continuation...
But there are brothers and sisters who do not care for each other. There are siblings who, because of money, parcels of land, and inheritance, bring each other to court. In our group, we do not let that thing happen. The brethren in the church are not supposed to bring each other to court; but most especially if you belong to the same family. If in a family of five exists divisiveness, how much more will you ever understand one another if there are already one hundred in the group. If understanding is not attained in a small group, much more in bigger groups? The family is a model of the church, because a church is considered a family, or a household, of God. Let us read I Timothy 3:15—
“But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
The house of God is the church of God. A household is made up of members. Who comprises the household? Ephesians 2:19 says—
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints, and the household of God.”
The church is being considered as a “household of God”. And the brethren in the household of God should love another.
If there is one thing that I can brag about our group, it is about the love that our members have for each other. Our brethren do not bring each other to court. We do not allow that thing to happen. If the brethren in the flesh should care for each other, the more should the brethren in God do. That is why in our group, we do not let our less fortunate brother die of hunger in the streets. We look after them. That is a doctrine of Christ.
A household is parallel with the church; and the church is referred to as the household of God. The ruler of a household is likewise likened to a caretaker of the church. In I Timothy 3:5, it says—
“For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?”
If a man does not have the capacity to manage his own household, how do you expect him to manage the church of God? Therefore, the ability to manage the church is manifested in the way a man manages his own home. This is the reason why the church is compared to a household. Both need a systematic management. And to attain that, the love of the family members for each other is a must. The parents should always keep a close tab of their children; they should find time for their children. Unfortunately, there are parents who do not have time for their children. Sometimes, they are not even aware that their children have been loitering in the streets. My heart breaks every time I see very young children selling sampaguita garlands in the streets. Some of them are begging for alms from passers-by. If I only have the money, I will adopt all of those children. How dare the parents of those children are letting those kids beg for alms? Apparently, the children are the ones working for their parents, which is contrary to what the Bible teaches. II Corinthians 12:14 says—
“… for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.”
In other words, the parents are the ones who should support their children, and not the other way around. Actually, one particular church leader in Metro Manila sends his “children” out and let them beg, while he is inside his palace, simply waiting for their remittances. I even heard that a week is not enough to count his weekly collections. This is also true with the other pastor often seen in Quirino Grandstand (in Luneta Park). When he asked how much their collection in a given week was, he said that he didn’t know because they were not through yet counting their collection for the previous week. Can you imagine the huge amount of money that pastors make? They enrich themselves at the expense of their members.
In a household, especially in a household of God, it is not the children who are supposed to earn for their parents. The parents are the ones tasked to work and earn for their children. In the household of God, the responsibility is vested on the shoulders of the parents. It is the responsibility of the mother and the father to feed their children. However, the moment the children have grown old, the responsibility is transferred to the children. When that time comes, the children will now be tasked of looking after the needs of their parents. This will be their turn to show their indebtedness and gratitude to them.
In maintaining a family, you need to have love, care, and understanding. You need to be selfless. But of all these, the most important requisite is love because if there is love, all the rest follow. One song says, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Actually, you do not really have to say you are sorry because even before saying “sorry” you are readily forgiven. If only every family would possess the holy love, or agape, then, no problem would arise. Every time you are seduced by your pretty secretary, you would always be reminded of God’s commandment – love your wife. Do not show any interest in somebody else’s wife. The wife should do the same. Because you love your husband, you will never even entertain the idea of trying another man. Stick to each other. That should be your policy from the very beginning. Never play around! The moment you try playing around, there would be a big possibility that you’ll forget all about your wife. Later on, you’ll just find yourself doing this thing repeatedly. Before you knew it, you have already become a womanizer.
But if you love your family, you will stick to your wife. God has a promise to a family that dwells in love. Proverbs 3:33—
“The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.”
God promised to bless the house of the just, and curse the house of the wicked. Do you want to receive God’s blessings? Other people think that God’s blessings refer to material riches. That is not so! Even of you are short of finances, so long as you are leading a peaceful life; that is already a great blessing from God. A peaceful life is a lot better than riches. A house whose inhabitants live in peace is better than a mansion whose inhabitants aim a gun at each other.
The blessings of God will be given to a family who abides by what the Bible teaches. And when God blesses you, you will see that nobody among your children would give you any problem. Nobody would turn out to be a drug addict; nobody among them would be engaged in any trouble, like theft and rape; nobody would be a drunkard. Even if you are financially hard up, you will not experience any problem. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful life? It doesn’t matter if your pocket only has a ten-peso bill. There are people who have lots of money in their pocket but their lives are beleaguered by a number of court cases. The child is involved in drug trafficking; the wife has been caught committing adultery; the son was apprehended in a pot session, etc. Perhaps, if we would be in the same situation, we would even wish for death. It does not matter if you are poor, so long as your children love another, and all of them are God-fearing. God will surely bless your family. Nobody among the members of your family would be afflicted with serious ailments. Should one of them gets sick, would just be simple fever, toothache, headache. When God gives you His blessings, you’ll never want. You may be short of money, you may lack prestige, you may not have earned any college degree, but you have peace of mind and deep within you there is joy. This is how important the word of God is to a household. The word of God should be followed, and when you follow it, you are likened to a wise man who built his house upon a rock. The flood came, a strong wind blew, but the house remained standing. If the word of God prevails in a household, that household would be indestructible. Nobody could break the family members apart, not even the gossip mongers, because it is built upon a rock, and the rock refers to the word of God.
It is always nice seeing a family attending a Christian gathering together. It is always nice to see a family whose members abide by the doctrines of God and of Christ.
We, the members of this congregation, are truly happy despite our lack of money. Many of us are poor; we do not live in cozy houses. However, we know how to help each other. If one group cleans our surroundings, the other group washes the dishes, etc. When visitors come, there is also another group that accommodates them. And they do those things voluntarily because they have seen for themselves how beautiful life is if it is spent in serving God and our fellowmen. And we are very proud of it. We hope that all of us learn how to smile to our fellows; let us give them a warm reception. Let us learn to love God because He created us all. And of course, let us love our family – our wife, our husband, and our children.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
How to keep a family intact part 2
continuation...
Nothing in this world stays permanently. Everything passes away. Beauty and earthly wisdom fade; lust and earthly love passes away. That is why, once the love of s husband for his wife fades, he begins to look for a more beautiful woman. After a while, he would tell his mistress to leave her husband and the two of them will live together instead. You see, that is very dangerous! Why? If that woman could afford to cheat her own husband, the more she could make a fool of you. If she finds a better-looking man, she’ll also drop you like a hot potato. There are women who are like that. But if you are wise, if you have a righteous mind, you will never give up your wife for the sake of a harlot. But these things happen because love is absent. But if you are bearing the love that is spoken in the Bible, that love will never fade. This is what I Corinthians 13:4-5 says—
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself.”
The family members should understand each other; nobody tries to outdo another. Nobody brags because love does not brag. If only all the members of the family would exercise humility, there wouldn’t be any trouble. Love “is not puffed up; love doth not behave itself unseemly.” The members of the family should respect one another’s right. Wouldn’t it be very nice if all the members of the family would learn to observe all these?
(I Co. 13:5) “… seeketh not her own …”
This verse is right precisely because you cannot find yourself in other people. Do not expect that other people will work the way you do. Do not expect that others can do things the way you do. If you do, you will only end up disappointed, or worse, angry. For this thing not to happen, let love live in your heart. Always remember, he is different, you are different. Perhaps, that is already the best that he could do. So, why be angry? If you love your fellow you will not be angry with him. You would be compassionate with him, instead. Let us continue I Corinthians 13:5-8—
“… is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things; endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away.”
This is the reason why in I Corinthians 13:13, St. Paul came up with this summary: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Among the three, charity, or love, is the greatest. Therefore, if love is present in a household, envy will not find its way, even if there are 13 children in the family. If the mother bought one of her children toy because he passed in school, the others would not be envious of him. They were also bought toys when they achieve something in school. Instead of being envious, the children will just share each other’s toys.
Most of the time, a child gets envious of his brothers and sisters who had been given a present by their parents. Envy is common among men. But the Bible had taught me that I should be happy instead if the others have the things which I do not have. Why should you be envious? Remember, you are the one who should be giving him of that thing, yet, somebody has done it for you. You have been spared of an obligation, so, why will you be envious? Envy will not do anybody good. A family can find peace when the siblings are not envious of each other. Love should bind the family members together. The admonition is, “. . . put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Do you know that the word “love” is very broad? Sometimes we even misunderstand it. What are we supposed to do if we love one another? What kind of love must we exercise? The love of a child for his parents is different from the love of a wife for her husband. Which love are we going to practice? Definitely, the love for a wife should not be rendered to your daughter. Otherwise, you might end up raping your daughter. And neither should the love for your wife be given to another woman. You would be an adulterer that way. And of course, the love of a child for his parents is another different matter.
