Looking for a good time? Then you are not alone. But how do we really get there? And how do we escape the dead-end of depending on alcohol?
Genesis 9:20-27
This is the first mention of an alcoholic beverage in the Bible. Not a pretty scene but it sounds pretty typical. Noah puts himself in a humiliating situation.
Leviticus 10:9
This is the forerunner of many while-under-the-influence laws. Your brain does not function well with an alcohol level. Also see Proverbs 31:1-9
Proverbs 23:29-35
This is alcoholism. Alcoholism is not drunkenness nor dereliction – the lack of these gives false security. Some alcoholics are rarely drunk-drunk. Many are high-functioning. They hold good jobs or perform well at school. They cannot tell that there is anything harmful about the grip of alcohol. Someone once said, “The chains of Habit are too weak to be felt – until they are too strong to be broken.”
The book of Proverbs is a book of wisdom. Its injunctions are not law. They are instructions. Its words about alcohol are not commandments. They are warnings. You can heed a warning that white hot coals will burn you. Or you can try it out yourself.
There is a setup for becoming dependent on alcohol: a sensitive person has emotional and/or relational impairments. He feels life very strongly. He has a lot of desires and pains that he does not know what to do with. He tries some beer or liquor and is able to let some emotion out or is able to feel a little better. Life continues to stress and challenge him. The alcohol is always available for a little relief. He ends up relying on alcohol to feel better. He feels better, but nothing really is better. He thus avoids ever dealing with the real problem. His whole life, he never finds real healing and real joy.
Steps of Alcohol Addiction: (Apart from a miracle, step 1 leads unavoidably to step 7.)
1. occasional use with desire, need or craving;
2. regular use;
3. issues about alcohol (disagreements or guilt, etc.);
4. integrating alcohol into the schedule, budget and behavior;
5. escalating use;
6. plateau, with heavy use (4, up to 24, drinks on occasion; or 2, up to 6, drinks daily);
7. end-stage alcoholism, with cirrhosis, dementia, stroke, and death.
All along the way, the alcohol works so gradually that its negative consequences often go unnoticed. It embezzles finances, prestige, closeness, accomplishments, little by little. The user sees himself making headway in life. But his real potential is farther and farther off, farther from ever being realized until precious things are lost forever. Alcohol abuse leads to debt, legal problems, loss of relationships and divorce, and career stagnation.
Ephesians 5:18-21
Paul has a formula in the lifestyle teachings in Ephesians. Out with the old and in with the new. Here Paul says essentially, “Out with drunkenness, and in with a real high, God’s own Spirit.” This is why AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) had such power when the movement started. Step One of the Twelve Steps was originally written as a submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Look at the elements of this passage in Ephesians. Singing together. Singing things that you are feeling deep in your heart. Feeling good about things and saying so. And being close with your friends. That sounds like the best party ever.
In fact, the fruit of the Spirit, the result of living by God’s power, is love, joy and peace. That means feeling affectionate and meaningful in others’ lives, being deeply happy and excited, and feeling okay within yourself and with God. To me that sounds like a really good time. And after living according to God’s Word and by faith in Him, I can say that it is real. I am having a blast. I have cried wrenchingly at times. But for every sorrow, He has given me higher and more lasting joys.
Even if you have already jumped over the precipice of alcohol dependency, call out to God through the Savior. He will save you, too, just like He save each one of us.
Many a Christian will give you the same story. And we are here to help one another. We are inviting you along in this life. John 10:10b
Tags: addiction, alcohol, holy spirit
This past weekend a bunch of us from Ignite spent the night camping at Westmoreland State Park in Virginia! It was a fun time of music, prayer, food, Bible study, shark tooth hunting, and even learning a little about Korean culture (and American culture!)
Our key verse for the weekend was Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition for vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. “ Christ’s attitude was that of a servant. If anyone ever had a reason to consider himself more important than others, it was Christ - who was God incarnate. Doesn’t get more important that that. But even Christ had service to others at the primary focus of his life - and if Jesus had the attitude of servant, then how much more should we have that same attitude!
