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What was Baal worship and why was it so popular? It is a mistake to think of Baal worship as some kind of otherworldly practice that never happens today. On the contrary, it happens all the time in the form of cultural variations of the same general patterns that we see in 2 Kings 21:1-9 and 2 Kings 17:7-23. We know that there were usually lots of people gathered, often on a high hill (like a theatre or stadium) to observe public sex, just like we see in movies and television and on the internet (Numbers 22:41, I Kings 12:25-33). We think that our watching these things is different than the idolatry of old, but this is not so. The whole community came out and all of the best pagan ideas for success in crops and fertility were promoted, just like a business seminar that promotes unbiblical ideas that justify the worldliness of its origin.  The wicked personalities (promoters and performers) were respected and given the platform (like rock stars and Hollywood’s “People’.) Some of them were great dancers (like Brittany Spears and Madonna) while others were great musicians (like Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney) (I Kings 15:12-14). In our day, people who go to our churches celebrate celebrities when they should be doing the opposite. Psalm 101:1, 3 says “I will walk in my house… I will set no wicked thing before my eyes…” People danced around the Asherah pole, which was nothing more than a phallic symbol. It is quite possible that these poles functioned somewhat like the poles in what are called, “gentlemen’s clubs.” The people also acted out lustful, licentious, bawdy scenes for the enjoyment of all who came (Isaiah 57:5-8; Deuteronomy 23:17). They had all the different kinds of sexual experiences on display including men with women, men with men and all of the combinations that are popular today in sit-coms, movies, and news reports. On top of that, they invited the crowd to participate (I Kings 14:24). The children were the real losers, though, as some of them were actually sacrificed on the altar of the sex and the success (2 Kings 16:3-4). To participate, you had to reject your children. Does this remind anyone of the 48 million babies in the US who have been aborted on the altar of convenience and immorality? Baal worship, in reality, corresponds exactly to activities that most people freely participate in today. They do so without really understanding the na

Ephesians 6:1-3 commands children to obey their parents "because it is right." Here are ten reasons why it is "right" to obey. 1. It is right because it pleases the Lord. You want God's blessing in everything you do. Imagine God is against you. Imagine God's displeasure upon you? Paul speaks to the Colossians that your honor and obedience is "pleasing to the Lord" (Col 3:20). God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5, James 4:6). The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom 1:18). 2. It is right because children need to learn it when they are young. Pride makes children think that they should be in control. Here is the reality. Children are blind to their lack of wisdom and experience. Children don't see themselves the ways mature people see them. Ecclesiastes 10:3, gives a picture of what this looks like, "Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone that he is a fool." Children are naturally deceived about themselves. Children want all the authority and responsibility of adults without having the maturity, the thinking process, and the financial ability to be on their own. They want the same authority as the parents, but they do not have the same wisdom and experience as parents. 3. It is right because rebellion is connected to the self-driven impulses that characterize evil – even demonic activity. God calls it "divination" (1 Sam 15:22-24). "Rebellion" is like "divination." Divination, at its core, is rejecting God and going to another source. It is despising His ways. This independent spirit of arrogance is like idolatry. Whe

Let me share one of my father’s favorite Proverbs. He quotes it regularly: > "... when he sits in his house, when he walks by the way, when he lies down and when he rises up." I am the fortunate son of a father who repeated and followed these instructions. That is one reason I love Proverbs 24 -- a chapter that is of tremendous value to fathers. It lists and explains some of the most important priorities and techniques of a wise father, and warns him of pitfalls to avoid. For good or for ill, all fathers are builders. With each invested moment, a father builds something. Thus, building is the subject of Proverbs 24. > "Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking. Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled With all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate." Proverbs 24 is the last chapter of Proverbs that Solomon wrote (the remaining chapters were penned by the men of Hezekiah). In this chapter, Solomon confronts two issues. First, he deals with the problems of envy and a man’s desire to fit in with other men. And second, he challenges men to build their families with wisdom and knowledge.  Solomon shows us six techniques of the wise father:  1. The wise father rejects evil role models (v. 1-2) 2. He builds with Wisdom’s materials (v. 3) 3. He establishes his house with understanding, (v. 3) 4. He fills the rooms of his household with precious and pleasant riches (v. 4) 5. He seeks the best counsel and is strong (v. 5-6) 6. He escapes the tragedy of a foolish irrelevant life (v. 7)  Let’s take some time to consider each of these principles. THE FIRST TECHNIQUE  > "Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them; For their heart devises violence, And their lips talk of troublemaking." (Proverbs 24:1-2) Here we find the first technique of a wise father.  These two commands are directed straight at the heart of a man. Solomon’s first

Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver; but when the chief priests and elders condemned the Savior to death, Judas was filled with remorse and changed his mind. The sacred text says that he “repented himself.” So, he returned to the temple to give the money back to the Jewish leaders, but they refused it. Judas then went out and hanged himself. If Judas repented, why do the Scriptures tell us he went to hell? The implication is clear: false repentance never saves a soul. Is your repentance true or false?

What are examples of true repentance in Scripture? Michael Beasley shares in this video an example of an individual who displayed true repentance. In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, the tax collector humbled himself and cried out to God for mercy. He saw his own sin and he repented of that sin.  The Apostle Paul is another classic example of genuine repentance. He opposed Christians and locked them in jail until God rebuked him. Paul repented of his sin and turned away from sin. His life was a picture of continual transformation. He continually turned to God. He remained faithful in ministering for the glory of Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (NKJV) – “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.”

In this video, Scott Brown and Jeff Pollard discuss another chapter from William Gouge's book on marriage, Building a Godly Home. Specifically, this chapter discusses a husband's kind a gracious correction of his wife. It is important to realize that a husband does have authority given to him by God. That authority comes with a responsibility to govern his home according to Scripture and correct error if needed. 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NKJV) - "Let all that you do be done with love."

In this sermon, Jason Dohm discusses 1 Corinthians 13 as a guide for marriage. He emphasizes the importance of Christian love, which is vastly different from the world's concept of love. Using Jesus' teachings as a foundation, Dohm explains how love is at the core of the Christian life and marriage is the perfect laboratory for learning and expressing biblical love. He goes through each verse of 1 Corinthians 13, providing practical applications for married couples to improve their relationships. Topics covered include patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, and putting the interests of one's spouse above their own. Ultimately, the goal is to become more Christ-like in our marriages and to allow love to give meaning to our other gifts and virtues.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon: Build ye houses and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them. Take ye wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. —Jeremiah 29:4-6 Several months ago, Church and Family Life organized their annual conference around the above text. While living as captives in pagan Babylon, Jeremiah calls God’s people to “build, dwell, and plant.” So we are called to do in our pagan Babylonian world today. At the conference, Church and Family Life interviewed our editor as follows: Question 1: What lessons should we learn from this charge to “build, dwell, and plant” as Christians today? * Just as the Jewish exiles of Jeremiah’s day were sojourners in Babylon, so believers today are strangers and pilgrims in this world (Phil. 3:20; Heb. 11:13). Living as strangers and pilgrims in this world applies to how believers live as individuals (Jer. 29:5), as families (v. 6), and in society (v. 7). * Like the Jewish exiles of Jeremiah’s day, God’s people must expect to sojourn in this world for a lifetime while awaiting entrance into the Promised Land (heaven). During our sojourning in this world, we must be diligent and make spiritual investments (“building” and “planting”) and honor God in our vocational and family lives (including, generally speaking, by getting married and having children). * God has sovereignly placed us in the families, churches, and nations in which we find ourselves. God calls us to serve and glorify Him in the daily life of this present evil age (the tension between the “already” and the “not yet”). Question 2: How should fathers embrace this call to action? * Fathers can embrace Jeremiah’s call to action by proclaiming the authoritative Word of God for all of life in their families. Just as Jeremiah interceded for Judah and proclaimed the Word of the Almighty, cov

