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If you spend more time with facebook instead of the faithbook – the Bible – then you are already on a course to addiction and self-deception as you set a negative example for others. We need people to sign up and go along with the terms written down in God’s faithbook (KJV). The best social network one can ask for is a local Bible-believing, Bible-practicing church where there is a strong bond of love and fellowship.

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Many people take issue with the teaching of this passage of Scripture. Some say it is a shame, but not a sin. This is a false dichotomy, for shame is the emotion of sin and is its natural result. It follows, therefore, that the reason it is a shame for a man to have long hair is because it is a sin. We ask, a shame unto whom? Is it a shame unto “him” – the man himselff who is wearing the unbiblical hairstyle, or is it a shame unto “Him” – God, who made man in His image? Certainly both are true. The Lord is dishonored any time His Word is disobeyed.

The word shame is translated from the Greek word atimia, which is translated “dishonor,” “reproach,” or “vile” in other places. In 1. Corinthians 15:43, it is used to describe a dead and putrefying, decaying body. In Romans 1:26, atimia is translated “vile. Thus to wear the hair in locks, braids, or ponytails is an offense to manhood and is a token of effeminacy (1. Corinthians 6:9). Revelation 9:7,8, portrays the locusts having men’s faces, with hair as women, as demonic. It is no wonder that sodomy and other forms of immorality are rampant in our society.

For a believer to wear long hair is to commit the sin of worldliness (James 4:4, 1. John 2:15). He thus becomes a stumbling block to his fellow believers and an offense unto God.

Many try to justify their long hair by stating that Jesus Christ wore long hair. To set the record straight, there is not a shred of Biblical or historical evidence that Jesus wore His hair long. All such statues or pictures are the products of people who never saw Him and who lived hundreds of years later.

Jesus was not a Nazarite! According to Numbers 6:5,7, a Nazarite did wear long hair. However, Christ was a Nazarene and not a Nazarite! Although the two words look similar in English, they are entirely different in looks and meaning in the original language of the Bible. A Nazarene lived in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). A Nazarite was one who took or was placed under the Nazarite vow. The most notable Nazarites, whose vow was for life, were Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist.

A Nazarite could not use any product of the vine. Thus, Jesus could not have instituted Communion if He had been a Nazarite, for in it He drank of the fruit of the vine. Nor could He have touched the funeral coffin of the dead man in Luke 7:11-18. If He had been a Nazarite, Judas would not have needed to identify Him in Gethsemane, for Jesus would have been the only long-haired man there.

The Bible speaks of Absalom, who was not a Nazarite yet had long hair. This man is to be noted for his vanity, arrogance, rebellion, and self-will – characteristics of the hippie movement of the 1960s and early 1970s. This young man came to an inglorious, shameful, and untimely end. Long hair does speak. Even today it is frequently used to signify drugs, rock music, and civil disobedience, whereas short hair speaks of authority and discipline.

In Ezekiel 44:20, God commanded the Levites, “Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer their locks to grow long; they shall only poll (to cut off or cut short the hair of) their heads.” It is interesting how they interpreted this and carried it out. The Talmud required Jewish priests to cut their hair every thirty days. It specified what became known as the “Julian” or “Caesar” cut, as required for Jewish priests or rabbis.

“If any man seem to be contentious [carnal, rebellious, stubborn, or argumentative], we have no such custom [of long-haired men and bobbed-haired women], neither the churches of God” (1. Corinthians 11:16). Some professing Christians today look for loopholes in the Scriptures. If the Holy Spirit is truly abiding in our hearts, brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Do you like the truth? Paul said, “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2. Timothy 4:3,4). Repent, forsake your sins, and keep the commandments of God, or you will suffer the eternal consequences.

No believing parent should permit his teenage son to have long hair if the son stays under his father’s roof. The unisex trend is a device of Satan to break down and blur the mark of distinction that God instituted between the sexes. Satan means to make women ape men , and men ape women.

Those who ask the question, “How long is long?” often manifest a compromising attitude toward obeying the plain command of the Lord. Why split hairs about something God has commanded? He has drawn the line, and let us not try to erase it. Preachers who compromise on this subject, hoping to reach more young people, fight against God Almighty.

If you are a new believer in Jesus Christ, you are no longer uninformed or misinformed. As a man, patronize your local barber regularly, keep a good, decent haircut, and please your heavenly Father in this area. Don’t worry about how different you might look to others! Clip off the locks that hang below your hairline. Never allow your hair to become shabby, shaggy, or bushy. If we are faithful in these little things, then the Lord says He will entrust us with greater things (Luke 16:10; 19:17). You will surely find favor with both God and men.

This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous. 1. John 5:3.

(text from a Mennonite gospel tract)

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According to the 1828 Webster’s dictionary a bastard is “a child begotten and born out of wedlock; an illegitimate or spurious child.” The Bible talks about a bastard in Hebrews 12:8, “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” It goes on to say that fathers are responsible for correction and were revered by children. In other verses the scriptures clarify that a father exhorts, comforts and charges his children (1. Thess. 2:11) so they may walk in truth (3. John 4).

