Is it appropriate for a Christian Believer touch the feet of elders?

 Stooping or bowing to touch the feet of an elder is considered an act of giving honor to the elder. To bow before a person considered honorable, can also be considered as venerating him or considering him worthy of veneration. Generally speaking, in bowing to touch the feet of a person, both of these are implied. By doing so the person touching the feet, is conveying to the person whose feet are being touched, that I respect and honor your age, experience, status, qualities and attributes etc. and consider myself as the dust of your feet, and I need your blessings.

This practice is not seen amongst Christian Believers since the Word of God – the Bible forbids any man from being considered as venerable, and there are clear examples in the Bible where created beings have refused to accept veneration from other created beings, (Acts 10:25-26; 14:14-15; Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9). Usually this expectation of touching of feet is seen in those who are not Christian Believers.

A Christian Believer, by repenting of his sins and having received the forgiveness of sins on the basis of the accomplished work on the Cross of Calvary by the Lord Jesus, and having submitted his life to the Lord, is by the grace of God a child of God (John 1:12-13), his body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who resides in him (1 Corinthians 6:19), he is being built up into a dwelling place for God along with other Christian Believers (Ephesians 2:21-22), he is being changed into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18), and as a member of His Worldwide Church is a Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27), is a joint heir with Christ Jesus (Romans 8:16-17), and is a light to the world on behalf of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 5:14).

In contrast to this, man is born with sin nature (Psalms 51:5) and continues to sin (1 John 1:8, 10), before God his wisdom is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:25-27), nothing good resides in him (Jeremiah 17:9; Mark 7:20-23), all his imaginations are evil (Ecclesiastes 9:3, Job 15:14-16), and nothing good can come out of him (Job 14:4), and by his very nature is contrary to God (Romans 8:7); man is temporal (James 4:14), and cannot inherit eternity in his state of flesh (1 Corinthians 15:50).

Now, in this sentence, " There is nothing wrong or improper in a Christian Believer bowing to touch the feet of someone, it is only a sign of respect nothing more" in place of ‘Christian Believer’ put in the afore mentioned attributes of a Christian Believer – "child of God, temple of the Holy Spirit...", in place of “someone” put in the state and attributes of a carnal man – "sinner, full of evil, mortal...", and in place of “touch the feet” put in its implications, "I respect and honour your age, experience, status, qualities and attributes etc. and consider myself as the dust of your feet, and I need your blessings" and thus reconstruct the sentence.

On doing so the form of this sentence will be something like this : "For a [Christian Believer] ‘child of God, temple of the Holy Spirit, dwelling place of God, likeness of the Lord Jesus, Bride of Christ, joint-heir with Christ, light of the Lord for the guidance of the world’ to bow down to a [person] ‘sinner, a fool before God, devoid of anything good within, all of whose imaginations are evil, who cannot bring forth anything good, a mortal man, who by his very nature stays contrary to God’ and to imply [touch his feet] that ‘I respect and honour your age, experience, status, qualities and attributes etc. and consider myself as the dust of your feet, and I need your blessings’ there is nothing wrong or improper, it is only a sign of respect, ।nothing more." On the basis of constructing the sentence in this manner now decide, does it still sound proper and appropriate as before?

Now think it over whether for a person who is, a child of God, a temple of the Holy Spirit, is being conformed to the likeness of Lord Jesus Christ, and has been placed before the world as to reveal the light of the Lord Jesus, would it be appropriate for him to imply to a person having a sin nature, is mortal, is devoid of God’s wisdom, and by nature is contrary to God, that I need your blessings because I am like the dust of your feet!

The answer is self-evident, that for a Christian Believer, by virtue of the reality of his spiritual state and the status and position bestowed upon him by God, it is inappropriate for him to bow before a person and touch his feet, for what this act implies.

Eating foods offered to idols and other gods

If foods are grown, harvested, stored, and sold after invoking non-Christian deities and religious practices upon them, can a Christian then partake of them?

Even if people do not know or follow the true and living Lord our God, and do not acknowledge Him and His work in their lives, He still continues to love and provide for them (Psalm 145:9; Matthew 5:45). The Psalmist says that it is the Lord God that causes the earth to produce vegetation for food for man and animals (Psalms 104:14). Along the same lines, Paul using the analogy of sowing and growth, states that no matter who does the sowing, it is God who gives the germination, growth, and fruitfulness to whatever is sown (1 Corinthians 3:6-8). So even if the farmer does some supposedly religious ceremony or idol worship, the fields will only produce, both quantitatively and qualitatively what God makes them to produce, and therefore we can rest assured that our food item has God's hand and blessings in it, no matter who has cultivated it and how.

Regarding forbidding eating things offered to idols, read 1 Corinthians 8 and 10, where Paul discusses this issue under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Although an idol is nothing (1 Corinthians 8:4), and therefore from that point of view eating or not eating something offered to an idol is inconsequential (1 Corinthians 8:8); but basically, in forbidding eating things offered to idols, the intention is to avoid sending out any impression of veneration or acknowledgment of pagan deities(1 Corinthians 8:7), since partaking of things offered on the altar, makes one a partaker of the altar as well (1 Corinthians 10:18). The more mature Christian Believers should make sure that the weaker in faith brethren in Christ are not misled on this count (1 Corinthians 8:7, 10-13); and, it also should be clear to the un-Believers that the Believers in Christ cannot partake in the Lord’s Table as well as their table – the table of demons (1 Corinthians 10:20-21). Paul also states that if someone offers something offered to idols as a food item, and makes it known, then a Christian Believer should refuse it for the sake of that person's conscience (1 Corinthians 10:25-30); in other words, although eating of that food item would not be any different from eating of any other food item, yet in view of the special place and connotations that “offered-to-an-idol” food item has in the beliefs and conscience of the person serving it; and also to show that a Believer is separated from such things, a Christian Believer is not to partake of that food item.

