Is It Profitable?

If you haven’t heard it already, you probably will.  Someone will surely tell you that the Bible doesn’t say anything about a certain topic.  While it may be true that it is never specifically mentioned in the Word, there are many verses that give us Godly principles that can be applied to many different topics.  With these verses, we can determine what we should and shouldn’t do; what is right and what is wrong in God’s eyes.  These verses not only apply to the so-called “grey areas” but can also be applied to more black-and-white topics.

Paul said, “All things are lawful unto me, but not all things are expedient.  All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (I Cor. 6:12) The ESV says “…not all things are helpful…” “…I will not be enslaved by anything.”

• I Thessalonians 5:21, 22 tells us to “Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good.  Abstain from all appearance of evil.“
• Matthew 12:36 says, “Every idle word that man shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment.“
• I Cor 10:31: “Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.“
• I Cor 3:16, 17: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you?  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.“
• I Cor 8:12, 13: “But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ, wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.“

Paul told us that while some things may have been permissible in and of themselves, he wouldn’t do them because of the way it would look to others.  “abstain from all appearance of evil” we are told (I Thessalonians 5:22).  If it even has the appearance of being wrong, we ought to at least give serious thought before we do it!

These are interesting principles, but what can they apply to?

1. Drinking alcoholic beverages. 

The New Testament says “be not drunk with wine” (Eph 5:18), and it says that elders should not be “given to wine.”  Many people take that and say that it is ok to drink alcohol as long as we don’t get drunk.  First off, please get out your Bibles and read Proverbs 20:1. 

It is well-known that Paul told Timothy to “drink a little wine” for his stomach’s sake, and for his constant infirmities.  This verse—which might not even be speaking of alcohol (same Greek word for grape juice)—was a prescription given to a specific person at a specific time for a specific purpose.  Even if this is speaking of alcohol, it doesn’t permit it to be used for any and every reason!  Is it ok to use morphine and narcotics for medical pain-relieving purposes?  Of course.  Does that them make it ok to use them just for fun?  No way!

Let’s take the topic and apply the earlier mentioned Biblical principles to it.  First, if–and that’s a big IF–it is spiritually lawful, is it expedient (or helpful)?  Is it profitable (as another translation says)?  Will drinking a beer help our soul?  Paul says things may be lawful, but he will “not be brought under the power of any” (I Cor 6:12).  It’s been scientifically shown that even one drink kills brain cells.  We all know that alcohol is addictive, so can someone really drink and “not be brought under the power” of the alcohol?  Can we drink alcohol to the glory of God (I Cor 10:31)?  Remember, no matter what we do, no matter if we think it’s right or wrong, we will have to answer to God at the day of judgment!  Mark 8:36 says, “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”  Is it worth your soul for just a drink?

2. Smoking cigarettes. 

This is a topic that most people have opinions on.  This is also the topic (outside of worship matters) that most often brings forth the words, “there’s nothing in the Bible that says it is wrong!”  Smoking didn’t originate until about 1200-1300 years after the Bible was written.  It was first used by American Indians as part of their religious ceremonies.  So, obviously, Paul and the other writers had no knowledge of smoking, nor any reason to mention it.  But the principles in the Bible can help us discover if it’s ok to smoke.

Once again, we start with Paul’s statement.  If indeed it is lawful (as some will say), is it expedient?  Is it profitable?  Smoking is very addictive, and anyone who smokes is indeed “brought under the power” of smoking.  Can we smoke a cigarette to the glory of God?  Everyone, by now, is aware that smoking is very harmful to the body.  The question then presents itself: Why do people still do it?  It is possible to quit.  Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)

We preach and teach that we are to love one another and show love one for another.  We believe we should live by Christ’s words when he said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”  Second-hand smoke is responsible for approximately 3,000 deaths per year among non-smokers!  Are we showing our love for our neighbors if we smoke?

We should also look at the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.  We’re shown that God rewards those who are good stewards of what he’s given them.  Is it being a good steward to spend the money he’s blessed us with on cigarettes?  An average pack costs $4.00 (the average smoker smokes one pack per day), which is almost $1,500 per year!  Imagine what good could be done with that money!

Conclusion:

When Paul said “not all things are profitable,” he meant it.  There are things that do nothing to help the body or the soul, and do nothing to bring others to Christ.  Paul also said he would not do something if it offended others (I Cor 8:8-13), in fact he said “While the world stands” he would not do it!

Just ask yourself this: What would you think of someone who went door-to-door with a cigarette in their mouth or a beer in their hand, trying to convert people to Christ?

Indeed, not all things are profitable, and we will give an account to God of every little thing we do.  Do all to the glory of God.  Let us apply these principles to everything we do in our lives!

(NOTE: this article was first written in 2007, and has undergone some revision since then)

Why, God?

