TAKING A STAND AGAINST LIQUOR.
 
                                     by James Baker (minister of mt airy church of Christ)

​
No one can be successful in defeating drinking, if they don’t make up their mind to do so. 
 
Daniel 1:8  “teaches Daniel purposed in his heart not to eat the King's food and drink.” 
 
A person must have the willpower to do the same when it concerns drinking.
 
 
                   REPLACE THE DESIRE WITH SOMETHING ELSE
 
Think about fruit juice, soda, tea, water.   Just get something else. When we get weary of something, we get rid of it and replace another item in its place.  Out with the beer, in with the milkshake. etc.
 
People seek strong drink because strong drink is on their mind.   Kick booze out of your mind and change your thinking to settle on good, clean, and wholesome things.
“ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”  Philippians 4:8
“He who would love life and see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.  Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,And His ears are open to their prayers.But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”  1 Peter 3:10-12

                        STAY AWAY FROM PEOPLE WHO LOVE DRINKING
 
If you're going to live differently, you need to get away from those who don't share your views. You will never be successful hanging with those who love to get drunk. 
 
“Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat. For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.” Proverbs 23:20-21
 
 “Do not be deceived, Evil company corrupts good habits.” 1 Corinthians 15:33
 
 
 
 
 
 
             THE WORD OF THE LORD WARNS ABOUT STRONG DRINK
 
Strong drink isn’t your friend, it’s a mocker. Proverbs 20:1
 
Don’t stay a long time with strong drink.  Proverbs 23:30-33
 
Strong drink should remain in your past. 1 Peter 4:3
 
Those who love drinking will get into trouble. Proverbs 21:17
 
Strong drink is for those who wish to destroy themselves. Proverbs 31:6
 
Don’t get drunk. Ephesian’s 5:18
 
Noah got drunk. Genesis 9:20-23
 
One can be taken advantage of while drunk. Genesis 19.30-36
 
The King was drunk and made a bad decision.  Esther 1:10-12
 
 
 
 
 

                                                                 ARTICLE  by.   Jon W. Quinn


“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see.
To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15b,16).


Consider and reflect. Here we have a description of our Creator. I would like us to focus on the idea of “inapproachable light.” The apostle John described God’s moral purity this way: “God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God’s presence is unapproachable by mortal man, partly because of the glories that surround His throne. The light would be unbearable to us in our present mortal state. When men have been granted the opportunity to be given a glimpse of this other-worldly light, the blaze of the glory shined as the sun and brighter yet. Peter, James and John stood in awe as they witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus. Fourteen hundred years before that, Moses’ face shined for days after having been with the LORD on the mountain. If one lacks the proper awe and reverence for God in this life, at the judgment seat of Christ their disdain will one day melt away in awe. Irreverence will be replaced with what should have been there all along.
Let this respect for God and all things holy be in our hearts and lives now! Reverence now will bring forth reverence and joy then. “...and His face was like the sun, shining in its strength”
(Revelation 1:16b).


Because God shelters us from gazing directly at His glory today, we have not seen Him. We are simply not equipped to see God currently. The closest we can come is to look at Jesus, the Son of God and learn of God’s character. “And He is the image of the invisible God...” (Colossians 1:15).
It is not that Jesus looked like God in physical appearance, but rather He possesses the love and patience and holiness of the Father. He reveals the Father to us.


One day that will all change when He equips us with spiritual bodies and then we shall directly look upon the face of our Creator for the first time. God told Moses that “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live” (Exodus 33:20). The privilege of seeing God face to face will have to wait until the next age. For now, we must know God by faith in His Son, who has revealed the Father to us.


“To Him be honor and dominion!” Paul exclaimed. The best thing one can do is honor God as God throughout our days here. Then, at the proper time, the Redeemer will return to take us home to the Father. To be ready for that hour, with reverence, we keep the commandments of God .
​(1 Timothy 6:11-14).