However, the Bible speaks of a kind of love that is applicable to all. And this is the holy love, or agape. This is the love that Colossians 3:14 says—
“And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
This is the kind of love that is void of hypocrisy. This love is not superficial. This is the love that is not easily provoked . . . this is not envious. It seeks not her own; it is selfless; it is forgiving and enduring. It believes all things, hopes all things, and bears all things. This is the holy love that the Bible teaches. And this is the kind of love that we should give to each other. If you possess this love, you will no longer be annoyed of your neighbors. You would even learn how to love your enemies. No members of the family would quarrel anymore. The husband would love no other woman but his wife, and the wife would not flirt with another man. The parents would love their children, and the children would love their parents in return. If this is the atmosphere that prevails in a family, there would practically be no room for strife. Let us read Christ’s admonition on how we should deal with our enemies. Matthew 5:44—
“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
You are not just going to love your enemies, but you should also pray for them. Now, if you are being admonished to love your enemies, the more reason you have now to love your family. But you know, there are people who do not love their families. There are husbands who prefer spending time with their peers instead of their families. After working for the whole week, come pay day they are with their friends – drinking. When they go home, nothing is left of their pay. Apparently, they love their friends more than their family. A husband seems to have forgotten that his wife has long been waiting for his pay because she has to pay so many financial obligations. When her husband comes home drunk, a quarrel inevitably takes place. Hence, the solidarity of the family is threatened.
A husband who loves his wife would readily be worried if he comes home late. He is thinking if his wife is already hungry because they make it a point to eat supper together. That is why he is always in a hurry to come home. I’ve seen this practice from my own parents. My mother and my father always ate together. Actually, they never ate just the two of them. We always ate together, and my father always led the prayer before we start eating.
It is always nice that the whole family eat together. During mealtime, you could feel the love of the family for one another. This is one occasion when members of the family could help each other. One would set the table and the other would wash the dishes. That way, before going to sleep, no plate would be left unwashed in the lavatory. My mother hates leaving dirty plates in the lavatory. My grandmother, on the other hand, was very strict. She didn’t want to see a morsel of food wasted. She used to give us pinch that is equivalent to the number of morsels of food left on our plates.
Anybody who fully believes the doctrines of God could always apply those doctrines in his daily life. The siblings will learn to care for each other. It is but natural that siblings quarrel occasionally but no amount of quarrel could change the fact that they are brothers and sisters. There are couples who only have two children but despite that, these two still quarrel. I came from a big family. We are eight in the family, and I am the seventh. And I am truly thankful to God that until now our family has remained intact. What makes me happier is that all of them are with me in my service to God. Wherever I go, they are also there. This is the reason why I believe that, once a family possesses the kind of love that the Bible is teaching, that family will never fall apart. The husband and the wife will always help and support each other.
Nothing in this world stays permanently. Everything passes away. Beauty and earthly wisdom fade; lust and earthly love passes away. That is why, once the love of s husband for his wife fades, he begins to look for a more beautiful woman. After a while, he would tell his mistress to leave her husband and the two of them will live together instead. You see, that is very dangerous! Why? If that woman could afford to cheat her own husband, the more she could make a fool of you. If she finds a better-looking man, she’ll also drop you like a hot potato. There are women who are like that. But if you are wise, if you have a righteous mind, you will never give up your wife for the sake of a harlot. But these things happen because love is absent. But if you are bearing the love that is spoken in the Bible, that love will never fade. This is what I Corinthians 13:4-5 says—
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself.”
The family members should understand each other; nobody tries to outdo another. Nobody brags because love does not brag. If only all the members of the family would exercise humility, there wouldn’t be any trouble. Love “is not puffed up; love doth not behave itself unseemly.” The members of the family should respect one another’s right. Wouldn’t it be very nice if all the members of the family would learn to observe all these?
(I Co. 13:5) “… seeketh not her own …”
This verse is right precisely because you cannot find yourself in other people. Do not expect that other people will work the way you do. Do not expect that others can do things the way you do. If you do, you will only end up disappointed, or worse, angry. For this thing not to happen, let love live in your heart. Always remember, he is different, you are different. Perhaps, that is already the best that he could do. So, why be angry? If you love your fellow you will not be angry with him. You would be compassionate with him, instead. Let us continue I Corinthians 13:5-8—
“… is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things; endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away.”
This is the reason why in I Corinthians 13:13, St. Paul came up with this summary: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
Among the three, charity, or love, is the greatest. Therefore, if love is present in a household, envy will not find its way, even if there are 13 children in the family. If the mother bought one of her children toy because he passed in school, the others would not be envious of him. They were also bought toys when they achieve something in school. Instead of being envious, the children will just share each other’s toys.
Most of the time, a child gets envious of his brothers and sisters who had been given a present by their parents. Envy is common among men. But the Bible had taught me that I should be happy instead if the others have the things which I do not have. Why should you be envious? Remember, you are the one who should be giving him of that thing, yet, somebody has done it for you. You have been spared of an obligation, so, why will you be envious? Envy will not do anybody good. A family can find peace when the siblings are not envious of each other. Love should bind the family members together. The admonition is, “. . . put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Do you know that the word “love” is very broad? Sometimes we even misunderstand it. What are we supposed to do if we love one another? What kind of love must we exercise? The love of a child for his parents is different from the love of a wife for her husband. Which love are we going to practice? Definitely, the love for a wife should not be rendered to your daughter. Otherwise, you might end up raping your daughter. And neither should the love for your wife be given to another woman. You would be an adulterer that way. And of course, the love of a child for his parents is another different matter.
However, the Bible speaks of a kind of love that is applicable to all. And this is the holy love, or agape. This is the love that Colossians 3:14 says—
“And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”
This is the kind of love that is void of hypocrisy. This love is not superficial. This is the love that is not easily provoked . . . this is not envious. It seeks not her own; it is selfless; it is forgiving and enduring. It believes all things, hopes all things, and bears all things. This is the holy love that the Bible teaches. And this is the kind of love that we should give to each other. If you possess this love, you will no longer be annoyed of your neighbors. You would even learn how to love your enemies. No members of the family would quarrel anymore. The husband would love no other woman but his wife, and the wife would not flirt with another man. The parents would love their children, and the children would love their parents in return. If this is the atmosphere that prevails in a family, there would practically be no room for strife. Let us read Christ’s admonition on how we should deal with our enemies. Matthew 5:44—
“But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
You are not just going to love your enemies, but you should also pray for them. Now, if you are being admonished to love your enemies, the more reason you have now to love your family. But you know, there are people who do not love their families. There are husbands who prefer spending time with their peers instead of their families. After working for the whole week, come pay day they are with their friends – drinking. When they go home, nothing is left of their pay. Apparently, they love their friends more than their family. A husband seems to have forgotten that his wife has long been waiting for his pay because she has to pay so many financial obligations. When her husband comes home drunk, a quarrel inevitably takes place. Hence, the solidarity of the family is threatened.
A husband who loves his wife would readily be worried if he comes home late. He is thinking if his wife is already hungry because they make it a point to eat supper together. That is why he is always in a hurry to come home. I’ve seen this practice from my own parents. My mother and my father always ate together. Actually, they never ate just the two of them. We always ate together, and my father always led the prayer before we start eating.
It is always nice that the whole family eat together. During mealtime, you could feel the love of the family for one another. This is one occasion when members of the family could help each other. One would set the table and the other would wash the dishes. That way, before going to sleep, no plate would be left unwashed in the lavatory. My mother hates leaving dirty plates in the lavatory. My grandmother, on the other hand, was very strict. She didn’t want to see a morsel of food wasted. She used to give us pinch that is equivalent to the number of morsels of food left on our plates.
Anybody who fully believes the doctrines of God could always apply those doctrines in his daily life. The siblings will learn to care for each other. It is but natural that siblings quarrel occasionally but no amount of quarrel could change the fact that they are brothers and sisters. There are couples who only have two children but despite that, these two still quarrel. I came from a big family. We are eight in the family, and I am the seventh. And I am truly thankful to God that until now our family has remained intact. What makes me happier is that all of them are with me in my service to God. Wherever I go, they are also there. This is the reason why I believe that, once a family possesses the kind of love that the Bible is teaching, that family will never fall apart. The husband and the wife will always help and support each other.
How to keep a family intact part 1
This time we are going to study God’s doctrine on how to keep a family intact, such that no matter what happens, it will never be shaken. The devil knows that the family is the basic unit of society. This is why most of the devil’s attacks are focused on the family because he knows that if the very foundation will be shaken, then even the highest stratum of the human society will collapse. The family has become the devil’s favorite target because it is the basic unit of society.
For this reason, God prepares some measures that would safeguard the family for it to remain intact. And, in the Bible, God gives us several tips on how to attain and maintain family solidarity.
Nowadays, one of the biggest problems that beset husbands and wives is that they have lost love for one another. Sometimes, it even reaches a point wherein the husband develops an illicit affair with another woman, and vice versa. They begin to neglect their children. The husband hardly goes home while his wife is also out playing mahjong. As a result, the children loiter with other youths, and later on, they acquire bad habits. More or less, this is one of the factors that give rise to the growing number of the so-called “broken families” in our time.
If you will notice the common scenario today, everybody seems to be always in a hurry. They want everything done fast and easy. A lot of people today are in a hurry to get rich; there are a lot of people who are in a hurry to reap honors. Today, the “no cook” foods and “instant” foods are very popular. You only have to add hot water and, presto, you have a noodle soup. Everybody is always on the move so that they do not even have time to cook anymore. And this is a realization of God’s prophecy in Daniel 12:4. This is what the Lord God told the prophet Daniel—
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book even to the time of the end: Many shall run to and fro.”