How appropriate this verse is to the goal of Ignite! After all, while we love to get together and have fun, our goal is to raise up on-fire Christians, who are ready to serve Christ and others throughout their life. We are encouraging young adults to get in touch with God, to discover the fantastic plans He has for them, to become strong in their faith and bold in their faith. And most importantly, to take what they learn and experience out into the world - to share their faith with their friends, classmates, and coworkers - not only with words, but in the way they live.
So while it’s fun to unexpectedly look down and randomly find a shark tooth while memorizing Rubik’s cubes algorithms, or make up goofy raps to guitar chords and viola tunes, or stay up until all hours giggling with a friend in a tent, or discover that there actually is a story about a talking donkey in the Bible, or eat your very first pancake - ever, or even in a sick twisted way make ants run for their lives, life is so much more than all that. It’s about eating last to cook a friend her very first pancake. And discussing Bible stories with a friend who has never heard. And sharing with others how you came to faith in God. And studying music to start up a worship group for the encouragement of others. There is a deep fulfillment in serving others that you can never find when your life is focused only on yourself.
~ Rachel Collins
College is supposed to be higher education. Here the learning should surpass the standard of elementary school, when you are taught each fact and process, walked through it by the hand. It should surpass high school, where you are expected to do you own learning, but the ideas are still given to you. College should involve the pursuit of the truth on your own, learning to research, discover, experiment, derive and analyze. There should be debate among your colleagues and with the faculty. So disagreement with the professor should be welcomed and respected. Proverbs 3:7, 9:8, 26:12; Acts17:11
There is still lecture in college. And even is small classes the teacher will discourse on a topic, giving a body of information as a set of established facts.
And that is where you are quite likely to hear “facts” that you may disagree with. They may also threaten to reinforce destructive and sinful behaviors in your classmates. The professor may explain that human beings are no more than beasts with a large brain. He may state that we now know that there is no moral absolute, no definite right or wrong. She may declare that religion is merely myth with roots in primitive thinking. And the list goes on and on.
If you find yourself there, listening to these lies, what should you do?
God expects us to speak out to correct error.
You may be the only hope that a fellow student will hear the truth before deciding that educated folk all think just like this teacher does. If someone sees you sitting there quietly as such ideas are promulgated, he can assume that you have nothing different to say. Confirmed in a sinful and worldly outlook, he is likely to throw himself headlong into the world’s destructive lifestyles. We have to speak up. Psalm 39; Titus 1:10, 11; Ezekiel 33:1-9
We must have a good attitude.
God expects us to be gentle and respectful when we have a correction to offer. The Christian must always keep in mind the price Jesus paid to rescue us from our mixed up lives. If God has been so kind to us, we can only be kind to others.
Begin by being the best student that you possibly can. Work hard. Come early to class. Be attentive. Be respectful. 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 3:14-16; Proverbs 22:29
We do not have to have all the answers.
I do not have to have a PhD in meteorology to tell you that it is raining. Maybe I cannot explain where the clouds came from and why they moved in. Someone may be able to tell me that the weatherman assured us of a clear sunny sky. But if I am standing outside, cold and drenched, I have something to say. John 9:24-34
Likewise, I may only have knowledge that one statement in a complex array of ideas is wrong. But I can call that one problem to the class’ attention.
Ten questions that I cannot answer do not eliminate the one true statement I have made.
Listen carefully. Think. Be ready to be wrong. No one says that you have to be right all the time. And nothing shows good character as much as a willing admission of error.
But do not be shaken when you do not have a ready answer. Remember that the professor has studied this material for years. Ask if he is okay if you take some time to research his point. He has to say “Yes.” James 1:19, Proverbs 18:13
One of the greatest weapons in argument is a question. Jesus often taught by asking questions. Luke 5:23; 6:3, 4, 9, 39, 46; 7:25; 9:18, 20, 25; etc.
One of the best questions to ask in academics is, What is the source for this assertion? Referring to the Scriptures as their source, Jesus and the apostles would ask, “What do the Scriptures say?” If asked in a collegial spirit, it is fully appropriate to request the sources for any teaching. “Can I get a listing of the studies or sources that you’re basing this on, when you get the time?” Too often bold proclamations are founded on nothing but “professional opinion,” meaning “That’s what I think, and I’m the professional.”