“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:17-1
 
 
 
 
 

                                                                       Is Our Gospel Hid?                                                                                 

                                                                              By Kevin Cauley
 
We’re all familiar with the VBS tune, “This little light of mine.” We sing this song so as to let our children know that they need to be good examples and positive influences in the world around them. This song also reminds us to practice what we preach and let our light shine too. In addition to letting our light shine, however, we need to be concerned about supplying the appropriate information to those who need the message of the gospel. Paul the apostle was so confident regarding both his example and the efforts that he made at preaching the gospel that he made this statement in 2 Corinthians 4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” Several lessons come to mind from such a statement.

First, do we hide God’s word from others or do we share it freely? Paul could say that he hadn’t hid God’s word. In fact, he said in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” What about us? Are we ashamed of the gospel? When the subject comes up do we avert our eyes? Do we look to get out of the conversation? Do we change the subject? Truly, our behavior is revealing as to what we truly think about God’s message. We ought never be guilty of hiding the gospel from others. It is their only hope for salvation!

Second, can such a statement be made regarding our efforts to preach and teach the gospel? Have we so effectively preached God’s word to those around us that we can truly say that no one whom we have encountered is unaware of the truths of the gospel? If we have, then that is truly a wonderful goal to have reached. If we haven’t, then there is work for us to do. Let’s consider Jesus statement to the disciples in John 4:35 “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” God has spread before us a great harvest! Our job is to go into the fields and reap what God has given. Let’s be about the Lord’s work!

Third, perhaps there are some around us with whom we have shared the gospel message and yet, they have rejected it. That would put us in the same situation in which Paul was in. Paul said regarding these individuals, “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Yes, there are some who will reject the message. But that’s not really our problem. Jesus never promised that every single person to whom we preach the gospel would respond favorably to it. In fact, He said the opposite, namely, that more would reject it than accept it. In Matthew 7:13 Jesus said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” and more often than not, Jesus would teach and then end with the statement, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” What did that mean? It meant that if you are of a willing and ready mind, then listen to the message and apply it. Otherwise, too bad. It is sad that some will not hear and obey the gospel message, but that’s a fact that we’ve been told about and we must accept it.
​
So, what category are you in? Are you hiding the gospel? Are you preaching it to those who haven’t receive it yet? Have you preached it and it has been rejected? Regardless, let us realize that there is always someone somewhere who needs to hear the message. If we’ve exhausted the location that we are in, we can move on to other places. If we’ve just started, then let’s get busy watering what’s been planted. If we’re not doing anything, then let’s get out of our comfort zone and do something. We all can do something to further His kingdom. Won’t you start working today?

                                                  "The Lord Turned and Looked at Peter"

                                                                        by Kyle Pope

On the night before Jesus’ death, after the disciples had run away in fear from the detachment of soldiers that had seized Jesus in the garden, Matthew tells us that Peter “followed Him at a distance” going into the high priest’s courtyard, where he “sat with the servants to see the end”(Matt. 26:58, NKJV). Only hours before Peter had confidently announced, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble” (Matt. 26:33), going so far as to boast, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” (Matt. 26:35). I have no doubt that Peter meant what he said. He loved the Lord, and had every intention of serving him to the death, but it is never wise to boast about the future or about our own strength. We never know what conditions the Lord may call upon us to endure.

Just a short time after Peter made his boast, he was more than willing to take up arms when the soldiers first came to seize Jesus. John tells us, “Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear” (John 18:10). To cut off someone’s ear some have speculated that it must have been that Peter aimed for the head, and only struck the ear because the man drew back, causing Peter’s sword to graze the side of his head. Clearly, Peter was ready for war! But Jesus had something else in mind. He told Peter to put his sword back in its sheath (John 18:11) then he touched the man’s ear and healed him (Luke 22:51). Peter knew how to fight, but how was he to respond to this? His commitment to follow Jesus even to death had not anticipated a call to willingly submit to the enemy! This was more than Peter could bear. Mark records, “Then they all forsook Him and fled” (Mark 14:50). It is interesting that Mark alone records these words. Papias, the second century bishop of Hierapolis, claimed that Mark was “the interpreter of Peter” and “whatsoever he recorded he wrote with great accuracy” since “he was in company with Peter who gave him such instruction as was necessary” (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.39.15-16). Is it possible that the Holy Spirit, through Mark, records Peter’s own recollection--“all forsook Him and fled”—Peter included?

