stevethewriter

This is a big big question. I have recently begun ministry studies with an eye towards a ministry focused on sexual purity. I truly believe the scripture referenced here keeps a lot of men from even trying to reach out to Jesus simply because they believe there's no possible way to do what He's asking them to. I'd like to make a few points on this. First, noting that a woman is physically attractive is in my opinion NOT a violation of this scripture because it is possible to appreciate a nice looking woman walking by without automatically thinking of other more inappropriate things. You may disagree, but I know for me I can look at a woman, say "that's a nice looking lady" and keep my thoughts from entering into inappropriate territory. Unfortunately it only takes an INSTANT to cross the boundary from acceptable to unacceptable in this area. Staying on the right side is a learned habit more than anything else. Sex is EVERYWHERE in our culture. I know for a lot men (and women too), the battle against Lust/immorality seems to be almost hopeless because of the constant barrage of provocative material out there. Even if you avoid R rated movies and limit your TV viewing and web browsing, you're not immune. I had to leave a pool I was swimming in awhile back because there were too many skimpy swimsuits around. It was tough, I hated having to bail but it was the right thing because it kept my mind on the right things. If you're trying to deal with this, bear in mind you won't get it perfect on day one. A skyscraper is not built in a day. A student doesn't start classes one week and get a PhD the next. An entry level employee probably won't be CEO in six months time. Growth takes time. Development takes time. Learning takes time. Some people get it in their head that God has a certain limit of sins we are allowed to commit before He won't care about us anymore. It's a very human way of looking at things. We live in a world of limits, a world of "x number of chances and that's it". God's love for us has no limits. It is boundless and unending. Rather than getting wrapped up in numbers, it's about where your HEART is. You may fall 3 times, 13 times or even 30 times but if you truly are seeking Jesus and truly are of the mindset that you have a problem that needs to be addressed and faithful that God won't give up on you then you're going in the right direction. When starting my journey towards controlling my struggle with lust, I had many falls and setbacks, but I didn't STOP WORKING AT IT. Go back to the school example. Just because a student bombs a test or fails an assignment doesn't mean he won't graduate when the day comes. I do believe it's past time for the Church to get real about sex. The lust struggle is one of the most pressing issues facing the Church today. In fact, I can't think of a single Christian I know who hasn't dealt with this in the past couple of years or so. It's that widespread and unfortunately Churches are doing a poor job of equipping believers with the tools to deal with this. That's why I've felt called to this area of ministry.

Not to take this thread too off track, but I for one am not afraid to read books or look at other material that could potentially challenge my faith. I sometimes like having my faith challenged, so I can really do an honest assessment of the arguments. Of course I've never been swayed away from God, but there are doctrine related things I do struggle with. Having to reconcile these is an ongoing project of mine.

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” This is one of my favourite scriptures, but I also believe it's one of the most misinterpreted. I've heard various accounts of how broad "love one another" actually is. I've seen it used in any number of arguments to suggest homosexual relationships are ok, sex outside of marriage is ok and that we should be tolerant and accepting of other religions because of this verse. After his initial statement, Jesus expands on this, most importantly by saying to not only love one another, but to love one another as I have loved you. To me that suggests that all love should be Christ centered. In other words, the way in which we love and respond to people must be a replication of how Christ did the same. Unfortunately "love one another" is a rather vague and unspecific term. Even though you can get an idea of it based on Christ lived and Paul taught in the scriptures, there's still many situations that seem to ask the question: How does this scripture apply here? The Bible does not ever endorse or approve of sin so it's obvious there were meant to be limitations on Christ's command, but then when you bring the concept of "unconditional love" into the mix it seems to muddy the waters a little bit. I know you can both love someone AND disapprove of their lifestyle, which seems to be inline with both Christ's words here and the idea of unconditional love, but that still doesn't offer a complete explanation on how far "love one another" really goes.

Request edit of topic title since I ended up making it too long. Thanks in advance,.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/10/24/indiana-gop-senate-hopeful-richard-mourdock-says-god-intended-rape-pregnancies/ Those who are upset with him are arguing that his statement suggests God supports rape.

I tried out Baptist, Catholic and Presbyterian churches before finally settling on the Assemblies of God Church. The Baptist church I tried out actually drove me away from God for awhile because of how I was treated. I have written about the story on here once before, but the short version they forcibly removed a communion wafer from my hand and sternly told me that rite is for members only and I could not partake. After that I went probably 4 years without stepping foot in a church.

No, absolutely not. The church needs strong women as much as it needs strong men.