Any question that you raise only opens up the subject to more discussion. You may not yet be ready to promulgate a full alternative proposition. But questions are where learning starts. But when you do raise a question, it obligates you then to research the question some. Proverbs 8
Finally, speak when you should but only when you should. Do not always answer on the spot. James 1:19; Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2
Be prepared to face persecution.
You might expect a college professor to be fair and respectful. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. He or she is just as human as the next person. Pride may be at work. Academic snobbery is real.
Do not take an attack personally. The fact that you are being attacked testifies against your opponent. If the teacher wants to fight error, that is done simply by explaining truth. It is never accomplished by mockery, insults or smugness.
Matthew 5:10-12, 43-48
~Dr. Tony Valdes-Dapena
Tags: attitude, class, disagreement, truth
Part of education is not simply learning the truth but more than that – discovering truths and how to uncover more truth still. And real disagreement is part and parcel in that process. We argue until we tear away what is false, and what is true remains standing.
On the other hand, not everyone accepts a concept called “Truth.” We believe that there are things that are absolutely correct, while other things are not. Too often the world is more enamored with mere discussion than with arriving at firm, lasting conclusions. They do not really believe in “Truth,” just ideas.
In college we are confronted with a maelstrom of teachings, some of which are wrong. The Scriptures warn us that we cannot afford to keep silent while falsehood is promulgated around us and we can clearly see it. If we are silent, our silence will be interpreted as agreement.
As a college student, how would you speak out when you believe that the professor is espousing something that is wrong? Can you? Should you?
September 16, Wednesday night at 6:30 at the Westbrook Starbucks, the “Ignite” college students and young professionals group will examine Biblical teachings about disagreeing with your college professor. This should be a great topic, Ages 18-29 are welcome to come and join us for teaching, discussion and fun.
Luke 2:41-52
At twelve, Jesus was not understood by His parents. They were godly, going to Jerusalem for the Passover. They loved Him. But they did not comprehend His mission. He was about His father’s business
, while they were following the crowd. Nonetheless, Jesus was the Child, and they were the parents, so He continued in subjection to them.
Philippians 2:5-7
Proverbs 22:7
If you are a dependent, accept from God the challenge of being also a servant. So long as you are a minor by our law or a dependent in some practical way, you must continue in subjection. If there is something that your parents are providing for you that you need, then they are also in charge.
Ephesians 6:5-9
Our circumstances are often beyond our control. But our attitude is ours. With the strength of God’s Spirit, we can decide to rejoice in our circumstance. We can either try to defy the definition of the relationship or we can try to flourish within it.
Imagine someone saying to you, “I need you to support me financially for the next four years, but I don’t want you telling me what to do. Just give me your money and let me do what I want.”
Mark 3:20-35
The Lord was now more than thirty years old. He was well into His mission. Crowds were thronging around Him. But Jesus’ family obviously did not see what was happening. They heard that He was going without meals or without rest at times. They decided that it was time to step in and take control.
But Jesus was an independent adult. His support came from the disciples and the believers. So when He got the word that His mother was calling, He politely and calmly redefined the lines.
If you are not a dependent, be gracious in defining the relationship. There is a timeless debt that we repay our parents throughout our lives, but we also give first allegiance to our callings from God.
“Good fences make good neighbors.” In other words, those around us need clear and simple limits so that we can continue happy relationships.
Are you a dependent? Do you rely on any benefits from your parents? These benefits can include financial support, participation benefits in insurance or school, or tangible benefits such as a car or a dwelling.
Have you settled in your own heart that you are indentured? Is it hard for you? Can you think of other situations in which a person accepts a period of servitude for the benefits that will be gained? (Employment contracts, military service)
Is it hard for you to correct someone’s way of relating to you? Have you ever done it? Were you successful?
What do you need God’s help to achieve in your relationship with your folks?
Tags: maturity, parents, relationship
Your living is shaping up all around you. You are taking on more responsibility. You are traveling and meeting many new people. Your career path is shaping up. And your mom chides you for not taking out the trash. Something seems contradictory here. Just when your self-image seems to be taking on some stature, someone makes you feel like a little kid again. What’s up?
September 9, Wednesday night at 6:30 at the Westbrook Starbucks, the “Ignite” college students and young professionals group will examine a Biblical view on “Living as an Adult under Your Parents’ Roof.” Ages 18-29 are welcome to come and join us for teaching, discussion and fun.