In the High Priest’s courtyard, Luke tells us “they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together” (Luke 22:55). Peter is there with them, but having chosen to forsake Jesus, he is in the wrong place at the wrong time! The first to notice him is a young woman. She says, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee” (Matt. 26:69), but Peter denies it (Matt. 26:70). Peter’s decline into denial did not begin with an overt rejection of Jesus and his teachings. He wasn’t in the courtyard giving himself over to sin and indulgence, he simply refused to identify himself with the Lord and his people. To deny Jesus we don’t have to start out as infidels—we just have to be afraid to let others know we are Christians.

The woman’s question makes Peter nervous. So, as Matthew tells us, he moved “out to the gateway” (NKJV) or “porch” (KJV), when a girl says to him once again, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth” (Matt. 26:71). Matthew alone records Peter’s next step as denial “with an oath” saying “I do not know the Man!” (Matt 26:72). Peter had heard Jesus teach in the Sermon on the Mount “do not swear at all” (5:34). Now he not only denies his relationship to Jesus, but moves to violate his teaching! Chris Reeves writes, “Notice that Peter refers to Jesus as ‘the man.’ He wouldn’t even say his name! Clearly Peter wanted to disassociate himself from Jesus” (“When the Cock Crows” 9). This wasn’t a detachment of soldiers—it was a young girl! Augustine put it well, “Behold, the strongest column has trembled to its foundations at a single breath of air!” (Lectures on the Gospel of John, Tractate 113). After we have distanced ourselves from the Lord it becomes much easier to give in to sin.

After, what Luke tells us was about an hour (Luke 22:59), the two previous charges appear to have sunk in with the rest of those gathered in the courtyard. Matthew tells us, “those who stood by” (NKJV) or “the bystanders” (NASB) challenge him one final time, saying, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you” (Matt 26:73). Something about Peter’s accent or speech patterns made it clear, “he is a Galilean” (Luke 22:59), just like Jesus.

While all of this was going on, Jesus too was being questioned—not by the servants, but by the High Priest himself. At least part of this was within sight of the courtyard, allowing Peter to see what was happening to Jesus, and Jesus to see what was happening to Peter (cf. Luke 22:61). Gerhardsson has observed the interesting correlation between what happened during Jesus’ questioning at the very same time Peter was denying him. Jesus remained silent when accused by false witnesses (26:59-60a), even in the face of specific false accusations (26:60b-63a). Only when charged under oath to confess his identity, did Jesus break his silence and confess his true identity (26:63b-64). As Jesus endured this disgrace, Peter will deny him once (26:69b-70), then a second time under oath (26:71-72). Then, in the face of continued pressure (while Jesus confessed his true identity), Peter denied him yet again as he began “to curse and swear” (26:73-74).

While Scripture condemns fifthly language, which we might call cursing (Eph. 4:29), that is not what Peter was doing. From a Biblical standpoint to curse is to call condemnation or ill will upon another (cf. Deut. 28:15-68). The word translated “to curse” is katanathematizein meaning literally “to anathematize.” Although it is possible that Peter was calling condemnation on himself as a way to try and convince his accusers that he was not one of Jesus’ disciples, some scholars think something else was involved here. In the Second Century, Justin Martyr records that during Jewish revolt that was led by Bar Kochba, he forced Christians not only to deny Jesus, but actually to blaspheme, apparently by cursing Jesus (First Apology 31). Merkel asks, "Did Peter under renewed pressure in spite of his repeated protestations, resort to what would probably count in the eyes of his Jewish opponents as the strongest way of dissociating himself, that is, cursing Jesus?” (69).