Why, God?

Living in central Oklahoma, I know first-hand the terror that comes when you hear the word “tornado.”  People fear for their lives, and rightfully so.  On Monday, knowing that tornadoes were likely, we had our children pack up the things most important to them, and we brought them along as we went and took cover in a storm shelter.  Thankfully, the tornadoes went around and over our hometown without doing any damage to it.  Others, however, were not so fortunate.

Seeing the images on television and hearing about the death and destruction that overwhelmed Moore and Bethel Acres cannot come close to describing the hurt and loss of the people who were directly affected by it.  In the midst of the carnage, some people thanked God that they were spared.  A few days have gone by, and the question on some people’s hearts is:

Why did God allow this to happen?

I do not claim to know all the answers, but I do know that all things work together for good to them that love God (Romans 8:28).  And with this thought at the forefront of my mind, I offer the following thoughts for why God allowed the tornadoes to rip through central Oklahoma this week.

1.    To wake people up to their spiritual needs.  When tornadoes hit, people begin to think more about their spiritual life.  What will happen if I die?  It is often after the death of a loved one or a brush with death that people will begin to see their mortality and hopefully look at where they are headed spiritually speaking.

2.    To wake up the church.  One of the biggest problems in the church is spiritual sleepiness.  In most congregations, it is like pulling teeth to get certain members involved.  In some congregations, the entire body is in a spiritual coma, doing nothing for the Lord except for showing up for worship.  When something like these tornadoes happen, it serves to shock the church members into looking at their own lives and realizing that they have not been living out their Christianity like they should.  Now it is high time to awake! (Romans 13:11).

3.    To give the church a chance to shine.  There was once a man who was blind from birth.  That—to me—would be horrible.  But Jesus said that man spent his entire life blind so that the works of God could be plainly seen (John 9:3).  Things that we consider bad are sometimes allowed to happen so that God’s people can show the works of God.  After the tornadoes, churches of Christ opened their doors to give victims places to stay, places to eat a hot meal, places to find clothing.  Churches of Christ from across the state have been trying to assist with the clean-up and with taking care of those who are still without homes.  The church has been given a fantastic opportunity to show what Christianity is all about.  Do good unto all (Galatians 6:10).  Let’s take full advantage of this door that God has opened for us.

4.    To give the church an opportunity to grow.  Christians who do the work of God will also grow spiritually.  They will become stronger, more caring Christians.  The tornadoes have given Christians an opportunity to grow spiritually.  But this is also an opportunity to help the church grow in number.  When people see that you truly care, they will be more open to listening to the gospel.  There are hundreds of people who are hurting, who are feeling their mortality, and who may be seriously considering the question of Where would I go if I died?  Now is the time to show them you care for their physical needs, but also their spiritual needs.  People may be more open to the gospel of Jesus Christ now than at any other time in their entire lives.  Let us work to save them while we have the chance!

Lord, let us learn to use the opportunities that we have to do good unto all men—both physically and spiritually—so that we can bring glory to you.

Peconceived Notions

There are many times in life when mistakes are made because one has preconceived notions that prove to be false.  People bring their own biases to the Bible when they read and study it.  Perhaps they view it through the lens of Calvinism, Pentecostalism, or even atheism.  Whatever it is, these people have preconceived biases or notions.

 The same thing was true in biblical times.  Throughout the Gospel accounts and Acts it can be seen that people had preconceived ideas of what the Messiah would be.  Therefore, they read all the prophecies with that lens, expecting the prophecies to back up their biases. 

 That the Israelites expected an earthly king is obvious.  Jesus refuted the idea by stating to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world…” (John 18:36).  It was not just the common Jews or even the overly strict Pharisees that thought this.  This view even permeated into Christ’s own chosen apostles!  One would think that after three years of teaching, they would understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom, but still they did not!  Even in the last moments of Christ’s time on earth before the ascension, they still expected an earthly kingdom.  Acts 1:6 says, “they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”  Even Jesus’ closest disciples had preconceived notions and biases.  Can Christians today possibly be so bold and brash as to say they do not?

 All throughout the first part of Acts, it is apparent that Peter and the other apostles had to deal with people’s preconceived notions.  He proclaims,  “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know (Acts 2:22).”  Peter was telling them: LOOK!  This was happening right in front of you!  God was showing His approval of Christ in that Jesus was working miracles through Him, and you saw it!  In preaching to the crowd of onlookers, he said “Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you…which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:20-21).”  Peter is basically telling them: God has been telling you about the Christ since the beginning.  You should have known Jesus was the One.  Earlier in the chapter he acknowledges that they were ignorant of the true meaning of the scriptures (Acts 3:17-18).  Peter convicted them, saying that their preconceived ideas kept them from recognizing that Jesus was the Christ. 

