THE BEACON - Electronic Edition - 3/29/05 The Prom Question For years, the question of whether a young person should attend the prom has plagued the Lord's people. It leads one to ask what the point really is? Most parents realize the need for their teenagers to feel good about themselves and to be accepted by their peers. However, recognizing these needs and placing singleness of eye upon them often produces self-delusion in the presence of what God expects. The things that seem to be the best for a young person in the social element are not always best for him/her as a Christian. Young people often beg for their rights to participate in the prom, a one time event that will never happen again. Parents seem to sympathize with this and allow what they actually know is against better judgement. Yet the rights of a Christian are limited to the will of God. When Paul stated, "whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord" (Col. 3:17), he was directly commanding that the child of God base his speech and actions upon the authority of Christ. The people of God are not at liberty to fraternize with the innovations of man when they produce temptation to sin and lower the standards of Christianity. The teenager who loves God with all his heart and soul does not try to justify why he should go, but, what would the heavenly Father expect. It is peculiar that people do not justify the prom by saying, "The Lord would do it, Why not I?" - It is certain that the Lord - who warns against temptation and evil influence - would not enter a place filled with such opportunities. In fact, we might hear him say, "If thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee" (Matt. 5:29), or "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me" (Matt. 15:8). Wanting to be a Christian yet appear in tune with the world is dangerous to the soul. It is a desire to hold God in one hand and mammon in the other. It is a commentary of self-desire transcending an attitude of self-less service to God whom we claim to adore. This writer understands the pressure of fitting in and the excitement of dressing elegantly for a special occasion. But arriving at an understanding of these pressures can not change God's evaluation of the matter. Justification can not alter God's expectations or modify his will for the young Christian. It only produces self-deception which must be answered for in the high court of our divine Lord and Judge. We must give an account of everything we have done in the body whether good or bad (2Cor. 5:10). "Remembering thy Creator in the days of thy youth" is not just a good idea, it is imperative in the light of vanity. Gasping at the loss of an opportunity to attend a one-time event such as the prom is a testimony of where the heart really feeds. To be holy as He is holy is just that. And godliness is not magnified when one compromises in order to fit in or avoid embarrassing questions. The Christian does not long for fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness nor does he put a bushel over his light for the sake of social dilemma. Dancing is a pastime of the worldly, not the godly. Its produce is evil and provides snares that no chaperone can monitor. Furthermore, attending the dance to "be seen" while avoiding actual dancing is a compromise that no Christian can afford in influence. The evil of the prom is found in participating in those things the Lord would not approve of. Excusing yourself from the prom is not a loss of important events in your life, but a separation of spirituality from worldliness. Being called out of darkness into his marvelous light demands a certain separation from the ways of the world. The young Christian mudt decide which is most important. Joshua stated it clearly many years ago. "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24:15). Make sure your decision is the right one and that your Father in heaven is glorified by your manner of life. - by Tony Ripley _____________________________________________________ The Prom Is it all right to attend the prom (for social reasons) and not dance? Before you decide to do that, ask yourself a few questions. 1.. Will the same sociability that makes me want to go now make me want to dance when I get there? 2.. Am I sure I will be able to control my thoughts while watching others? 3.. Will going make me a light to the world (Mt. 5:16), exposing the works of darkness (Eph. 5:11)? 4.. What do my parents think (Eph. 6:1)? 5.. Am I 100% sure this is right (Rom. 14:23)? 6.. What if the Lord should come while I am there? Surely these considerations outweigh any benefits. Our primary concern in every decision is, What is God's will? His will is that we hold fast that which is good and abstain from every form of evil (1 Th. 5:21-22). - by Frank Himmel ____________________________________________ Dual Controls We heard a true story about a married couple that got one of those nice electric blankets that has dual controls. As you know, such blankets allow each person to set the heat level on their respective side of the bed. This is an especially nice feature since most wives want the temperature setting higher and most husbands want it lower. All was well until the blanket was laundered for the first time. In reconnecting the cords she inadvertantly got "his" control, and he got "hers". That night proved to be a disaster. She was cold and kept raising the temperature setting. He was hot, and kept lowering his. As you can see, with each adjustment the situation grew worse. Neither of them could sleep, and by morning both were ready to throw the thing away! This story is sadly all too similar to things in the church. Seems everyone always tries to make adjustments to the other fella without first taking care of his own problems. It is so easy to see the shortcomings of someone else, and even easier to overlook the same or worse things in our own lives. When such situations occur everyone is miserable, and very little good can be accomplished. Please understand that we are commanded to "restore" the brother who is "overtaken in a fault" (Gal. 6:1) and "convert" the one who has "erred from the truth" (James 5:19,20). But all of this must be done in the order that Jesus prescribed: "...first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye" (Matt. 7:5 -NASV). - by Greg Gwin ____________________________________________ Trends . . . 88% of teens say that it would be easier to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents. . . Teens say their own morals, values and religious beliefs are the most important factors influencing their decisions about delaying sexual activity. - via The Washington Times Ecclesiastes 11:9 "Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. . . Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things." _____________________________________________ Some quotes worth pondering . . . "Wild oats need no fertilizer." "Better to be alone than in bad company." "He that will not command his thoughts will soon lose the command of his actions." "Gold is tested by fire; man is tested by gold." "Admitting that you've been wrong proves you are wiser now than you were before." "When you meet temptation, turn to the right." "Postponed obedience is disobedience." ______________________________________________ News from Collegevue . . . March 27, 2005 Good morning, and welcome! We especially greet our visitors. Won't you please come again soon!?! If you have questions or need our assistance, please let us know. We have many on our sick list, needing our prayers, including all of these who had surgery this past week: Tina Overton, Lois Ashworth, Joan Lindsey, Granville Taylor, and Dan Quillen. Also pray for Alvin Lunn, as he is scheduled for surgery on Thursday. Several near relatives of members here at Collegevue are sick and hurting, including Jean Toombs (the mother of Roger and William). Send her a card at Northside Healthcare Center; 202 East M.T.C.S. Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 - room 204. NEW MEMBERS: Diana and Jennifer Baxter have indicated a desire to be identified as members here at Collegevue. Please make them feel welcome. Their address is: 1606 Whatley St., Columbia, TN 38401; phone 490-3997. The Yancey Smith family has moved. Update your directories to show them at: 4123 Sowell Hollow Road, Columbia, TN 38401; phone 840-4826. New teacher assignments will begin next week. Those who will be taking on these important jobs need to be sure they have picked up the appropriate teaching materials. See Gordon Meade for these. We sincerely thank all of the ones who taught during this last quarter. Today's bulletin has two important articles on the prom. We urge our teens and their parents to read these and to make prayerful application. It's really all a matter of priorities. Where are yours? Think! Figures for the week of 3/20/05: Sunday, Bstudy, 140; AM, 165; PM, 128; Wed., 128; Contrib., $2884 ______________________________________________ "The Beacon - Electronic Edition" is sent out weekly from Columbia, TN, and contains articles and information taken from the most recent "paper" bulletin of the Collegevue Church of Christ. We hope you will use this material in any way you can that will glorify our Father. Please give proper credit to the respective authors. - Greg Gwin ggwin1@bellsouth.net