21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder,22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
Answer:In this reply on whether a Christian should join fraternities / sororities, we are giving possible issues. As with anything else, always closely examine a group before you make any commitment to it. Research what fraternity / sorority life involves and requires.
The first question that needs to be asked is why a person would want to join a fraternity / sorority. Motives in God's eyes are all important (1 Samuel 16:7). Depending on the motivating reasons, different issues come to the forefront. If one wants to join a fraternity / sorority because they have the best parties, the Bible says that such a life should belong in one's unsaved past, not in the present life of a believer (1 Peter 4:3).
If one wants to join a fraternity / sorority because of it being a status symbol, it may be an issue of pride. The Bible repeatedly encourages humility both in life and in the choice of one's companions (Romans 12:16;1 Peter 5:5-7), exhorting us to live even as Christ lived. The Bible mentions pride as sin and something God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19;8:13;11:2;16:18;Daniel 4:37;1 Peter 5:5;1 John 2:15-17).
A Christian’s closest relationships should be with fellow Christians and not based on externals tie such as belonging to the same fraternity / sorority, having gone to the same school, coming from same race or social class, etc. (Galatians 3:28;1 Corinthians 12:12-13;12:24-26;Galatians 6:10;John 13:34-35). Most colleges have branches of Christian organizations such as InterVarsity, Campus Crusade, and Navigators as well as good local churches who have college ministries to help young people come to know Christ and grow as His disciples. These groups and fellow Christians should be sought after as the core group of friends while one is away at college.
Who one has as his closest companions is a major issue in Scripture whether they are fraternity brothers, roommates in a dorm, or classmates. Here are a few of Scripture's admonitions concerning this issue: "Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33). “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20). "I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts" (Psalm 119:63). In the end, the question of whether to join a raternityor sorority is a matter for prayer and following God’s leading in our hearts.
We as people have come to believe that there are certain races in our society, even before Hitler. If we look at the Bible God clearly shows us that we all come from one seed Seth. Cain's descendant's got destroyed in the flood and Abel was killed by Cain. Therefore Seth was the only one who descendants survived the flood and continued to populate this world, hence came Noah.
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
5 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth:
4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
6 And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
7 And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
8 And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
9 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
10 And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
11 And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
12 And Cainan lived seventy years and begat Mahalaleel:
13 And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
14 And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
15 And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
16 And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
17 And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
18 And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
19 And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
20 And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
21 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech.
26 And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
27 And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.
30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Reveals How the Myth of Race Took Hold and Retains Its Power RACE - The Power of an Illusion For Immediate Release Contact: Cara White 843/881-1480; carapub@aol.com
Larry Adelman, 415/284-7800 x7; LA@newsreel.org
(San Francisco, CA) - What if we suddenly discovered that our most basic assumption about race - for instance, that the world's people can be divided biologically along racial lines - was false? And if race is a biological "myth," where did the idea come from? How do our institutions give race social meaning and power by advantaging white people? These are just a few of the questions raised by Race - The Power of an Illusion, California Newsreel's provocative new PBS series produced in association with ITVS. It is the first documentary series to scrutinize the very idea of race through the distinct lenses of science, history and our social institutions. The series is narrated by CCH Pounder (The Shield). By asking, "What is this thing called 'race'?" a question so basic it is rarely raised, Race - The Power of an Illusion challenges some of our most deeply held beliefs. Ethnic cleansing, affirmative action battles, immigration restrictions - all place race at center stage in contemporary life. Race is so fundamental to discussions of poverty, education, crime, music, and sports that, whether we are racist or anti-racist, we rarely question its reality. Yet recent scientific evidence suggests that the idea of race is a biological myth, as outdated as the widely held medieval belief that the sun revolved around the earth. Anthropologists, biologists and geneticists have increasingly found that, biologically speaking; there is no such thing as "race." Modern science is decoding the genetic puzzle of DNA and human variation - and finding that skin color really is only skin deep. However invalid race is biologically, it has been deeply woven into the fabric of American life. Race - The Power of an Illusion examines why and how in three one-hour installments. Episode 1: "The Difference Between Us," surveys the scientific findings - including genetics - that suggest that the concept of race has no biological basis. Episode 2: "The Story We Tell, " provides the historical context for race in North America, including when and how the idea got started and why it took such a hold over our minds. Episode 3: "The House We Live In," spotlights how our social institutions "make" race by providing different groups vastly different life chances even today, 40 years after the Civil Rights Act.
EXPLORE why God withheld His blessing from His people; SENSE times when our own ambitions are contrary to God's plans for us; DECIDE that we sill do exactly as God has commanded. Haggai 1:1-4, 7-10, 12-15
Haggai 1:1-4New International Version (NIV)
A Call to Build the House of the Lord
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest:
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai:4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
Haggai 1:7-10New International Version (NIV)
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways.8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
Haggai 1:12-15New International Version (NIV)
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord.14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God,15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
In Focus
Darren was alienated from his family at age 22. He and his parents argued because of his drinking and refusal to work. He had moved in with various friends or acquaintances until his family no longer knew how to contact him and his friends no longer wanted him around. Now at age 40, he had turned his life around married, and fathered three children who had never seen their grandparents. However, Darren's parents never stopped loving him and never stopped trying to find him. One day in a mall with his family, Darren saw a childhood friend. After some catching up, the man said, "You must know that your parents are concerned about you. They are older now. Your dad has been ill, and it has been a difficult time for them financially and physically. They have held on to the house in case you ever return, but it is clearly too much for them." Darren was ashamed and said, "I have been away so long, and there are many hurt feelings between my parents and me. To this the man responded, "You can still come back home." But Darren went on, "I thought I would come back to my parents when I had accomplished something and made a life for myself. However, when that happened, I told myself that I would come back when I had made enough money. Then the Lord blessed me with money, and I said I would come back when the Lord blessed me with children. But I never came back." Then the man asked him, "Do you think it is right for you to live in a mansion while your parents struggle to live? Do you suppose it is good for you to have your children while your parents lose the opportunity to be with their own child? Do you suppose it is good for you to have wealth while your parents have spent every dime they had looking for you?" Darren admitted his shame, and as soon as he left the mall, he went to his parents' house, still very nervous about what would happen next. Is this you, do you need to go back home? Lean on the Lord and make amends with your mother, father or both on this Mother's Day make it one to celebrate!
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. 1 John 5:16
I'm so disappointed in Joyce," Sarah admitted, "After all those years far from the Lord, she was walking with Him again, and now she's gone back to her old ways, I can't understand it." Sarah thought she'd helped Joyce when her witness seemed to help return her coworker to God, and it was hard to accept that Joyce had slipped away from Him again.
But suddenly Joyce didn't want to hear about God at all. It's hard when a Christian seems to forget the joys of knowing God and returns to sin. But we don't need to write that person off. Instead, God calls us to pray. What may seem to us to be the end of the story may just be another turn in the plot. God may have more work to do and this could signify a time of humbling that will eventually reap spiritual benefits.
Know someone on the job who's turned in the wrong direction? Even if she won't listen, you can still bend God's ear on the subject. When He acts, you may see some real changes in your coworker's life.
Lord, work in the life of my coworker. I want to see her living totally for You!
