Truth Magazine

By Archie Proctor

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications . . . (Mark 7:20 ).

Our nation and society are awash in pornography. Playboy and other sexually oriented photography magazines are available at almost all corner grocery stores; R-rated films are readily available on cable TV systems and at the local video rental outlet. A product that once was stigmatized by American society, is now considered harmless entertainment. This persuasive leaven has had its effects on Christians as well. Many use this type of “entertainment” regularly.

Pornography is far from being a “harmless” product. Its influence has destroyed countless lives and marriages, and has brought many, many souls to eternal destruction. When heroin was first synthesized, clinical trials were not required before the drug was released. Many of the developers of this drug tried it on themselves, and found it highly effective as a pain reliever. Unfortunately, those who had first tried it were immune to the addictive effects of this powerful drug. When it was released, the addictive properties appeared, and far from being a blessing, heroin became a curse for mankind.

Pornography is like heroin; it has little or no effect on some; it’s mildly attractive to others. But for many, it is far more addictive and dangerous than heroin or other drugs. This greater danger is due to the fact that it is not recognized for the damage it can do. The numbers of those who are addicted to it grow daily. It is the root and substance of sexual addiction.

Until the affairs of Bill Clinton, John Kennedy, and other famous men were brought to light, sexual addiction was not widely known to the American public. In the past, when famous and powerful men were caught with a prostitute, or a woman not their wife, it was dismissed as a problem that comes with wealth and power. 

We now know that these things are often the result of sexual addiction. It is not just famous and rich men who are cursed with this problem; it consumes millions of men and women at all economic levels of our society. In a recent year, it’s estimated that the American public spent 13 billion dollars for all forms of pornography. That’s more than the combined annual revenues of Coca-Cola and McDonnell Douglas. It’s no wonder we are plagued with this filth. It is a major source of revenue to the entertainment business.

Christ knew that this material is dangerous to our souls. In the Sermon on the Mount, he condemned the practice of looking on a woman’s beauty for the purpose of gratifying lust (Matt. 5:27, 28). Just because the technology of photography was not known in that ancient time, it does not mean pornography did not exist; it simply found expression in other forms. The practice of beautiful women appearing before men in revealing costumes is as old as mankind (Esth. 1:11). Archaeologists have found paintings and sculpture which could have been used for sexual stimulation. Prostitution was accepted as a form of worship by many peoples. Sexually stimulating novels and other writings have appeared throughout history.

The danger that faces Christians today who fall under the spell of pornography is that this addictive material lends itself to secret sin, the type Paul describes in Ephesians 5:12. It begins with the pleasure of lusting for a man or woman without the difficulty of human interaction, progresses to the act of erotic stimulation, and ends in self gratification of lust. This process repeats, and each time the pleasure of sexual release causes the chemistry of the brain to change under the stimulation of pleasure and release. After a longer time, this stimulation may no longer be satisfactory, and a greater pleasure is sought. Hard core material is obtained, even that which is not normally accepted in our decadent culture. For others, it takes the form of visits to topless bars or massage parlors, even to purchasing the services of a prostitute. Each time, the addict goes through the same cycle — uncontrollable lust, surrender to the addiction, self gratification, and then, overwhelming guilt and remorse. Forgiveness is sought through fervent prayer, but again and again the cycle repeats, dragging the soul into greater and greater self-loathing, and depression.

Teenagers and young adults, both male and female, are most susceptible to the influence of this material. In the Song of Solomon 2:7, the preacher tells us, “Stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.” He is speaking of not awaking the sexual desire and pleasure of sexual gratification, until it can be discharged within the safety of marriage.

According to Thayer, the phrase “stir not up” means “to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite.” It is the same concept as when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. They were awakened to a new and unknown world. So it is with pornography and the virgin. Passions and lusts, which are difficult even for older and mature Christians to control, can become a great fire which consumes the young. As in 1 Corinthians 7:9, they “burn with lust.” Energy that should be spent on education, development of a good character, and a godly soul is abruptly diverted to a new and exciting form of pleasure. The fire of sexual passion consumes all, sending young and old into a life of misery and destruction. Consider Proverbs 7:13-23.

Marriage is sometimes sought as a hope to end the addiction of pornography, but it almost never does. The lust will not go away; it simply forces the addict to violate the command: “defraud ye not one the other” (1 Cor. 7:5). Often, the resulting emotional separation and lack of intimacy will destroy the marriage, or simply turn it into a sham, where both partners become victims of the evil of pornography. The congregation where I am an elder has seen this evil destroy a young gospel preacher, who had promise of great work for the Lord. It reduced him to a hollow shell, and eventually destroyed his work, his influence, his family, and his faith in the word of God. All came as the result of “harmless” pornography.

