Cursing, Profanity, and the Tongue

A few thoughts on cursing, profanity, and the use of the tongue.

Profanity is the linguistical crutch of the inarticulate. But beyond the lack of credible, reasonable vocabulary, what's the big deal about a little profanity? 

What does the Bible say about cursing and profanity? Turns out that the words you use are a major subject in the Bible.

Jesus said "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37) Your words do matter! Jesus later claims that the words you speak are more defiling than what you put in your mouth. Matthew 15:10-11 "And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: [11] it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."

Paul writes to the church in Colossae: "But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth." (Colossians 3:8) And to the church at Ephesus he writes: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29) Profane and obscene words are the opposite of grace and actually tear down rather than build up. They have no place in the vocabulary of a Christian.

The usage of words that are profane and inappropriate coming from the lips of a Christian create an oxymoron. The cursing and the claims of holiness are not compatible. James 3:10 says "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." 

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Jesus spoke extensively about the correlation between the content of one's heart and the words that they speak. Your words are important and give an indication to those listening about what matters most to you... what on your heart. Luke 6:45 "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (See also Matthew 12:33-37 and Matthew 15:10-20.)

Psalm 10 describes the wicked in verse 7 by saying: "His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity." Then later in the Psalm, the contrast between the righteous and the wicked is described in verses 31 and 32: "The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. [32] The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse."

So what's the alternative? How should Christians speak? Paul writes in Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Grace and love are the context by which we share the Truth of the Gospel with the world around us. 

While I haven't addressed it in this particular article, there is much this would imply about words and conversation that are gossip, slander, and always tearing down people or things or ministries or politicians around us. This grace eliminates falsehood from our lips. It is not loving or gracious to communicate things that are false to others. 

To change our lips to be tools of the Holy Spirit we will have to allow Him to wash our mouths and cleanse our vocabulary. Our cooperation in that divine work will include an intentional exclusion of those words in our daily lives. To begin to eliminate music that includes such messaging and words is a holy habit; pleasing to the Lord. Turn the television off. Curtail the constant inundating impact of a steady stream of profanities into your home and mind. 

I doubt anyone has ever left a movie theater thinking: "I wish there had been more profanity in that movie." No one ever complains that a song needed more coarse language to increase the enjoyment. And no one ever gains respect for another because they use foul vocabulary. 

May God send a hot coal to purge our lips of the unclean things that have previously come from them.

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A Better Way than the Middle Way

 Find the link below of an article I wrote for Remnant magazine from the Holiness Partnership.

"A Better Way than the Middle Way"

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When Did Holiness Theology Shift to Calvinism?

I Sin Every Day!

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Is Tithing Still a Thing for Today?

 Yes, tithing is still something that Christians should do today. 

What follows is a short response to a few common objections that I have heard from people. I will attempt to give some scriptural references to clarify and respond to those ideas that reject tithing for Christians today. Following the objections, I will seek to answer some common questions people have about tithing.

Objection #1: The "tithe" is part of the Old Testament Law and the New Testament does away with the Law. 

Response: Certainly the tithe, which means 10%, is part of the Law. Leviticus 27:30:34 includes the tithe as part of the law. However, the tithe also predates the Law given to Moses in the Old Testament. The first tithe is actually found in Genesis 14:19-20 and shares Abraham tithing to the King-Priest Melchizedek. Jacob offers a tithe in Genesis 28:20-22 that also predates the law. The tithe is an issue for God's people before the Law, under the Law, and after Jesus is a fulfilment of the Old Covenant. God's people tithe as an act of worship from the heart.

Objection #2: Jesus never supported the concept of tithing in the New Testament.

Response: Not true. Some will take the passage from Matthrew 23 in which Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees as an affront to the idea of tithing. Lets look at the verse in question. Matthew 23:23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others." Jesus' point is that they have tithed, but neglected the "weightiers matters of the law: justice, and mercy and faithfulness." His rebuke is not that they tithed, but that they tithed and thought that it absolved them from things like faithfulness in other areas. Then he closes out his rebuke saying: "These you ought to have done [tithing], without neglecting the others [justice, mercy, & faithfulness]." From Jesus' words, it wasn't either/or it was both/and.

