july 31 dancing

July 31   Dancing. To dance or not to dance. I am so thankful we are accountable to Jesus and not the preachers. The preacher can’t save us. He can’t forgive our sins for us. Sometimes the preacher gets it wrong. Smoke? Vape? Play pool? Bingo for money? The Casino? The Lottery? Whiskey? These and many other topics are debatable. Some things are clearly stated. Exodus 20:13-15  Thou shalt not kill. 14  Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15  Thou shalt not steal.  In the Old Testament there are 613 commandments according to our Jewish friends. I am thankful for grace. The early church debated whether Gentile male converts needed to be circumcised of not. The business meeting in Jerusalem decided they didn’t have to be. I feel sure many Gentile male converts were relieved. Some in the first century church thought you should not eat meat because it may have been offered to idols. Others thought just thank God for the meat and enjoy eating it. However,… If a brother said, “Don’t eat that. It was offered to an idol,” then for his tender conscious sake don’t eat it. 1 Corinthians 10:28 But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: Present yourself to your Master. Ask Jesus if he wants you to dance, buy a lottery ticket and so forth. His Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer will guide him to all truth. John 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: If the Lord tells you it’s ok, then don’t worry about what others think. Don’t flaunt it. Don’t sin by making fun of your brother. Just quietly enjoy the liberty you have in Jesus. Dancing. As a teenager we danced in the Methodist church fellowship hall where I went to church. I asked one girl I was dancing with, “Where do you go to church?” Said she, “I go to such and such Baptist church.” Said I, “Oh you’re a Baptist? Just not a very good one I see.” Shame on me. I was lost. A couple years later after I got saved I was sitting on the back row of our college Baptist Student Union meeting. It was testimony time. Said one girl student, “I used to dance. But then at one dance a guy asked me which church I went to. I told him and he said, ‘Oh you’re a Baptist. Just not a very good one I see.’ God used that to convict me to never dance again” I sunk lower and lower in my chair. I forgot her. She forgot me. But she didn’t forget the Holy Spirit convicting her to not dance. Present yourself to Jesus. Do as He says. He is your Lord.