Devotional for Thursday December 11th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We must take actions to protect ourselves and our churches.”

It’s a tough world out there and so Jesus instructed His followers to be smart and to protect themselves. We are to be pure and holy, innocent of wrong doing and wrong motives, but we are not to be doormats or punching bags, allowing culture and society to unload on us or to take unfair advantage of us. Even the apostle Paul used the protections available to him as a result of being a Roman citizen (Acts 25:11)

As the moral revolution of sexual ethics continues to unfold in our nation, Christians and churches will likely find themselves increasingly at odds with society; and we will perhaps find ourselves facing the necessity of engaging in civil disobedience for the sake of Biblical principles. Dr. Jim Garlow, a well-known pastor and author recently wrote,

“A time is coming when the government will demand that churches accept and promote an understanding of sexuality and gender that directly opposes God’s Word.”

That time is here. It is already happening. Yesterday I mentioned the case where pastors in Houston were ordered to turn over their sermons, Bible studies, and private communications with church members. Here’s another example. Chai Feldblum serves as a Commissioner on the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He was recently quoted as saying,

“There can be a conflict between religious liberty and sexual liberty, but in almost all cases sexual liberty should win …”

That comes from a high ranking Federal official who has great influence over what happens in workplaces all across this country. We are already seeing the impact that kind of thinking is having on Christian businesses and ministries. Soon attempts will probably be made to apply it to churches as well.

We have all heard much talk in recent years about the Constitutional guarantee of the “separation of church and state”. We commonly think of it as a guarantee that the church has a right to function in the public sector, outside the walls of the church building. That is true, but the original intent of the provision was actually more focused on keeping the state out of the church. It’s about preventing the state from getting inside and intruding into church affairs. We have now come to the point in this country where churches must erect strong walls of separation to keep the state out of the church. There are still legal protections that exist which we must ensure we are taking full advantage of.

“The Alliance Defending Freedom” is a Christian legal association which assists individual Christians, Christian business owners, and churches in defending religious freedoms. They provide guidance, resources, and legal representation. Recently they published a very helpful guidebook entitled “Protecting Your Ministry from Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Lawsuits.” The book addresses everything from Church Constitutions and By-laws, to statements of faith, to marriage and wedding contracts, to facilities use agreements, and much more. Every church should have a copy of this book and should modify their existing governing documents to ensure the church is fully protected under existing law.

Tomorrow we will conclude our study of sexual ethics with the story of a high-profile Christian whose name you will probably recognize. This person found himself immersed in a national scandal as a result of defending Biblical principles and he handled it very well.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday December 10th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

Our Bible verse for today: “But Peter and the apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Sometimes we have to engage in civil disobedience.”

The Bible is clear that Christians are to be good, law-abiding citizens in whatever society they live in. The “laws of the land” differ greatly depending on “the land” that you live in. No matter, Christians are still to be the best citizens of whatever society they’re part of and we are to obey the laws whatever they are – unless those laws conflict with Biblical principles. Then we are to engage in civil disobedience. That’s what Peter was saying in Acts 5:29.

With respect to sexual ethics and the associated cultural issues, Christians in the USA are increasingly finding themselves faced with the prospect of engaging in civil disobedience for the sake of Biblical principles. But that disobedience always comes with a cost. Christian pharmacists have been fired for refusing to dispense abortion-inducing drugs. Christian medical students have been dismissed from medical school for declining to be trained in abortion procedures. Christian business owners have been sued for refusing to photograph or bake cakes for a same-sex wedding. Christian pastors were ordered to turn over to government authorities any sermons, Bible studies, and private communications with church members that had anything to do with gay and lesbian issues or which made reference to that city’s lesbian mayor. Those pastors faced the potential of going to jail for failure to comply.

This is nothing new in Christian history and in fact, is rather mild compared to what other Christians in other places have endured in the past, and continue to endure today. In China pastors aren’t considered to be fully qualified or fully trained for the ministry until they’ve spent at least three years in prison for their faith.

