What Do You Do For Fun?

He was not a member of the church and they just did not have anything in common. She had turned him down twice and now she had said "no" to attending a rock concert with him.

In mock exasperation the young man asked: "What do you do for fun? You don’t dance, you don’t drink alcohol, you don’t attend rock concerts…What do you do for fun?"

Her response was a classic message for all Christians with conviction. She told him: "For fun I get up in the morning without feeling embarrassed, ashamed, and guilty about what I did the night before." The young man had nothing more to say.

It is true. That is fun! Come to think of it, there are many things in her life that are fun. She is married now to a fine Christian man. They have a little girl and are building an outstanding Christian home together.

She is having fun every day not having to live with the affliction of deep scars and regrets from her past. It is fun getting all prettied up each afternoon to receive a husband home from work, knowing that he will not be stopping off at a local bar for a few drinks with the fellows.

It is fun knowing that while he is away from her, his Christian conduct will not allow infidelity or even flirting. It is fun watching him hold his little girl on his lap with loving protecting arms. It is fun knowing that her little girl will never see her father in a drunken stupor or experimenting with drugs. It is fun living with the assurance that the home will be led by a spiritual leader who will guide each family member toward heaven.

The list of fun things for Christians is endless…What do you do for fun?

Bellview church of Christ bulletin

Management or Sales

We live in a result-oriented society. We want to see the benefits of our labors, and we have set our own standards by which they are to be measured.

We have brought this same spirit into the church. We want to see results, and we are inclined to measure them only in responses, increases in membership or by attendance figures.

These things are spiritual indicators to be sure, but the do not tell the whole story. Moreover, they often do not reflect God’s point of view. In fact, in our insistence on results we sometimes find ourselves in open opposition to His will.

A renown evangelist wrote that it was one of the most important lessons of his life when he finally realized that God was in management and that he was only in sales. This is simply saying that he had been trying to take over the prerogative of God in deciding on the results, rather than doing his own part well. I am afraid this characteristic is too often seen in the church.

Noah preached 120 years without a response (except from his family—p.a.o.). What if you had been on the "pulpit committee"? Do you not know he got discouraged? In our modern way of thinking we would have to judge him a failure, but God had a different point of view. He declared him to be "a preacher of righteousness."(II Pet. 2:5)

Philadelphia was a congregation without blemish. She and Smyrna were the only ones of the seven churches of Asia to receive unmixed commendation. But why? Not great numbers, for all admit she must have been very small. Not because of a liberal budget or an admirable growth rate, but because she was faithful. How could anyone have compared this congregation to Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, or Ephesus? Yet in the eyes of the Lord the church at Philadelphia apparently was one of the greatest churches in the New Testament.

Changing our way of thinking is not going to be easy. We have been caught up on results too long. Paul was not a failure in Athens because he was preaching the message as God wanted it preached. Philadelphia was a greater congregation than those with many times her attendance, because God is more concerned with our faithfulness than with numbers.

-- Jack Gray

(Slightly edited. From The Fisherman, Shelbyville, IL bulletin)

Job’s Eye Covenant

Job said, "I have made a covenant with my eyes, why then should I look upon a young woman?"(Job 31:1) Didn’t he trust himself? The point is, why tempt yourself or put yourself in a situation where you might be tempted? Why not begin by making a covenant with your eyes? Tell yourself you are only going to look at good and wholesome things. If that means you will have to limit your association with some people, then so be it. It will certainly mean closing your eyes (turning off) much of what our entertainment industry offers (TV, movies, magazines, etc.). Make that covenant, then live by it! -- David Diestelkamp

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The Clothing Of The Godly

People are often identified by the clothes they wear. In the Bible clothing identified people as being widows, harlots, kings, rich men, men, women and wedding guests. Today, just by looking at a person’s attire, we can identify doctors, nurses, policemen, firemen, soldiers, football players, ballet dancers, and bums (I mean street people). In I Timothy 2:9-10, the apostle Paul instructs women to dress in a way which "befits women making a claim to godliness."(NASB) Certainly it would not be fitting or proper for a soldier to dress in the attire of a bum or for a policeman to dress as a doctor. Likewise, it is improper for the godly to dress in clothing which is characteristic of the ungodly.

When Paul instructs us to wear "modest apparel"(I Tim. 2:9), he is in effect commanding us to dress in a way which is proper for godly individuals. Webster’s 7^th New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word "modest" as "observing the proprieties of dress." But what is proper for those who are godly? The inspired apostle himself gives us the answer. "Modest apparel" for the the person who is godly is apparel that can be worn "with shamefacedness and sobriety."(I Tim. 2:9)

The phrase "with shamefacedness" refers to the fact that a sense of shame is to be demonstrated by our attire. A godly man or woman will dress in a way which shows an appreciation for the fact that God considers nakedness to be shameful.(cf. Revelation 3:18) Realizing that God still considered Adam and eve to be naked even after they had partially clothed themselves with aprons made of fig leaves(Gen. 3:7-10,21), the godly are not satisfied with being partially clothed. But rather, godly men and women dress in clothes which are designed to cover, not reveal. Now ask yourself, "Are shorts, short skirts, halter tops, sun dresses and bathing suits designed to cover or reveal?" Surely a person cannot wear such clothing in public "with shamefacedness."

What about the word "sobriety" as it occurs in I Timothy 2:9? Both W. E. Vine in his Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, and R. C. Trench in his book Synonyms of the New Testament, agree that "sobriety" refers to "that habitual inner self government with its constant rein on all the passions and desires which would hinder the temptation to these from arising." So, godly people dress in a way which hinders temptation. If you profess to be godly, ask yourself, "Are my clothes designed to incite lust or hinder it?" "Do they cause others to stumble or do they prevent such stumbling?" Often people attempt to justify their clothing by making a claim like the following: "My clothes wouldn’t make anyone lust!" But the question is, "Do your clothes HINDER anyone from lusting?"

Those who are interested in conforming to the will of God will be concerned about whether or not they dress in a way that is proper for godly people to dress. Do your clothes identify you as being godly?

"Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come."(I Tim. 4:8)

--Steve Klein