 The rising illegitimacy, however, creates single-parent homes where the father is absent. However, that is a serious departure from the way that God established the home. No matter how much the media glorifies and the government subsidizes the single-parent delusion, those who fall prey to this lifestyle will cause themselves and their children lots of problems and private pain. A departure from God”s principles will not lead to lasting happiness. God’s principles are non-optional and universal.

Is there a generation bastard? It is bad news for the so-called Bible Belt that right there in that area people are departing from traditional Christian marriage and adopt a lifestyle of casual relationship without commitment. However, God”s principles of love as explained in 1. Corinthians 13 require lifelong commitment and endurance.

One of the major reasons why unmarried people with no commitment to each other are having children is the declining belief in marriage. A lot of people no longer understand the Biblical underpinnings of marriage and fall into a worldly way of life that excludes God. The rising illegitimacy and fatherlessness harms an entire generation of children. The divorce industry in particular has exploited for profit such mistakes as “no-fault divorce” which unfortunately exists in many states. From a legal point of view it would be best to introduce covenant marriages in every state of the US. So far, only in Louisiana, Arkansas and Arizona legislation has passed. This is a great safeguard against casual relationships. It prepares people for a life-long union in which they will grow old together.

Check out the following link for more information on covenant marriages:

Louisiana For Marriage

In America today marriage and family are under an unprecedented attack. The unchristian culture of today’s America makes it easy and financially attractive for spouses to walk out of marriages because child support is “guaranteed income” and there are plenty of welfare programs that provide an incentive to divorce and the promotion of single-parents households. This is a malignant cancer that is eating away the moral as well as material strength of society. A lot of the media celebrities that brainwash the masses have made unmarried living palatable to the deceived. Many churches in Tennessee no longer teach and preach what the Bible teaches about marriage and family. A lot of so-called churchgoing believers can no longer define what fornication or a bastard is. These are Bible words that the Holy Ghost uses in the inspired word of God. It has come to my notice that in Tennesssee’s churches it is possible to wear a tattoo, listen to death metal music, men to grow their hair long, get divorced and still be a member in good standing. However, when a believer tries to mold his personal family life after the word of God, he was excluded from church and even received harassing phone calls and letters afterward. Bottom line: churches have become ineffective in teaching people a right way of living. Many preachers give their flock a superficial, shallow “way of salvation” connected with emotional experiences during meetings, but if someone dares to grab a Bible and teach the principles of marriage, male headship, submission of the woman, obedience of children and Biblical correction and discipline for children, separation from worldliness etc. that person is usually branded a fanatic. Dare to teach Christian character from a King James Bible in a Baptist church in Tennessee and you will often find yourself character assassinated. It is a sad truth, but I have watched it several times.

The belief in marriage is declining because people are becoming too selfish to make a lifelong commitment to another person. They are addicted to instant gratification and that’s why they are having children without making the commitment to live in a covenant marriage – a lifelong relationship of love. Most people today are too willfully blind to understand the Biblical principle of male headship. The husband is the head of the home before God and is commanded to bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Thus, it is ultimately the father and husband who decides which church the family should attend, leads in home Bible study, family devotions and singing beside being the breadwinner of the home. Many times women try to usurp that authority from the man and do their own thing in violation of God’s principles. Even though a husband goes to work everyday and does not spend as much time with his children as the mother, he is still ultimately responsible for the upbringing of his children. The mother at home is basically a coworker or fellow solider in Christ who helps realize the goals that the father has defined by submitting himself to Christ.

Thus, many people are losing faith in the institution of marriage because they have never been properly taught from a King James Bible what God’s chain of command for the home is. Most people are misled by public opinion and antichristian brainwashing on hellevision. The Bible says: “The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.” Proverbs 10:32. Those who are captive addicts to hellevision talk shows and smut allow themselves to be deceived by wicked mouths that speak nothing but frowardness. There is a great need for people today to be fed with righteousness. “The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.” Proverbs 10:21. If 43 percent of children in Tennesse are born out of wedlock, then almost half of all parents in Tennessee are deceived because they spend their lives in behavior that does not correspond sound doctrine. The first two letters of the word “doctrine” are “do”. Doctrine tells us what to do. If we don’t base our actions on sound Bible doctrine, we will do the wrong thing.

It is everybody’s responsibility to get ahold of sound Bible doctrine and not to base one’s decisions on public opinion, political correctness or “what everybody else is doing”. Christians need to dare to be different because we serve a God that makes a difference.

Most teenagers should try to find old christian literature from the 19th or early 20^th century and study it and form their ideas of marriage on those teachings. Even many secular health encyclopedias from up until the 1960s reveal a Chrisian point of view when it comes to the issue of procreation. We should never stake our lives upon modern media junk, but on the solid rock of Christian faith and doctrine. Here is the challenge for you: “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.“ If you want rest for your sou, you gotta ask for the old paths and walk therein! You won’t rest by deceiving yourself with liberal lies and modern lifestyles. If modern sports stars are your heroes, then you are already heading in the wrong way and get sidetracked as far as your value to the cause of Christ is concerned. You gotta walk in the old paths defined by the holy scriptures.