Consider the following scriptures: 1 Peter Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 1 Corinthians Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church 1 Timothy A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. Now I know there are plenty of verses extolling the strengths of women as well, but in considering the societal norms of Biblical times it seems to make sense that Biblical teachings would support the notion that Husbands and other male figures (because at this time all authority figures would have been male) are to be considered stronger and therefore women, who are weaker, must submit to their authority. Reconciling this with modern practices is a bit difficult. The role of women has changed vastly since Scripture was written. Even my own wife has stated she does not feel obligated to be submissive to me. Rather, she wants us to be equal partners in making all major decisions. I share her feelings on this by the way. I do not and have never seen her as weaker than myself. Sexism is generally frowned upon in modern western society. The more accepted notion is that men and women should be on equal footing in practically all respects. Now of course it's obvious that culture has changed a great deal since Biblical times, but we are taught the Word is living, always changing, always growing and always relevant to what's going in the world. So how then, do the scriptures above pertaining to sexism fit into our modern views of gender roles?

I know exactly what you are talking about. I think a lot of it comes down to the Church you attend. One of the things I love about my Church is the senior pastor NEVER politicizes sermons outside of the occasional vague mention of the steady removal of God from America or some such. He did preach awhile back on the importance of voting and the involvement of Christians in the electoral process, but again there was no mention of any particular party or candidate. Don't get me wrong, people at my church love to talk politics, but these discussions are kept far away from the Sunday sermon which to me is how it should be.

Usually these things are paid by way of tithing by Church members. I think the OP was talking about giving in addition to tithing.

I was not raised in a church going family but did attend a service every now and then when I was in a "searching for God" phase. I attended several services at a local Baptist Church as well as a couple at a Catholic church. I found the Catholic church service to be too boring. It was a small building and the priest was quite literally droning on while giving the message. Didn't grab me at all. But it was the Baptist church that turned me off the most and even caused me to give up on God for awhile. I usually went alone and to my surprise hardly anyone said hello to me or made an effort to welcome me. They surely must have known I was not one of the regulars. The thing that REALLY soured me though was when I went there for an Easter service. They were doing communion which in this church was members only. I didn't have any idea. If the Minister mentioned it beforehand I must have not heard it. Anyway, some of the regulars must have known that I wasn't a member because one of them PHYSICALLY OPENED MY HAND AND REMOVED THE WAFER I was holding, telling me "You can't do this". I just sat there stunned for a moment, but afterwards I felt so angry and insulted that I swore off God for a number of years on the basis that if these church goers represented what it was to be Christian, I wanted no part of it. I stayed out of church until I met my now wife. She first took me to her church, which is Pentecostal/Evangelical and I was completely blown away. The worship service had an energetic, concert like atmosphere, the people were friendly and the Pastor delivered an entertaining and informative sermon that I paid close attention to. This is a church where it's not uncommon to see someone in jeans and a polo shirt on a Sunday morning. These certainly weren't like the stuffy people that had been in that Baptist church years ago. It's so refreshing to be part of a Church that's alive with the Lord's power. I have since joined the worship team there as part of the choir. I do believe though that the essence of the "Church" is found not in a physical building but in the people who worship there. I think the true "Church" is the body of believers. Matthew 18:20 states: "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them" You certainly don't need a formal Church building for such fellowship to take place.

I'm a Canadian now living in America and while I do like some things about the American system, I do think I prefer the Canadian system. I went to the ER when I was in college because I was having chest pains. After an exam, EKG and chest x-ray it was determined it was a muscle issue causing the pains and nothing cardiac related. I never got a bill from that ER visit. If I had been in the U.S. at the time it would have bankrupted me as I was attending classes full time and not working. YES we pay more in taxes but in my opinion it's worth it, at least when it comes to health care. I'd also like to state for the record that we do have private health care in Canada as well so if you do have the money and want to pay for specialized care for yourself, you can. Also of note: Prescription medications are NOT included in Canada's health care coverage. You either have to have separate coverage (usually through an employer) or pay out of pocket for those.

Well put. There's a quote by Gandhi that I've always liked: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." I think WE (meaning the body of believers) are, on an overall level, not representing our Savior as well as we should be. Without trying to get too contentious, let me offer as an example several gay people I know who want nothing to do with Christ because of how they've been treated and ostracized by so-called "Christians". Somehow, I can't picture Jesus cussing out a gay man or asking him to leave a crowd of people who came to listen to Him (Jesus that is). I've seen it myself and I will be honest, the behavior of some of these "Christians" has led to me to strongly ponder my faith and my beliefs. But in the end I always go back to what Gandhi said and realize that CHRIST is the only standard I need abide by. No Christian (or Christians) can take his place. My life and my works and my faith will be judged by CHRIST ONLY, not my fellow believers.