Objection #3: The New Testament says that everything belongs to God so we should give everything not just 10%. 

Response: There's no doubt that everything we have is a gift from God. Even those who may claim that they pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps must acknowledge that God gave them the strength, intelligence, and talent to earn what they have. We are really not owners, but stewards of all that we "possess." Tithing, which literally means 10%, is simply an ongoing way to acknowledge God's blessings upon us. We also recognize that God has made clear through the Bible that refusing to tithe from our income/increase is really to steal from God (Malachi 3:8-12).

And now some of the questions:

Question #1: Should I tithe on the gross or net income?

Response: There are a few nuances to this question that are important. First it is important to note that the tithe is based off of income. Gifts from others, presents at Christmas or birthdays, and other such gifts do not need to be tithed on. (Though there are some people who feel led by the Lord to tithe on gifts. This is a matter of individual conviction and liberty.) 

The other difficult thing is that some people receive income weekly in the form of a pay check. Those pay checks have various local and federal taxes already taken out. Tithe is based on an individual's total income and not income minus taxes. It is important in that case to tithe on money already removed from the paycheck.

Some people have a bit more calculations to do to determine their actual income. Farmers, small business owners, independent contractors, artists, and some other kind of occupations have to figure out the cost of "doing business." For example, a farmer who sells their cattle does not count the full price of the cow as income since they had to feed, care for, and spend a certain amount of money to raise the cow. The income that they make from the sale of the cow needs to account for the initial investment. 

The larger point is that some of the issues of gross vs net income are questions of the conscious and the Holy Spirit will give discernment to those who are earnestly seeking to give with a cheerful heart to the Lord.

Question #2: What if I cannot afford to tithe?

Response: You cannot afford not to tithe. If you are in debt, do not get out of debt by robbing God. Cut back in your expenses in the areas of entertainment, eating at restaurants, traveling, new furniture or clothes, etc. Tithe should always be the first expenditure, not the left overs from a busy financial month. 

Question #3: Am I required to tithe even if I am not a member of the church? 

Response: Yes. Your membership is irrelevant to your obedience to the Lord on the matter of tithing. 

Question #4: What if I don't like how the church is spending money?

Response: Tithing is not about determining the ways the money is spent, but trusting and worshiping the Lord through your income/finances. There are systems and polity in place in each local congregation to determine how each dollar is used for ministry. It is important for churches to be transparent about how money is spent and to be good stewards of that money, but it is inappropriate to use the Lord's tithe as a means of controlling the local church budget. If you have concerns about the budget, you need to talk to the pastor, finance committee, or leadership of the local church. If your concerns are of a moral nature (illegal activity, theft, etc), then you have a responsibility to report to local church leadership (then denominational leadership) and, if not taken seriously, find another church. 

Question #5: Can I give my tithe to other organizations (non profits) that are doing good work? If I am helping out my neighbor or a friend does that count as tithe?

Response: No. Those are offerings that every believer should be doing in addition to their tithing. Offerings that are directed to specific ministries are not the same as tithe. Tithe is always to the local church body that you are ministering through. Helping a family member, friend, or neighbor with finances is something that is done in addition to tithing, not in place of tithing. 

There may be other questions or comments you have. Please comment with those below and, as time permits, I'll edit this article to include those questions you might have and a response to them. I'll close with the the statement on "Storehouse Tithing" from the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene in paragraph 32.1.  

"Storehouse tithing is a scriptural and practical performance of faithfully and regularly placing the tithe into that church to which the member belongs. Therefore, the financing of the church shall be based on the plan of storehouse tithing, and the local Church of the Nazarene shall be regarded by all of its people as the storehouse. All who are a part of the Church of the Nazarene are urged to contribute faithfully one-tenth of all their increase as a minimum financial obligation to the Lord and freewill offerings in addition as God has prospered them for the support of the whole church, local, district, educational, and general. The tithe, provided to the local Church of the Nazarene, shall be considered a priority over all other giving opportunities which God may lay upon the hearts of His faithful stewards, in support of the whole church."

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I Went to an Abortion Clinic

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I Went to an Abortion Clinic

I remember the first time I stood outside of an abortion clinic. 