In the Old Testament law, there were many ceremonial laws that seem very strange to us. For example, there are laws of uncleanness that prohibit touching a corpse, declare uncleanness in birth, sexual intercourse, menstruation and semen discharge. These are ritual states of uncleanness, not moral uncleanness. These things are not evil in themselves, but they were matters of ceremonial uncleanness. In the Old Testament law, God was making distinctions between pure and impure (Lev. 29:24-26). These laws are meant to teach us that we are set aside for holiness. All day long we divide all activities into holy and unholy. We ought to distinguish everything.  Perhaps the central text that addresses menstruation is Lev. 15:19-23: > “If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. 20 Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean. 21 Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 22 And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 23 If anything is on her bed or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. 24 And if any man lies with her at all, so that her impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.” In Lev. 18:19, we encounter the command against sexual intercourse during menstruation: > “Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is in her customary impurity.’ Then in Lev. 20:18, we find that it results in being cut off from the people: > “If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from their people.” There are several passages that mention menstruation: Lev. 12:1-5; Lev. 15:25-30; Lev. 20:18; Lev. 30:22; Ezek. 22:10; Gen. 18:19; Gen. 18:11; Gen. 31:35; Isa. 64:6; Mat. 9:20 and Luke 8:43. Some of the uses of menstruation are metaphorical pictures of spiritual uncleanness. For

In what ways is a man the priest of his home and what priestly roles does he fulfill on behalf of his family? A man engages in his priestly work through intercessory prayer for his family, directing his family in worship, mediating divine blessings, instructing his family in scripture, and applying scripture as a judge.

We live in a society where the acquisition of debt has become as American as apple pie. It has not always been this way. For example, in 1900 most homeowners owned their homes outright and those who had mortgages were required to pay 50% down with a 5 year payoff. It was not until after WWII that Americans began to use debt more freely as loan requirements were progressively loosened and lenders were protected by federal laws. At the same time when mortgage debt opportunities expanded and evolved, consumer debt has skyrocketed. The severity of this can be seen from various angles. It was recently reported that 63% of Americans are from financial disaster and cannot deal with a $500.00 emergency and that s have less than $1,000 in savings. How should we think about debt in such an environment, where nearly everyone seems to have plunged themselves into debt? We should turn to the Bible! The most important questions regarding debt have nothing to do with what the people around us are doing and thinking. The most important questions for Christians are these: What does the Bible say about debt? Is my thinking aligned with the message of Scripture? I have collected my understanding of what the Bible teaches about debt under the following four headings: I. Debt is not prohibited in Scripture. II. The absence of debt is praised in Scripture.III. God regulates the processes of borrowing and lending.IV. God warns about the dangers of debt. I. Debt is not prohibited in Scripture  You will not find a Bible verse that declares, “thou shalt not go into debt.” It is permitted and therefore, it is not necessarily sinful to get a loan. Not only does Scripture permit it, there are many principles, practices and requirements that God gives to govern the practice of both borrowing and lending. However, just because there is not an explicit prohibition, we should not consider the matter closed. There are many things we know are wrong even though there is no explicit command. For example, there is no command against gambling, but most Christians would regard this as a sinful practice. II.

What does it mean to be a man in a society that appears to despise traditional masculinity? Robert Bosley addresses the prevailing societal views on masculinity, noting that there seems to be a disdain for men, particularly those who exhibit traditional male traits. He shares his personal journey of teaching his sons about the essence of manhood. He defines a man as one who uses his strength for God's glory, to protect others and to build culture. Bosley warns against the common pitfalls of overemphasizing certain aspects of masculinity, such as physical strength and aggression, while also acknowledging their part in the male identity. Bosley also critiques the cultural attempt to feminize men, arguing that men are not 'defective women'. He encourages us to affirm our sons in their God-given masculinity, emphasizing that strength - both physical and moral - is a gift from God intended for good. He encourages men to embrace their unique roles and abilities, reminding them that they are designed to be protectors and builders. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NKJV): "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong."