Question:
What kind of music should teens listen to?

Answer:
There may not be any “pat answer” to this question, but there are plenty of guidelines in the Scriptures to help us in deciding what the Lord would have us listen to. Here are a few that I have thought of:

1) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or WHATSOEVER YE DO, do all to the glory of  God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). “Whatsoever ye do” would certainly include the music we listen to, so here we learn that we should listen to music that would be to God’s glory. In other words, we should not listen to music which would dishonor Him. This would definitely rule out any music which has lyrics that are immoral, which is the case with many songs in modern-day rock, rap, country western, R & B, etc.
2) “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15). To better understand this guideline, and how it applies to listening to music, let’s go back several thousand years to when this “world” that John was speaking of began. Read Genesis 4:1-22. Here we read, that after Cain refused to approach God in His way, and after he killed his brother Abel, he “went out from the presence of the Lord” (vs. 16). He then married, had children, built a city, and his children had children, who became the inventors of agriculture (vs. 20), MUSIC (vs. 21), and industry (vs. 22). Cain walked away from God and proceeded to make a world without God. All of their inventions were designed to try to make themselves happy and to make their life meaningful WITHOUT GOD. There was nothing wrong with farming, music, or manufacturing, but Cain and his descendants used these THINGS to drown out the voice of God and to actually replace God with them (that is what an idol is: anything that is more important to us than God). So the danger for the Christian is that SOMETHING (whether it be MUSIC or ANYTHING) might become more important to us than God. I believe there can be music which is actually addictive and can become an idol to us. One young person said to me recently that he listened to Christian Rock “all day long,” and that he couldn’t imagine living without it.
3) “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are TRUE…HONEST…JUST …PURE…LOVELY…OF GOOD REPORT; if there be any VIRTUE; if there be any PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS” (Philippians 4:8). Most music will produce thoughts! Do we listen to music which is conveying God’s thoughts or the world’s thoughts? And if it is “Christian” music, are we able to hear the message being conveyed, or just a lot of jamming guitars and beating drums? Now I’m not implying that we can’t listen to music to appreciate the various sounds that are produced by various instruments, but we must judge whether or not those sounds are producing “good thoughts” or “evil thoughts” in our minds.
In conclusion, let me say that God is not opposed to music (see 1 Samuel 16:23; 2 Samuel 6:5; Psalm 150:3-5), but He is against any music which would: 1) Dishonor Him; 2) Displace Him in our hearts; or 3) Produce bad thoughts in our minds.

Question:
Should Christian males wear earrings?

Answer:
In seeking the Lord’s mind as to this, it is important to keep in mind that wearing earrings is a worldly custom, and that it can have a connotation with homosexuality when worn by a male. Wearing earrings is accepted by the world, but the Christian is told: “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [experience] what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

The Bible tells of men wearing earrings, but never in a good sense that I am aware of. Men and women broke off their earrings when they made the golden calf in Exodus 32:2. And they took them off at the time of the building of the tabernacle. “Both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered an offering of gold unto the Lord” (Exodus 35:22).
Before Jacob went to Bethel, (which is the house of God), he said to those with him: “Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments.” And we are told that they “gave unto Jacob all their strange gods…and all their earrings  which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak” (Genesis 35:2,4).Let us ask ourselves: “Would Christ be more clearly seen through me if I would wear an earring or earrings?” May we seek, not to show ourselves, but to show only what will honor and bring glory to Christ in every detail of our lives.

Question:
How far is “too far” in a relationship?

Answer:
1 Corinthians 6:14-20 clearly tells us that sex outside of marriage is too far. If a person does this sin, it is against God, and it also does harm to the person, for it is “against his own body.” All relationships should stem from our relationship with the Lord. If we seek to please Him, He will direct as to relationships with others. The Lord promised, “ If any one desire to do [practice God’s] will, he shall know” (John 7:17).
When sexual activity starts outside of marriage, your emotional maturity stops. Whatsoever we sow we are going to reap (Galatians 6:7). Joseph fled, proclaiming that to lie with Potiphar’s wife was “great wickedness” and “sin against God” (Genesis 39:7-9). Don’t put yourself in a situation that things could start happening (Romans 13:14). Things to watch: darkness, peer pressure, bedroom, cars. It is better to be accepted by God than your friends. God holds your breath in His hands. Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8). Set boundaries in your relationships, time limits you are together; build a spiritual relationship first.