Take note of God’s pronouncement, “even to the time of the end, many shall run to and fro.” They will not walk, they will run. This is a picture of a fast-paced life. There would be great advancement in the means of transportation and communication. For instance, if you are in the Philippines and you want to talk to somebody in Hong Kong, or in the U.S., you just have to dial the number and in a matter of seconds, you are already conversing with him. We are living in a fast-paced society. People are always on the go; everything is now done the easy way. And this poses a threat to the family. That is why we have to be careful. Once the family members begin to forget their responsibilities to one another, when the family members begin to take each other for granted, then the family is on the verge of disintegration. The greatest institution that God established is heading for decay.
It was God who created the family. And because it was made by God, somebody else wants to destroy it. And that is nobody else but satan, the enemy of God. That is why if we do not know how to keep our families intact, it could be destroyed by the devil. And the moment the family falls, everything else fails, including the society. This is what is happening worldwide right now. The problem on criminality has become global. Wherever you go, you see broken homes and street children. Even in rich nations like the US there are also squatters and street children. But the scenario is worse in poorer countries like India and Bangladesh. These countries suffer extremely due to overpopulation. If I am not mistaken, India is already next to China in terms of population. There are about 1.3 billion Chinese in the world (estimated figure only as of July 2005), and next to them, in number maybe, is India. In other words, the decadence of the family has also become a global problem.
For this reason, we are sharing with our fellowmen the values that we have learned from the Bible. It is just bad that these values are not being taught by other leaders of religion. Precisely because they are too engrossed in money-making matters like tithing, love offering, prayer request, covenant partner, etc. Those are the things that keep them busy. They never discuss with their members worthwhile topics like keeping the family intact.
In everything that we do, one of our concerns is to share with other people the things that we have learned from the Bible. Let us now begin our discussion.
In keeping a family intact, it needs to have a very strong foundation. And what is the strongest foundation that a family could ever have? This is what Matthew 7:24-27 says—
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doth them not; shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell and great was the fall of it.”
The Bible said a wise man build his house upon a rock, so that even when the rain came, even it flooded, even the wind blew and beat the house, the house did not fall because it was standing on a solid and strong foundation – the rock.
What does that mean? How can a house be built upon a rock? Christ said, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Therefore, the rock, which is the strong foundation of a house, symbolizes the word of God. In other words, the foundation of a strong family is the obedience to the word of God. Let us repeat Matthew 7:24—
“Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built a house upon a rock.”
If the word of God is being fulfilled, then, the family will have a very strong foundation in life. No matter what tempests come their way, the family will remain intact. It will not collapse. An edifice that is built on a big boulder of rock is not readily shaken. The same is true with the family. And we can say that a family is built on that solid foundation if its members do not only listen to the word of God but also obey it. When a father, a mother, and the children are always equipped with the word of God, that family can never be torn apart, because there is a tie that binds the members together. This is what Colossians 3:14 says—
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Charity or love is the bond of perfection. Love is what makes a relationship perfect. The strongest bond to a family is love – the love of husband and wife for each other, the love of parents for their children, and the love of children for their parents. But why is it that despite the fact that love exists in one particular household, the family still fall apart? It is because the kind of love that exists between the husband and the wife is just an earthly love, or love of the flesh. And this kind of love fades. It may be true that the feeling was so intense when they were younger, but when they grew older, the feeling died down. No wonder we could hear them say, “We are just like brothers and sisters now. We do not sleep in the same room anymore.” For all you know, the husband was saying that because he had grown tired of his wife, who had become so fat due to child bearing. His former passion for her had faded. That is because it was just an earthly love, and this kind of love easily fades. I John 2:17 says—
“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.”
For this reason, God prepares some measures that would safeguard the family for it to remain intact. And, in the Bible, God gives us several tips on how to attain and maintain family solidarity.
Nowadays, one of the biggest problems that beset husbands and wives is that they have lost love for one another. Sometimes, it even reaches a point wherein the husband develops an illicit affair with another woman, and vice versa. They begin to neglect their children. The husband hardly goes home while his wife is also out playing mahjong. As a result, the children loiter with other youths, and later on, they acquire bad habits. More or less, this is one of the factors that give rise to the growing number of the so-called “broken families” in our time.
If you will notice the common scenario today, everybody seems to be always in a hurry. They want everything done fast and easy. A lot of people today are in a hurry to get rich; there are a lot of people who are in a hurry to reap honors. Today, the “no cook” foods and “instant” foods are very popular. You only have to add hot water and, presto, you have a noodle soup. Everybody is always on the move so that they do not even have time to cook anymore. And this is a realization of God’s prophecy in Daniel 12:4. This is what the Lord God told the prophet Daniel—
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book even to the time of the end: Many shall run to and fro.”
Take note of God’s pronouncement, “even to the time of the end, many shall run to and fro.” They will not walk, they will run. This is a picture of a fast-paced life. There would be great advancement in the means of transportation and communication. For instance, if you are in the Philippines and you want to talk to somebody in Hong Kong, or in the U.S., you just have to dial the number and in a matter of seconds, you are already conversing with him. We are living in a fast-paced society. People are always on the go; everything is now done the easy way. And this poses a threat to the family. That is why we have to be careful. Once the family members begin to forget their responsibilities to one another, when the family members begin to take each other for granted, then the family is on the verge of disintegration. The greatest institution that God established is heading for decay.
It was God who created the family. And because it was made by God, somebody else wants to destroy it. And that is nobody else but satan, the enemy of God. That is why if we do not know how to keep our families intact, it could be destroyed by the devil. And the moment the family falls, everything else fails, including the society. This is what is happening worldwide right now. The problem on criminality has become global. Wherever you go, you see broken homes and street children. Even in rich nations like the US there are also squatters and street children. But the scenario is worse in poorer countries like India and Bangladesh. These countries suffer extremely due to overpopulation. If I am not mistaken, India is already next to China in terms of population. There are about 1.3 billion Chinese in the world (estimated figure only as of July 2005), and next to them, in number maybe, is India. In other words, the decadence of the family has also become a global problem.
For this reason, we are sharing with our fellowmen the values that we have learned from the Bible. It is just bad that these values are not being taught by other leaders of religion. Precisely because they are too engrossed in money-making matters like tithing, love offering, prayer request, covenant partner, etc. Those are the things that keep them busy. They never discuss with their members worthwhile topics like keeping the family intact.
In everything that we do, one of our concerns is to share with other people the things that we have learned from the Bible. Let us now begin our discussion.
In keeping a family intact, it needs to have a very strong foundation. And what is the strongest foundation that a family could ever have? This is what Matthew 7:24-27 says—
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doth them not; shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell and great was the fall of it.”
The Bible said a wise man build his house upon a rock, so that even when the rain came, even it flooded, even the wind blew and beat the house, the house did not fall because it was standing on a solid and strong foundation – the rock.
What does that mean? How can a house be built upon a rock? Christ said, “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Therefore, the rock, which is the strong foundation of a house, symbolizes the word of God. In other words, the foundation of a strong family is the obedience to the word of God. Let us repeat Matthew 7:24—
“Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built a house upon a rock.”
If the word of God is being fulfilled, then, the family will have a very strong foundation in life. No matter what tempests come their way, the family will remain intact. It will not collapse. An edifice that is built on a big boulder of rock is not readily shaken. The same is true with the family. And we can say that a family is built on that solid foundation if its members do not only listen to the word of God but also obey it. When a father, a mother, and the children are always equipped with the word of God, that family can never be torn apart, because there is a tie that binds the members together. This is what Colossians 3:14 says—
“And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfection.”
Charity or love is the bond of perfection. Love is what makes a relationship perfect. The strongest bond to a family is love – the love of husband and wife for each other, the love of parents for their children, and the love of children for their parents. But why is it that despite the fact that love exists in one particular household, the family still fall apart? It is because the kind of love that exists between the husband and the wife is just an earthly love, or love of the flesh. And this kind of love fades. It may be true that the feeling was so intense when they were younger, but when they grew older, the feeling died down. No wonder we could hear them say, “We are just like brothers and sisters now. We do not sleep in the same room anymore.” For all you know, the husband was saying that because he had grown tired of his wife, who had become so fat due to child bearing. His former passion for her had faded. That is because it was just an earthly love, and this kind of love easily fades. I John 2:17 says—
“And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.”
Monday, March 31, 2008
How a woman can become of God part 4
And for a family to live harmoniously, the wife must learn to submit herself to her husband. If you want to buy a refrigerator, consult your husband first. In the first place, he is the breadwinner. If he gives his consent, then, go ahead. You may buy one. If that is the case, do you think they will still quarrel? Not anymore, because he has given her his consent. The husband is the head in the household; he is the president. If the president has approved something, the vice president also approves it. Who is the president? Ephesians 5:23—
“For the husband is the head of the wife.”
The husband is the head of his wife. Therefore, if you are the husband, but you are just the vice president in the house, that means, you do not believe in God. In a marital relationship, the husband is the head, and his wife must be under his subjection. And if a wife submits herself under the subjection of her husband, there will never be any quarrel between the two of them. If you want to visit your parents, you seek for the permission of your husband. If he consents, even if you go home late, he will not be angry with you. Who knows, he might even fetch you there. Because he loves you and because you understand each other, he might even fetch you from your parents’ house.
