Worshipping the Lord should always be a number one priority for every Christian. A Christian should honor God every day, through prayer, Bible study, and obedience. Along with these actions, we as Christians, are also commanded to worship God on the first day of the week. A very important part of the worship conducted on the first day of the week is the Lord’s Supper.
God commands Christians to partake in the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week through the disciples’ example set in Acts 20:7; “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” This verse shows the requirement by God for Christians to worship Him every Sunday, as well as sets the example to partake of the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. The disciples set the example of doing both of these actions. There is no explicit reason given in the Bible for missing Sunday services, however, God is very merciful, and He understands if a Christian stays home from worship services due to sickness or taking care of someone who is sick. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,” (Ephesians 2:4). The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is to memorialize Jesus’ death on the cross for remission of our sins. The Bible talks about the Lord’s Supper in Acts 20:7 as quoted above. Jesus also gave the example of the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:24-26; “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” (v. 24). “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (v. 25). “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come” (v. 26). The bread represents Jesus’ body which was broken on the cross, and the wine represents His blood that was shed on the cross. The bread taken in the Lord’s Supper is unleavened bread, meaning there is no yeast in it. The use of unleavened bread began with the Passover (Mark 14:12; Luke 22:7; Luke 22:1). Alcoholic wine itself is not used in the Lord’s Supper because, remember, that during Jesus’ life on the earth, He was under the Old Law. It was not until He was crucified that the Old Law was nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Christ fulfilled the Old Law perfectly (Matthew 5:17-18; Hebrews 4:15), therefore He fulfilled Proverbs 23:31, which says, “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.” This means that when He instituted the Lord’s Supper, He would have used grape juice, not alcoholic wine, thereby showing us what we are to use today in the Lord’s Supper, and that is unfermented grape juice (I Peter 2:21, Ephesians 5:18). When we take the Lord’s Supper, we should do so with the mindset of remembrance of Jesus’ death, and we should spend this time thinking upon this subject. We should be ever thankful that God gave His Son to die on the cross for us, and we should especially give thanks for this during the Lord’s Supper. That means that while the Lord’s Supper is taking place, we should not be thinking about what we are going to eat after worship services are over, or we should not be doing something else while this very important part of the worship service is taking place. Our minds should be focused on the Cross and not on earthly matters at this time. Worshipping God and partaking of the Lord’s Supper is mandatory on the first day of the week. Everyone is commanded to do both of these things on Sunday unless he or she is sick or taking care of someone who is sick. Work and inclement weather should not keep us from worshipping God and taking the Lord’s Supper on Sunday. I know that when I was working in retail, I always asked off during church services. I know that worshipping God is much more important than making money. I have seen people who put their jobs before worshipping God, and they lose their jobs. Also, inclement weather should not keep us from attending church services, even if our home congregation cancels their services. God would never ask us to do something that we could not do. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). If Jesus could hang on the cross for us, the least we can do for Him is get into our comfortable, heated vehicle to go church services. God understands if someone is physically unable to get out and drive in this type of weather, but for those who can get around, their time should be spent in worship. A family can have a worship service at their home on Sundays during inclement weather conditions if they have the supplies necessary to administer the Lord’s Supper. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). Although this verse primarily refers in context to when church discipline is being carried out, obviously the principle applies that in worship the Lord is with us. One cannot have Sunday worship service without also having the Lord’s Supper. God is wonderful! We should work every day to be with Him in Paradise, and to be with Him in Heaven when the Day of Judgment comes! That means that we should do everything we can to be the best Christians we can be every day, and we should do everything we can to make sure we do not put earthly affairs ahead of worshipping Him. We should also make sure that we partake of the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week, no matter what the weather looks like or what our employers want us to do. The Devil will use any means he can to keep us from worshipping God, and we must not give in to him. May we always strive to help one another and to be examples to all of how God wants us to be! “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).
