Bible Lessons
Dear Young Christian: The Bible Says There Are No Acceptable Sins. All sin is evil.
Today, many things that are popular are not popular with God. In fact, many trends are actually sins according to God's Holy Bible. You need to know that God is the one who decides what is right and what is not. Almighty God decides what is a sin and what is not. He decides therefore, who gets to go to Heaven and who will not. Those who do not go to Heaven, will go to Hell. That is what the Bible teaches (John 3:16-18, John 14:6).
What are some of these "popular" sins? Here is a partial list of the most popular. As a young Christian, you need to be aware of these because they are being pushed on you and the rest of society as being normal and and acceptable, but according to God, they are not. Remember, disobeying God is what brought sin into this world in the first place. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and listened to the Devil who told them they could do something God said they could not. God warned them that if they disobeyed him and ate a forbidden fruit that they would die (Book of Genesis, chapters 1-3). Adam and Eve didn't listen to God. They unwisely listened to the Devil (the snake). He told them they could disobey God and nothing would happen. They believed that lie and it brought death, sin and hell to humanity. Don't listen to people who tell you it is not a sin to do what God has called a sin. If you do, like Adam and Eve, you will be punished and may even end up in hell. Scary, yes.
However, there is still hope. If you do commit one or more of these sins, you can ask God to forgive you in Jesus's name and he will. But you must leave the sin and ask Jesus to guide you. If you have not yet become a Christian, ask Jesus to be your savior and your lord (John 3:16). This means he will save your soul and lead you in your life. God forgives. But you must be serious.
"Popular" sins:
Transgender lifestyles: Some people say they were born the wrong sex. But that is not possible because God doesn't make mistakes and the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:27 that God made humans male and female. He decides who is a man and who is a woman.
Gay lifestyles (LGBTQ): This involves homosexuality (being gay) and transgenders, plus many sexual lifestyles that are go against God's design of male and female couples only. The Bible says same sex relationships are a sin (Leviticus 18:22, Romans, chapter 1).
Abortion: An abortion's purpose is to kill a baby. Often people believe they cannot take care of a baby, so they then decide to have an abortion. But the Bible makes it clear that killing an innocent person is a sin. Read Exodus Chapter 20 and you will see that one of the 10 Commandments teaches we should not murder.
Sex before marriage: Sex is supposed to be for marriage only. That is the way God designed it. Wait until you are married to have sex. Resist the pressure from friends to have sex. Pray to God for strength. Read 1 Corinthians Chapter 6.
Disrespect for parents. Today, many young people are disrespectful to their parents. This is a sin. Read Chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus and you will see that God said a child is supposed to "honor" his or her father and mother".
Use of profanity. Turn on TV, listen to popular music---particularly hip hop or rap-- or log on to the internet and you will hear people using lots of profanity. The Bible is clear however that Christians are not supposed to use filthy language. Read Ephesians 4:29 -32 which says filthy words should not come out of a Christian's mouth.
Some people may say that gay marriage and abortion are legal. So are trans surgeries. But that is man's law. God has different laws and commandments. The Bible makes it clear that it's God's laws that matter in the end. Apostle Peter said when people and God disagree, we must obey God, not man (Acts 5:29). Other people may downplay these and other sins. They may say it's not their business to tell others about sin. But if you are a Christian, it is your business, because God calls you as a believer to tell others about the teachings of the Bible and to warn people who are going the wrong way, so that they can be saved from hell. If you saw a friend going toward a pit would you warn that friend? Of course.
When you hang out with people who do things that God calls sins, you are likely to also fall into sinning. So choose your friends carefully. Don't hang out with people who disrespect God, because you will pick up their habits. Like Adam and Eve, we have an enemy, the Devil and he wants you to sin so that God will punish you. God will always punish evil unless the person doing it repents (turns from it). Yes, you should love people who sin, but that doesn't mean you need to approve of their sin or join in it. Sin destroys lives and souls. The world is in such bad shape because man sinned against God. Remember this too, if you die in sin without repenting, you cannot get into heaven. That means the only place you can go is hell. And hell lasts forever. Scary! Ask yourself, is sin worth experiencing eternal punishment and separation from God?
Revelations 20: 14-15:
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Romans 6:23:
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Many children want to go to church. But we need churches to volunteer to take them
We are receiving more and more requests from children to take them to church. Sometimes their parents can't take them because of lack of a vehicle at home. Other times, the children are the only ones who go to church in the home. Whatever the reason, they need help getting to church. Jesus said, "Allow the little children to come to me." Will you help these children get to him? Remember, no one can get to heaven unless they have accepted Jesus as Lord and savior. But how can they get to Jesus if they can't even get to a church? Please help. Talk to your pastor and Sunday School about helping us transport children to church.
Call 1-318-951-2629 or send an email to: edharvardstreet@aol.com
The Bible tells us that all of us are to honor our parents. Exodus 20:12 says, "Honor your father and mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you." But also respect all adults.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE?
Today this is a very important quetion as gay marriage is a subject in the news. Many people believe people should marry whoever they want regardless. But what does the Bible say about it? What is God's veiw point and what does he want Christians to do? In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, we're reminded that as Christians, our bodies are not our own. They were bought for a price by Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. You see, when you become a Christian you give your body to Jesus and he gets to decide how you use it. That means that we as Christians must submit to God and Christ's view point instead of going with what is popular. In Leviticus 18:22 God said to men, "You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is detesable." In the New Testament, Romans, chapter 1, we are told that homosexuality is a sin and in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, we are also told that those who practice same sex relationships
or gay lifestyles and who do not repent can't get into heaven. That's why we warn gay people to turn from the sin of homosexuality. This is misunderstood by some and they criticize believers. The Bible tells us to remain strong and obey God despite what the world says. In Acts 5:29 we're told that when the world and God disagree, a Christian must obey God. It is a loving thing to tell a gay person that homosexuality is a sin and that like all sin they must repent and turn from it and stop doing it, in order to be saved and go to heaven. That is not bigotry. It's an act of love. We love all people gay and straight and we should pray for God to use us to witness his truth to them. Ask God to help you witness to those who are gay and to do so in love.
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Hey kids win a prize!
Memorize any verse on this page and repeat it to a team leader at a 22:6 bastketball camp session, and you'll win an extra snack or prize! You must know the chapter verse and all the words.
(To continue reading the rest of this cartoon, simply click on above image. Tell the story of this cartoon to your team leader and win a prize!)