When Peter did this, “a rooster crowed” (Matt. 26:74), or as Mark indicates “a second time the rooster crowed” (Mark 14:68, 72). This was probably an allusion to the Roman method of measuring the watches of the night. When more than one “cock-crowing” was referred to, the first signaled the end of the third watch, about 3:00 AM (cf. Mark 13:35). When two were referenced, it was what the Romans called secundum gallicinium /“the second cock-crowing,” around sunrise (cf. Ammianus Marcellinus, Rerum Gestarum 22.14.4). Just as Jesus had foretold, Peter denied him in the exact manner he had foreseen, and at the exact time he had foreseen (Matt. 26:34; Mark 14:30).

The fact that Jesus and Peter were within sight of each other is quite significant. When the rooster crowed after Peter’s last denial, Luke adds the striking words, “and the Lord turned and looked at Peter” (Luke 22:61). Peter had seen Jesus’ look of compassion for the helpless and hungry multitudes (9:36; Mark 8:2). He has seen his look of rebuke when Peter said he would not die (Mark 8:33), and his look of deliverance and salvation when he began to sink into the raging waves (14:31). Yet, now what a look of piercing disappointment, and shame must have shot through the darkness of the courtyard, as Peter would realize in disgrace, and horror that Jesus had not only foreseen his treachery, but knew the very moment when it was realized! The last words that Matthew tells us about Peter in his gospel are that “he went out and wept bitterly”(Matt. 26:75).

We know that after the resurrection, John records Jesus’ three-part charge to Peter to feed (or tend) his flock—believed to demonstrate Jesus’ renewed acceptance of Peter, mirroring Peter’s three-part denial (John 21:15-19). We know that, after his repentance, and restoration back to Jesus, in only a few days, Peter would stand before the same men who questioned Jesus while he fearfully watched from the courtyard and courageously confess his faith in the Lord (Acts 4:5-12). This is certainly a lesson about forgiveness and repentance. But Peter’s decline into denial is also a lesson about commitment. Service to the Lord will demand things of us we do not now expect—will we have the courage to bear them? Identification with Jesus won’t always be easy, but even the worst hardship we must bear in service to the Lord, is nothing compared to the shame and horror we could feel one day if in the Judgment the Lord must turn and look at us when we have lived a life that denied Him!


 
 
 

                                                                Let us go into the House of the Lord
                                                                               by. Jay Launius 




(Psalm 122:1)
“I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the Lord.”


EXCEPT WHEN…

​• The Weather is Perfect • The Kids Have a Ballgame
• The Fish are Biting • We are RV Camping • My Husband Won’t Go
• We Stay Out Late the Night Before •My Favorite Team Plays at 11:00
• The Lesson is on Social Drinking • The Lesson is on Church Attendance
• We Have a Family Reunion • It’s Too Hot • Hunting Conditions are Perfect
• We Go on a Pleasure Cruise • My Favorite Performer is in Concert 
 We Are on Vacation
 It’s Raining
 We are Sleeping In
 It’s My Birthday
 My Wife Won’t Go
 The Kids are Fussy
 The City Water is Off
 The Lesson is on Giving
 The Lesson is on Divorce
 We Go to The Racetrack
 It’s Too Cold
 We Go to The Lake
 I Choose to Work Overtime
 It’s a 3-Day Weekend




“But they all alike began to make excuses.”
“I tell you, not one of those who were invited
will get a taste of my banquet.”
(Luke 14:18, 24)

                                                            “I’m Church of Christ”

                                                                        by J S Smith,

No, you’re not, and please quit saying that.

It has become increasingly frequent that we hear members of the body of Christ refer to themselves in that fashion when discussing religion with members of various denominations. Perhaps we are trying to accommodate their language and unscriptural understanding, but you can accommodate to the point of error and such is the case here. “I’m Baptist.” “I’m Methodist.” “I’m Presbyterian.” “I’m Catholic.” “I’m church of Christ.”

One of these things is not like the other; one of these things just doesn’t fit. The first four descriptions share certain things in common. They are all denominational identifiers and none of them has scriptural precedent in the designation of the church. The last is added so that we can parallel the language of our denominational neighbors, but the effect condescends the church of Christ to that same level. Maybe we become ashamed of the claim altogether.

We are making some mighty uncertain sounds with language like this (1 Corinthians 14:8). Why not rather say simply, “I’m a Christian”? Does that not communicate the truth and perhaps also make a point about our refusal to create or join any new denomination (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)? The phrase “church of Christ” is no more ours to trifle with than the honorable word “Christian.”
Our denominational friends have almost given up calling themselves “Christians,” instead preferring to emphasize what brand of Christian they are. Do we resist sectarianism for 1900 years and then surrender because it is more convenient and less likely to get us in a messy discussion about religion?

It seems those messy discussions about religion have gotten a bad rap anyway. Sometimes hurt feelings result and sometimes bloody noses. But every once in a while conversions result and that every once in a while is worth the risk. Moreover, it demands that we be clear in who we are, not bowing to the ungodly language of church dividers.

When the apostles began taking the gospel into all the world, there was exactly one kind of church in all the world. It was the one that Christ promised to establish (Matthew 16:16) and did purchase with His own blood (Acts 20:28). He both built it and bought it and it was His; it was the church of Christ (Romans 16:16). There were zero denominations in all the world. No church called itself Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist or Catholic. But friend, no Christian ever referred to himself as “I’m church of Christ” either.

​Repeat after me: “I’m a Christian. I’m a Christian.” It’s not hard.

​

                                                                  Consider your ways!
                                                   
                                                                    by James Baker                

                                                        (minister, mt airy church of Christ) 

​In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus said the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.

Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your fine houses, and My house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.
Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earns wages earn them to put it into a bag with holes.    Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.  Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.      Haggai 1.1-8
 
 Then said he unto them,  A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
So that servant went and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.

And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, go’’’’’’ into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.   For I say unto you, none of those men which were invited shall taste of my supper.Luke 14.16-24
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matt 6.33
 
With the readings of the scriptures, we see people have a very bad problem with staying faithful to the Lord. First, people have the tendency to let Gods work go lacking while they take care of personal business. That is what Haggai was saying.  The people were building up their own personal houses and making their lives very comfortable while the Lord's house was in shambles. They failed to take into consideration it was by God's grace they could take care of their personal business.
That is why the Lord told them that they need to consider their ways, and the same is true today,
we need to consider our ways as well.

I know we have jobs and need to work, I know we have families that need our attention, but we must serve the Lord too. We must find time and make room to do both; take care of our everyday normal activities and make time to serve the Lord.   I believe some people would call it multitasking.

The lesson we see from the book of Luke is about excuses.   We must remember that God has given man commandments and God does not want to hear man making excuses as to why he cannot obey. God expects his commandments to be carried out. When it comes to church attendance, people give excuses on why they can't.  When it comes to teaching a lesson or just doing anything else, people always have excuses. Moses made all kinds of excuses to the point of making the Lord angry.  Exodus 4.10-14.  The Lord don't want to hear excuses, He wants to see people step up and get the job done.
 
The next thing is putting the Lord first in our lives. Anything that we do, we need to consider how to do it and serve God as well. Whatever we do, wherever we go, we need to think about where God is going to fit in the equation; for we cannot leave him outside and just think about what it is that we want to do. 
We must make room for him every day in our lives in our schedules, for we make no move without finding a place for him

​Let us consider our ways! Watch what we are doing and make sure we are doing everything right.
 