 Jesus is called “the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become head of the corner (Acts 4:11).”  This is a reference to the Jews rejecting Jesus.  It is strange that the Jews were looking forward so much to the Messiah that when He came, they didn’t recognize Him.  The reason for this was that they had preconceived ideas of what He would be.

 If they would have let the Scripture speak for itself, they would have known Jesus as the Christ from the beginning.  Christians today also need to let the scriptures speak for themselves.  There are many doctrines in the religious world that people assume (preconceived idea) are in the Bible.   Ideas such as “faith only” and “once saved, always saved” are not found in the Bible.  But when some read the scriptures, it is read through that lens.  In doing so, the truth that is plain to see is missed.  All should learn from the lesson of those Jews.  Preconceived ideas should be left behind and the Holy Spirit should be allowed to plainly speak the truth to all through His Word. 

Going Through Life with Your Turn Signal On?

Almost everyone who has been driving very long has had this experience.  Someone on the road in front of you is driving along with their turn signal on.  For a few moments you prepare for him to slow down, because his turn must be coming up soon.  But it doesn’t take you long to realize that the man in front of you has no intention of turning.  He’s just left his turn signal on.

He’s sending out a message through his forgetfulness: I may be signalling one way, but that isn’t really where I’m going.

This is the way that more than a few Christians live their lives.

They signal that they are going to heaven, but after a short time, others can see the truth.

They signal that they are good, moral people, but those who look at them can see that’s not really the case.

They signal that they are living out Christ in their lives, but anyone who looks very long sees that their mind isn’t on Jesus.

I would wager to say that you see these turn-signal Christians frequently.  They are the ones who assemble with the saints, but who are not engaged in worshiping God.  They are the ones who text while in the pews.  They are the ones who pay little to no attention to the lessons.  Oh, but they are there!  They are signalling “I am a Christian” by showing up, but their actions don’t match up with it.

You may think I’m being unfair and harsh.  Please read on.

I fear that all of us become turn-signal Christians at one point or another–even if it is just for a short time.  By that, I mean that there are times when each one of us gets distracted from our goal, and we slack off in being what God wants us to be.  We stop living out Christ in our lives.  Just like the drivers who leave their turn-signals on, it is usually not intentional–but it happens nonetheless.

Keep that in mind when you see someone who needs to know that they are sending mixed signals.  They probably didn’t even realize it.

The Bible calls for us to constantly examine ourselves (II John 8 among others).  So, examine yourself.  Ask yourself honestly, “Am I a turn signal Christian?”

The great part is that if you find the answer is “yes,” then there is something you can do about it.  Go to God in prayer, admit your sin, and ask for forgiveness (Acts 18:22, I John 1:9).  And then live out your life in a way that matches your profession of Christianity.

Think about it.

The Angels Pecked on Me?

One of the most fun things to hear is a child reciting song lyrics, because you know that inevitably they will have misunderstood some of the lines.  And honestly, which one of us hasn’t ever misunderstood the words of one song or another?

In the 70’s there was a song called “Drift Away,” and when I was a kid, I thought the guy was saying, “Give me the Beach Boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away.”  It took a long time before I realized it said “Give me the beat, boys.”  One of the most famous examples is Credence Clearwater Revivals’ “Bad Moon Rising.”  You know the line, “there’s a bathroom on the right,” except it actually says, “there’s a bad moon on the rise.”

This misunderstanding of song lyrics isn’t confined to popular music.  I knew a little boy who was scared of angels because of the song which said, “the angels pecked on me from heaven’s open door.”  Some people have wondered why we sing “peas, perfect peas.”  Others question “Who is Father Along, and why will he know all about it?”  The list of misheard hymn lyrics is actually quite extensive.

When children misunderstand things, it is cute.  When adults misunderstand things, it’s not.

If you are married, then you have had this discussion:  “I told you ___________.”  “Wait.  I thought you meant ____________.”

I guarantee that the response from your spouse wasn’t, “Awww, that’s so cute that you misunderstood.”  Many times, the response is “No, I said this,” or some other such thing that shows they don’t find your misunderstanding cute, humorous, or anything remotely like it.

There are so many areas in which we need to work harder to understand.

Most importantly, we need to work harder to understand God’s word.  Most of the religious division in the world comes from people misunderstanding parts of God’s word—sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally, and sometimes it is just because they don’t bother to try.  But wouldn’t it be great if the religious division disappeared and we all began to unite with a proper understanding of God’s word?

We need to work harder to understand our spouses—what they think, what they are saying, what they mean, what they need.  A large number of the arguments between spouses are because they weren’t on the same page [aka didn’t understand where the other was coming from].  Wouldn’t it be great if the arguments in your marriage began to disappear?

