Arizona sun., 1946-12-06

from the epistles Of Paul for ne was
constantly moved by the Holy Spirit
to exhort the churches and indlvid'
ual Christians to careful ano
worthy walk before God.
| In doing so he was not afraid te
speak plainly about the use OF in
toxicants. Perhaps his brethren In
the ministry today should consider
him and take courage.
Our lesson is a temperance lesson
and since some twist that worc
Temperance" to ht almost any kind
of indulgence, we should like to
quote a careful evaluation OF 1t by
DR.. W. r. White:
Temperance is seriously mis-
understood word. The best definition
we know defines it as abstaining
from that which is harmful, and
using moderately that which is legit!
innate. We would not advise man
to be moderate in teasing rattle
snake. We would not tell him that
it is all right to steal, lie or commit
adultery just so he is temperate
about it. We would not tell man
to use dope moderately. We
could tell a man to be moderate
about eating meat or any other
wholesome thing"
The only way to be temperate
about LIQUOR is to let it alone!
1. The Wrong Way and the Right
Way-in the Church Il Cor. 11:20.
20.
There were number Of disorder
ly things about the Corinthian
church which needed correction. One
of these concerned the Lords Sup
per. A time which should have Civ
en- them blessed unity in fellow.
ship and love had become just the
opposite.
It was their custom to eat So
called love feast before the sacra.
ment, and instead of making it a
time of loving and sharing, the rich
ate their sumptuous meals and lei
La poor brother gnaw on crust OF
bread.
Then feasting led, as it. so often
does, to excesses. Some became
drunken on the wine and even par.
took of the Lords Supper while in
toxicated.
We are not so much concerned
with the Lords Supper in this les
son as we are with the behavior OF
those who attended Think of com.
ing to the holy table drunk! II
seems impossible. and yet it hap
pened.
Do we not still let the poor in
our midst shift pretty well for them
selves? The rich faunt their affluence
and let the poor get along on their
crust of bread. The church needs
to renew it's scriptural appreciation
of what fellowship and communion
really means.
III. The Wrong Way and the Right
Way-in the Community (Rom. 13:
13, 1N.
This chapter of the epistle to the
Romans concerns the right behavior
of the believer in his civic relation.
ships. He is a citizen of heaven.
but he is also a citizen of the COM
munity in which he lives.
The use of intoxicants which a
generation ago was a shameful
thing is now generally accepted. The
home in which liquor was served
was a disgrace; now cocktail is
one Of the first words children learn.
What is the explanation? Is liquor
any less destructive and demoral-
izing? Certainly not! Is it then
true that people are more candid
and open about what they do? No,
it is rather that moral standards
have slipped to the point where they
are no longer ashamed when they
should be, if they thought straight!
Along with the liquor 60 all the
things enumerated in verse 13. Oh,
the awful depth of sex degradation.
of plain ordinary indecency and dis
honesty, of strife and envy. 1t is
not nice picture, but it is true.
The right way is found in verse
II. It was reading these two verses
in his mothers open Bible that led
Augustine to Christ. He saw and
took the right way. Will others do
| likewise?
iii. The Wrong Way and the Right
Way-in the Heart (Eph. 5:18-2D.
This is a personal matter. The
man or woman who finds satisfac-
ton in wine wants the overcoming
power of the narcotic influence to
take away the sense of responsible
ity for life 1t is weak and hope
less way to avoid facing reality.
The right way is to let the Holy
Spirit take full control of the heart
and life. This is to be an experience
of complete surrender, being filled
with the Spirit"
Does life then become drab and
uninteresting? No. indeed! For the
first time you will be really joyful
That inevitably leads to thankful.
ness. a grace too little known and
practiced. 1t is for all things at all
times. Do not overlook that fact
Then too there will be delightful