JOHN R. RICE QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Coffee is not like alcoholic beverages; alcohol is not a natural product; it is caused by decay. Coffee on the other hand is a natural product of nature, and I have no reason to suppose that for people to use it for enjoyment and as an aid to digestion is wrong. It never leads to crime. I do not think it ever leads to accidents. it is not a stimulant to sin such as alcohol is. Nor is coffee, when used in moderation, hurtful to the body as tobacco is, sometimes causing cancer. The same is true about soft drinks. Perhaps some people who are trying to reduce ought not to drink them because they contain sugar, but otherwise I know of no harmful effects. - John R. Rice

"How much responsibility do married children have in taking care of parents?" There is still the solemn obligation: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the lord thy God giveth thee" (Exod. 20:12). I think the proper love would lead one to put up with a good many domineering ways, hard work, and inconvenience to care for parents, especially if they were practically bedfast, or even if they were well. Why cannot a daughter still love her mother, and laugh things off, and go ahead and do right? Oftentimes our prayers should be for grace to meet the problems God has given us instead of to get rid of the problems. Remember that "the trial of your faith worketh patience." Any circumstance would be better than disobeying God. - John R. Rice

One more thing is necessary to overcome this fault of temper and its results. When it causes you to speak sharply to someone or mistreat someone, you must apologize to them. There is nothing that will do so much to overcome a fault as honest confession. That old carnal nature of yours will certainly get tired of having to "shell down the corn" and admit the sin of an ugly temper and unkind words and mistreatment of friends. So learn to say at once, "I am sorry! I should not have said that." - John R. Rice

The word "church" in the Bible simply means "a called out assembly." The Greek word ekklesia, properly translated "church" in the New Testament, once refers to the nation Israel assembled at mount Sinai (Acts 7:38). It is twice translated assembly (Acts 19:39-41), referring to an unsaved mob. Notice that is the only time the word ekklesia is ever translated anything but church. It is used once clearly of all the redeemed who will be assembled in Heaven (Hebrews 12:23). Many other places the word "church" refers to this whole group, including all the saved. The more frequent use refers to a local congregation or a local church like "the church at Rome," "the churches of Galatia," "the seven churches of Asia," or "the church of God at Corinth." The word "church" in the Bible never refers to a group of churches, a denomination. It could not possibly refer to all the Baptists, leaving out Methodists or others; nor to Catholics, leaving out Protestants. It is proper to use the word "church" only about a local congregation or about all the saved who will be assembled together in Heaven. - John R. Rice

All the born-again ones are members of the body and bride of Christ, His church, and we must not try to seize for our own particular denomination that which refers to all the saints of God. - John R. Rice

However, while the word "church" in the Bible usually means a local congregation, it certainly sometimes refers to all the saved who will be caught up to meet Christ when He comes. Hebrews 12:23 speaks of "the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven." Colossians 1:18 says that He, Christ, "is the head of the body, the church." That means all the saved. So we should have fellowship with all born-again Christians who are sound in the faith. - John R. Rice

Concerning instrumental music, the New Testament has no command one way or the other. However, the Old Testament many, many times mentions praising the Lord with instruments, and we have the same God in the New Testament that they had in the Old. Praise is as acceptable to Him now as it was then. The Lord does not discuss whether church houses should have benches or not, whether we should have electric lights or candles in the church houses, or whether we should have a piano or a tuning fork, or neither. When the Bible does not make an issue of something, then Christian people are very foolish to make an issue of it. - John R. Rice