THE CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY 47 Pine Hill Centreville, AL 35042 MINISTER: Leonard Chance (205) 926-7706 www.thegreatspeckledbird.org [email protected]

ADORNMENT, WITCHCRAFT AND IDOLATRY

GOLDEN TEXT: 1 Peter 3:3: Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of putting on of apparel.

Jewelry is an idol. Scripture prohibits the use of adornment for occultic, lascivious, and idolatrous practices. Christians should not rely on such extremes of adornment for beauty. This standard, as stated by Peter, is not limited to any particular time or culture. Christian women are to emphasize their inner qualities, not just their outer appearance. God takes great pleasure in making His people beautiful with salvation. We should adorn ourselves with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. We are cautioned against beautifying the external and neglecting the soul. We should hearken unto the Lord and indulge in the things that bring fatness to the soul.

God knows the true value of things and for this reason we should accept His counsel without any questions. Just a little bit of observation and some sound reasoning reveals to us that worldly people love to dress immodestly and adorn themselves with jewelry. Saints of God should be absolutely different in desire and practice. This includes wedding rings. If you have salvation, you have enough beauty without wearing a wedding ring.

1 Timothy 2:9: In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.

1 Christian men and women are to adorn themselves with modesty and discretion. Women are to dress modestly, so as not to exploit their feminine charm, thus hindering their brethren from worship. They are also not to overdo their dress, provoking their Christian sisters to jealously. Such things are signs of extravagant luxury and proud personal display.

1 Timothy 6:9: But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. For some money has become their God. It is a snare and will result in their destruction.

1 John 2: 15-17: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

“Stop loving the world!” There is, or course, one sense in which Christians should love the world, since God Himself did and still does (John 3:16). But in the sense of pledging personal loyalty and devotion of one’s whole being and means, Christians are to “love” God first and foremost. All people are tempted differently according to their individual weaknesses.

Isaiah 3:18-22: In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon. The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers. The bonnets, and the ornaments of their legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings. The rings, and nose jewels.

Isaiah condemned the arrogant and fashionable women of Jerusalem for being more interested in the latest fads of fashion then their spiritual well being. Isaiah described them as being haughty, proud and wanton. They walked with their heads held high, with tinkling feet, as they flashed seductive eyes. In that day the Lord will take away their bravery and put them to shame thus exposing their nakedness.

2 Act 8:9, 13:6 & 19:19: But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcery, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

These occult books were of great value and could have been used to provide great wealth. The rejection of and separation from them resulted is God’s blessing.

1 Corinthians 5:10, 6:9: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one, no, not to eat. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind.

The righteous are not to keep company with the unrighteous. We are warned that this is a fatal mistake. Be not deceived. As much as possible we should disassociate ourselves from all immortal persons. The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. People who engage in such immoral practices are excluded from God’s kingdom.

Idolatry is not just the worship of graven images, but putting one’s affections on any object or person instead of God. Whatever keeps you from serving God becomes your idol. Always put Him first. The person whose life is characterized by the sins mentioned in this passage shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Isaiah 42:8: I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

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