Phil asked us to make two pyramids.
God made each person with three parts: We have a spirit (God consciousness), a soul (emotional) and a body (physical). We need to have the spiritual on the bottom of our pyramid, the emotions above that and the physical on top. Not the physical on the bottom, then the emotions and the spiritual on top of the pyramid! Because, if a relationship is built on spiritual things it will be solid. But if it is built on the physical or emotional, it will not last and it will totter back and forth. God loves us and has a plan so we can stay pure until we are married (Psalm 119:9-11). Read Psalm 51 and confess any sins we have committed, and trust the Lord to keep us pure for Him.

Question:
Why does God keep referring to Israel as Jacob after he changed his name to Israel?

Answer:
Jacob means a grabber or cheat. Israel means a prince. The answer is possibly that when Jacob acted like a cheat, God called him Jacob. When Jacob acted like a prince, God called him Israel.

Question:
We were undecided about the reckoning of time after the millennium. In Revelation 20:10, it talks about “day and night”—is this literal or figurative?

Answer:
We are told in Revelation 20:1-3 that: “the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” will be bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years: “and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (verses 7-9).
Then Revelation 20:10 tells us: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Therefore, having done his final work on earth, the devil is consigned to the judgment God had prepared for him: the lake of fire. Its duration is uninterrupted and eternal. “Day and night” is probably not describing what we now experience but, indeed, the uninterrupted judgment of God just as “for ever and ever” describes it as never ending. God often uses language that we understand so that we can have some understanding when He speaks of eternal things.
After this, the wicked dead stand in resurrection at the Great White Throne. They are judged according to their works and are consigned to the same judgment, the lake of fire, where they are under the wrath of God without interruption or end.
After this, God creates a new heaven and a new earth. Briefly, this amounts to a fixed state of holiness for all creation. Then the tabernacle of God is with men and He dwells among them without interruption or end, and time ceases to be measured. See Ephesians 2:7 for something about this.

Question:
In Genesis 26, Isaac (who was clearly stronger) made a pact with the Philistines. Now, as we know, the Philistines killed many Israelites until David’s time. Was Isaac responsible for the many deaths and difficulties of the Israelites? He could have easily killed all of the Philistines. He didn’t appear to ask the Lord’s guidance in that matter either.

Answer:
In Genesis 26:3, 4 the Lord confirms with Isaac the promise He made to his father Abraham. He was called to “sojourn” in the land, meaning he was to live in it but would not own it as his own property. Hebrews 11:13 says these men of faith were “strangers and pilgrims” who by faith were sure of the possession of their inheritance, but at a future time. So Isaac was not called by the Lord to take the land by warfare against the Philistines.

It was when God made a covenant with Israel that He called upon them to destroy all the nations that occupied the land of Canaan. See Exodus 34:10-13 and on. See also Deuteronomy 7:1-8. The Philistines were not originally one of the Canaanite nations but were a very warlike people who took possession of a coastal area in the south of the land, and were already very strong at the time of the Exodus. Because of their possession of this part of the land that God gave to Israel, they too were marked out for destruction by Israel.
We can see then that Isaac had no responsibility for the future woes of Israel because of the Philistines. The nation itself bore this responsibility because they failed to obey the Lord according to His covenant, thus becoming powerless to deal with their enemies. Also, we can fairly say, as we understand Isaac’s place in the land of Canaan that it was right for him to learn to live peaceably with them.

Question:
What can be done to help convince these people (those who do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God) of the authority of the Bible? What can be done for the Jewish person who accepts only part of the Bible? or the person of a different religion that believes in a different God?

Answer:
I remember asking that question to someone not too long ago and they pointed me to Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word of God is quick [living], and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” 1 Peter 1:23 says that the Lord uses His Word to work in a person’s heart so that they will be saved. We need to keep using the Word when we are talking to people even if they don’t believe it. The Word is POWERFUL and it can work in someone’s heart even though we may not see any outward effects of it.

It’s easy to get into arguments with those who like to reason everything out. Every truth that we have is ours because we received it by faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). We cannot reason anything out. If we try to keep our conversations with these people centered around our Lord Jesus, instead of focusing on a particular religion, many times the arguments cease. They need to realize that we do not believe in a religion, we believe in a real Person who died for us and is now alive in heaven. No other religion can claim that truth. I believe there are many examples where a Jew has been saved through reading the Old Testament. The book of Isaiah contains the gospel in chapter 53 and elsewhere. The Psalms speak often of Jesus in chapters 22, 40, 69, 102 and other places. We can use the Old Testament to show them the Saviour. What these people (and all people) need is to see their need as a sinner, confess their sin, and receive Jesus as the One who died for them. It is not a question of religion but of a relationship. God can and does use His Word to convict people of their need, even if they say that they don’t believe in the Bible. I hope this helps a little.

Question:
What does corruptible and incorruptible mean?

Answer:
I believe that when the Bible talks about something being “corruptible” or “in corruption,” it is talking about things of this world which will pass away with this world. Conversely, when the Bible talks about things being “incorruptible,” it is talking about the things of God that will not pass away. In 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul tells us how people of this world work to gain treasures that will pass away with this world, but the treasures that we lay up in heaven are incorruptible, and will never pass away.

Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:4 how we have escaped the corruption of this world, and have gained an incorruptible inheritance (1 Peter 1:4) that is reserved for us in heaven.

You also ask about carnal believers. This past semester at college, I had the “privilege” of living with someone that I considered to be somewhat of a carnal believer.
Carnal believers are people who have been saved, but you could never tell it by their daily walk. When I think about carnal believers, I always think of 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. This passage speaks very clearly to me about people who are saved but do not walk as Christ would have us walk.
I said that I thought one of my former roommates was “somewhat” of a carnal believer. (I don’t know for sure if he had accepted Christ into his heart, but he said that he had so I assumed that he had.) What I meant by “somewhat” of a carnal believer was that while he sometimes acted in a “Christ-like manner,” he seemed to love the world more than he loved Jesus.
We must be careful how we deal with these people. We can’t condemn them because of their sin, for we all sin. Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him…cast a stone” (John 8:7).
Trying to set a positive example through my life and praying for these people is about the best ministry that I can think of.

Question:
What if one of the campers does something wrong, and he asks a Junior Counselor not to tell on him; what should we do?

Answer:
As Junior Counselors we try to get close to the campers in order to bring them to Christ. What if one of the campers does something wrong, and he asks a Junior Counselor not to tell on him; what should we do? — We must be careful what we promise, for we become part of the wrong if we hide it (Leviticus 5:1). But if we do make a promise it is a sacred vow which should not be broken except for the Lord’s honor, and the good of the person involved. As Counselors at camp we should set the example by not breaking the rules. The kids are always watching us. When we know some wrong, we should not spread it as gossip, but only tell a Senior Counselor.

God has uniquely fitted each Christian, but we need to seek to please the Lord and to trust Him to lead and give the strength to counsel at camp. Cabin atmosphere is affected especially by the Junior Counselors. Helping bunk-mates to relate warmly to one another, creates the spirit that builds a great camp. Ask the Lord to give you love, and a sense of His love for each one at camp, and seek to show His love o to each one there. What shall we do if we n • find kids fighting physically? (1) Separate the kids calmly. (2) Sit the kids down and question them about what caused them to fight, and try to get to the root of the problem. We need to be careful not to talk about another kid to the others. The kids pick up on that.
When we first get to camp, show them love by helping them get oriented as to what is going on. Then, as soon as you can, talk to everyone in your cabin. Tell them: (1) That you are there for them, not just to rule over them. (2) Try to talk on their level. (3) Introduce yourself right away by telling something about yourself and why you are there. This will put them at ease. (4) Ask them about themselves. This will show your concern for them. These four things should help stop fights and give a good cabin atmosphere.