Just consider the trains. Trains will not collide and clash against each other so long as they stick to their respective rails, even if one of them gets out of order. A husband and a wife have their respective rails to tread. And as long as they stick to their own rails, everything will run smoothly; no accidents will happen. But why do accidents happen? Why are some children neglected? Why do they turn out to be drug addicts? Why do some children become gamblers and bystanders? Why do they loiter in the streets? Why? Both the husband and the wife had gone off the track, especially today when some couples just beget children without proper planning. (“Dear, it’s been two months since my last menstruation.”) Then, her mother-in-law how many children do they already have. She said 12, and she is conceiving for the 13th. And because of that, she was ascribing the blame to her husband. But his husband ascribed the blame on her, saying that she liked it too. That is the usual story. And at my age, I have witnessed similar situations.
There are also parents who would even give justification for their negligence. They would reason out that, it is better that they are many because, many will be working for their livelihood. There are really parents who bear children just to have somebody to work in their behalf. That is not good.
Personally, I believe that loving parents normally prepare for their child even before he is born. They buy the baby a crib, diapers, etc, although diapers today are no longer a problem because of the availability of disposable diapers. But in the past, long before the baby is born, the expecting mother already prepares the diapers. She would even embroider them with the word “baby”. The parents also plan for their child’s future. (“When she grows up, we would send her to St. Agnes, or St. Mary. They also plan for the course that they want their child to pursue. That is what I mean by “planning”.)
There are also husbands would run their hands on the tummy of their pregnant wives. They would talk to the baby inside (“When are you going to come out? I hope you are a girl”). And the reason they want a girl is, for her to work in a cabaret when she grows up. That is wrong. A child must be loved; he/she must not be made a laborer.
If we are going to live in accordance to the laws being spoken in the Bible, the wife must submit herself to her husband. The husband, on the other hand, is under the authority of Christ. He must live by the doctrines of God; he must not cheat his wife. That is the next topic that we are going to study. We will try to find out the qualities of a man to whom the woman must submit herself.
But always bear in mind, sisters, for a woman not to go wrong, she must abide by the doctrines of God. She must put herself under the subjection of her husband. (Next time, we are going to study the kind of husband a man should be.)
At this point, let us focus our discussion on the women. First of all, the Bible admonished the woman to be modest, both in her ways and in her manner of dressing. She must not be contentious and talkative. What else? Colossians 3:18 gives the commandment for women--
“Wives, submit yourself unto your husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”
Ephesians 5:33—
“And the wife see that she reverence her husband.”
Abraham was revered by Sarah. Sarah called Abraham “Lord”. Therefore, the women were commanded to revere their husbands. Why? Because, there are wives who do not respect their husbands. Sometimes, the wife even shouts at her husband in the presence of other people. (“Tulume, how shameless you are! You do not even want to help me in the household chores! Go home and cook rice.”) She does not even consider that her husband was with his friends. Does that kind of woman have any respect for her husband?
A woman who respects her husband will not confront him in the presence of other people. There was a woman who heard that her husband was womanizing. So, she looked for him. She found him with other bystanders. But she did not make a scene right there and then. In fact, she courteously excused herself to everybody. (She told them, “Dear, one moment please. Please, excuse us. We will just have to talk about an important matter.” The husband asked, “What is it?” She answered, “Come, we will talk about it at home.”)
(When they reached home, she pinched him hard, and said, “How dare you womanize!”)
I admire that woman because she was able to control her emotion. She expressed it only when they have reached home.
The women were commanded to revere their husbands. You must respect your husband. You must not divulge to other people the things that your husband keeps. Do not tell anyone that he has ringworm in his buttocks. There are women who are like that. They do not hesitate telling other people that their husband has a body odor. Bear in mind that, even he has body odor, you must learn to accept him for what he is. Do not think that just because he has a body odor, you could already flirt with other men. No! Instead, you have to do something about his body odor. You will never be saved if you flirt with other men simply because your husband has a body odor. You will go to hell; you will not be saved. Find a remedy to his body odor. You buy him alum. Apply it in his armpit after he has taken a bath, and you’ll see, he’ll never smell bad the whole day. There are lots of remedies to it. That is the best thing that you can do. He is already your husband. Why don’t you just sing …
“You’re my Everything Everything I need You’re the song I sing And the book I read You’re a way beyond belief I just make it brief You’re my winter, summer, Spring, my everything.”
Even if he has a body odor, you can no longer return him to his parents. That is, if you want to be saved. Is that true, or not? Do not fool around; do not go with other men. You will not be saved if you do that. The soul of a man is very important. In this world, you are already considered fortunate if you live up to 80, or 90 years. Do you think we still reach that age? Nowadays, there are people who die at the age of 31. Today, the life span of a man is much shorter.
Let’s say you lived in this world for 100 years. Let’s say that you died after 100 years. Are you not afraid that your soul, should you go wrong, will experience eternal punishment? That is why we should prepare. A wise man prepares, not only for the present, but also for the future. He is taking into consideration not only the present but also of what is yet to come. There are many challenges that await him in the future, and he is preparing for those.
Sisters, do you want to be worthy in the eyes of God? Do not forget the fundamental doctrines taught to you. Be modest in your manners … in the way you dress up … in dealing with other people. Also, submit yourself, in full subjection, to your husband. And lastly, revere your husband, and keep on doing good things all the days of your life.
“For the husband is the head of the wife.”
The husband is the head of his wife. Therefore, if you are the husband, but you are just the vice president in the house, that means, you do not believe in God. In a marital relationship, the husband is the head, and his wife must be under his subjection. And if a wife submits herself under the subjection of her husband, there will never be any quarrel between the two of them. If you want to visit your parents, you seek for the permission of your husband. If he consents, even if you go home late, he will not be angry with you. Who knows, he might even fetch you there. Because he loves you and because you understand each other, he might even fetch you from your parents’ house.
Just consider the trains. Trains will not collide and clash against each other so long as they stick to their respective rails, even if one of them gets out of order. A husband and a wife have their respective rails to tread. And as long as they stick to their own rails, everything will run smoothly; no accidents will happen. But why do accidents happen? Why are some children neglected? Why do they turn out to be drug addicts? Why do some children become gamblers and bystanders? Why do they loiter in the streets? Why? Both the husband and the wife had gone off the track, especially today when some couples just beget children without proper planning. (“Dear, it’s been two months since my last menstruation.”) Then, her mother-in-law how many children do they already have. She said 12, and she is conceiving for the 13th. And because of that, she was ascribing the blame to her husband. But his husband ascribed the blame on her, saying that she liked it too. That is the usual story. And at my age, I have witnessed similar situations.
There are also parents who would even give justification for their negligence. They would reason out that, it is better that they are many because, many will be working for their livelihood. There are really parents who bear children just to have somebody to work in their behalf. That is not good.
Personally, I believe that loving parents normally prepare for their child even before he is born. They buy the baby a crib, diapers, etc, although diapers today are no longer a problem because of the availability of disposable diapers. But in the past, long before the baby is born, the expecting mother already prepares the diapers. She would even embroider them with the word “baby”. The parents also plan for their child’s future. (“When she grows up, we would send her to St. Agnes, or St. Mary. They also plan for the course that they want their child to pursue. That is what I mean by “planning”.)
There are also husbands would run their hands on the tummy of their pregnant wives. They would talk to the baby inside (“When are you going to come out? I hope you are a girl”). And the reason they want a girl is, for her to work in a cabaret when she grows up. That is wrong. A child must be loved; he/she must not be made a laborer.
If we are going to live in accordance to the laws being spoken in the Bible, the wife must submit herself to her husband. The husband, on the other hand, is under the authority of Christ. He must live by the doctrines of God; he must not cheat his wife. That is the next topic that we are going to study. We will try to find out the qualities of a man to whom the woman must submit herself.
But always bear in mind, sisters, for a woman not to go wrong, she must abide by the doctrines of God. She must put herself under the subjection of her husband. (Next time, we are going to study the kind of husband a man should be.)
At this point, let us focus our discussion on the women. First of all, the Bible admonished the woman to be modest, both in her ways and in her manner of dressing. She must not be contentious and talkative. What else? Colossians 3:18 gives the commandment for women--
“Wives, submit yourself unto your husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”
Ephesians 5:33—
“And the wife see that she reverence her husband.”
Abraham was revered by Sarah. Sarah called Abraham “Lord”. Therefore, the women were commanded to revere their husbands. Why? Because, there are wives who do not respect their husbands. Sometimes, the wife even shouts at her husband in the presence of other people. (“Tulume, how shameless you are! You do not even want to help me in the household chores! Go home and cook rice.”) She does not even consider that her husband was with his friends. Does that kind of woman have any respect for her husband?
A woman who respects her husband will not confront him in the presence of other people. There was a woman who heard that her husband was womanizing. So, she looked for him. She found him with other bystanders. But she did not make a scene right there and then. In fact, she courteously excused herself to everybody. (She told them, “Dear, one moment please. Please, excuse us. We will just have to talk about an important matter.” The husband asked, “What is it?” She answered, “Come, we will talk about it at home.”)
(When they reached home, she pinched him hard, and said, “How dare you womanize!”)
I admire that woman because she was able to control her emotion. She expressed it only when they have reached home.