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I actually had another topic in mind to write about for this article, but I just scrolled through Facebook prior to beginning my Biblical research, and I couldn’t help but notice how prevalent taking God’s Name in vain is on social media and even in verbal conversation. I notice that on Facebook many people (including professed Christians) use a lot of acronyms to represent words that take God’s Name in vain without actually saying these words. I have even seen some people use acronyms to describe other curse words which are shocking to me as well. I wonder if these people would walk into a worship service and say some of the things that their posts have in them. I am including shared posts in this category as well. Titus chapter 2 verses 7 and 8 state that we should be, “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good work: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.” This means that our speech should be so pure that no one can say that we show ourselves to be bad examples to others. A good rule of thumb, in my opinion, to go by when we are monitoring how we speak is to think about whether or not we would wish to hear the same words said by an innocent child. I should hope my readers are not the type of immature adults who think it is “cute” when a child uses a curse word. So, unless you are one of those people, the rule of thumb I mentioned should put things into a better perspective. “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as the little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4). “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). Since we know, as Christians, that God does not wish for us to take His Name in vain, what exactly does this mean? This means that anything we say that mentions God, but does not exalt Him is taking his name in vain. For example, saying things like “Praise God!” or “Thank God!” in appreciation to His kindness and the blessings He has bestowed on us is acceptable in the Sight of God. However, when something bad, unpleasant, or shocking happens, many people find themselves saying things like “Oh my….” and placing God’s Name in that phrase. I know it is a very common phrase, and it even has its own acronym on social media, but just because it is a popular phrase doesn’t make it right in God’s eyes. Along with this, any word or phrase that curses God’s Name is also unacceptable just as taking the Lord’s name in vain as the “Oh my…” phrase does is unacceptable to God. Think about whether or not the way you use God’s Name will help bring someone to Christ or push him or her away from obeying the Lord. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29). Just because not all words or phrases that are considered “bad words” mention God, does not mean they are acceptable by Him. Matthew 5:37 states “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” This means that any idle word that we speak that does not exalt Him who created us is not pleasing to God. Therefore, what are termed as “four letter words” and other nasty phrases that are commonly used in verbal speech and social media would fall in the category of being “of the evil” that is spoken about in Matthew. This includes the acronyms of “bad words” and phrases that are used in social media. Some people, including Christians who use social media fall into the trap of “sharing” a post that, in itself has nothing negative in it, however, the name of the person or group from which the post originated could have a bad word or phrase in it. Therefore, one must be careful in what he or she says in a post as well as what is in the post or name of the post one shares. A Christian must always guard his or her influence and as I said in the beginning of this article, a Christian should think about whether or not he or she would walk into a worship service and say the same things that some of his or her social media posts and “shares” say. Sometimes it’s easier to take God’s Name in vain and use other demeaning words and phrases when you are behind a silent and faceless computer screen. However, even in this situation, God is always watching! “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6). As Christians, we are to be in the world but not of the world. Therefore, it is part of being Christians that we must set ourselves apart from those that are unfaithful around us. This not only pertains to our actions, but to our words as well. We must prove ourselves obedient to God, which in turn will lead to God showing His appreciation to us. If we cannot control our tongues, however, we must answer to God on the day of judgment. “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Idle words are not only “bad” words and words that take God’s Name in vain, but also unkind words spoken against another person. I hope that by taking this time to study on how Christians should speak will help others focus more on using their tongues to glorify God and edify others instead of the opposite. I know that by studying the Scriptures more on this topic has helped me continue my focus on how good and merciful the Lord is, and how everyone should obey Him and keep His commandments! As Christian women, it is important for us all to always seek to please God in our words and actions every day. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, it is imperative that we seek God’s approval over man’s approval. It is easy for anyone to be so focused on pleasing others here on Earth, that they focus less on being pleasing to God. There are many examples of women in the Bible who were pleasing to God such as Sarah, Ruth, Esther, and Mary to name a few. There are also many passages in Scripture that describe God’s standard for how Christian women ought to live, and some of the passages I look to when analyzing myself are those about the “virtuous woman” in Proverbs Proverbs chapter 31 and verse 10 says “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is above rubies.” Back in the Old Testament, it must have been difficult for men at the age to be married to find a good, faithful woman. I can only imagine how the writers of that era would view the feasibility of finding such a woman in today’s society. Christian women are to act as virtuous women, meaning they must think, dress, and conduct themselves differently than women of the world. We are to show ourselves to be different so that we will be able to yoke ourselves with other Christians, and thus be in the world but not of the world. Even if other people do not think that how we act is acceptable, God does, and He holds a good Christian woman in a very high regard as verse 10 states. A virtuous woman would be a prize indeed for any eligible Christian male who is seeking someone to help him go to Heaven amidst this sinful and wicked world. Also, a virtuous woman (who is married) is trusted by her husband (Proverbs 31:11). As a wife, I definitely want my husband to trust me completely, and I work every day to show him that he can do so. I don’t believe in keeping secrets or going places without his knowledge, and he does the same for me. I know of some marriages where the spouses do not know the whereabouts or actions of one another and that can cause issues later on if not resolved. I think that verse 11 is important because trust in a marriage involves communicating with one another regularly, and that can sometimes be more of a challenge with busy schedules. Even if a woman is not married, being trustworthy is very important as well. Another example of a virtuous woman described in Proverbs 31 states “She openeth her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness (v.26).” It is always important for Christian men and women to speak kindly of others. I see examples of the opposite happening from time to time among people, both in face to face interactions and on social media. A virtuous woman, who all Christian women should strive to imitate, would