At www.solidrockfaith.com we want to disseminate Bible truth about many issues but mainly salvation, marriage and family. Unmarried couples should study the materials such as the Family Training mp3 series and make sure they both agree on Biblical principles laid out in this series. Agreement on spiritual issues needs to come before the marriage. Married couples are fellowsoldiers in the good fight of faith. Fellowsoldiers don’t fight against each other but fight together under the banner of the cross of Christ.

www.SolidRockFaith.com tries to help people learn the truth about Christian living and esp. Christian family life through the bookstore ministry with many titles that can give couples a lot of help if the advice is heeded. Christians need to get ahold of the discipline of hearing (Job 36:10) and give attendance to reading (1. Tim. 4:13). Don’t let your reading and hearing be replaced by watching, gaming, texting and other forms of wasting one’s time. Going to church will not benefit you without the discipline of hearing and giving attendace to reading. In fact, if you are not a disciplined hearer and a reader of edifying Christian literature your presence in a church might actually hinder that body from reaching its full potential in Christ.

Here is one of the latest additions to our bookstore that can get you some help. Home-Alone America: The Hidden Toll of Day Care, Behavioral Drugs, and Other Parent Substitutes.

We don’t need a Generation Bastard where children are born out of wedlock and are robbed of the privilege of parents. Lust, adultery, fornication and insubmission rob children of parents. Children cannot be successfully raised by TV, government and Ritulin. They need to be trained in the right way. The right way is not being taught on the children’s TV channel. The right way is taught in christian homes and churches that believe and apply the Bible. Apart from God’s ways, true success and blessing is not possible.

We need a Generation Titus 2 because the book of Titus in the Bible gives a lot of godly counsel to families in chapter 2 reminding everyone (aged men, women, young women, men) of their particular God-given responsibility. Now more than ever modern society is need of sharp rebuke (Titus 1:13) from the pulpit and through every conceivable venue of Christian witnessing because they have departed from those principles and churches are to blamed for watering down and lowering their voice on this important issue. Churches should become truth-friendly and never “seeker-friendly” as some modern apostate movements call it. Genuine love rejoices in truth and is humble enough to receive a rebuke (see 1. Cor. 13). Only fools despise rebuke (check out Proverbs). Let us be courageous and withstand the modern lifestyes to the face because modern society is to be blamed. Secular concepts of life have no place in the sanctuary!

Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? Gal. 2:7.

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The fleshly Christian thinks that his thought life does not matter to God, so he is only concerned about the outward appearance of his life. But God looks on the very motives in your heart. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts andintents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 In the key Bible verse above we are told about an actual war for the minds and souls of mankind.

God Almighty wants you to have pure and honorable thoughts. Your conscience will convict you, if you ponder about something sinful. You must realize that sinful actions start with an evil thought. For example, that is where adultery and the modern-day divorce craze start. Jesus, in His explanation of “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, told us that adultery does not begin in a courthouse with a divorce attorney, but it already begins in the mind, when someone lusts after another person (Matthew 5:28). If we let God control our mind, we can fight sin at its very root. Listen to how Jesus explains this in Luke 6:45, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Also he says in Mark 7:20-23, “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications … All these evil things come from within and defile the man.” We can see tremendous changes in our life, if we let God get ahold of our heart, surrender our mind to Christ, give up our selfish ways of thinking, and let His Holy Spirit renew us thoroughly because we are the temple of God that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Jesus even added this promise: ”Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Mt. 5:8) That is a great incentive for total thought purity. Let us foster this consciousness of keeping our thoughts clean, so our Lord will rejoice over us, and we will be molded and formed more into His image.The Scriptures give us a wealth of hints on how to keep our thoughts clean. Let us start with this admonition in I. Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” The world bombards us with moral filth, profanity, blasphemy and tries to compel us to partake of evil deeds. It might be foul-mouthed or fraudulent colleagues at work, an advertisement anywhere, or the mass media. Do all you can to avoid situations, people, and places that could bring temptation and sin. Tempting thoughts can burn their way deep into the subconscious and can do great harm to character. Quit watching TV because that is where most of the filth comes from. When you watch soap operas and gossip talk shows, for example, you can never get your mind right before God and become sanctified. These programs are mainly focused on adultery, fornication, uncleanness, blasphemy, and materialism. God has nothing to do with that! So do you! So many programs show graphic displays of behavioral patterns that do not belong into a Christian home or a Christian mind. They might show a shooting in a movie. God says, thou shalt not kill!!! So why did you watch that? Turn off that TV and burn those video tapes with godless movies for the honor and glory of God. Amen. Your thinking would be right in God’s eyes, if you watch something that shows true agape love.