As the cultural shift in America continues, Christians can expect to experience more opposition, and perhaps even penalties for being faithful to Biblical principles. While we aren’t inviting or seeking the persecution, we should not fear it or shy away from it either. They opposed Jesus in His day and He assured us that they will likewise oppose us in our day.

The answer for Christians today in the USA is the same as it has always been for Christians everywhere in every age – we are to faithfully stand for Biblical principles. If that means we have to take our lumps, then we take our lumps. God is faithful and He will get us through it. We have read the last chapter of the last book, so we know how this ends. Just be faithful and trust God.

But we are not to be doormats either and we are not to simply roll over in the face of opposition and persecution. Tomorrow we will discuss some specific steps churches need to take to protect themselves as things continue to change in our society.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday December 9th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age.” Titus 2:11-12 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “We must simply be the Church.”

 

In his book “Love into Light”, author and Pastor Peter Hubbard draws on the lessons of Paul’s letter to Titus. Hubbard uses that example to provide Christians in our day a roadmap for dealing with the cultural shift in sexual ethics which is occurring in our society.

 

Titus was appointed by Paul to be the Pastor of the fledging new church on the island of Crete. It was a difficult task because the culture there was extremely immoral and the people were not receptive to Biblical standards of conduct. So Paul gave Titus a simple three-step process to follow:

 

1. Appoint elders in every town (1:5-16) “This is the reason I left you in Crete … to appoint elders in every town.”
2. Apply sound doctrine to every situation (2:1-15) “But you must say things that are consistent with sound teaching.”
3. Be courteous in every situation (3:1-11) “… be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.”

 

Paul’s explanation to Titus helps us to understand how we are to conduct ourselves in our culture. First, as the Church, we must be a strong and confident presence in our community. Second, we are to stand firm on the clear teaching of Scripture, refusing to give-in to pressure or to compromise sound doctrine. And third, our manner is to be kind, respectful, and gentle. Ours is to be a winsome witness that draws people in rather than pushes them away.

 

In short, we are to simply be the church. Evangelism and a convincing, compelling witness is the answer. The battle is not ours, it’s the Lord’s. We are to simply persevere and be faithful; He will take care of the outcome.

 

History is on our side. Cultural shifts have come and cultural shifts have gone but through it all the kingdom of God has endured and continued to grow. The same will be true in our day. We just need to be faithful. But we are also to bold and courageous, smart and clever. Over the next two days we will consider how to do that.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday December 8th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Christians must continue to advocate for traditional marriage.”

 

Jennifer Marshall is the Director of Domestic Policy Studies for the Heritage Foundation, which is a prominent conservative think tank. In an interview she was asked the question: “Is same-sex marriage inevitable?” By that the interviewer meant “Is nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage inevitable? Is this a lost cause for the church?” Jennifer’s response was insightful and helpful:

 

“After the Roe v Wade decision in 1973, many people thought the abortion question was settled. To the contrary, the pro-life movement has grown stronger each decade, and young people today are more pro-life than their parent’s generation. That’s the result of sound argument and winsome engagement on the subject. The marriage question demands no less of us today.”

 

Even though same-sex marriage has been legalized in many states, and even though the forecast is for it to become legal nationwide perhaps in 2015, the question is not settled and the outcome is not a foregone conclusion.

 

As the cultural juggernaut of the gay and lesbian agenda appears to be picking up speed and momentum, especially with respect to same-sex marriage, how should the Christian community respond? Here’s a simple three step approach:

 

1. Know what you believe and why you believe it. It is essential for Christians to first of all know what the Bible really says about this issue and second, to have done their homework so they have at least a basic understanding of what the cultural issues are and can speak intelligently about them. In Hosea 4:6 the prophet lamented that “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Let that not be true of us.

 

2. With boldness and courage, but also with kindness and love, advocate for Biblical principles. Speak-up! Don’t be intimidated and don’t allow the PC Police to silence you. Jesus commanded us to be salt and light in our world (Matthew 5:13). We will not be salt and light if we are timid and silent.

 

3. Don’t give-up. Galatians 6:9 tells us to stand for Biblical goodness and don’t give-up. Jesus is still on the throne and the church still has a responsibility to advocate for Biblical principles. Nothing is ever over until we give-up. Even if same-sex marriage does end-up being legalized nationwide (as abortion was) the battle is not over and the issue is not settled.