There is hope for those addicted, but it must be found in the word of God. Paul wrote that some ungodly persons at Corinth were “abusers of themselves with mankind,” but he also proclaims that those who did these things were “washed . . . sanctified” . . . and “justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Dealing with this sin is the same as other addictions. It is not a “do it yourself” matter. Professional help and a firm commitment to leave the sin and serve the Lord are required.

A number of resources are available which can help the Christian in overcoming this addiction, but space will not permit them to be listed here. The best source of such may be found on the Internet by entering the words “sexual addiction” at a search engine such as Yahoo.com. It is my hope and prayer that this article might save some, and prevent others from having the great loss and pain our congregation has endured from this evil and destructive substance.

8102 Fox St., Baytown, Texas 77520

By Dickie Cooper

And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them (Gen. 1:27).

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

A 15 year-old girl was brought to the hospital emergency room with a group of five girls and two boys. All had deep lacerations and/or broken bones. The police explained that a fight had broken out at a local rock concert and that the 15 year-old girl, of medium height and build, had fought with such uncontrolled fury that she had inflicted all of the injuries on those who had been brought to the hospital with her. When the police attempted to subdue her, she broke facial bones in one officer’s face and bit off part of the cheek of another officer. The police finally used pepper spray on her, but in spite of the pepper spray and a broken arm, she showed no signs of pain and had to be strapped to the hospital bed with leather restraints across her arms, legs, and chest! Drug use was suspected and confirmed by both those who were brought to the hospital with her and blood tests. It seems her parents had bought the concert tickets for their daughter and her friends for her fifteenth birthday and the girl’s friends had bought her “a couple hits of K-hole” (ketamine). Her blood tests showed the presence of the hallucinogens ketamine and phencyclidine (better known as PCP).

Her parents were flabbergasted. Her father was a high school principal who had led the drug awareness program at his school and her mother was a social worker who was quite knowledgeable about drug abuse. Their daughter had always been well-behaved. When the girl recovered, she said she had never used drugs before and “thought that something like K-hole wouldn’t hurt. It was just one time, for my birthday. No big thing” (Taken from Drug Abuse by A. James Giannini, M.D.)

A recent Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report on the nation’s number one health problem indicates that the United States spends nearly $238 billion a year because of substance abuse! Alcohol abuse accounts for $98.6 billion of the total, tobacco for $72 billion and drug abuse for $67 billion. Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs are a major cause of death, disability, and disease in this country. Alcohol and drug abuse are further related to the spread of HIV/AIDS, child abuse and neglect, trauma, murder and other violent crimes and psychiatric disorders. A recent government study indicated that in 1995, 41.7% of 12th graders had used marijuana and that 21.2% used it at least once a month. (Twenty million Americans — of all ages — smoke marijuana at least once a month, and nearly half of those use it once a week, and six million Americans use it daily.) 17.4% of 12th graders had used inhalants, 12.7% had used hallucinogens, 6% had used cocaine, 15.3% had used stimulants, and a whopping 80.7% had used alcohol!

While the Bible does not speak directly about drug use, it is logical to apply those Scriptures which teach about the use of alcohol to the use of drugs. Galatians 5:21 includes drunkenness in the list of deeds of the flesh and several passages in Proverbs warn of the dangers of intoxication (Prov. 20:1 and 23:19-21, for example). 

We have been created in the image of God, and yet that young woman brought to the hospital emergency room did not display his image. She was not glorifying God in her body or treating her body as if it were God’s temple. She no longer had control of either her mind or her body because she had given them over to drugs. 

The devastation caused by drug use — to society, to families, and to individuals — can’t be denied. To see a family torn apart by substance abuse is heart-breaking. The prevalence of drug abuse in our society also can’t be disputed, and yet I fear that Christians have not admitted that drug abuse is a problem among us. Yet, how can it not be? We live in the world and are not immune to its problems. We have seen other “worldly” problems such as divorce, adultery, fornication, alcoholism, and materialism creep into our congregations. Drug abuse is also creeping in, and we need to be aware of it instead of denying it.

