Can a Christian chew buai?

Pastor Isidore: It is better that a Christian does not chew buai because I think chewing buai is one of the patterns of the world that God’s Word teaches us to reject (Romans 12:2). We are set apart and so we do not have to follow the ways of the world. Also, I think chewing buai does not give glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Pastor Tony: In short: No! Because you are not your own but belong to Jesus Christ both body and soul. You are an image bearer of God. God gave you beautiful white teeth to smile a God-glorifying smile. We can argue that betel nut and mustard are natural plants, but the lime is a foreign substance that harms our body. The red spittle stains your teeth and your teeth decay. We spend lots of money on this nut. The apostle Paul says, “Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Anything that masters you and controls you is your god. When I realized this as a Christian, I decided to quit the practice for good.

I have been smoking marijuana for a long time and it helps me feel good. Now that I want to quit, I am not able to. What should I do?

Pastor Isidore: I was once a drug addict for 20 years and I speak from experience. You cannot do it in your own strength. Jesus has the power to help you overcome marijuana. His power is greater than that of marijuana and all evil and sin (Romans 6). Give yourself to Him as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). Read His Word, pray and work at it – say no to drugs and yes to the Lord.  When He opens your eyes by His Word and Spirit, you will see that what He has done for you is more worthy than any other thing in your life. And that will be enough for you to give your whole life to Him alone and nothing else in this life, including marijuana.

Pastor Tony: Firstly, pray and ask the Lord for strength everyday. Do not go to places that would only put you at risk, and do not hang around with the people you used to smoke with. This will hurt a little for the first few weeks, but after some time you will get used to the new you. It isn’t very hard after all. I say this with confidence because I was a marijuana addict and thought I’d never quit, but I did. I haven’t been smoking for 10 years now. You need the strength of the Lord to do this. Cast your burdens onto Jesus for He cares for you.

My brother has a wife and two children. The problem is that he drinks beer every night after work and is destroying his life and his family. What can I do to make him stop? How can I help him?

Pastor Isidore: As a brother, I would ask him or even invite him kindly if we could sit down and talk about life issues affecting our personal lives and families. During this conversation, I would address the issues of drinking beer and how it affects one’s life and family as well. I would also bring in the Word of God to encourage him and hold him accountable for what he has been doing. I would also show him from Scripture that drinking beer is something that brings destruction to oneself and also to the family. If he was open to it, I would pray with him for God’s strength and guidance in this. Continue to hold him in prayer and encourage him to give his life to God (Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 6:10; Galatians 5:21).

Pastor Tony: Only God can change someone’s heart, and so first and foremost pray for your brother everyday. If it’s possible, ask to pray with him. Talk about the dangers he’s putting himself and his family through openly, but lovingly. He needs to think hard about what he’s doing right now because as fathers we are required to set good examples for our children. It is our responsibility to provide for our families. Do not try to fight him. Let him know that as a brother you are concerned about him and his family, and that if he doesn’t stop, he will destroy himself and his family altogether. It would do well if you also bring the Word of God to him. The Bible says that drunks will not inherit the Kingdom of heaven (Galatians 5:20-21). Show him his need for Jesus.

Every day, people in my settlement play bingo right beside my house. I don’t want to join them, but when I am spiritually weak, I often do. Is this wrong? If so, how can I stop?

Pastor Isidore: Yes, of course it is wrong. I believe that playing bingo is sin because when playing you covet other people’s money and you steal (Exodus 20:15;17). It is also a lazy and dishonest way of getting money. God wants us to work for our pay (Ephesians 4:28). Playing bingo leads us to sin and away from God. It makes us lazy, and whatever money we win goes away quickly (Proverbs 13:11). Satan uses bingo and other forms of gambling to imprison many people and so we Christians are called to flee from this before it captures us and brings us under its control, where we ourselves are lost.

Pastor Tony: One doesn’t need to do something bad many times for it to be considered wrong in the eyes of the Lord. It is wrong even if you just play once. The Bible talks about dishonest gains in quite a few places. Jeremiah 22:17 reads, “But your eyes and your heart are set only on dishonest gain.” Bingo is dishonest gain because you get money that someone worked hard for or you waste your hard-earned money by giving it to someone who has not worked for it. If you are being tempted, it may be because you are doing nothing. So, find other ways to make money instead. Maybe, look for a job or sell some goods. If there is no way for you to earn money, then volunteer your time at your church, local school, or a family nearby that needs help. Best of all, pray earnestly for the Lord’s strength to fight against your sinful desires.

I read my Bible and pray every day to God, but still I look at pornography regularly. Why won’t God help me overcome this sin?

Pastor Isidore: Many Christians fall in this area. It is very tempting these days especially when we have access to smartphones and the internet. The desire for pornography is very high and captures many people, even Christians. Pray and fight against this sin. Remember, pornography might seem sweet, but it is a poison killing your relationship with God and your wife and your family. Remember these passages: “Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness” (2 Timothy 2:22); “Make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:14); “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). As a man named John Owen once said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

Pastor Tony: You can’t just pray and expect some miracle to happen. You are doing fine by reading the Bible and praying everyday, but don’t expect God to help you with pornography if you’re not willing to give it up yourself. The pastor James writes, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Go more earnestly to God, and flee more earnestly from sin!

Pastor, I am a highway truck driver and have a wife who lives in Lae. When I am on the road for days, my desire for sex often overwhelms me, and I commit adultery. Will God forgive me for this?

Pastor Isidore: Our God is a God of love and forgiveness. He is faithful to His promises and forgives those who come to Him in repentance and ask Him for forgiveness (1 John 1:8-2:2). But always remember these words that He said to the adulteress woman, “Go, and do not commit this sin again” (John 8:11). Committing adultery is against God’s law and deserves condemnation, and if you do not turn from your sin then this will be your punishment. But God is merciful to forgive your sins in Jesus our Lord. Therefore, you need to repent of your sins, say sorry to God and your wife, and bring your marriage to God. He is able to bless your marriage and help you to fight the temptation of adultery.

Pastor Tony: He who sins sexually sins against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18b). If you unite your body with an adulterous woman, you become one with her. The Word of the Lord says the sexual immoral will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Sexual sins are actually against the Holy Spirit because our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. The Good News is that if Jesus could forgive an adulterous woman, He can forgive you too (John 8:11). He shed His blood on the cross for a man like you. Repent, seek His forgiveness, and ask the Lord to guide your path to running away altogether from this deadly sin. If that means getting a job that won’t put you at such risk, then that is what you need to do. Pray constantly for His strength!