So, while it is absolutely Biblical and desirable to not accept and eat things offered to idols, and this principal should always be adhered to; yet, in context of special situations like our title question, it should not be made something dogmatic for being righteous and acceptable to God – because that is only possible by the grace of God through Christ’s work on the Cross of Calvary, and not by any of our deeds, and God well knows the state of our hearts (1 Corinthians 8:3).

How does God provide material prosperity for His children?

The concept of working for a living has been there since the very beginning in God’s Word the Bible. God made Adam, planted the Garden of Eden for him, but gave him the responsibility of working in it and maintaining it (Genesis 2:8, 15). Even Israel, in their wilderness journey to the promised land of Canaan, although they did not sow or reap any harvest during the forty years journey, yet they had to labor every morning to gather their quota of manna; if they failed to do so, it was gone as the day progressed (Exodus 16:21). Once in Canaan, they had to fight to possess the land, and then to cultivate it to receive it's benefits. Even when God fought for Israel to defeat their enemies, they still had to go and position themselves in the battle ground (2 Chronicles 20:14-17), and only then go and gather the loot for themselves (2 Chronicles 20:25). None of Gods people got anything by sitting back at home, or taking it easy and just waiting for God to fill in their pockets, with whether spiritual or physical blessings; they always had to work for their living and maintaining their families - a fulfillment of the legacy "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread" (Genesis 3:19) of the first sin our fore-parents committed. Even the Lord Jesus worked as a carpenter (Mark 6:3) till the time He began His ministry. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul has laid it down in Gods Word for us: "For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread” (2 Thessalonians 3: 7-12). Paul and his companions, although primarily engaged in Gods ministry of spreading the gospel, also worked for a living and for helping others (1 Thessalonians 2:7-10), and so should everybody else. Workers are exhorted in the Word of God to faithfully do their work, as to the Lord and not to men, and God will reward them for it (Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Peter 2:18-21). Hence, the first thing for a Believer to do to be prosperous is to be a sincere, honest, hardworking person, fulfilling his assigned responsibilities so as to be a witness for his faith, for his Lord, and to glorify the savior Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:12) through his work, trusting God to reward his sincerity and hard-work, in God's own time and manner.

Secondly, as is evident from the life of Paul, besides the secular work, we should always be determined to find time and opportunity to engage in God's Work as well – it is of paramount importance. God has already determined something or the other to be done by everyone one of His Born Again children (Ephesians 2:10), and has accordingly given us the required gifts. He sends opportunities our way, appropriate to our God ordained ministries, for us to fulfill. If we are not aware or sure of the work God wants us to do for Him, then we should spend time in praying and inquiring from God about it. An indicator of God's desire for us can be the various spiritual activity opportunities that either often come our way, or we find interesting to do, or others often entrust us with. We should make ourselves available to God, to our Church, and to our fellowship, and should ask God to lead us into the things that He wants us to do. It says in 3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers”. In other words, our physical prosperity, in Gods scheme of things, is linked to our spiritual prosperity. As we prosper spiritually, we will also prosper physically. When we take care of God's work, God takes care of us and our family.

Thirdly, we should make it a point to tithe from whatever little we presently have or get. God never set a lower or minimum limit to earnings for tithing. The more we give to God, God returns even more back to us. From whatever we earn, little or much, we should faithfully and regularly tithe and give our tithe portion into the Church, without spending it in the name of God according to our own fancy. We ought to bring and put it into the house of God as it says in Malachi 3:10; only then should we use the rest for our needs; and we will see for ourselves how God blesses us for it. A very good example of how God blesses those who trust Him for His Word of blessing through tithing is the life of William Colgate, the founder of the world famous Colgate toothpaste: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Colgate). Therefore we should not let Satan create an apprehension or fear in our mind about not being able to afford tithing and cheat us out of our blessings; rather, we should trust God and do it regularly. No one can reap a harvest, without first sowing some seed; our tithe is the seed sown for our harvest - the quality and quantity of the seed sown determines the quality and quantity of the harvest we will receive.

Fourthly, we ought to pray to God and ask for His will about studying/training further and thereby improving our job opportunities. Now-a-days there are many online courses and part-time or on-the-job study opportunities, which we can make use of, so as to be earning, as well as improving our work and salary prospects.

By doing these in the guidance and will of God, we will find that somehow we will be able to find the time, strength and wisdom to not only do our present job well, but also do God's work, look after our family, and also study for improving our prospects and do well in the further studies/training. When done in the will and guidance of God, the battle to balance these responsibilities will not be ours but the Lords; we will only have to position ourselves in the battlefield, and then go in to gather the spoils.

A great portion from Gods Word for encouragement in trying times is Isaiah 40:27-31 “Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint” and I encourage you to claim it for yourself.”