By the way, soap operas disrupt your picture of good friendship and holy marriage. You better go to the Bible, instead of allowing the soap opera mentality to destroy your marriage, courtship, or friendships. TV has become the pulpit of Satan because it programs people’s minds in the wrong way. I have experienced that when I quit watching TV, most of the sources of offensive thoughts are gone. No Christian needs to watch crime, murder, rebellion, fighting couples, etc. Remember to abstain from evil thoughts. Then you can start to fill your mind with treasures of good. Let us look at two Scriptures:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.“ Colossians 3:16

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;“ Ephesians 5:19

The word of Christ should dwell in you richly. This can be accomplished by regular study and meditation in the Bible, by memorizing Scriptures, by church attendance, and through committed obedience to Christ’s teachings. It also says to teach and admonish . This requires the fellowship of other mature Christians who can set an example for you. Do you have a Christian colleague at work that you can talk with? The primary place for teaching and admonishing one another is the church. Some churches even have mentoring classes where the older, more experienced believers mentor a young person who goes to school or college. If you have no Bible-believing church in your area that can teach and admonish you, then you can still listen to a Christian radio stations. If you are in a totally non-Christian, solitary environment, then use the address on the bottom of this page, so I can send you some free teaching tapes. Both of the above verses state that you can be taught and admonished – even speaking to yourself – by psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Refresh your thought discipline through music. Not just emotional melodies. Music is meant to teach us a message. Speaking to yourselves also means reading the Bible out aloud, so you can remember it much better by hearing. Memorize some Christian songs and sing them and keep them in your mind. While we learn to make melody in our hearts to the Lord, then we must, of course, abstain from all kinds of music that draw our mind away from God’s holiness. Sadly, most of the popular music today is made by unsaved people and deals with subjects that are only of interest among those who do not know the Lord. We can not be so unthinking that we constantly keep the radio playing country or rock music which caters all kinds of evil thoughts (drinking, divorce, etc.) to our mind. The best thing we can do is to totally abstain from that music and let our minds be utterly unaffected by it. Our priority is to let the word of Christ dwell in us.

The last verse I want us to examine with regards to how we can bring our thought life to the obedience of Christ is probably the most revealing. Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.“

Can you focus your mind on these qualities and traits? God does not want our minds to be focused on the ugly and abominable. Rather, He wants us to be focused on the godly, as we can read in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” This is the only kind of positive thinking the Bible knows. Let us list those qualities again from Philippians 4:8: true, honest (venerable), just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, praise. Try to bring these qualities into the situations and circumstances of your life. The Bible contains many stories that display just, pure, and lovely actions, especially in the life of our Lord Jesus. But you can also look into the lives of faithful servants of God in our time. For example, I like to listen to Paul Harvey’s radio commentaries wherein he sometimes announces the wedding anniversary of a couple that is married 50, 60, or even 70 years. In this culture of easy divorce this is surely a wonderful accomplishment to stay faithful to each other for this long time. This makes me rejoice to hear such good news and I think about this for a long time. These stories are true, lovely, and of good report, indeed.What is on your mind? Outward religious appearance is not what God wants. He wants you to be a thoroughly cleansed and sanctified person. First, you come to Him through repentance and faith. Then, when you know you are saved you want to follow the Lord in obedience to His commands. Therefore, keep your thoughts pure and you will not be disturbed by the guilt and condemnation of a carnal mind.

Factors in Character Building

Positive and Negative Qualities

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 (1) Orderliness

God is not the author of confusion but enjoins that all things be done decently and in order. If our homes are unkept and disorderly we bring reproach upon ourselves.

I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan. 1. Tim. 5:14.

An untidy home or unruly children will have an adverse effect on our relationship with each other and the Lord. Confusion and disorder create disharmony and chaos. Order creates peace and a warm, welcoming climate where love can be cultivated. Conscientously applying Biblical life principles help us keep things in order. That’s what this scripture teaches. If we deny our duty, we are turned aside after Satan. We should not allow Satan to get a foot into the door of our homes. We should give no place to the devil at all.

 (2) Blasphemy in the Home

That they may teach the young women … to be discreet chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:5.

Not only can we commit blasphemy in word but also in deed. The word of God is meant to instruct us to produce right action. If we say we believe the word of God, but act against the counsel of the word of God, then we are in danger of blaspheming the word of God. But it really is our job to adorn the doctrine of the word of God with our conduct. See Titus 2:10.

 (3) Avoiding Absenteeism

Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth upon him all people. Hab.2:5.

Modern people need to learn to stay home. We as Bible believers are opposed to outsourcing the functions of the home to “outside suppliers”. We eat at home. We live at home. We enjoy being at home. The children are at home and not at mingling with “peers”. We learn at home. We pray and worship God at home. It is not our job to mingle with all nations and people. We keep at home. It is wrong to be overly involved in club memberships, sports activities, hobbies and so on. We need to have quiet time at home in the Lord.

 (4) Care at Home

But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. 1. Tim. 5:4.

The home is a community of care. Piety is a reverence accompanied with affection and devotion to honor and happiness. That’s how we treat each other at home. Lack of respect and piety, however, is a widespread disease in today’s society. We sharply disapprove of that. Once again, Christians have to live the counterpoint to society. The home is not a place of selfishness, but in a real home we learn to make decisions based on the regard for others. The home is not a place for seeking our own, but for another’s wealth. See 1. Corinthians 10:24,33.

 (5) Home is the Headquarters

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

Let’s learn from that mistake. Simply put, we abide at home. We do not believe in hectic hurrying, but we live slowly. We are thankful for a home. We do not believe in a lifestyle where we are constantly on the go with meaningless errands, useless activities that do not profit our walk with God.

 (6) Home Building

Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. Proverbs 14:1.