We are going to misunderstand things from time to time.  Let’s do our best to make sure that it isn’t for lack of trying.

Make it Personal through Prayer

Yesterday, it was suggested that the first step in making your relationship with Jesus more personal was to study the Scriptures.  Today comes step two: making your relationship personal through prayer.

Studying is great for accumulating knowledge and building understanding, but it isn’t enough.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5).

If we want to continue getting wisdom (the ability to apply knowledge personally), we must pray to God and ask for it!

Why, though?  Isn’t studying the Bible enough?

The answer to that question is NO.

Please understand, I am not saying that God will give us some knowledge that is not found in scripture, but he will give us better understanding and wisdom on how that knowledge applies to us.  The most intelligent person on the planet is still not even on the same playing field as God is.  God knows and understands infinitely more than us.  For like the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9).

Praying for wisdom goes hand-in-hand with studying God’s word.  The more you know about Jesus, the more personal your relationship will become with Him.  The more you understand about Jesus—His motives, His teachings, His life—the closer you will grow to Him.

While praying for wisdom is all well and good, there are more reasons to make it personal through prayer.  We are to be in constant contact with God.  Pray without Ceasing. (I Thessalonians 5:17).

Going through difficulties with someone makes the relationship closer.

When you have a problem with something, who do you turn to?  Who do you tell it to?  A friend, right?  Whether it is your spouse or a friend you’ve known for a while, telling someone your troubles, problems, and concerns always seems to make things better.  This is especially when you have someone who understands what you’re going through.

Why are so many people willing to tell their troubles to a friend, but not to God?

Shouldn’t God be the first one we turn to with our problems and cares?  After all, he’s the only one who can actually do anything for every problem we have!

Constant contact makes for a closer relationship.

Imagine you met someone one time fifteen years ago, and then never heard from them again.  Then out of the blue one day, that person came up to you and said, “Remember me?  I’m John, your really close friend!”  Odds are pretty good that you would not agree with his assessment of your friendship.  After all, a friend—a really good friend—is one who you get to know, and who you talk to on a regular basis.

The same thing is true with God.  The more you talk to him (and listen to what he says to you through his word), the better friend you will have.  As the old saying goes, “To have a friend, you must first be a friend.”

Are you willing to say to God, “I’m sorry for not keeping in touch better”?  Why not start today to build up that relationship with Him.  Be in constant conversation with God.

Spreading the Good News About Gas

One person I know used to call the local radio stations every morning and let them know which gas stations had the cheapest gas that day.  He wasn’t paid to do it, nor was he ever asked to do it.  Instead, he viewed it as a public service to let others know where they could save five or ten cents per gallon on their gas.  If you add that up, in a normal SUV, that’s perhaps $2.50 you can save! 

The man did this every day.  Why?

Because he wanted to help others.  Sure, $2.50 isn’t much, but people sure do feel like ten cents per gallon is a big deal.  In fact, they’ll drive a mile or two out of their way to get their gas cheaper…never bothering to consider that they wasted a gallon of gas doing it—and thus wasting more money than they saved.

Because he thought they would be interested.  Saving money seems to interest most people, even if it is a little amount.  I know of one person (I won’t mention his name) who uses a calculator at the grocery store to figure out how much things cost per ounce.  And if it happens to save him a penny, he’ll buy the big container instead of four of the little ones—even if he’s not going to use all of it for months. 

Because he hoped it would be important to them.  For some people who are on a very tight budget or a fixed income, every little bit helps.  And hearing about the best price in town is very useful.

Now, answer honestly: have you ever told a total stranger where they could find something cheaper?  I was in a grocery store once, and heard someone complaining about the price of Ritz crackers.  I then heard someone else say, “they have them for half the price over at ____________ .”

People spread this kind of news all the time, and many times it is to total strangers. 

About this point, you’re either wondering where I’m going, or you’ve already figured it out.

Why is it that people (including Christians) are so eager and unafraid to spread the good news about cheap gas, but are so timid and scared when it comes to spreading the REALLY good news about the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Do you want to help others?

Of course you do!  But what is more helpful, telling people how to save $2.50, or telling them how to save their eternal soul?

Do you find Jesus and the Bible and salvation interesting?

There’s a lot of other people out there who do as well.  What do you think is more interesting to most people?  $2.50 or freedom from the guilt and consequences of their past sins?

Do you think salvation is important?

If you don’t try to talk to others about it, then the answer is “no.”  Most people have no problem telling total strangers about good deals, all because they think saving money is important.  Do you think saving souls is important? 

If you want to be helpful—truly helpful—to other people, tell them about Jesus.  And if you want to tell them how to save $2.50 while you’re at it, then they will have two things to thank you for: helping their pocketbook, but also helping their soul.