The women were commanded to revere their husbands. You must respect your husband. You must not divulge to other people the things that your husband keeps. Do not tell anyone that he has ringworm in his buttocks. There are women who are like that. They do not hesitate telling other people that their husband has a body odor. Bear in mind that, even he has body odor, you must learn to accept him for what he is. Do not think that just because he has a body odor, you could already flirt with other men. No! Instead, you have to do something about his body odor. You will never be saved if you flirt with other men simply because your husband has a body odor. You will go to hell; you will not be saved. Find a remedy to his body odor. You buy him alum. Apply it in his armpit after he has taken a bath, and you’ll see, he’ll never smell bad the whole day. There are lots of remedies to it. That is the best thing that you can do. He is already your husband. Why don’t you just sing …
Even if he has a body odor, you can no longer return him to his parents. That is, if you want to be saved. Is that true, or not? Do not fool around; do not go with other men. You will not be saved if you do that. The soul of a man is very important. In this world, you are already considered fortunate if you live up to 80, or 90 years. Do you think we still reach that age? Nowadays, there are people who die at the age of 31. Today, the life span of a man is much shorter.
Let’s say you lived in this world for 100 years. Let’s say that you died after 100 years. Are you not afraid that your soul, should you go wrong, will experience eternal punishment? That is why we should prepare. A wise man prepares, not only for the present, but also for the future. He is taking into consideration not only the present but also of what is yet to come. There are many challenges that await him in the future, and he is preparing for those.
Sisters, do you want to be worthy in the eyes of God? Do not forget the fundamental doctrines taught to you. Be modest in your manners … in the way you dress up … in dealing with other people. Also, submit yourself, in full subjection, to your husband. And lastly, revere your husband, and keep on doing good things all the days of your life.
How a woman can become of God part 3
Is there any verse in the Bible that would prove that, there are times that woman wants to look beautiful for her lover? Let us read Isaiah 3:16—
“… Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes …”
They walk with their wanton eyes; they were proud women.
“… walking and mincing as they go …”
Their hips sway from left to right while walking, as though they were grinders. Let us continue—
"…And making a tinkling with her feet.”
She deliberately makes a tinkling sound with her feet in order to be noticed.
“Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion.”
It had happened in Israel before. God cursed the women because of their coquettish manners. Imagine that? She would even look wantonly while walking. She looked very proud as she tried to produce a tinkling sound with her feet. That only means that she was really trying to entice, or lure, the men for them to follow her. This is what Hosea 2:13 says—
“And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers.”
She was acting that way because she was looking for lovers. Therefore, if it is true that you are making yourself beautiful because of your husband, then, you should beautify yourself only when he is about to arrive home. Wear perfume when he is about to come; but if you will behave like a coquette, other men will court you. Don’t tell me that married women are no longer courted! There are married women who still want to be courted. Am I right?
One of God’s doctrines for women is to observe modesty and demureness. However, is modesty, or demureness, limited only to manners and behavior? I Timothy 2:9 says—
“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel …”
What does modest apparel mean? Let us continue reading—
“… with shamefacedness and sobriety …”
What does shamefacedness mean? I will give you a hint. A popular cliché says, “No modest maiden could be too hard-hearted to a patient suppliant.” A maiden is modest like the Virgin Mary. Have you seen an illustration of Mary wherein she is wearing a micro mini, or a dress with plunging neckline? Have you seen her wearing a long skirt whose slit is up to her thighs?
I once saw a beautiful woman, and she was wearing a very long dress. At first glance, I got impressed by her long dress, but when she walked, half of her thighs were being exposed through the slit in her skirt. Good that she had a nice pair of legs. But, what if her legs are laden with marks of scars as big as coins? Some women adopt the latest fashion even if the style of the dress does not fit her body and her complexion. In the Bible, we were told that God wants the woman to be modest, not only in her behavior but also in her manner of dressing.
We could read from the Bible that the women were being admonished to adorn themselves in “modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety.” This means that a woman should dress up with decency; she must wear modest apparel. And if a woman acts modestly … if she wears modest apparel, nobody will be tempted to rape her. Will she still be raped?
Do you want to be of God? First, you must act modestly; second, you must wear modest apparel. What else? Let us read II Timothy 2:11. This is what it says—
“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.”
First and foremost, it says, the women must learn to be silent. Why was she told to learn to keep quiet? It is because a lot of women are noisy, especially the married ones. As early as 5, or 6, in the morning she is already talking. She talks endlessly … until midnight. Her husband was already half-asleep, but still, she was nagging him. (“Why don’t you look for a job? You are very lazy! You are shameless! You let me carry all the burdens!"”) She never stopped from talking. Until her husband got fed up. So, her warned her ("Will you stop talking, or not?”) But she kept on talking, so he gave her a punch. She was knocked down. But when she woke up, she started talking again. And louder this time!
This is the reason why one of the commandments of God to women says, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.” Why was she asked to be silent? Let us read what Proverbs 9:13 says—
“A foolish woman is clamorous.”
The Bible considers a clamorous, or talkative, woman foolish. Just try to thinks about it my fellowmen. Who among you are clamorous? According to the Bible, a foolish woman is clamorous. Can anything be gained out of a woman’s talkativeness? Let us read Proverbs 14:23—
“In all labour there is profit; but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.”
Every labor is profitable, but not can be gained out of a talkative mouth. If you are a woman, does it profit you to talk a lot? There was a tactless woman who, after quarreling with her husband, divulged to her neighbors the secrets that her husband keeps, including his ringworm. A talkative woman would expose your entire being to other people.
Therefore, if you are courting a woman, try to observe her closely. If she is wide-mouthed, she will surely bring you lots of troubles.
A man thinks that he is heading for a peaceful life if he is going get married. What peace are you talking about? Will you ever find peace with a very talkative wife? Instead of peace, you are heading for a troublesome life. Let us read Proverbs 27:15—
“A continual dropping in a very rainy day …”
On a rainy day, rain water pours on your roof. What about it?
“… and a contentious woman are alike.”
Rainwater and a contentious woman are alike. The continuous pouring of rainwater through the leaks of the roof is annoying. Sometimes, you are also being sprinkled with water, so you put a pail right where the drops fall. But even if you do that, you still couldn’t sleep because of the dropping (“plok-plok”) sound they produce.
In the past, the roof of our house used to have leaks. So each time that it would rain, we would put a pail right where the leaking water fell. There was a time when I really had a sleepless night because I was distracted by the sound that the drops of water produced. It was as if, I was counting each drop that fell. And is where a talkative and contentious woman had been compared. God says in Proverbs 21:9—
“It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.”
Of what use is a big house if you are living there with a brawling woman? It is better to live in a corner of the housetop rather than live in a big house with a brawling and contentious woman. Every day you will sin; every day you’ll be annoyed. You’ll possibly end up in hell. That is why God’s decision is to dwell in the wilderness instead. In Proverbs 21:19, it said—
“It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.”
It is better to dwell in the wilderness than to live with a contentious and an angry woman. In that case, there remains the possibility that you might still be saved and be worthy of God. And in order to reform a contentious and angry woman, this is what the Bible says in I Timothy 2:11—
“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.”
A woman must be under the subjection of her husband. A woman was never given the right to be independent. God has placed the woman under the authority of a man. That is why, one of the doctrines that a married woman must follow is—she must submit herself to the subjection of her husband. How must she submit herself? Let us read Ephesians 5:24—
“Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their husbands in every thing.”
Sisters, are you ready to be worthy in the eyes of God? Are you willing to be under the subjection of your husbands? Submit yourself to him completely. For instance, if your husband wants you to dress up conservatively, then, try to dress yourself up conservatively. If your husband does not want you to wear brightly colored dresses, then do not wear brightly colored dresses. If your husband does not want you to gossip and chat with your neighbors then do not do so. Let’s face it there are really women who never stop from talking. That is the reason why God commanded them “to learn in silence with all subjection”. She must submit herself, with full subjection, to her husband. That is why, in the Church, which the Bible speaks of, there are no domineering wives.
A man who is under the dominion of his wife will never be saved. He will sure be damned in hell, because he did the opposite of what God had commanded. What God said was that, the woman must be under the authority of the man. Just consider why Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Adam was not around then. She did not consult Adam first before making a decision. When Eve ate the fruit, she did it out of her own will; she did not consult her husband.
“… Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes …”
They walk with their wanton eyes; they were proud women.
“… walking and mincing as they go …”
Their hips sway from left to right while walking, as though they were grinders. Let us continue—
"…And making a tinkling with her feet.”
She deliberately makes a tinkling sound with her feet in order to be noticed.
“Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion.”
It had happened in Israel before. God cursed the women because of their coquettish manners. Imagine that? She would even look wantonly while walking. She looked very proud as she tried to produce a tinkling sound with her feet. That only means that she was really trying to entice, or lure, the men for them to follow her. This is what Hosea 2:13 says—
“And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers.”
She was acting that way because she was looking for lovers. Therefore, if it is true that you are making yourself beautiful because of your husband, then, you should beautify yourself only when he is about to arrive home. Wear perfume when he is about to come; but if you will behave like a coquette, other men will court you. Don’t tell me that married women are no longer courted! There are married women who still want to be courted. Am I right?
One of God’s doctrines for women is to observe modesty and demureness. However, is modesty, or demureness, limited only to manners and behavior? I Timothy 2:9 says—
“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel …”
What does modest apparel mean? Let us continue reading—
“… with shamefacedness and sobriety …”
What does shamefacedness mean? I will give you a hint. A popular cliché says, “No modest maiden could be too hard-hearted to a patient suppliant.” A maiden is modest like the Virgin Mary. Have you seen an illustration of Mary wherein she is wearing a micro mini, or a dress with plunging neckline? Have you seen her wearing a long skirt whose slit is up to her thighs?