It was a cool day and I zipped up my jacket almost to the neck. I noticed people with orange safety vests congregating around the door. (I found out later they were anything but safe.)

The "clinic" had just opened. I was standing among people with signs, tracts, and even bull horns. I had heard many warnings about such people. They were "too extreme and hurt the witness of the church" I had been told. I was there to find out first-hand how they damaged the kingdom. 

Women, mostly young but some that were middle aged, began to find their way down the sidewalk escorted by the people in the orange vests. They were of all ethnicity and socio-economic statuses. 

After the first few walked through, I was gripped with a reality I had not foreseen: there was a spiritual atmosphere of darkness. Most of the women had a level of embarrassment or shame evident by their eyes looking down and often their hands covering their faces. Other women mocked the gathered crowd with taunts about how they were going to kill their baby. 

A chill went up my spine that shook me, but it was not from the cold temperatures. It was bitter coldness of a different kind. 

I noticed an elderly lady who held a small Bible and a few pamphlets pleading with mothers going into the clinic about different options and that she would care for the baby in their womb. Her pleading was emotional and desperate. She wept after multiple women disregarded her and went into the building. A husband and wife in their 30's stood pleading with the mothers entering the place of death. Their offer was to adopt the child if the mother would spare it. Some yelled. Some wept. Some sang. Some prayed quietly (and some vocally).

Emotion overwhelmed me as I stood watching the scene unfold. The spiritual weight of those moments helped me to realize even more than ever that abortion was not a political issue; it was a moral and even more importantly a spiritual one. People with individual DNA and a future were about to be ripped apart or burned alive in what should be the very safest place anyone could ever be: their mother's womb. 

I resolved to never be silent about those who could not defend themselves. I am prolife.

"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."
Proverbs 6:16‭-‬19

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Is Life Constantly Hard For You?

Is life constantly hard for you? Do you consistently deal with drama? Is turmoil a constant in your life? 

Consider, not only your circumstances, but also what your mind feeds on. Your mental health and lack of righteous thinking may be due to your choice of entertainment.

Is the music you listen to negative with a theme of broken relationships, profanity, and/ or abuse? 

Do you watch pornography? Do you binge watch media for hours a day from a streaming service or app?

Do the movies/ TV that you watch include the exploitation of women (nudity/immodesty), sexual abuse, or immoral sexual relationships?

Do you play video games multiple hours every day (either on your phone or with a gaming system)? 

Does the "news" you watch include constant debating and arguments that are heated and loud? Do you enjoy watching talk shows that exploit broken situations and relationship?

Do you read books that would be considered pornography if they were visual? 

Expressing emotions, communicating, and responding to people in relationships is a learned behavior. The more time you listen, watch, or read things that tell you how to do it improperly, the more you will live them out in your own life. Thus, constant drama ensues because we feed on inappropriate ways to respond.

For example, if you regularly watch soap operas, do not be surprised when your life becomes a soap opera with gossip, lies, marital infidelity, and division. 

The people that seem to be having a good time on the beer commercials are actors and actresses. The reality is heartache and brokenness. 

It's good to consider what your mind feeds upon. It might make the difference between joy and sorrow for your whole life!

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Should Christians Celebrate Independence Day?

Dear Christian, 

Of course it is appropriate to celebrate #IndependenceDay. 

No pastor that I am aware of actually believes the country should be worshiped. (That's ridiculous.) No pastor, that I am aware of, advocates for allegiance to nation over Christ... that's idolatrous and a straw man. 

On July 4th you can thank God!

Picture: Phineas Bresee's "Glory Barn" Church of the Nazarene

Thank God for the religious freedom we have in this country to freely worship. 

Thank God for the freedoms the nation has developed over time (abolishing slavery, etc).

Thank God for those who have given their lives to protect the innocent around the world (like the Jews in WW2).

Thank God for the resources given to fund mission work around the world.

Ask for God's guidance on our leaders. 

Ask for mercy over the infanticide of abortion taking place. 

Ask for mercy over the celebration of sexual sin. 

Ask for grace to continue to make progress in racial strife. 

Ask for God to bless America... we certainly need it! 

Pray for revival.

