CURRENT RADIO SERIES All In the Family   CURRENT TV SERIES All In: The Family

“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 A famous pop song from the sixties said, “I heard it through the grapevine.” May I suggest that in the Church of Jesus Christ, that vine needs to be pruned! Phrases like “I heard” and “they said” are potent ways to spread slander, innuendo, and rumors. As believers, we need to be very careful with our words, because words can kill. Jesus was talking about the Day of Judgment when He said we will give an account of every careless word we speak. Paul warns us in Ephesians 4:29, “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.” Or in other words, ask yourself this question when you’re tempted to gossip: “Does passing this information along honestly help solve the problem or help the parties involved?” If you can’t answer with an affirmative “yes,” then keep it to yourself! You and I shouldn’t pass on any information we can’t sign our name to and stand behind. Determine in your heart today that the next rumor you hear will stop with you! We need to be rumor-stoppers rather than rumor-mongers! Why the World Remains Dark Tuesday, June 04, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” Philippians 2:14–16 It does not take great insight or perception to realize that the world around us is filled with darkness. There are wars and conflicts in many nations. The evil of slavery continues to exist. There are crimes against people and property. Governments often take away freedom rather than expand it. The same evils that have existed throughout history continue in our day. Mankind is not becoming better and wiser, but more evil and depraved. This should not take us by surprise. In his final letter to Timothy Paul wrote, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). The cure for darkness is simple—light. Whether in the physical or the spiritual realm, darkness has no power against light. The problem of deep and growing darkness only comes when the lights are not shining. Dr. John Rice said, “It is true that the world is dark. How great is that darkness! The world of natural man has always been dark. But no matter how full of darkness a room is, when you turn on plenty of light the darkness is gone. Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). If the dying, lost world does not have light, it is because Christians have put their lights under bushels. They are not like candles put on a candlestick that giveth light to all that are in the house. Most Christians are not like a city set on a hill that cannot be hid.” Today's Growth Principle:  We are God’s plan for His light to be seen by a dark and dying world.