What do we need to do? First, we need to teach and preach frequently about the dangers of drug use. We need to teach that just like alcohol, drugs cause intoxication. While intoxicated, a person will do things he would not normally do. Drugs decrease inhibitions; they decrease the control that our conscience has over us. Drug use often accounts for teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted disease, crime, and suicide. (It is a sad fact that as drug use has increased among young people, juvenile crime and suicide have increased proportionately.)  We need to teach that drugs can be fatal. Young people need to know that a non-fatal dose for one person may be a fatal dose for another. It’s also important for teens to realize that drugs cause the same kind of physical impairment as alcohol when driving. We need to teach that perhaps the worst danger of drug use is the possibility of addiction or drug dependence. Teens need to know that there is no such thing as “safe” drug use. Any drug which produces intoxication can cause physical dependence! Dependence often leads to a life of crime. The dependent person may begin to steal or to deal drugs in order to financially support his habit. His health will suffer and there is always the constant danger of death from overdose or from “bad” or contaminated drugs. Our young people need to know that these dangers are real and not exaggerated just to scare them.

Dr. Robert DuPont, Jr., in his Getting Tough on Gateway Drugs, indicates that drug use almost always begins between the ages of twelve and twenty. As preachers and teachers, we must help those young people develop the skills to withstand the pressure to use drugs. As parents, we must start teaching our children long before they are twelve years old about the dangers of drug use and what God teaches about it. And as preachers, teachers and parents, we must never assume that drug use is someone else’s problem, one that doesn’t really affect us. If 41.7% of high school seniors have used marijuana, how can we be so naïve as to assume that no high school senior in our congregation (or in our family) has tried it? 

Second, we need to educate ourselves about the different kinds of drugs, the effects of these drugs, the warning signs of drug use, the reasons that young people start using drugs and why they keep using them. Peer pressure may be the reason most kids start using, but the reason they keep using is because they like the way drugs make them feel. We must face that reality if we are to truly teach our children and not just “preach at” them. Every parent needs to know the warning signs of drug use. While they may vary slightly from drug to drug or from person to person, there are some common signs. If you notice any of these signs in your child, it may not be because of drug use, but the possibility is there and that possibility must not be ignored! When one of my daughters began to use drugs, she exhibited most of these warning signs, but drug use never occurred to us. My wife and I tried dealing with each behavior as she manifested it — talking, reasoning, discipline, punishment — but nothing worked. We then turned to the professionals: first a licensed clinical social worker and then a renowned psychiatrist. Still nothing changed. It was only after she left home and was subsequently arrested for writing bad checks that she admitted her problem.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse reports that parents’ drinking behavior and attitudes about drinking has been associated as an important risk factor for their children’s drinking. It is logical that the same holds true for other drug use. As parents, you must ask yourselves what is your real attitude about drug use. Before you answer that question, go to your medicine cabinet. How many pain relievers do you have? Besides aspirin or ibuprofen, is there some Demerol or Percocet (just in case you need it.) What about sleeping aids? Do you reach for the Tylenol PM regularly and keep some Seconal (just in case?) Do you need Valium or Xanax (sometimes called “solid booze”) to make it through the day? If you need to loose weight, do you go buy Dexatrim or some other appetite suppressant to help you? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you must be concerned about what kind of message this sends to your children or grandchildren. Does it tell them that your real attitude about drugs is that it is OK to use them? We live in an over-medicated world that tells us that there is a drug to solve nearly any problem. We live in a world that tells us to “take a pill” to get well instead of changing behavior patterns that have led us to get sick in the first place. I fear that this sort of attitude prevents our young people from developing a healthy fear of illicit, prescription and over-the-counter drugs. It also opens the door to drug abuse problems in our own lives. So, like the girl brought to the hospital emergency room, drug use seems to be “no big thing.” Even though my wife and I are not guilty of this (we don’t even take an aspirin unless it’s absolutely necessary), we still constantly ask ourselves what we might have done differently to have prevented our child’s problems. Drug use is definitely a great big thing!

Instead of giving our minds and our bodies over to drugs, we need to give them to God. 2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 says: 

For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, come our from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me,” says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (emphasis mine, DC).

I can think of no better statement against the use of drugs than that!

105 E. Main St., Stanford, Kentucky 40484

By Steven F. Deaton

No doubt, the Internet is a great tool for many of us. We use it to communicate (sometimes too much) and to find information that 
is beneficial. The Internet, like money or TV, is morally neutral — it is neither inherently good or evil. However, as with anything, it can be abused and used for evil purposes. Thus, it would do us good to examine the danger of the Internet, specifically as it relates to pornography and sexual encounters.

We understand that sexual lust is rampant in our society. It does not take a genius to figure out that fleshly lust is a big tool used by advertisers to sell their products. Everything from rice to toothpaste is promoted using sexually soaked commercials. Advertisers are not the only ones who use this evil, so does the devil. He attempts to lure us away from holy living through sexual temptations (cf. Gen. 39:7-12). The devil wants us to sell our soul, so he can devour it (1 Pet. 5:8).