I once saw a beautiful woman, and she was wearing a very long dress. At first glance, I got impressed by her long dress, but when she walked, half of her thighs were being exposed through the slit in her skirt. Good that she had a nice pair of legs. But, what if her legs are laden with marks of scars as big as coins? Some women adopt the latest fashion even if the style of the dress does not fit her body and her complexion. In the Bible, we were told that God wants the woman to be modest, not only in her behavior but also in her manner of dressing.
We could read from the Bible that the women were being admonished to adorn themselves in “modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety.” This means that a woman should dress up with decency; she must wear modest apparel. And if a woman acts modestly … if she wears modest apparel, nobody will be tempted to rape her. Will she still be raped?
Do you want to be of God? First, you must act modestly; second, you must wear modest apparel. What else? Let us read II Timothy 2:11. This is what it says—
“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.”
First and foremost, it says, the women must learn to be silent. Why was she told to learn to keep quiet? It is because a lot of women are noisy, especially the married ones. As early as 5, or 6, in the morning she is already talking. She talks endlessly … until midnight. Her husband was already half-asleep, but still, she was nagging him. (“Why don’t you look for a job? You are very lazy! You are shameless! You let me carry all the burdens!"”) She never stopped from talking. Until her husband got fed up. So, her warned her ("Will you stop talking, or not?”) But she kept on talking, so he gave her a punch. She was knocked down. But when she woke up, she started talking again. And louder this time!
This is the reason why one of the commandments of God to women says, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.” Why was she asked to be silent? Let us read what Proverbs 9:13 says—
“A foolish woman is clamorous.”
The Bible considers a clamorous, or talkative, woman foolish. Just try to thinks about it my fellowmen. Who among you are clamorous? According to the Bible, a foolish woman is clamorous. Can anything be gained out of a woman’s talkativeness? Let us read Proverbs 14:23—
“In all labour there is profit; but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.”
Every labor is profitable, but not can be gained out of a talkative mouth. If you are a woman, does it profit you to talk a lot? There was a tactless woman who, after quarreling with her husband, divulged to her neighbors the secrets that her husband keeps, including his ringworm. A talkative woman would expose your entire being to other people.
Therefore, if you are courting a woman, try to observe her closely. If she is wide-mouthed, she will surely bring you lots of troubles.
A man thinks that he is heading for a peaceful life if he is going get married. What peace are you talking about? Will you ever find peace with a very talkative wife? Instead of peace, you are heading for a troublesome life. Let us read Proverbs 27:15—
“A continual dropping in a very rainy day …”
On a rainy day, rain water pours on your roof. What about it?
“… and a contentious woman are alike.”
Rainwater and a contentious woman are alike. The continuous pouring of rainwater through the leaks of the roof is annoying. Sometimes, you are also being sprinkled with water, so you put a pail right where the drops fall. But even if you do that, you still couldn’t sleep because of the dropping (“plok-plok”) sound they produce.
In the past, the roof of our house used to have leaks. So each time that it would rain, we would put a pail right where the leaking water fell. There was a time when I really had a sleepless night because I was distracted by the sound that the drops of water produced. It was as if, I was counting each drop that fell. And is where a talkative and contentious woman had been compared. God says in Proverbs 21:9—
“It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.”
Of what use is a big house if you are living there with a brawling woman? It is better to live in a corner of the housetop rather than live in a big house with a brawling and contentious woman. Every day you will sin; every day you’ll be annoyed. You’ll possibly end up in hell. That is why God’s decision is to dwell in the wilderness instead. In Proverbs 21:19, it said—
“It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.”
It is better to dwell in the wilderness than to live with a contentious and an angry woman. In that case, there remains the possibility that you might still be saved and be worthy of God. And in order to reform a contentious and angry woman, this is what the Bible says in I Timothy 2:11—
“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.”
A woman must be under the subjection of her husband. A woman was never given the right to be independent. God has placed the woman under the authority of a man. That is why, one of the doctrines that a married woman must follow is—she must submit herself to the subjection of her husband. How must she submit herself? Let us read Ephesians 5:24—
“Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their husbands in every thing.”
Sisters, are you ready to be worthy in the eyes of God? Are you willing to be under the subjection of your husbands? Submit yourself to him completely. For instance, if your husband wants you to dress up conservatively, then, try to dress yourself up conservatively. If your husband does not want you to wear brightly colored dresses, then do not wear brightly colored dresses. If your husband does not want you to gossip and chat with your neighbors then do not do so. Let’s face it there are really women who never stop from talking. That is the reason why God commanded them “to learn in silence with all subjection”. She must submit herself, with full subjection, to her husband. That is why, in the Church, which the Bible speaks of, there are no domineering wives.
A man who is under the dominion of his wife will never be saved. He will sure be damned in hell, because he did the opposite of what God had commanded. What God said was that, the woman must be under the authority of the man. Just consider why Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Adam was not around then. She did not consult Adam first before making a decision. When Eve ate the fruit, she did it out of her own will; she did not consult her husband.
How a woman can become of God part 2
What is the Scripture trying to tell us? Let us take it one by one. “While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.” First and foremost, a woman must be chaste and demure. At the same time, she must have fear in her heart. There are women who dress up demurely, but their behavior is coquettish. My grandmother used to call those kind of women not only a flirt but also a coquette.
There are women who dress themselves up with modesty but they act like flirts and coquettes. During our time, those kinds of women were considered whores and harlots.
The primary qualification that God wants a woman to possess is modesty, or demureness. What do demure and modest manners mean? It means that a woman acts with refinement and finesse. She is not vulgar; she is demure, and not coquettish. A demure woman had been epitomized by Maria Clara, whose hands could not even be touched by other men. No touch! And if ever her hands had been touched by a man, she would readily burst into tears and ask the man to marry her because he had disgraced her by touching her hands.
That is why in the past, whenever a man wants to marry a woman, do you know what he would be asking for? He would be asking for the “hand” of the woman. When I was young, I didn’t understand yet the meaning of that idiomatic expression. I was wondering, “Why was he asking for her hand? What would he do with her hands?” That idiomatic expression developed because in the past, if a woman’s hand had been touched by a man, it was tantamount to having disgraced her. So, the man ought to marry her … because then, the women were modest and demure, unlike today when a man can touch a woman any where. And sometimes, he does not only touch her! No wonder, nowadays, there are many unwed mothers. They get engaged in pre-marital relationships. And that is because they have set aside the chastity and the modesty that God is asks. And once chastity and modesty are gone, the outcome is not good.
For example, I, being a Christian, must not marry a woman who is not demure and modest. If the woman that you are going to marry lacks modesty and demureness, I am sure, before your wedding day comes, she has already flirted with other men. Just come to think of it. You are going to marry her; you are going to kiss her in the altar, but without your knowledge, she had already been kissed by four different men. They had kissed her ahead of you. That is not in conformity with what the Bible teaches. A woman should be demure and modest. A woman’s honor and reputation will surely be preserved if only she observes chastity and modesty. Let us read Deuteronomy 22:13-21—
“If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her. And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him. And they shall amerce him in a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel.”
But what if she was no longer a virgin?
(20-21) “But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die.”
In Israel, if a woman deceives her would-be husband by telling him that she is still a virgin, but proven otherwise, she would be stoned to death. That was in Israel, but not among the Christians. I am just trying to tell you that a woman should safeguard her honor, considering the essence of what the Bible said. In fact, in Israel, a man should no longer take a woman to be his wife if he already knew that she was no longer a virgin. Let us read Leviticus 21:13-14—
“And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or a harlot, these shall he not take …”
If you are a servant of God, you are prohibited from taking a harlot as your wife; neither a profane nor a widow. Therefore, a woman must take care of her honor. And a woman who is demure and modest must safeguard her chastity.
Others might ask, “Brother Eli, how is that now? I did not know this doctrine before!” Of course, we can never do anything anymore if you have already lost your chastity, despite the fact you are not yet married. What else can we do? We can no longer restore it. But just the same, I am teaching you this just in case some of you have still maintained their chastity. It would be better if you will safeguard your reputation as a damsel, or maid. But, if you have gotten married … if you have committed some bad things in the eyes of God, there is still a way by which we can make up for all of those and eventually become Christians. God does not readily cast off people. If you committed those things out of your ignorance of God’s teachings, you could always repent and God would grant you forgiveness. This is the reason why we are trying to trace from the Bible how a woman may become a woman of God. And we have learned that for a woman to be of God, she must be chaste and modest. But if you are not one, you may start trying to be one. It is a must that a woman be demure and modest.
It is always nice to see women whose manners are modest and demure. Have you seen a woman who claims to be demure but wears a micro mini? Once a woman wearing a micro mini dress sits down, the tendency is for her dress to be pulled upward, thereby, exposing her thighs. And when her thighs are bared, she now tries very hard to pull her dress downward. But if we will just be honest about it, isn’t it that her main intention for wearing a micro mini is to display her thighs? So why bother to pull the dress lower? Can we consider that woman as demure? I don’t think so. If she is, she will not wear a micro mini dress.
Actually, there are many women (I am not generalizing) who dress up that way in order to be noticed. Are you agreeable to that? There was one woman who was trying to justify herself. She said that, the reason why she was trying to look attractive is because of her husband. Is that true? You are trying to look good because of your husband? If that is the case, I told her that if her husband comes home by 6 PM, then, she should take a bath by 5:30. Start fixing yourself very well because he is coming home at 6. That is, if it were true that you are trying to look attractive because of your husband.
