These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity, 1Ti 4:11-12.

We are admonished in 1PE 2:21 of our need to follow the example of our Saviour; "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." An expression I like is, "What you are speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say." Many times God's name is blasphemed because those who make a great profession of faith, leave such a poor example.

Nathan, the Prophet, told king David that by his deeds he had, "...given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme," 2SA 12:14. Our text exhorts, "These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

By His example of purity, submission and sacrifice, Our Saviour became the most powerful preacher that ever walked on earth. "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously," 1PE 2:22-23.

The woman, which is the type of the church of Christ, is admonished to, "...be in behavior as becometh holiness...that they may teach the young..." by their example, TIT 2:3.

On Friday, 10-7-88, page 3A, The Great Falls Tribune quoted a Cascade County sheriff's deputy as saying, "I know for a fact that in Great Falls, Mont., we have junior-high students practicing Satanism...I know a young fellow in town who dug up a grave, took the coffin home and performed a Satanic ritual, at one point crawling into the coffin with the remains."

Isn't that enough to make every one of us shudder? But what is our example?

How can we as professing Christians take those same human remains and display them in our windows and our homes? This Satanism is displayed in the form of witches and jack-o- lanterns as symbols of Devil worship, and human skeletons!

Read World Book Encyclopedia and see what superstitions are connected with these Halloween symbols. Therein we read that "In the 700's the Roman Catholic Church named November 1 as All Saints' Day. The old pagan customs and the Christian feast day were combined into the Halloween festival."

Can we, in today's educated society combine such paganism with Christianity? The Apostle Paul exhorts to, "...flee from idolatry." Saying, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?" 1CO 10:14-22.

Oh, beloved, it is so urgent, that we as parents, "Let no man despise thy youth." It is so important that parents teach their children to reverence God, and His Holy Word. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it," PRO 22:6.

Our text calls upon us to "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you," 2CO 6:17. Amen.