Let’s face it: we need to talk about sex sometimes. Although God designed sex as good, the world has made a muddled mess of the topic. So sometimes we have to talk about it. We need to inform when there is ignorance. We need to provide reassurance where there is insecurity. And we need to correct misunderstandings. We need to bring accountability where there is error. So sometimes we need to talk about sex.
But the Scriptures warn us to be careful with our words. James says, “The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity.” So let’s be careful not to set the house on fire.
The reason that special care is needed in talking about sex is that sex itself is largely mental. A sexual response can arise from physical stimulus, but it always requires the mind’s involvement. In fact, the sexual response can be produced entirely from the mind. And where does talk have its effect? Words create mental images and associations.
What is in our minds matters – a lot. Jesus warned that “he who looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
So we have to be careful not to tempt ourselves or others to adultery by our words. But why did Moses warn us, “You shall not commit adultery”? This prohibition is certainly not just anti-fun. Everywhere in the Bible, God’s prophets make it abundantly clear that God wants us to be happy and to enjoy life, to rejoice.
I believe that sexual arousal opens a person up to deep neuro-psychological imprinting, the formation of permanent nerve pathways in our brains. This would be supported by the fact that people who use paraphernalia in sex can develop permanent associations that make them dependent on unusual objects for their sexual satisfaction. People with these “fetishes” related to such things as shoes or hats show how powerfully sexually-related objects are imprinted on the brain’s neurons.
That would only make sense in light of the fact that God intended for the man and the woman to become one. Through sex, each is powerfully etched into the other’s nerve patterns in the brain. “And the two shall become one flesh.”
Many have also testified as to how vividly they retain any pornographic images that they have used. Sex causes this permanent imprinting.
When we loosely talk about sex for a joke or for entertainment, we risk imprinting distorted or inappropriate images and ideas into our minds. These out-of-place thoughts are likely never to be erased. Proverbs 26:22 says, “The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body.” The writer warns us that the things we hear become a part of us.
Paul says in Ephesians 5, “Do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you. And there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks.”
Some parameters as to how to talk appropriately about sex might help. The first guide would be to always have a distinct purpose in mind. The Scriptures warn repeatedly about idle talk, and sex is the last place for pointless chatter. And Paul admonishes, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment.” If there is a need, let’s talk. Sometimes that need is emotional. A person may just need to get something off his chest or to get reassurance. But do have a point for talking. Sexuality is not good for chitchat.
Next, be sure to talk only as specifically as needed. Since the topic can create difficult or powerful images, say what you need to say. Be specific when you need to and general when you can. Do not be unnecessarily detailed.
In keeping with the prohibition against both physical and mental adultery, you should always talk about the past or about a pattern, not about the immediate present. No one except your spouse needs to know about an immediate sexual feeling. That could be adulterous. Do not discuss a present personal sexual feeling.
Finally, be sure that the person you are talking to is okay with the discussion. You should talk to someone of the same gender and who is mature in character and who does not have a history of weakness in this area. Be sure to ask if he or she is stable in this area. The person also should have a solid faith in Christ and biblical foundation to work from.
But what if you are the victim of careless sex talk? If you find yourself subjected to sexually inappropriate talk at a party or at work, have your response ready. Walking away can work well. Or you may be able to signal a break with the “time-out” T-sign. You may just have to say, “Whoa! Hold it a second. I’m not OK with this topic.”
The game plan then is the following:
- Talk about sex when there is a specific purpose;
- Talk generally when you can and specifically when you need to;
- Do not talk about a present sexual feeling;
- Talk with someone who is strong and free from temptation;
- Plan what you will do if inappropriate sexual chatter starts around you.
In summary, it is a good thing to talk about sex when you need to. At times, it is the right thing to do – it is helpful. But be sure to treat the topic with the respect it deserves. God made sex special. Keep it that way.
~Antonio Valdes-Dapena
Tags: Godly talk, modesty, sexuality
What does God say about Himself in the Bible? Most people assume that they know about Go
d. Many people think that God is a personal notion. But God is who He is, not who we want Him to be. God says clearly what He is like.
God’s characteristics:
God is God, the One and Only true God.