But why is it that you fix yourself the moment that your husband leaves the house? Did you fix yourself for your husband? No! Because he is not there to appreciate your beauty! The real reason why you want to look good is because you want to attract the attention of other men! You have a different motive! Let us read the word of God who knows what’s in the hearts of men. Why do you want to look beautiful? Let us read Jeremiah 4:30—
“And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson …”
This is what a woman who wants to be noticed, do. It does not really mean that since she is wearing crimson red, she will already be noticed. In other words, she still has to do something. Let us continue reading—
“… though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting …”
She would even paint her face. According to the Bible, there are women who want to look good by painting their eyes. Painting one’s eyes was already practiced in the past. And since we are living in the modern times, women even apply glitters in their eyelids. That is why, if you would see them in the dark, with their heavily painted eyes, you would be frightened. That is not how an ideal woman looks like. I prefer a woman who has very little adornment.
There are women who would even apply foundation. If they don’t like their eyebrows, they pluck it, even if the whole process is painful. You would see how their faces get distorted because of pain, but they try to bear it. On the other hand, there are also women who totally do not like what God had given them. Please excuse me, but I am just telling the truth. There are those do not like what God gave them, so they shave their brows. But the problem is, when she drew another pair of eyebrows, she placed them higher than where they should be. That is why if you are the shy type, you will never court her because her eyes has intimidated you. She looks very arrogant with her high brows.
She adorns herself with gold, and she paints her eyes. Why? Let us continue--
“… in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee.”
The reason why there are women who want to look beautiful is because of her lovers, or wooers. A woman wants to have as many suitors. Are you aware of it, gentlemen? I know that because I had read it from the Bible. The more suitors a woman has, the more she likes it. Who among you here do not want being courted? No woman does not want not to be courted. I am not saying that all women are like that, but most of them want to be courted. That is why a woman feels desperate when nobody is courting her. So, sometimes she just grabs any man who comes along. There are women who are like that.
There are women who dress themselves up with modesty but they act like flirts and coquettes. During our time, those kinds of women were considered whores and harlots.
The primary qualification that God wants a woman to possess is modesty, or demureness. What do demure and modest manners mean? It means that a woman acts with refinement and finesse. She is not vulgar; she is demure, and not coquettish. A demure woman had been epitomized by Maria Clara, whose hands could not even be touched by other men. No touch! And if ever her hands had been touched by a man, she would readily burst into tears and ask the man to marry her because he had disgraced her by touching her hands.
That is why in the past, whenever a man wants to marry a woman, do you know what he would be asking for? He would be asking for the “hand” of the woman. When I was young, I didn’t understand yet the meaning of that idiomatic expression. I was wondering, “Why was he asking for her hand? What would he do with her hands?” That idiomatic expression developed because in the past, if a woman’s hand had been touched by a man, it was tantamount to having disgraced her. So, the man ought to marry her … because then, the women were modest and demure, unlike today when a man can touch a woman any where. And sometimes, he does not only touch her! No wonder, nowadays, there are many unwed mothers. They get engaged in pre-marital relationships. And that is because they have set aside the chastity and the modesty that God is asks. And once chastity and modesty are gone, the outcome is not good.
For example, I, being a Christian, must not marry a woman who is not demure and modest. If the woman that you are going to marry lacks modesty and demureness, I am sure, before your wedding day comes, she has already flirted with other men. Just come to think of it. You are going to marry her; you are going to kiss her in the altar, but without your knowledge, she had already been kissed by four different men. They had kissed her ahead of you. That is not in conformity with what the Bible teaches. A woman should be demure and modest. A woman’s honor and reputation will surely be preserved if only she observes chastity and modesty. Let us read Deuteronomy 22:13-21—
“If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her. And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And the damsel’s father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him. And they shall amerce him in a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel.”
But what if she was no longer a virgin?
(20-21) “But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die.”
In Israel, if a woman deceives her would-be husband by telling him that she is still a virgin, but proven otherwise, she would be stoned to death. That was in Israel, but not among the Christians. I am just trying to tell you that a woman should safeguard her honor, considering the essence of what the Bible said. In fact, in Israel, a man should no longer take a woman to be his wife if he already knew that she was no longer a virgin. Let us read Leviticus 21:13-14—
“And he shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or profane, or a harlot, these shall he not take …”
If you are a servant of God, you are prohibited from taking a harlot as your wife; neither a profane nor a widow. Therefore, a woman must take care of her honor. And a woman who is demure and modest must safeguard her chastity.
Others might ask, “Brother Eli, how is that now? I did not know this doctrine before!” Of course, we can never do anything anymore if you have already lost your chastity, despite the fact you are not yet married. What else can we do? We can no longer restore it. But just the same, I am teaching you this just in case some of you have still maintained their chastity. It would be better if you will safeguard your reputation as a damsel, or maid. But, if you have gotten married … if you have committed some bad things in the eyes of God, there is still a way by which we can make up for all of those and eventually become Christians. God does not readily cast off people. If you committed those things out of your ignorance of God’s teachings, you could always repent and God would grant you forgiveness. This is the reason why we are trying to trace from the Bible how a woman may become a woman of God. And we have learned that for a woman to be of God, she must be chaste and modest. But if you are not one, you may start trying to be one. It is a must that a woman be demure and modest.
It is always nice to see women whose manners are modest and demure. Have you seen a woman who claims to be demure but wears a micro mini? Once a woman wearing a micro mini dress sits down, the tendency is for her dress to be pulled upward, thereby, exposing her thighs. And when her thighs are bared, she now tries very hard to pull her dress downward. But if we will just be honest about it, isn’t it that her main intention for wearing a micro mini is to display her thighs? So why bother to pull the dress lower? Can we consider that woman as demure? I don’t think so. If she is, she will not wear a micro mini dress.
Actually, there are many women (I am not generalizing) who dress up that way in order to be noticed. Are you agreeable to that? There was one woman who was trying to justify herself. She said that, the reason why she was trying to look attractive is because of her husband. Is that true? You are trying to look good because of your husband? If that is the case, I told her that if her husband comes home by 6 PM, then, she should take a bath by 5:30. Start fixing yourself very well because he is coming home at 6. That is, if it were true that you are trying to look attractive because of your husband.
But why is it that you fix yourself the moment that your husband leaves the house? Did you fix yourself for your husband? No! Because he is not there to appreciate your beauty! The real reason why you want to look good is because you want to attract the attention of other men! You have a different motive! Let us read the word of God who knows what’s in the hearts of men. Why do you want to look beautiful? Let us read Jeremiah 4:30—
“And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson …”
This is what a woman who wants to be noticed, do. It does not really mean that since she is wearing crimson red, she will already be noticed. In other words, she still has to do something. Let us continue reading—
“… though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting …”
She would even paint her face. According to the Bible, there are women who want to look good by painting their eyes. Painting one’s eyes was already practiced in the past. And since we are living in the modern times, women even apply glitters in their eyelids. That is why, if you would see them in the dark, with their heavily painted eyes, you would be frightened. That is not how an ideal woman looks like. I prefer a woman who has very little adornment.
There are women who would even apply foundation. If they don’t like their eyebrows, they pluck it, even if the whole process is painful. You would see how their faces get distorted because of pain, but they try to bear it. On the other hand, there are also women who totally do not like what God had given them. Please excuse me, but I am just telling the truth. There are those do not like what God gave them, so they shave their brows. But the problem is, when she drew another pair of eyebrows, she placed them higher than where they should be. That is why if you are the shy type, you will never court her because her eyes has intimidated you. She looks very arrogant with her high brows.
She adorns herself with gold, and she paints her eyes. Why? Let us continue--
“… in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee.”
The reason why there are women who want to look beautiful is because of her lovers, or wooers. A woman wants to have as many suitors. Are you aware of it, gentlemen? I know that because I had read it from the Bible. The more suitors a woman has, the more she likes it. Who among you here do not want being courted? No woman does not want not to be courted. I am not saying that all women are like that, but most of them want to be courted. That is why a woman feels desperate when nobody is courting her. So, sometimes she just grabs any man who comes along. There are women who are like that.
How a woman can become of God part 1
We are going to study how a woman can become of God. God has a way of making all of us become of God, regardless of whether or not you are a straight woman or a lesbian, or whatever. But most especially, the ones being referred to in our topic are the married women. God enumerated the ways on how, even the most wicked persons on earth can be converted and be made worthy in the eyes of God. That is what Acts 26:18 says—
“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God …”
The only thing that a person must do is to open his eyes so that from darkness he could turn to light, and “from the power of satan unto the power of God.” In other words, anybody who is in the power of satan can be delivered and be brought to God by following the requirement that St. Paul mentioned. And that is to open one’s eyes. But why must a person open his eyes? II Corinthians 4:4 says—
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not...”
Satan, whom the Bible calls as “the god of this world”, is blinding the minds of the believers and the faithful. And once you have been blinded, you now become helpless. You cannot see the light anymore. No amount of spotlight can make you see because you are already blind. But if you are not blind, even if you close your eyes, you could still, somehow, have a glimpse of the light. Unlike if you are already blind, even if a high-voltage bulb is placed before you your eyes will not react at all. That is what the devil does. He is blinding our minds for us not to see the light, and for us to depart from God. II Corinthians 4:4 says—
“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.”