Home is where the heart is. Our heart is not in social clubs, schools, associations, peer groups, organizations … So we must remove distractions in order to stay focused on the God-given priorities. Many people get sidetracked. This Scripture also refers to the fact economical housekeeping will lead to real wealth. Divorce and materialistic lifestyles are big wealth-killers. But good stewardship in the way things are used and organized at home leads to financial freedom.

 (7) United we Stand

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. Luke 11:17.

Parents are a united front. We do not believe in lax parenting where children bargain with parents about what they are allowed or not allowed to do. What is yea with one parent shall not be nay with the other. Our yea is yea and our nay is nay. James 5:12. We mean what we say and say what we mean. Father is the head of the home and rules it well. Mother is obedient and enforces rule. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos 3:3. There needs to be agreement in a marriage in order to stay the course. Family members needs to pull together. Contention and selfishness are characteristics that God rejects. Meekness and self-giving love are God’s will.

 (8) Peacekeepers

When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace. Luke 11:21.

If we want peace in our home, we must keep it. By the way, there is nothing wrong with being armed. But we also need to “keep our palace” against violent intrusion of the media. If you are saved by the grace of God, there is not need for cable or satellite TV. It will not help you live for God. If you are saved, you are free from entertainment because as a believer your concern is edification, encouragement, education, evangelism. That books your schedule 100% with no time left for hellevision. You might want to use a TV as a monitor for videos or DVDs that serve the cause of edification, encouragement, education, evangelism. We keep our palace free from the negative impact of culture, society and media.

(9) Constructive Conduct

He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart. Proverbs 11:29.

How can you be a blessing to your home instead? In the Bible you find a man named Lot and he troubled his own house by moving to Sodom. God delivered him out of Sodom, but he lost his wife. His daughters were sinful and their children turned out to become opponents of God’s people later on. Learn from Lot’s mistakes.

(10) Eat at Home

And if any man hunger, let him eat at home … 1. Corinthians 11:34

Modern society has taken on the bad habit of constantly eating out. That is a bad choice because it hinders quietness, communication and harmony in the home. It is also a wasteful choice. No matter how rich you are, you are wasting money since a lot of restaurants no longer allow kids to eat free. Family diners turn into high-end restaurants. Save your money and live better while eating at home. If you are eating out constantly, you are robbing your family of precious memories of fellowship at the family table. You are stealing yourself from the responsibility of preparing meals at home. You are becoming effeminate, lax and spoiled rotten since you expect others to fix food for you. You become dependent. It grieves me to drive by the full parkig lots at restaurants at night on any given day of the week and esp. on the Lord’s Day Sunday. A revival of biblical values in America would result in emptier parking lots at restaurants.

The family table is a blessing from God: Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. Ps. 128:3,4. The family table is not just for food but for fellowship. It is a place of love and communion. It is a place for prayer and devotions.

My friend, do you really desire God’s blessings on your life? Or have you been deceived by the world and its shiny attraction? Not everything that glitters is gold. Homeland security really begins at your home. You need God or everything else is in vain. Will you acknowledge Him in all your ways?

Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Psalm 127:1. My friend, I pray that God will build the homes and keep our city. That is the blessing we ought to desire from God and strive for in our prayer life.

Related literature about “Homeland Security”:

Ten Traps of Television, by Francie Taylor

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We know that we live in a time of materialism. Many times people are judged by the stuff they own. What kind of car do you have? What kind of house do you own? What kind of clothes do you wear? And people love to shop! What’s so special about Labor Day and the day after Christmas? It’s the shopping craze. Many are addicted to it. Their credit card statements testify of that. Incomes are growing slowly or actually stagnate for many workers, but more and more is being spent. Marketing specialists try to program people’s minds to shop on impulse rather than on thoughtful planning and budgeting. They want to induce people to gratify themselves and to indulge themselves by buying more and more stuff. People don’t talk about saving and self-denial, although they are Biblical virtues. If the economy is down, the blame is brazenly shifted on the consumer because he didn’t spend enough. He is told to buy more “stuff,” so that more jobs can be created. Some folks judge me because I don’t own certain things that are so fashionable today. Worldly Christians sometimes even judge other Christians, who do not participate in fashion fads. The worldly Christian has not read up in his Bible on these subjects because he spent hours at the mall. A Christian financial counselor rightly calls this disease “stuffitis”. Under this serious medical condition people think they have to have certain things although they have no need of them at all. They think that by “going shopping” you can feel happy and satisfied. Sadly, some Christians have followed this path of worldliness. Here’s some news for you: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.” 1. Timothy 6:6-8. Let’s talk about contentment. Not many people talk about that anymore. Most people want to get you so dissatisfied until you buy their product, so you think you’re satisfied again. Look at one of these “home improvement” magazines. Look at these pretty houses! If you look at them for too long, you get so dissatisfied with what you have, that you’ll be spending hundreds and thousands of dollars for home improvement projects while you waste your time with useless work. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! Can’t we be more content with what we have? Why not? Are you content? Are you thankful for food and raiment? The Bible says you can’t carry anything out of this world. Your “stuff” is going to stay down here! Therefore, let’s not waste too much of our time and attention on “stuff”. It will rot, rust or get recycled! You need to get so right with God that your greatest gain is godliness and contentment. If you have a list of your life’s priorities, where would godliness and contentment be? You can be content even if you don’t have two cars, a cell phone, cable TV, brand name clothes, etc. Don’t compare yourself with others. Don’t look at how much “stuff” others have. The Bible says: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17. What your neighbor owns should not matter to you. If he owns much more than you do, then don’t be disturbed, don’t feel pressured, don’t try to keep up with him. Let your neighbor keep up with his own “stuff”. Rejoice in the fact that you enjoy a simpler life that is not “stuffed” with things. Jesus said: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” Luke 12:15. Yes, Jesus says there is more to life than just boats, trucks, four-wheelers, hunting and golf equipment, brand name clothes and giant screen TVs. Some people really haven’t discovered that yet. There is godliness and contentment. They are the greatest gain. Many of us need to simplify their lives. The Bible gives some answers: “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.” Proverbs 16:8. If you got rich by using crooked means than you’re worse off than the one who owns little by doing honest work, according to that verse. “Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner with herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” Proverbs 15:16,17. So the Bible teaches that it’s better to have a simplified life with contentment rather than having your attic, garage and basement filled with stuff bought on credit card debt with trouble and strife. Let me add this verse, too: “Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.” Proverbs 17:1. That verse deals with food! Some folks just need to learn to sit still at a family table and eat together to enjoy some simple food. Maybe as simple as a dish of oats rather than ham, bacon and the other high cholesterol “sacrifices.” The Bible says that is “better”. If you have to live on less or on a strict budget, these Bible principles can prove to be a blessing to you. If you suffer from “stuffitis” it will certainly hinder you from serving God. According to Mark 4:19 it is the “cares of this world,” the “deceitfulness of riches,” and the “lusts of other things” that choke you and render you unfruitful for the Lord. If you are too busy take care of your “stuff” the Lord can’t use you. Maybe the Lord would love to send you on a foreign mission field, but since you are busy trying to establish your own personal kingdom you surely have too many irons in the fire in order to serve the Lord. You might not need a $60,000 Humvee. That car costs more than many homes in Smith County. But people are willing to spend. There is so much stuff that is totally overpriced and people are willing to spend. Why? Could the reason for that be gullibility, manipulation, peer pressure, reputation, social status and wrong priorities? Can you be content with what you have? The Bible says: “Let your conversation be without covetousness: and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave the, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5. If you have the Lord Jesus, you have a reason to be content. You will have to leave your “stuff” or it might have to leave you, but the Lord will not leave you!

What does Webster’s 1828 Dictionary say?

Contentment - Content; a resting or satisfaction of mind without disquiet; acquiescence.

Frugality - Prudent economy; good husbandry or housewifery; a sparing use or appropriation of money or commodities; a judicious use of any thing to be expended or employed; that careful management of money or goods which expends nothing unnecessarily, and applies what is used to a profitable purpose; that use in which nothing is wasted. It is not equivalent to parsimony, the latter being an excess of frugality, and a fault. Frugality is always a virtue. Nor is it synonymous with thrift, in its proper sense; for thrift is the effect of frugality. Without frugality none can become rich, and with it few would be poor.

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The Bible is very plain about the fact that our use of language be pure, sound, edifying and holy. For example, we are told in Proverbs 12:18,19: There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. So you see the Bible teaches honesty and integrity in speech, but quite often language is being abused. I am sure you have heard words that hurt like a wound caused by a piercing sword. Words can hurt. Speech can be destructive. The great tyrants and brutal dictators of the world were almost all great orators. They hardly ever fired a shot themselves. But their words had so much power over others that they would become the tyrants’ willing dupes. On the other hand words can be a healing balm of relief, comfort, and encouragement. They can be a loving reproof and rebuke that provoke to love and good works. The Bible says in Proverbs 10:21 that the lips of the righteous feed many. The wise use of words can bring satisfaction to the soul like good, healthful food to the body. Good Bible-believing preaching ought to be like that. Good Christian counsel ought to be like that.Now that we know that words are powerful and influential, let us consider that our speech will become an issue in the righteous judgment of God. We are told by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 12:36: But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Our words reveal our heart. Our words will be a matter of judgment whether it is for the believer at the judgment seat of Christ or for the wicked at the great white throne. The question, therefore, arises how we can please God with our words. We need to “watch our mouth” and to quit polluting the air with filthy language. The Bible asks us the question: What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Psalm 34:12,13. If we want to see good, then we need to keep our tongue and our lips from saying certain things. God can give us grace and power to overcome the evil in our tongue. James says that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity and that the tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:6,8. We need to be aware of the tongue’s power for evil or good. The tongue influences human behavior for the Bible says that evil communications corrupt good manners. 1. Cor. 15:33. The wrong talk with the wrong crowd will destroy any form of moral goodness within you. So we have to keep our tongue from certain evils. The Bible names a number of sins committed with the tongue and the lips. We ought to know them and avoid them. However, many people who read the Bible don’t really know what these words mean that the Bible uses in order to describe sins committed with the mouth. It is sad to see the ungodly perversion of the English language nowadays. Many people don’t know what Biblical words like “jesting” or “railing” mean. Thank God for the pure language of the King James Bible! Modern Bible perversions don’t come anywhere near that high standard of language used in the King James Bible. That standard fixed the English language in its purest form. It is a shameful embarrassment when educated college graduates complain about the supposedly “archaic” language of the Bible. The language of the King James Bible is not antiquated. Our modern language is corrupt and perverted because the words in Romans 3:13,14 apply so well to the apostate, depraved human condition: Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. That’s why people can’t bear the language of a King James Bible! It is our perverted language of today. It is a sad reflection when people who spent 12 years in High School and paid $50,000 or more for college education cannot read a King James Bible. That’s a bad show. There are foreign people who immigrated to the US and they both teach and preach from the King James Bible. You will find that the descriptive language of the King James Bible is a blessing. In order to “watch our mouth” we need to keep our tongue from certain evil things. The Bible lists those sins committed with the tongue and I have listed them below and, for your convenience, I have added definitions from Noah Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language. That’s the Christian’s place for good definitions on anything because this dictionary was compiled by a godly Christian from a Christian worldview. Modern dictionaries are compiled from a secular, humanistic worldview. They do not use the Bible to give examples for the usage of a certain word. But Noah Webster did. With his 1828 dictionary he attempted not only to provide an educational tool, but to guide America on the Christian path. Therefore, we ought to use this dictionary to get our definitions. Let us get into the list of sins committed with the tongue. The Bible lists certain characters and practices that are wrong:

