  She is advertising her product and setting a trap for a man.  Is the man who takes the bait without guilt?  Of course not!  If a man takes her bait, he is guilty, but she has set a trap for him!  Likewise, a woman who has adorned herself in the attire of a harlot has also set a trap for a man.  Sadly, she may not even realize it. 

The harlot is dressed in a certain way, and that she dresses that way so that she can sell her product.  She is dressed to show off her product - her body.  She knows that most men are drawn in by their eyes.  When men see the body of an attractive woman, men are naturally excited and drawn to her.  At the site of an attractive woman's body, a man is tempted to sin.  Everyone with any common sense knows this.  Every woman wants to be considered attractive.  Who is she trying to attract?  The way a woman is clothed certainly reveals whether she is concerned with attracting men or not. However, there is more to the attire of a harlot than the clothes she is (or is not) wearing.  As we learned already, she is subtle. In other words, she is a flirt.  She is the one who is always talking and drawing men to her with her actions and words.  Yes, it is immodest to be a flirt and a harlot is also a flirt!   The harlot is also loud.  She wants you to know she is there.  The harlot is also stubborn.  In fact, most immodest women will refuse to admit these simple truths are a part of who they are!

1 Cor 6:19-20  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

The harlot is dressing in a certain way because she has something to sell.  However, as Christians, we have nothing to sell. We have already been purchased by the Blood of Christ!  Our bodies are not our own to do with as we please.  As Christians, we belong to God.  We cannot do as we wish, we are to glorify God with our bodies.  The Apostle Paul referred to himself as a servant (Rom 1:1).  Literally, Paul was referring to himself as a man who is so indebted to another that he would be considered to be a slave.  When a Christian exposes her body or acts as a harlot does, she is not glorifying God in any way!  When a woman acts in this way, she is merely advertising what she has to sell. 



 

Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

 I am painfully reminded that we never fully realize what burdens people carry as they pass us by. A casual greeting with polite smiles may easily conceal a raging storm of doubt, fear, anguish and turmoil. Gal 6:2 is a command to all the saints of God: yes, if you are saved, you are called to bear the burdens of your brothers and sisters in Christ.

It is certainly true that we cannot pray for every single saint of God by name, nor could we ever pretend to pray for the vast multitudes of the lost that wander the face of the earth, but we are, nevertheless, called to bear each others burdens. I am equally convinced that we are so caught up in our own petty cycles that we have lost touch with the concern we should have for our fellow saints. We are not sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit of God who is pleading with us to simply pray. I am committed, now more than ever, to praying for the saints of God. When I see your face I remember your name, I will try to pray for you. Will you do the same for those around you?

I want to challenge you to go one step further: Every day, pick someone. Make that person your 'person of the day' and spend extra time during the day lifting their name in prayer. It will take some effort - but anything worth doing requires effort. Our churches, our pastors, evangelists and missionaries all need our prayer, but so do our children, our parents and our families.

1 Th 5:17-18 Pray without ceasing. (18) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Will you take time out of your busy day to lift someone in prayer?

The very act of prayer requires a great deal of effort, and I know the Lord will work through our prayers, but if you will go a small step further, I believe the reward will be much greater. When you pray for someone in particular, will you take a moment to write them a note of encouragement?

I don't know who wrote the song People Need the Lord, but the lyrics of the first verse seem so fitting:

Everyday they pass me by,

I can see it in their eye.

Empty people filled with care,

Headed who knows where?

 

On they go through private pain,

Living fear to fear.

Laughter hides their silent cries,

Only Jesus hears.

1 Tim 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.

In our own power, we cannot bear our own pain, but with the power of God, we can bear the burdens of many.

Will you pray?