drink because they are afraid not to drink. They drink because they fear being ridi culed more than they fear the conse quences of their folly. They drink because they do not dare to stand out against the pressure of the crowd. In the third7place, people drink because they are unable to stand up to the realities of life. Strong drink is an escape ,1 mecha nism used by people of cowardly* spirit. When things go wrong they have no Sav iour to help them, no comfort of the Holy Spirit, no strengthening through prayer, so they drink to “ drown their troubles” and as a result drown their souls in the never-quenched lake of fire. Why is it Wrong to Drink? It is wrong to drink because drinking damns the soul. This is what the Holy Spirit means in Proverbs 23:32, “ At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.” It is wrong to drink because drinking impairs the body. Everybody knows that alcohol pickles the brain, the liver, the kidneys and other organs of the body. The Christian knows that his body is the dwell ing place of the Spirit of God and he treats it accordingly. (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). Drinking makes man lose self-control. Watch the poor drinking fool stagger and reel to and fro, unable to control his actions. God made man to control himself, but drink robs him of this ability. While under the influence of drink people do things that they would not do otherwise. The man who drinks endangers not only his own life but the lives of others. Thou sands of innocent people have been killed or injured on public streets by drinking drivers. It is estimated that in the next ten years one out of every 27 Americans will be killed or maimed for life on the highways of our nation by drivers who have been drinking. Drinking corrupts society. History shows that the nation of drinking people becomes a nation of depraved and corrupt people. A drunken nation soon destroys itself and brings upon it the judgment of God. It is for this reason that many of us fear for the future of our nation when we realize that 75% of Americans are now drinking. Drinking wastes money. In 1952 Amer icans spent nearly 10 billions of dollars for strong drink. This is wasted money while many worth-while humanitarian projects suffer lack of funds, especially the work of gospel missions. Discuss together in your society other evils of drinking. Nov. 8 , 1953 The Life of the Church Around the World 1 Thess. 5:5-11; Acts 10:30-44 Now that the nations of the world have reached another crisis in the conflict be tween communism and free-economy many people are looking about for allies to help them in the grim conflict which seems inevitable. Many people are looking to Christ and His church in these days, and we ought to declare to thèse people that they are looking the right way. The Church is the Salt of the Earth Matt. 5:13 One of the chief functions of salt is to CONTINUED ►
Helps for Christian Endeavor and Other Young People's Groups By Chester J. Padgett, D.D. Associate Professor of Bible Biola Bible College Nov. 1, 1953 One is too Many Prov. 23:29-32; 1 Thess. 5:21-23 This lesson has to do with the great problem of strong drink. Most of us real ize the threat that liquor has become to everything worth-while in America. Many of us see the disintegration of home and social life because of the increasing use of alcoholic beverages. And most of us see the awful consequences in the spirit ual and moral life of our nation through the use of this dread poison. We want to study in this lesson the fact that the wisest course for a man to follow is to leave alcoholic beverages strictly alone. The man who will never touch a drop of liquor will never become a drink addict. Every drunkard in the world at one time took his first drink. If he had never taken that one drink he would not have become a slave to the habit. Why Do Men Use Strong Drink? One of the main reasons for man’s use of liquor is his slavery to Satan. This is a terrible thought, but it is true. The Word of God tells us that aW men out of Christ are under the direct influence of Satan. Paul tells us in Second Corinthians 4:3, 4 that it is the devil who blinds the minds of men so that they cannot see their need of Christ and so that they can not understand the simple gospel. In Ephe sians the Apostle tells us that there is a “ spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” This means that Satan, who is a powerful spiritual personality, is active in the life of every person who does not obey the Word of God. It is this dreadful fact that is responsible for drink ing and every other vice known to man. Again, men use liquor because they are weak-willed. W e are sure that not all people who drink like the taste of the stuff. I have watched people drink and I have noticed that they have to fight from making a wry face as they swallow the poison. Why then do people drink? They
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52 Workable Young People's Programs [ I by THEODORE W . 1— 1 ENGSTROM $2.00 Ideas for Young People's Programs Q Paper, 60c IDEAS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS PROGRAMS [H by ‘— * ANDERSON and CARLSON Paper, 60c Young People's Programs in a Nutshell LESLIE7 PARROTT Paper, 75c Planned Programs for Young People's Groups Paper, $1.00 Idea □ Paper, $1.00 Planned Programs for Juniors F. SANTA Paper, 50c "Act-'Em-Out" Stories for Children's Programs by HARRY C . TROVER 1— 1 Paper. $1.00 Write your name and ad dress in the margin; indi cate your preference in the boxes provided; clip Anri tanH In
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