TALEBEARERS

A person who officiously tells tales; one who impertinently communicates intelligence or anecdotes, and makes mischief in society by his officiousness.See Proverbs 11:13, 18:8, 20:19, 26:20, 26:22.Example: The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Proverbs 26:22.

BACKBITERS

One who slanders, calumniates or speaks ill of the absent.Example: He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. Psalms 15:3.

WHISPERERS

A tattler; one who tells secrets; a conveyer of intelligence secretly. A backbiter; one who slanders secretly. Proverbs 16.Example: For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults. 2. Corinthians 12:20.

COMPLAINERS

One who complains, or expresses grief; one who laments; one who finds fault; a murmurer.Example: These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. Jude 16.

TATTLERS

One who tattles; an idle talker; one that tells tales. Tattling is to prate; to talk idly; to use many words with little meaning or to tell tales; to communicate secrets; as a tattling girl.Example: And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. 1. Timothy 5:13.

BLASPHEMERS

One who blasphemes; one who speaks of God in impious and irreverent terms. 1 Tim. 1. Blaspheming is to speak of the Supreme Being in terms of impious irreverence; to revile or speak reproachfully of God, or the Holy Spirit.Example: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. 1. Timothy 1:20.

BUSYBODIES

A meddling person; one who officiously concerns himself with the affairs of others.Example: But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. 1. Pe. 4:15.

SCOFFERS

One who scoffs; one that mocks, derides or reproaches in the language of contempt; a scorner. To scoff is to treat with insolent ridicule, mockery or contumelious language; to manifest contempt by derision. To scoff at religion and sacred things is evidence of extreme weakness and folly, as well as of wickedness.Example: There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? 2Peter 3:3,4.

MOCKERS

One that mocks; a scorner; a scoffer; a derider. To mock is to deride; to laugh at; to ridicule; to treat with scorn or contempt. Properly, to imitate; to mimick; hence, to imitate in contempt or derision; to mimick for the sake of derision; to deride by mimicry.Example: How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. Jude 18.

GAINSAYING

To contradict; to oppose in words; to deny or declare not to be true what another says; to controvert; to dispute; applied to persons, or to propositions, declarations or facts.Example: I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. Luke.21:15.

MURMURINGS

Uttering complaints in a low voice or sullen manner; grumbling; complaining.Example: Do all things without murmurings and disputings. Phil. 2:14.

JESTING

Joking; talking for diversion or merriment.Example: Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:4.Comment: Joking has become so common in modern culture that many Christians are blinded to the danger of it. So-called “small talk” can be a big sin and lead to great hurt. The notion that our mouths have to be running all the time is unbiblical. To the contrary, silence is a true Christian virtue (See Ps. 46:10, Zech. 2:13, 1. Cor. 14:28, 1. Thess. 4:11, 1. Ti. 2:2, Rev. 8:1). Jokes are not really the kind of gentle, edifying speech that is convenient for Christians. A sense of humor is a good thing (See Proverbs 15:13,15,17:22). But constant joking can easily lead to other sins. Jokes often contain lies, mockery, blasphemy, slander, cursing or perversion. Jokes at the expense of others, esp. in their absence, are an evil. Many times it is better to keep silence rather than to start joking small talk. That might not be “cool”, but it certainly pleases God. Watch your mouth!

BABBLING

Talking idly; telling secrets. Uttering a succession of murmuring sounds; as a babbling stream.Example: O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called. 1. Tim. 6:20.

RAILING

Clamoring with insulting language; uttering reproachful words. Expressing reproach; insulting; as a railing accusation. Reproachful or insolent language.Example: And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days. Mk. 15:29.

FOOLISH TALKING

In scripture, wicked; sinful; acting without regard to the divine law and glory, or to one’s own eternal happiness. Example: Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:4. See also “foolish questions” in 2. Tim. 2:23 and Titus 3:9.

