SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES 20-10-2019

RECAP OF OUR LAST STUDY “Admonition to prayer and good conduct”:We are called to continual praying for ourselves and for the work of God. Also, as believers, our lives should reflect Christ in the world. We should not ridicule the gospel through compromise or worldliness. Our speech should be with grace and wisdom. Moreover, we should be faithful in supporting our leaders through personal sacrifice in ministry, giving our resources for worship and prayer. Leaders should appreciate faithful companions, thereby encouraging them in service. .

TODAY’S STUDY: LESSON 765: CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL VICES: THE CHRISTIAN VIEW MEMORY VERSE: …… “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). TEXT: Romans 1: 18-32; Philipians 4:8,9

INTRODUCTION Since the fall, Adam and all generations after him have become open to evil imaginations and actions. The modern man has a sin generating mind and lives in a world that invents “evil things”. Before the flood, God saw the imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart to be continually evil, and so is it today. “Traditional” sins are either weak in attraction or boring; so modern man invents new ways to do set evil. QUESTION 1: How did God describe the spiritual condition of men before the flood? – Genesis 6:5.

DANGER OF GROWING SOCIAL EVILS Rom. 1:28-32; 2 Tim 3:1-6,13; 1 Cor DANGER OF GROWING SOCIAL EVILS Rom. 1:28-32; 2 Tim 3:1-6,13; 1 Cor. 6: 19,20; Eph. 2:1-3 The Scripture warns us about defiling the temple of the Holy Ghost that lives in us (1 Cor. 6:19-20), hence the use and addiction to drugs is against Scripture. Other vices such as betting and pools-staking stem from covetousness and an obsession to get rich quickly. Exam malpractice, forgery, using another person’s paper to live or work, pornography, sexual perversion, worldly music, traditional kingship, etc. are also vices the believer must flee. The use of slang, raw or gutter language also prevents the Christians from edifying, purifying and ministering to the minds and hearts of their hearers.

DANGER OF GROWING SOCIAL EVIL Rom. 1:28-32; 2 Tim 3:1-6,13; 1 Cor DANGER OF GROWING SOCIAL EVIL Rom.1:28-32; 2 Tim 3:1-6,13; 1 Cor. 6: 19,20; Ephe 2:1-3 QUESTION 2: What are the common contemporary vices that a Christian should guard against? – 1 Cor. 6:19,20; Romans 1:27-29. QUESTION 3: (a) What was Jesus’ reaction to the offer to make Him king? (b) What do we learn from this? – John 6:14,15. QUESTION 4: What should be the Christian’s view in relation to chieftaincy titles? QUESTION 5: What danger does the use of worldly slangs pose to the Christian testimony? – Matt. 15:4; Colossians 4:6

THE CHRISTIAN’S STAND Phil 4:8,9; 1 Pet 1:5-11; 1 Cor 10: 31-33 There is no sitting on the fence for the Christian and he cannot afford to pitch his tent with Sodomites and still claim to know Christ. The vices in these contemporary times are deceitful but no Christian should be deceived. To overcome allurements from these devices, the Christian should assess whether they glorify God, edify the saints, point the sinner to Calvary, harm the temple of God or make one an example to believers. QUESTION 6: How should a Christian assess any practice or conduct that looks like a source of temptation? – Hebrews 10:24; 1 Tim 4:12

THE WAY OUT Rom 10:9; 1 John 1:9,10; Jere 18:8; Luke 13:3; Hosea 6:1 Victims of contemporary vices need to be released from these yokes. To be free from them means to avoid them and whoever has slipped into them should go back to the Lord in repentance and for restoration. It is also very helpful to see our ministers for help and remember that wherever you are, God is there with you. QUESTION 7: What is the way out of these contemporary social devices? Isaiah 55:7; Psalm 34:18.

CONCLUSION The modern man has a sin generating mind and now lives in a world that invents evil things. Contemporary vices such as the use and abuse of drugs, betting and pools-taking, pornography, sexual perversion and wild music remain evil no matter how we rationalize them. The Christian must not be obsessed with transient and perishable titles; he must avoid the use of slangs and gutter language. Whoever has slipped into any of present- day vices should turn to God in repentance and for restoration.