A couple of sensual, sexual sins that readily come to mind are fornication and adultery. The Bible repeatedly warns against them (Acts 15:20; Rom. 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:13, 18; 7:2; 10:8; 1 Thess. 4:3; Rev. 2:14, 20). If a man commits fornication or adultery, he will lose his soul in hell (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Yet, these are not the only sensual, sexual sins. The Bible clearly teaches that there are things which lead up to actual fornication or adultery. The Spirit says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness” (Gal. 5:19). Some people try to act like uncleanness and lewdness do not exist. However, the Spirit says they do — so what are they? Uncleanness is defined as “. . . the impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living” (Thayer). In the New Testament, uncleanness is commonly joined with sensual, sexual sins (Rom. 1:24; 2 Cor. 12:21; Eph. 4:19; 5:3; Col. 3:5). Notice that it is distinguished from other sexual sins such as fornication and adultery. It would involve things leading up to these sins, such as pornography, the lustful looking upon and wanting of the opposite sex, and even clothing which is designed to insight such lustful thoughts. Lewdness is defined as “Unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence . . . ‘wanton (acts) or manners, as filthy words, indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females, etc.’ (Fritzsche)” (Thayer). It, too, is listed with other sexual sins, but distinguished from them (Rom. 13:13; 2 Cor. 12:21; Eph. 4:19; 1 Pet. 4:3; 2 Pet. 2:18). Lewdness would include such things as modern dancing (the prom, post-game dances, etc.), cheer-leading which involves “indecent bodily movements,” and petting which takes place between some couples on dates.

The danger of being tempted by these sins in greatly increasing in our society. More and more people are purchasing computers and Internet access. On the Internet “there are ‘upwards of 20,000 or 30,000’ porn sites” (USA Today, January 29, 1999, 1A). “The on-line adult industry is booming because the medium ‘affords even more anonymity’” (Ibid). The “anonymity” and privacy of using the Internet can be a great temptation to those with access (cf. Prov. 9:17). One friend recently commented that preachers, perhaps, are especially susceptible as they are usually alone in their office all day with access to the Internet.

Notice some statistics from the USA Today article. “Adult Web sites gross $700 million-$1 billion a year.” With that kind of money, it’s not going away. “Of 56.8 million individuals on the Web in December [1998], 32.3% visited adult content sites, a figure that has varied little since 1996.” We are not a prophet, but our guess is that this number will increase as more and more folks bring computers into their homes (cf. 2 Tim. 2:17).

Thus, we can see that pornography is definitely a danger of the Internet. Mom and dad, do you know what Junior is doing with his computer?

Further, not only is the feeding of fleshly lusts through pornography a danger, but also an actual sexual encounter with someone else sometimes results from misuse of the Internet. “Usenet newsgroups; 250 of the discussion areas are in the . . . hierarchy, where users post stories and photos on subjects from abstinence to zoophila” (USA Today). More than once people have entered a “chat room” on the net and begun a conversation (sexually explicit or otherwise) with another person. After some time has passed, the two decide to meet each other, which can lead to fornication or adultery. We personally know of a married sister-in-Christ who was allured by the devil in this way, but came to her senses and cut the relationship off (she even had to change her phone number as the man would not stop calling).

Finally, we must remember that even though others may not know what we are doing, God does (Heb. 4:13). We need to steer clear of anything dealing with pornography or possible sexual encounters on the Internet or elsewhere. If we accidentally run across such material, then we need to be like Joseph who “fled and ran.” We are not above this temptation (1 Cor. 10:12).

378 White Dove, Lufkin, Texas 75901

By Connie W. Adams

Is Ugly In?

If “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” there is a discrepancy these days as to what constitutes “beauty.” For instance, have you ever wondered if the designers of fashion for women are really anti-women? With all that modern science has devised to enhance appearance, whence comes the clubby looking shoes? Or hair styles which either look like one has just emerged from walking through a car wash or else having shorn and shaved the head, with perhaps a small tuft standing like bristles and dyed purple? Or dresses that hang like sacks? Or the determined, long strides of women with every trace of feminine charm and grace absent? And what of the slouchy look for men? Long hair either in a pony tail or else stringing down the back? Or baggy jeans eighteen sizes too big with the straddle hanging down to the knees? Or pants legs tight around the ankles and laying in a pile over the shoe tops? Is there some competition among the designers and merchants to make the human race look ridiculous? We used to wear strange looking get-ups for comic effect on the stage. They would not get a snicker these days. But then, Solomon said, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there in no new thing under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). On second thought, those of us who sound off on such items as I have, might well withhold from our children and grandchildren pictures of our own younger days. “Do not say, Why were the former days better than these? For you do not inquire wisely concerning this” (Eccl. 7:10, NKJV).