 

Tomorrow we will give a little more thought to Theo Hobson’s theory regarding initiating a moral revolution in a society. We will consider how the Christian community can use that same strategy to turn the cultural tide back in favor of the Biblical sexual ethic.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

 

Devotional for Saturday and Sunday December 6-7

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” Luke 16:8 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “We must be smarter in how we deal with this issue of sexual ethics.”

 

In 1987 President Bill Clinton, under great pressure from Congress and from the American people, signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). This law affirmed that marriage is between one man and one woman. At that time the leaders of the Gay and Lesbian Agenda conceded defeat and publically lamented that their quest to legalize same-sex marriage was lost.

 

However shortly after that, Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen wrote a book entitled “After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the ‘90s”. In this book Kirk and Madsen declared that the cause was not lost at all, the Gay community simply needed a new strategy. Up to this point the movement had been unorganized, lacked focus, and they came across as militant and angry. Therefore not only were they ineffective but they were scaring people.

 

The authors urged their readers to first of all, modify their speech. Gays needed to come across as kind, compassionate, soft-spoken and gentle – in short, non-threatening. Second, they needed to go to great lengths to portray homosexual relationships as normal and natural – no different really, from heterosexual relationships. Then, they needed to recruit allies in the arts and media to help promote their cause. Then, they needed to portray themselves as victims of discrimination and unfair treatment. And finally, they needed to keep promoting their message at every opportunity because if you say something often enough, eventually people begin to conclude it must be true.  Also, facts are no match for a compelling story. So promote the cause by telling lots and lots of heart-warming stories about same-sex families.

 

As we all know, their strategy worked perfectly. In only twenty-five years the situation has been almost entirely reversed. DOMA is no longer the law and in many states same-sex marriage is now legal, celebrated, and promoted as normal and natural.

 

Is there a lesson in this for the Church? Sadly, yes. The Gay and Lesbian leaders have been smarter about this than we have. While they were being kind and compassionate, many of us were being cold, hard, and dogmatic. While they were telling funny and heart-warming stories, we were pounding pulpits and calling down hellfire and brimstone. While they were drawing people in with their message, we were alienating people with ours – which was the exact opposite effect that Jesus had most of the time. Jesus spoke words of truth without compromise, and yet because of His loving and winsome manner, people flocked to be near Him.

 

It is absolutely essential that we do not compromise doctrine. But it is equally essential that we present the truth in love and not in anger. In a gentle and kind way, we must help people to see that the Biblical way is the best way. Tomorrow we will discuss ways the church can do this.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Friday December 5th

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

Our Bible verse for today: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Isaiah 5:20 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “They have reversed society’s understanding of good and bad, of right and wrong.”

In America the cultural norms for acceptable sexual ethics were pretty stable for most of our history. From the days of the pilgrims right up through the 1950’s, the Biblical standard for sexual behavior was overwhelming accepted and mostly unquestioned. The sexual revolution of the hippie years initiated the beginnings of a cultural shift, but it has only been in the last twenty-five years that the Biblical standard has been directly challenged on the national level.

Dr. Albert Mohler, the President of Southern Seminary, helps us to understand what has happened. He refers to the work of British philosopher Theo Hobson who developed a theory regarding how to initiate a moral revolution within a culture. Dr. Hobson taught that in order to bring about a moral revolution in a culture there are three basic steps or phases which must be deliberately passed through. First, the moral beliefs and behaviors which used to be condemned must now be celebrated. Second, the moral beliefs and behaviors that used to be celebrated must now be condemned. And third, those who refuse to celebrate the new moral standards and behaviors must also be condemned. This is exactly what has happened in our society with respect to sexual ethics.

Dr. Mohler explains that moral revolutions of the kind described by Theo Hobson have occurred at various times in different societies throughout history, but never at the speed with which it is occurring in our society today.