Of course, it is not the literal eyes that satan is blinding, but the minds of the people. A blind mind is worse than being void of sight. You will never understand anything good anymore because your mind has been blinded. How will you regard a father who rapes his daughter? Is he blind, or not? He is blind because if his mind is enlightened, he will never do that. No father, in his right mind, will ever rape his daughter. A father could afford to rape his daughter because his mind has been blinded.
And who made him blind? The god of this world, or satan, blinded him. The mind of the believers is being blinded, “lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” That is what St. Paul said.
That is why if you have been blinded, you are now completely under the power of satan. But God has a way. That is what Acts 26:18 says—
“To open their eyes …”
Why must their eyes be opened? Because they have been blinded by the devil. There are people who are blinded by money. For them, when it comes to money, nothing else should matter, not even blood relationships. For them, business is business. And being relatives should not get in the way.
That is foolishness! Whenever I get engaged in business, I always consider my relatives, and my brethren in God. We must exercise consideration, and the foremost of which is consideration as Christians. But, undoubtedly there are, indeed, people who have been blinded by money.
Also, there are men, whose eyes are blinded by the physical beauty of women. There are men who are willing to abandon their wives and children in favor of another woman. “If you will only go with me, I am ready to leave my wife.” This woman, on the other hand, will deliberately entice the man further. If I were a woman, I will never go with that man. Why? She must realize that, if this man could afford to leave his wife and children for the sake of another woman, the more he could afford to do it to her! He will surely abandon her, too, because he has been “blinded”.
There are a lot of other things that blind people. There are people who are blinded by money; there are people who are blinded by honor; there are people who are blinded by power. The devil is employing a lot of things in his desire to blind man. He will urge you to cheat, or kill your opponents during elections for you to stay in power.
Man can be blinded by so many things; the devil uses many things to blind men. And once you have been blinded, you will now depart from God. You will now be under the power of the devil. Nevertheless, there are still ways by which a man, who has been under the power of the devil could still be led back to God.
God is a loving God. He wants all of us to be saved. And should we not be saved, it would be due to our stubbornness already; inasmuch as God has done all the measures for Him to win back your souls and to lead you to the path leading to salvation. There is always a way by which a man can be redeemed. And if a man could not be redeemed, he would be condemned. And should that happen, it is no longer God’s fault, but ours.
The topic that we have studied dealt with marriage that is in accordance to the will of God. And you have fully seen the traits of a woman that is of God. But there are women who are not of God. There are only two kinds of people on earth. It is either you are of God, or against God. What John 8:47, 44 says is clear—
“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
Whose are they?
“Ye are of your father the devil …”
Therefore, if you are not of God, “you are of your father, the devil”. However, if we are under the power of the devil right now, we must not lose hope. Do not allow yourself to totally succumb to sinfulness. There is still a way. For you to be of God, your eyes must be opened first. And what could open your eyes? What else, but the word of God! That is the “light” that could open your eyes and your minds.
Now, which woman is not of God? The infidel! It is she who, soon after her husband turns his back, already flirts with other men. There are women who are like that. A woman that is not of God is heartless, unfaithful to her husband, and lazy, such that, despite the fact that it is already noon, she has not risen from bed yet. She remains lying in bed while hers husband is the one doing the laundry. And when mealtime comes, the food must still be brought inside her room. Otherwise, she will yell at her husband. Question: is there still a possibility for that kind of woman to become of God? We will just do a little “repair”. She has to undergo a little repair. And if a woman would submit herself for a repair, she must first learn how to be tactful in her speech. She must learn how to hold her tongue because there are tongues which are tactless. At the same time, she must also polish and refine her manners.
And for us to understand what God wants us to do, we are going to study all of them one by one. First of all, let us find out how a woman can be of God. In II Timothy 3:17 it says—
“That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
The Bible said, “That a man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Therefore, for anyone to become of God, he ought to be taught of all the good works. That is why, for a man and woman to be of God, they have to be taught of all the good works. Now, let us ask the Bible. What are the good works that a woman must do so that she becomes of God? This is what I Peter 3:2-6 says—
“While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord: whose daughters are ye, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.”
This is a rather lengthy pronouncement coming from St. Peter. And I want to discuss this with you point by point. The Bible says—
“While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quick spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord: whose daughters are ye, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.”
“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God …”
The only thing that a person must do is to open his eyes so that from darkness he could turn to light, and “from the power of satan unto the power of God.” In other words, anybody who is in the power of satan can be delivered and be brought to God by following the requirement that St. Paul mentioned. And that is to open one’s eyes. But why must a person open his eyes? II Corinthians 4:4 says—
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not...”
Satan, whom the Bible calls as “the god of this world”, is blinding the minds of the believers and the faithful. And once you have been blinded, you now become helpless. You cannot see the light anymore. No amount of spotlight can make you see because you are already blind. But if you are not blind, even if you close your eyes, you could still, somehow, have a glimpse of the light. Unlike if you are already blind, even if a high-voltage bulb is placed before you your eyes will not react at all. That is what the devil does. He is blinding our minds for us not to see the light, and for us to depart from God. II Corinthians 4:4 says—
“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.”
Of course, it is not the literal eyes that satan is blinding, but the minds of the people. A blind mind is worse than being void of sight. You will never understand anything good anymore because your mind has been blinded. How will you regard a father who rapes his daughter? Is he blind, or not? He is blind because if his mind is enlightened, he will never do that. No father, in his right mind, will ever rape his daughter. A father could afford to rape his daughter because his mind has been blinded.
And who made him blind? The god of this world, or satan, blinded him. The mind of the believers is being blinded, “lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” That is what St. Paul said.
That is why if you have been blinded, you are now completely under the power of satan. But God has a way. That is what Acts 26:18 says—
“To open their eyes …”
Why must their eyes be opened? Because they have been blinded by the devil. There are people who are blinded by money. For them, when it comes to money, nothing else should matter, not even blood relationships. For them, business is business. And being relatives should not get in the way.
That is foolishness! Whenever I get engaged in business, I always consider my relatives, and my brethren in God. We must exercise consideration, and the foremost of which is consideration as Christians. But, undoubtedly there are, indeed, people who have been blinded by money.
Also, there are men, whose eyes are blinded by the physical beauty of women. There are men who are willing to abandon their wives and children in favor of another woman. “If you will only go with me, I am ready to leave my wife.” This woman, on the other hand, will deliberately entice the man further. If I were a woman, I will never go with that man. Why? She must realize that, if this man could afford to leave his wife and children for the sake of another woman, the more he could afford to do it to her! He will surely abandon her, too, because he has been “blinded”.
There are a lot of other things that blind people. There are people who are blinded by money; there are people who are blinded by honor; there are people who are blinded by power. The devil is employing a lot of things in his desire to blind man. He will urge you to cheat, or kill your opponents during elections for you to stay in power.
Man can be blinded by so many things; the devil uses many things to blind men. And once you have been blinded, you will now depart from God. You will now be under the power of the devil. Nevertheless, there are still ways by which a man, who has been under the power of the devil could still be led back to God.
God is a loving God. He wants all of us to be saved. And should we not be saved, it would be due to our stubbornness already; inasmuch as God has done all the measures for Him to win back your souls and to lead you to the path leading to salvation. There is always a way by which a man can be redeemed. And if a man could not be redeemed, he would be condemned. And should that happen, it is no longer God’s fault, but ours.
The topic that we have studied dealt with marriage that is in accordance to the will of God. And you have fully seen the traits of a woman that is of God. But there are women who are not of God. There are only two kinds of people on earth. It is either you are of God, or against God. What John 8:47, 44 says is clear—
“He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”
Whose are they?
“Ye are of your father the devil …”
Therefore, if you are not of God, “you are of your father, the devil”. However, if we are under the power of the devil right now, we must not lose hope. Do not allow yourself to totally succumb to sinfulness. There is still a way. For you to be of God, your eyes must be opened first. And what could open your eyes? What else, but the word of God! That is the “light” that could open your eyes and your minds.
Now, which woman is not of God? The infidel! It is she who, soon after her husband turns his back, already flirts with other men. There are women who are like that. A woman that is not of God is heartless, unfaithful to her husband, and lazy, such that, despite the fact that it is already noon, she has not risen from bed yet. She remains lying in bed while hers husband is the one doing the laundry. And when mealtime comes, the food must still be brought inside her room. Otherwise, she will yell at her husband. Question: is there still a possibility for that kind of woman to become of God? We will just do a little “repair”. She has to undergo a little repair. And if a woman would submit herself for a repair, she must first learn how to be tactful in her speech. She must learn how to hold her tongue because there are tongues which are tactless. At the same time, she must also polish and refine her manners.
And for us to understand what God wants us to do, we are going to study all of them one by one. First of all, let us find out how a woman can be of God. In II Timothy 3:17 it says—
“That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
The Bible said, “That a man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Therefore, for anyone to become of God, he ought to be taught of all the good works. That is why, for a man and woman to be of God, they have to be taught of all the good works. Now, let us ask the Bible. What are the good works that a woman must do so that she becomes of God? This is what I Peter 3:2-6 says—
“While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord: whose daughters are ye, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.”
This is a rather lengthy pronouncement coming from St. Peter. And I want to discuss this with you point by point. The Bible says—
“While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quick spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord: whose daughters are ye, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.”
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