DEBATE

Disputing; discussing; contending by arguments.Example: Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers. Romans 1:29.Note: Debate is not always wicked. For example, Steven disputed with the Libertines, Cyrenians and Alexandrians in Acts 6:9,10. Stephen had the wisdom to do it and he tried to show them the truth of the gospel. Paul disputed against the Grecians until they wanted to slay him. Acts 9:29. Was that wicked debate? No. He tried to give them the gospel, and he did not want to make it so easy for someone to reject Jesus Christ. Debate gets wicked when it serves to undermine the word of God, cast doubt upon God, or comes from a wicked heart that wants strife, varyings and seditions.

CURSING

Execrating; imprecating evil on; denouncing evil; dooming to evil, misery, or vexation. To utter a wish of evil against one; to imprecate evil upon; to call for mischief or injury to fall upon; to execrate. Malediction; the expression of a wish of evil to another.Example: “As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.” Psalm 109:17Note: Let’s apply this verse to those people who curse in the work place, at home and everywhere in the public. Do you know now why some folks are so miserable? Their cursings are coming back to them. If you invoke God to damn something, he might actually do it and your curse comes right back to you. Why don’t you ask Him to bless something, and maybe some of your troubles would go away? If you always complain and talk about “hell”, maybe that’s where you are going to spend eternity. Someone asked the asked the question: “What in hell are you doing?” As a saved person the scriptural answer would be: “Nothing. I won’t ever go to that place.” The honest scriptural answer to that question for a lost man would be, “I’ll burn forever in torment.” We ought to bless rather than curse.

LYING

Telling falsehood. To utter falsehood with an intention to deceive, or with an immoral design. To exhibit a false representation; to say or do that which deceives another, when he has a right to know the truth, or when morality requires a just representation.Example: “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25.

FEIGNED WORDS

Words that are invented or imagined or form an idea or conception of something not real. Words that are used to represent falsely; to pretend; to form and relate a fictitious tale. Example: “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2. Peter 2:3.Note: This sin is committed by false prophets and false teachers (2. Pe. 2:1) primarily. They’ll invent nice words to get the money of unsuspecting followers. The Catholic practice of indulgences comes close to this. It’s a network of feigned words – a religious tale some priests made up themselves – that caused people to waste their money for a piece of paper that supposedly buys God’s forgiveness. Today there are other false cults who love money who have developed a system of feigned words to envelop the gullible. Feigned words also mean hyprocrisy. Have you seen TV preachers who flatter with words such as “I love you in Jesus’ name?” They often don’t mean that. They use feigned words to make merchandise of you.

FAIR SPEECHES

Speech that is frank, civil, pleasing, not harsh.Example: “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” Romans 16:18.Note: This verse applies to those who cause divisions. Those who want to serve their own belly don’t preach the truth. Because truth stings. It doesn’t always sound “nice”. In these days of Laodicean lukewarmness it often happens that a lukewarm church tries to run off a pastor who loves the Lord and is sold out to him. Those lukewarm members thereby cause divisions and with their lukewarm self-satisfaction serve their own belly. They don’t want to be challenged and provoked to be holy and to live for the Lord. False teachers who are covetous for a high income want to keep large congregations. In order to keep a large congregation they avoid controversial issues. For example, they don’t preach on Biblical dress or the Biblical role of women in the church. That’s not considered “fair speech”. It offends modern man. Truth is sometimes “harsh speech”. Truth ought to be coupled with grace, but truth should never be omitted. The “fair speeches” and “good words” often sound flattering, but they are empty nutshells meaning nothing.

GREAT SWELLING WORDS

To be turgid or bombastic; as swelling words; a swelling style. Words that are puffed up or bloated.Example: These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. Jude 16.

Note: The context is once again false teachers. In the early church they were either judaizing teachers or gnostic teachers. Anyway, let’s be leery of those who arrogantly preach doctrines with words invented by men and try to use their people skills for financial advantage. This is modern marketing: businesses admire people and tell them how great they are and how concerned they are about their customers in order to get a financial advantage. They don’t care about you; they care about what’s yours!

I hope this Bible study can be a blessing to you. In order to prepare such a study it took four things. First of all, prayer. Then I used an AV 1611 King James Bible, a Strong’s Concordance and a Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. These are books that every church, every pastor, every preacher and every family can benefit from. They are a great help. Rather than wasting money on worldly magazines and books you should have all three books mentioned above. They include more wisdom than Time Magazine, Newsweek and the New York Times.

I hope we have learned now to watch our mouth. It’s an unruly evil. Don’t cause a fire with it. Use it for blessing or hold your peace. Encourage someone in your church! Use you tongue for words of kindness, praise and appreciation (Ruth 3:10, Prov. 31:26,28,29, Song of Sol. 1:15 etc.). Go to a lost person and tell him about Jesus. Use it to give thanks! Try to utter “sound speech that cannot be condemned” (Titus 2:8). Do not spread gossip! Rather rejoice in truth! Learn to be silent! Speak the truth in love! When you are at church, use the time to talk to the Lord rather than small talk with your “religious clique”. The church house is not a social club. You never speak “off the record”. God is recording everything and will use it against you in the judgment. So let God rather record some good, pure speech that will bring pleasure to Him.

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