As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“[S]tudents at another Christian university—Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.—say Falwell’s position does not represent Christian ideals. In an open letter to evangelical leaders, a coalition of Wheaton students condemned Falwell’s remarks, saying they were responding to ‘religious oppression or violence’ with fear instead of love.” WORLD
The original positng “urged university employees to avoid any ‘emphasis on religion or culture,’ to ‘ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise,’ and to ‘not play games with religious and cultural themes’ such as ‘Secret Santa.’” BPNews
CHAPTER VI - DIVINE EFFICACY OF PRAYER
BY ARTHUR T. PIERSON
All the greatest needs, both of the Church and of the world, may be included in one: the need of a higher standard of godliness; and the all-embracing secret of a truly godly life is close and constant contact with the unseen God; that contact is learned and practised, as nowhere else, in the secret place of supplication and intercession.
(Read the series so far.)
We often think of “weak” and “strong” as though they are static and unchanging. Are they? Is change possible, either from strong to weak or from weak to strong?
Weakness, properly done, is nothing more than God’s Word applied to our lives. He says, “Put no other God’s before me.” We respond by refusing to involved in idol-worship. But what does it mean to be involved in idol-worship? There is a whole spectrum of positions.
The weakest brother can’t eat any meat, for what is sold in the market could be tainted.1 Another would eat meat so long as no one around was conscientious of tainted food. A third brother would go right into the temple and, ignoring the ceremony honoring the idol, eat with his friends and colleagues.
“…my wife chose a rare and counter-cultural vocation. She chose a vocation that was once very respectful but is now viewed with some shame.”
(From Voice magazine, Nov/Dec 2015. Used by permission. Read Part 1.)
Our culture continues to hold fast to the same sins we read about in Genesis, reveling in perversion and condemning any who refuse to join in the celebration. So while we may (and should) shelter our family from sins of this nature, it is inescapable that we as parents will have to address these sins with our children at some level. And the place to begin, is in the beginning, where God created a perfect world and joined the first man and the first woman in the perfect union: marriage.
But then the question arises: “Where do I go from here?” Outside the safety of the Garden, gross sin lurks on nearly every page. You may be wondering, does my four-year-old son even need to know about homosexuality? He does, but he doesn’t need to know every last detail just yet. Sometimes it’s as much about what’s not said as what is said.
(From Voice magazine, Nov/Dec 2015. Used by permission.)
How do you talk to your children about sexual sin? That question has become all the more pressing since June 26, 2015 when the U.S. Supreme Court enshrined same-sex marriage as the law of the land. This ruling—the latest in a string of victories garnered by homosexual activists—came a little more than a week before Independence Day, summer’s unofficial halftime break. So while scores of gay rights celebrations ignited across the country, many families washed down campers and cleaned out coolers in anticipation of midsummer getaways.
But as many families got away the following weekend, they quickly realized there was nowhere to go—at least nowhere they could go to get away from the Supreme Court’s ruling. As the homosexual agenda continues to gather speed, the American family can expect to find fewer and fewer safe havens. What was only whispered about in past generations is today broadcast in the mainstream media.
“In God’s perfect design, family is a supreme agent for sanctification, which can be unbearably painful at times.” How Is God Shaping You and Your Calling through Your Family?
Discussion