The Wonder of Our Times 

It is all too easy to dwell on the threats and problems of our times. There are plenty of these to go around. But there is a brighter side to it. Six days ago I had a cataract removed from my left eye. This morning my doctor told me I could go on about my business as before except for heavy lifting. What a marvelous thing this is. They started the procedure (that sounds so much nicer than operation) at 9 a.m. and I was back home at 10:30 a.m. They had removed the cataract, done an implant and I have the best sight in that eye I have had since childhood. What a difference this was to 30 years ago when I had a cataract removed from my right eye (they were not doing implants then, at least on people as young as I was then). I was in the hospital ten days, could not get out of bed, had to lie flat on my back and was greatly restricted when I came home. When I count my blessings, you can be sure I will include among them greatly improved technology for eye surgery. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).

Six Days

In the statement of the Ten Commandments, after requiring Israel to keep the Sabbath, Moses penned these words “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exod. 20:11). Please notice what God did in six days. He made the heavens, earth, and sea and “all that is in them.” Whatever galaxies grace the sky and mystify man, whatever is in the earth and sea, animate and inanimate, was made in six days. That is a straightup statement of fact. What agenda prompts men who say they believe the Bible to expand that to 4.5 billion years for the earth and 15-20 billion years for the universe? Must we reinterpret the Bible to fit the ever-changing guesses of men of science who have decided that miracles are impossible, and since the Bible account of creation requires the miraculous, therefore that is beyond belief? But, we are told, we must consider God’s two revelations of himself in both the Bible and the world of nature. But the attempt to interpret the written revelation by the natural revelation is backwards. When a brother, who ought to know better, argues that the days of creation week must be ages of time, we need to cock both eyes at him, regardless of where he teaches school and how exciting a speaker he may be.

A Great And Gracious Lady

It was with sadness that we learned of the death of Elizabeth Nosker of Richmond, Virginia. For nearly 60 years she was the wife of John L. Nosker who has preached since he was in the U.S. Army during World War II and for many years has served as an elder at the West End congregation in Richmond. John and Elizabeth delayed their marriage for several years until he felt he was prepared financially to support a wife who would be a homemaker and mother. While unpretentious, she was a woman of grace and impeccable taste. This was reflected in her home, her appearance, and her conduct. Above all that, she was completely devout. Long after many others would have given up trying to attend worship, she persisted. Strokes and other ailments managed to slow her down, but not stop her. She was devoted to her Lord, her husband, their daughter, Holly, and their grandchildren.

She was a source of great encouragement to gospel preachers many of whom were guests in their home. She was a good listener and usually found something to commend from the sermon or Bible class. She was a model of modesty. Younger women would do well to emulate her worthy example.

John and Elizabeth Nosker have meant a great deal to me and to my family. John has spoken at the funeral services of nine family members. I was fourteen years old when I first met him and he did much to encourage me when I began trying to preach at the age of fifteen. Modern culture has done much to pervert and corrupt the roles of godly women who are faithful to the Lord under all circumstances. The memory of this dear sister is precious and my own life has been greatly enriched because her life touched mine. May the arms of divine love encircle John and their daughter, Holly, and shelter them from the loneliness such a loss produces.

Winter

For the last few years Bobby and I have gone overseas in the winter to do what we could to help the work in several countries where we had been invited. This year, we plan to stay home. I will teach some classes at Manslick Road in Louisville and will present a Sunday night series of sermons requested by the elders here. It is a joy to work with this church along with Frank Himmel. Frank’s work is of the highest quality. He and Sandy (his wife) are a great blessing to this church and to us personally. It is always a treat to hear him when we are home between meetings. He is also to teach a class each Tuesday night in January and February. Winter has long been a favorite time for me. I am one of those who loves to watch the snow fall and who relishes a warm fire in the fireplace. They tell us tonight (November 29) will be the coldest night thus far and I already have a fire laid ready for a match when supper (dinner to those of you more sophisticated) is over. Right now, March, and the start of another round of meetings seems far away. But I’ll think of that tomorrow. 

We wish for all our readers a joyous and profitable year of 2000 most especially from a spiritual perspective.

Box 69, Brooks, Kentucky 40109