 
 

                                  My 2025 commencement speech for high school students
  
                                     by James Baker, (minister Mt Airy church of Christ)                  
 
Students, congratulations!  For 12 years you have been working hard to reach this moment and now after many years of watching the calendar, watching the clock, enduring hardship, late hours of study, looking at the outside world and wishing that you could be a part of it.  Smile!   Your time has finally come!   You should be very happy and appreciative, because now you stand on the verge of becoming the future. 

We adults have done the best we can to leave you a great world to enter but it's not perfect and that's where you come in.  You must pick up the baton from where we left it and move this world to a better place.  Man needs better education, better nutrition, better humane treatment and you can do that and more; make it your goal to improve this world because that's what education is all about.   Turn around look at your fellow classmates on your right and left, tell them we made it and now we celebrate; but tomorrow we plan our beautiful future.
 
Students! I am a preacher.  I preach for the Mt airy church of Christ and being a preacher is what I wanted to do all my life.  I started after high school in 1975 and I have been at it ever since.   Please don’t call me reverend, my name is James or Mr. Baker.  Reverend is God name. Psalm 111.9    
 
You must have God in your life if you want to be successful.  With life being as it is, no one can be successful without help from God.   And if you don’t know the Lord, you need to.   And if you need help getting to know the Lord; I will be more than happy to help.    When a person obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ, he enters a relationship where God will direct as one goes forward.   The Bible teaches to put God first and He will see to our needs.  
 
This, I’ve experienced, and I can tell you it’s a promise that God has never failed to keep.   I've really enjoyed and appreciated what He has done and I would like for Him to do the same for you.  The Devil looks upon us as fresh meat. You are young and inexperienced and that is what he craves in potential victims. Satan has destroyed many lives and he hasn’t retired.  Satan would love to get you into trouble, ruin your future and cause chaos for you, your family and the world.  Don’t let him do that to you. Learn from the mistakes of others; for if we don’t learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it.  Don’t go along with the crowd just because its popular; stand for what is right, even if alone.  The devil has all kinds of tools to throw you off your game; so resist him as the bible commands and complete your mission to make a better life for yourself.    You cannot defeat Satan alone.  God must be by your side for He will direct your paths away from the dangerous roads. These days everyone is surfing on their device and I would like to add one more URL for you to surf.  
I encourage you to check out the Mt Airy Church of Christ at www.mtairychurchofChrist.org   
 
Also, I want to recommend every student read the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.  These writings say a lot for young people.
 
The final point I would like to make is personal responsibility. You are a human being living on this earth.  You are responsible for the life God has given you. You must protect and grow your life.   You must make your life the best it can be, because life is you.  Be like the five wise virgins who took oil so their lamps would be ready as they awaited the groom.  Don’t be like the five foolish virgins who didn’t prepare their lamps for the arrival of the groom.  Take the time to decide what kind of job you would like.  Pick something that you love and as they say, “you will never work a day in your life.”   It doesn’t matter if you are college educated, though I hope you will be. Trade school, on the job training, etc.   Learn something that will serve as your bread and butter and do that job well.     You want to be happy in life, you want to be prosperous, these things don’t happen by themselves, you must work at making sure these virtues are in your life.  Remove negative people from your presence, you are trying to go somewhere which is good and you cannot do so with losers and negativity hanging on to you.  
 
Work with those who have goals, try to lift up everyone around you, because such is a welcoming environment to grow in.  Get yourself a decent job, work hard at it and save your money. Pay your bills and don’t make bills that you cannot afford to pay.  Get out of your parents’ house. It’s time to do so, you cannot progress still hanging around your parents. Set a time, select an apartment and make it your goal to have your own place. Don't look back. Work hard, persevere, to make sure you won’t have to look back.  And even if you fail and have to return, don’t give up and remain there. Get it into your head, to try and try again to establish your own place in life.
 