Pray for another great awakening. 

Preach on freedom in Christ. (The freedoms our nation afford cannot begin to compare to the freedom afforded us in Jesus our Savior and Sanctifier!)

Preach total victory over sin. 

Preach the complete cleansing of the Holy Spirit! 

Social Media Etiquette

In this era of modern technology we seem to have lost common sense. Here are a few suggestions for those having trouble navigating the vast "super-highway" lane called Facebook. (If you cannot handle sarcasm... read no farther.)

1. Don't be vulgar, profane, rude, dirty, obnoxious, or hateful. The rest of us get enough of that at work, in traffic, from our neighbors, and watching politicians; we don't need that from you too. It really doesn't prove anything more than you have no class and you are not a gentleman or lady. It doesn't make anyone think you are cool or impressive. The rest of us don't like for that kind of junk to pop up on our news feed. Do us all a favor: clean up your language, your attitude, your life, and your posts!

2. Keep private things private! No decent person wants to read the details of your marital in-fighting, nasty break-ups, family feuds, financial disarray, intimate physical relationship details, or other personal stuff on Facebook. You may not be aware of this, but anyone who is your friend on Facebook can read you posts. That means your posts are public. (As an addendum to this it is worth noting that most... if not all... of your friends are not professional counselors. In other words your private problems will not be solved over a wall post with a number of friends responding.)

3. Don't forward or click on links to chain messages. If the message seems out of character with the sender then do not open it. You can always verify the link by asking the sender to verify whether they sent the link. You may have received the link because they clicked on a message from someone else, which spammed all their friends with messages. Please don't propagate this!

4. Some things need to be done face to face, not on Facebook. Don't dump your girlfriend/boyfriend by posting on their page. Don't release that employee from their job by messaging them and then removing them from your friend list. And don't ask someone to marry you by posting on their wall (that's not creative... it's cowardly). Remember that to get through life you must really communicate with people!

5. Social media is not a place to give or receive counseling. Licensed counselors do not have Twitter counseling or Instagram therapy sessions. Venting and then looking for encouragement from people is an extremely unhealthy habit to fall into. If you need counseling, schedule a visit with your pastor! Do not air all of your problems in an attempt to fish for affirmation. Social media can, at best, produce only a counterfeit healing.  

6. Picture discretion advised. Your father, brother, relatives, decent co-workers and friends don't want to see you in a bathing suit, thong, underwear, skin tight spandex, or other immodest apparel. Neither do we wish to see your cleavage, tattoos (especially in places not normally seen), post-surgery wound pictures, making out sessions, any bathroom pictures, or you after you've had a drunken stupor outside of the bar. This does not help anyone's ability to take you seriously. (The same goes with videos.)

7. Cut the mushiness. If you are "in a relationship", "engaged", or "married" to someone, then the rest of us assume that you love that person. To be reminded occasionally of that truth is okay, but try not to be excessive. Usually those who never have anything more to say than "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEE      UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" are actually the same ones that will break rule #1 at some point down the road.

8. Don't post about your illegal activities. If you are breaking the law, calling out people by name, cheating on your girlfriend, or calling in sick but actually running errands.... don't put it on Facebook. It wasn't the right thing to do to begin with and now you've just let the world know that you are a poor decision maker.

9. No one really cares about your quiz results. The rest of the world, if they have a life, does not care what movie star you are most like, what kind of animal best fits your personality, what your age at death will be, what your horoscope for the day says, what kind of a kisser you are, what movie best describes your life, or how much money you will make when you are 35, 45, & 55. We don't care. If you want to waste your time taking the quizzes that's fine, but don't waste our time by making us delete them from our homepage.

10. When you actually talk to someone in real life, don't make constant reference to Facebook. Constant references to information and knowledge you obtained on Facebook is weird and creepy. It makes you seem like a stalker and/or someone with no beneficial life functions... just don't do it. (While I'm at it don't put the following in your profile 'info' section: "if you want to know more message me" that's crazy! If they really did message you asking what your blood type was, wouldn't you be freaked out?) Real people are able to communicate and socialize beyond the confines of a computer screen, keyboard, and mouse... try it some time, you might just enjoy it.

What might you add?

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