not speak unkindly against another person in any form or fashion. Sometimes it is easy to get on social media and speak against someone in a generalized post for hundreds to see instead of speaking directly to that person. Even though others on the site may not know who you are talking about, God knows, and doing this is no different than directly speaking against a person or talking bad about them to others and mentioning their name. Doing any of these things would require repentance. Another way that Christian women could imitate the “virtuous woman” according to Proverbs 31:26 is to be encouraging to others. It is easy to become so wrapped up in our own lives that one forgets to encourage others. A kind word goes a long way with most people. Encouraging the men who perform the church services and the women who teach Bible classes is a good step in this direction. Also, even saying encouraging things to others on social media helps as well. I look to verse 28 a lot because it is something I hope, as a mother to see at some point. “Her children arise up, and call her blessed;”. I am not saying that I hope my children brag on me when they are able to talk. I mean that I hope that I will be the type of mother that my children will consider blessed, not for my sake, but for theirs. I want to be the mother who helps them go to Heaven. I also want to be the mother who they can look back on after I am gone and say that they had a Christian mother who taught them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I want them to have all good memories of me to think on and of which they can tell their children. If I were to pass away while they are young, I want to be the mother that others can use as an example to teach them the way to Heaven. I love and am so thankful for all of my babies! For unmarried women, your example can teach others the way to Heaven as well. Even married women without children can teach others by their examples. Proverbs 12:4 states “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” I want to help my husband in every way as well. He is a much stronger Christian than I, and he helps keep me strong. I, in no way, want to do anything to cast a stumbling block in front of him, nor would I purposely do anything to make him ashamed. I am so thankful in my heart and soul for my wonderful Christian husband! I always strive to be the best wife I can for him. My goal is to be like the virtuous woman described in Proverbs and other parts of the Bible, and I go to these passages frequently to refresh my memory on how God wants me to be. I also wanted to write this article to teach others about how to be more like the virtuous woman, and I hope the examples I have chosen will help someone out there become closer to God. Be Careful Little Ears What You Hear: Music and How It Can Be a Sinful Influence on Christians1/3/2016 I have always been a big fan of music. Ever since I was big enough to notice my surroundings, I can remember listening to the radio going at our house almost all day. I was a “child of the ‘80s and ‘90s,” so I was exposed to both popular rock and country songs of that era. Most of these songs are played so many times, that, it is easy for one to not listen to the lyrics. The same is true for current songs as well. Our main focus when listening to music may be placed on how a song sounds, instead of what it says. I try to make it a habit of listening to the lyrics of music I come into contact with from both the past and present. I have to say, however, that most of the music out there today (and some in the past) are not fit for listening. Sure, many songs have a good “beat” or “rhythm” but is the message they convey befitting for a Christian to hear? I am not going to focus on one particular genre of music because, to be honest, almost all forms of popular music out there today have at least one or two songs with questionable content in them. When I refer to “popular” music, I mean any music that a person enjoys listening to today, which usually falls in the category of rock, country or rap. By saying this, I am not excluding any other form of music. Any song from any genre of music that has inappropriate or questionable lyrics in it should be avoided. What do I mean when I say this? Any song that has a curse word or inappropriate subject matter should make a Christian think twice before listening to it just as a foul-talking, sexually charged, or drug/alcohol themed movie would. I am sure that most Christians would not let their children watch a film or T.V. show with curse words, sexual content, and/or drugs and alcohol in it so that their children will not have to be exposed to such sinful acts. This principle can also be applied to music as well, because, listening to a “catchy” song that has a sinful message can be just as influential in a negative way as a film, T.V. show, or literature that sends the same message. The devil will try to plant seeds of sin in the minds of Christians any way he can, and a song with a “good beat” is an easy way of getting sinful thoughts “stuck” in Christians’ heads. He does this in hopes that the song’s message will influence them to commit sinful acts. 1 Corinthians 15:33 states; “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” All of the types of sin that is in the world can be described in 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world , the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Christians are to be in the world but not of the world, meaning that even though we cannot totally avoid those that openly do wrong in this life, we still must live our lives differently from their lives, because we are to follow God’s Law instead of man. Part of this includes guarding our influence and the influence of our families against any form of sin, which either includes the actual sinful act or things that talk about or portray these acts. I have seen much emphasis on social media placed on not watching or reading entertainment that has cursing or sexual content in them. A good example of this is the film/book I wrote about several months ago called, Fifty Shades of Grey, which is known for explicit sexual content. Many Christians on social media spoke against the film and book, and I’m glad they did so. What I do not see much of, however, is Christians speaking against the cursing, sexual content, and drug/alcohol content that can be heard every day in music on the radio. I am also including songs that have veiled references to sinful behaviors. I suppose that many people choose to ignore the sin hidden in the lyrics to focus on the song’s sound and how it makes them “feel.” I have seen some examples of how Christians and non-Christians let themselves be blinded by sin through music at the Main Street Live concerts that are held in downtown McMinnville every summer. My family and I enjoy going to these events, but anytime the band performs a song that has a curse word or suggestive lyrics in it, we pack up and leave immediately. We do not want to be influenced by the song’s sinful message, and we also want to set a positive example to both Christians and non-Christians. I am sure that many of the people who stayed behind would not use that kind of language and would disagree with its use. Just because it sounds good to the ear doesn’t make it right in the sight of God. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”(Matthew 5:16). By reading this article, I do not want to lead the reader to believe that all music is sinful. There are many songs out there that are good to listen to and convey positive messages. The point of this post is to help Christians become more selective of all of their entertainment choices, including the music of which they listen. In whatever we do as Christians, either for work or entertainment, if it doesn’t fit the standards set by Paul in Philippians 4:8, then it should be avoided. “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.” |