Don’t live with the opposite sex. Respect the word of the Lord and respect yourself. Living under the same roof is husband and wife status, not boyfriend and girlfriend.   Concerning marriage, don’t rush and marry anyone.  You marry for love and till death do you part.  Divorce is a rocky road and you can ruin your life.  No children until you are married and ready to provide and teach them the right things in life.   Learn from those who have made the children error. Those who aren’t married and have children with many different women and cannot afford to care for them; because their own lives isn’t ready.   Don’t cause a child to have parents who weren’t ready.  Plan your marriage. Plan your family. Plan your job. Plan every move by following Jesus advice which is;
“ count the cost.”       Find a spouse with your same drive, goals and conviction.
 
Just a final few words on education. No matter what your job in life will be, never stop learning.  Reading was a class you took in school. Reading is important because it opens your eyes to information from the printed page.   Have a hunger for knowledge.  Skills you can learn to take on that new job, skills to learn so your job can bring safety to mankind.   Just read and read and never stop.  No one can take away the knowledge you will gain from absorbing information.
 
Now, since I have held you long enough, I let you go.  Get out there and make a positive change in this life.   I will be on the sidelines cheering you on class of 2025.     God’s speed!
 
 
 
 

                                                              
 
                                                             By James Baker (minister, mt airy church of Christ)
 
Across the world in every community, people are killing each other. Local officials are holding forums discussing ways to stop the violence in their cities and so far, it continues.    
 
So why? What is the problem? Why won’t murder and mayhem disappear?  I believe that it can go away, but I sincerely doubt that it will.   When crime is discussed, we are talking about individual action.  People making wicked, poor and bad choices; that touch many who have no connection to the offenders. 
 
For example, three men shoot up the neighborhood or job site.  Their names are Jack, Scott and Herman.  Because they lack respect for law and order, the decision they made threatens everyone living on that block or employed at that company.  The neighborhood or job site is made unsafe because of the actions these three individuals made. 
 
 Jesus taught us that evil originates with the mind.  Matt 15.19-20.  No police department or crime forum can stop the decisions that people decide to make. The actions began in the heart of those who committed the crime.   No one knows what evil is lurking within the mind of a person.  Jer 17.9
 
If I wanted to shoot up a barbershop, what police department or city council could stop me?   I’m not going to tell them what my plans are; so how will they prevent me?  Answer is, they can’t. They don’t know I’m planning such an evil act. They won’t know until after the evil has been done and they rush to the scene.
 
Gun violence isn’t based upon lack of jobs.  I tell you that because some officials said, if people had jobs, the shooting would cease.   Allow me to comment about jobs.  Yes, people having jobs would indeed help them build material lives for the better.   But we are sadly mistaken believing a job and money will stop evil.  This gun problem is of an evil of the heart and not of the empty wallet.  Many shooters have income, a cash flow that is legal and also illegal.  
The decision to start shooting didn’t originate because of an empty wallet.  It came into existence because of some other reason.   A man who hates America and works at a supermarket, goes on a spree in the name of Islam. Another man has a nice job at a bank and he kills his wife and children and several neighbors.  And as the police close in, he kills himself.  
 I could go on with other examples, but these two will do.
 
Moral decay is what fuels gun violence and only the acceptance of the gospel of Christ, will make a difference so that the crime wave stops.  The ills of society exist because of the breakdown of personal responsibility.  We must work on ourselves and we can do so by allowing the word of God to change our thoughts, speech and actions.   You get all of that?  Making choices based upon ungodly dogma is what keeps the gun violence rolling right along. 
2 Tim 3.13. 
 
The gospel of Christ is the message of salvation that changes a dirty soul into a clean one. Roman 6:1-17. The gospel of Christ teaches man to love his Creator, his fellowman and himself.   When that is done, men won’t anger God because of ungodly conduct. Man won’t do harm to his fellow man. because he will be taught to love and treat others as he wishes to be treated.   And the law of doing to others as you want done to you, is divine because no one can create a law that is better. Matt 7:12.
 
Romans 1.16, teaches that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who will believe.  People must accept the gospel of Christ and begin living in a holy way.  The hating will turn to love and the guns will be replaced with bibles.