Exodus 20:1-3 Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Isaiah 43:10-11 Before Me there was no god formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me.
He is also omnipotent (all powerful)
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.
He is omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (In all places).
1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!
Psalm 44:21 Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
Daniel 2:22 It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.
God exists as the Father, as Jesus Christ, the Son, and as the Holy Spirit. While these interact with One Another, there is still only One God who never describes His characteristics as “we” but always as “I”. This has been thoroughly researched in Scripture and thought through and concluded to be an essential mystery, not resolvable to reason or explanation. Psalm 2; Luke 3:21, 22; Romans 8:9-11
God’s moral character
God defines and adheres to moral principles. He is intolerant of any compromise from perfect right or from perfect justice. He is quintessentially holy.
Genesis 18:25 Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?
Isaiah 6:3 Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts.
James 1:17 Every good thing and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
God’s heart
Perhaps the most amazing revelation about God is that He is personal and has always wanted us to love Him.
Genesis 3:8, 9 Then they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Revelation 21:3, 4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
As we study the Bible, we are not studying to become full of knowledge but to become those who know God well, can receive His love, and can love Him back,
~Antonio Valdes-Dapena
One of the common problems of faith is the question of what happens to people who never had the opportunity to know Christ — people out in the middle of nowhere, where no missionary has ever been, who may have been taught tribal traditions but never the truth about God. How can a good God sentence them to eternal death simply because they never had the opportunity to believe?
The answer to this problem is found in the very first chapter of Romans - “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:18-20)
So then, all people are without excuse. Can you really see God’s invisible properties in nature? Is it something the average person is capable of comprehending, even without having an elementary knowledge of who God is? After all, it’s easy for Christians to look at the stars and worship the God who put them in place - it’s easy for us to see that it was God’s “eternal power” that set the solar system in motion, that it is his “divine nature” that transcends time, that allowed life to begin in the first place. But is this really evident to everyone? Is it so evident that at the judgment day, when the unsaved are brought before God to account for their disbelief, that they cannot say “But no one ever told me!”? Romans 1 says that God’s answer to them will be, “Did you ever look at my creation? Was there never a tug at your heart when watching a seed burst forth into a tree, that led you to start thinking of me? Did you never look at the stars at night and wonder at the greatness of the God who must be?”
I believe that God is just. If his requirement is that salvation comes through faith in him, then he will provide a way for all humans to come to that faith. His creation tells his story, and we are responsible for what we do with that. I’m not going to take the place of God and tell him what to do to save people. But I know that because of his “eternal power” he has the capability to reach each and every person who opens their heart to his truth. His “Divine Nature” will not allow a single person who has a true desire to believe in him to perish. If God says that men are without excuse because he has revealed himself in nature, then I believe that when a person finds God through this revelation and opens their heart to belief that God will honor that and continue that person on the path of salvation - “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
So what about YOU? We’ve talked a lot about people on the far corners of the globe who have no one to tell them about Jesus. You are most certainly without excuse. Look around you - can you see God revealed through His creation? Or are you one who is exchanging “the truth of God for a lie”? (Romans 1:25) More about this to come . . .
~Rachel Collins
Yeah, not much going on here on the blog. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy at Ignite!!
This summer, we’re focusing on working one-on-one with our students. Each Wednesday night we’ve chosen one student, and conducted and interview with them - discovering their dreams, gifts, talents, abilities, basically any hints and clues that God has given to their unique purpose and direction.
The results of this have been amazing! We’re getting to know each other in a brand new way, and learning to see each other with God’s eyes. We’re discovering hidden desires, and seeing how beautifully the student’s abilities fit in with these desires.
As Christians, we’re not alone in trying to figure out a direction in life. We understand that God has a purpose for each and every one of us - “‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:11), and He leaves clues along the way. Our gifts, our talents, our abilities, are all given to help us accomplish the unique purpose that God has for us.
Do you know where God is leading you? Or do you feel like you’re drifting, not sure of your direction, knowing that there has to be something more than the day-to-day rat race but clueless about what it may be?
If you are seeking - spend some time in prayer. Look at your strengths. Ask God to show you His plan. Believe me, He wants nothing more than to share it with you, and He will, when the time is right.
-Rachel Collins