If kids are scared of the dark: (1) Have a flashlight. (2) Tell them that they do not need to fear, because the Lord is watching over them and you will be there for them. Always show love!!
Cabin Devotions is a time to show God through you. Coordinate with the lesson of the week. Counselors are tired and it is a trying time. We should be patient, and be a good testimony. Give them a chance to open up! This may be a time to review what you had during the day. It’s a very important time, and should be quiet and informal.
How should you explain to kids how to be saved? –Show them verses in the Bible. Show Titus 3:5, Romans 3:10, and Ephesians 2:8,9 to those who think that salvation is by baptism or by other works. Any decisions that are made other than by the Holy Spirit’s moving are worthless (John 3:5, 1 Corinthians 3:9). So let us be occupied with Christ and thus have the “fruit of the Spirit” seen in our lives, so the Lord can use us for His honor and glory and the blessing of precious souls, “being fruitful in every good work” (Colossians 1:10, Galatians 5:22, 23).
Notes were taken by April Helsel on November 28, 1992 at a retreat for Junior Counselors at Camp

Question:
What is counseling?

Answer:
Counseling is advice given as a result of deliberate design, purpose, and judgment.

 

The first mention of the word counsel in the Scriptures is Exodus 18:19. We learn from Exodus 18:13-27 that there is a need for counseling (verses 14,15). Verse 21 mentions four qualifications for one to counsel: (1) “Able men.” A person must be saved to counsel. (2) “Fear God.” A fear lest we displease God is necessary if we are going to be used of God to counsel others. (3) “Men of truth.” Many people today live in a lie, which cannot please the Lord. We need to tell the truth and counsel the truth. (4) “Hating covetousness.” We cannot help others if we want to please ourselves. We need to be thankful and happy to be able to be used of God. If the campers confront us with a problem–sometimes it is hard to tell the truth, but in the end it will help more than hurt them. The kids will watch to see if we are willing to give up everything to help them.

 

Christ alone is the “Counsellor” (Isaiah 9:6). He is the originator of all counsel (Romans 11:33-36), and children are to be brought up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). They are not to be provoked to wrath. It is easy to tease and have fun with the kids, but we also need to know when to stop and be sensitive to their needs and feelings.
After Christ died, rose again, and was glorified at the right hand of God, the Father sent “another Comforter” or Counsellor, Who dwells in every believer today. He is the Spirit of God, the third Person of the Godhead (John 7:39, John 14:16,17). He teaches us all things and brings all things to our remembrance that Christ has said to us (John 14:26). He glorifies Christ through the Word. So a Spirit-filled (or Spirit-controlled) Christian is a Word-filled Christian (John 16:13,14, Ephesians 5:18).
The Spirit changes or transforms Christians into the image of Christ if we are taken up with Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). We need to be willing to be changed by the Lord to be used of Him.
The Greek word for counseling is “nouthesia,” which is translated “admonition” and “warn” in our Bibles. Nouthesia implies:

(1) That there is an obstacle or problem to be overcome.

(2) A word of encouragement, warning, or reproof with the authority of the Word.

(3) That verbal correction is intended to benefit the counselee.
To admonish we need the Word of Christ (God) dwelling in us richly, and bubbling out of us (Colossians 3:16); we need to be full of goodness and all knowledge (Romans 15:14), and we need wisdom to know how to use the knowledge the Lord has given to us. God gives wisdom liberally to all who ask Him for it (James 1:5).
Counseling is the Lord’s work, not ours, but it does include personal involvement. For three years Paul “ceased not to warn (admonish) everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31). He had “deep concern” for all the assemblies (2 Corinthians 11:28, NKJV). There is reward for trying to help others, for the Lord promises: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing” (Psalm 126:5,6).
These notes were taken by Andie Helsel the evening of Nov. 27, and the morning of Nov. 28, 1992 at a retreat for Junior Counselors at Camp.