Also, this didn’t happen by accident. As we will see tomorrow, the architects of this seismic cultural shift were extremely thoughtful and intentional. Their approach was exactly what Theo Hobson’s theory described. Fortunately, their strategy was thoroughly documented and widely published. We should thank them for their openness and transparency because their strategies, which worked so well and which brought all of us to where we are today, actually provide an excellent roadmap for us, the Christian church, as we develop our own strategies for dealing with this going forward.

Again I want to encourage you to not lose heart. All is not lost, the last word on the issue has not been spoken, and the outcome is not a foregone conclusion. As time passes, societies go through cultural shifts. The changes come, they stay for a while, and then things change again. But when it’s all said and done Jesus is still on the Throne and it is His Kingdom that remains and which continues to grow. In the long run, God always wins.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Thursday December 4th

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Pornography is a sin”

 

I remember when I was a young boy in the late 50s and early 60s that women’s underwear ads were rare and a bit controversial. I have to admit that I did look for them in the Sunday ads in the newspaper (but I always felt a little guilty if I found one).

 

Today naked women adorn the covers of magazines at the check-out counters in most stores; steamy love scenes are regular fare on television shows during the “family” hour; and sexy models in Victoria’s Secret lingerie sell everything from beer to bacon.

 

Journalist Pamela Paul says that we now live in a “pornified” culture. I think she’s right. The glorification of sex has overwhelmed us. It’s everywhere. We are over-sexed. You would think that when something becomes so overdone, so pervasive, we would become desensitized to it. Apparently the exact opposite is true. As a nation we seemed to be obsessed with sex and our appetite for evermore explicit sexual images seems to be continually increasing.

 

The stuff that previous generations considered “hardcore”, such as Playboy magazine, is considered pretty tame by today’s standards. Today the hardcore stuff comes to us over the internet and it is seriously hardcore. We’re talking about gay-porn, child-porn, group sex, bestiality, and more.

 

Statistics vary but they suggest that somewhere around 60% of men view pornography on a regular basis. One study I saw recently said that perhaps 50% of men “in the church” view pornography at least once a month and 20% of pastors admitted to it!  And women are not exempt. Those same studies tell us that 20-25% of women admit to viewing pornography once or more a month.

 

Pornography is not innocent. Jesus taught in Matthew 5:28 that imagining yourself in the commission of a sinful act is effectively no different than actually committing the sinful act. As far as He is concerned, if you imagined yourself doing it then you did do it.

 

As the people of God we are exhorted to be holy because God is holy. We are to strive for purity in thought, word, and deed. Paul wrote, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (HCSB).

 

Pornography pollutes the mind, diminishes purity, and corrupts character. As Christians we must be intentional about safeguarding our mind and heart from the pornographic images and suggestions that have become so much a part of the culture we live in.
 
Tomorrow, as we begin to draw our study to a close, we will consider some actions and strategies we can all take to honor God and to effectively engage our culture in this area of sexual ethics.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Wednesday November 3rd

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For you have had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband.” John 4:18 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Cohabitation is not an acceptable alternative to marriage.”

 

Cohabitation simply means “to live together as spouses when not legally married.” When a man and woman live together sharing a home and a bed, but without being legally married, they are cohabitating. This is also sometimes referred to as a “common-law marriage.”

 

In John 4:18 Jesus was in a conversation with a Samaritan woman. As the verse indicates, she had been married and divorced numerous times and was at that time living with a man she was not married to. The implication of Jesus’ words was that it was wrong for her to be doing so. In the “MacArthur Study Bible” pastor John MacArthur explains:

 

“She was living conjugally with a man whom Jesus said was not her husband. By such an explicit statement, our Lord rejected the notion that when two people live together it constitutes marriage. Biblically, marriage is always restricted to a public, formal, official, and recognized covenant.”

 

In our sexually liberated society cohabitation has become increasingly common. Estimates vary widely but it is generally agreed that as many as 30% of young couples these days will live together for some period of time prior to marrying. There are many reasons for it. Sometimes they believe that living together will help them gauge whether or not a marriage will be successful. Interestingly however, studies show that couples who live together first and then marry, end up divorcing at a higher rate than those who don’t cohabitate first.

 

Sometimes people cohabitate because the woman has children already and she is receiving various forms of public assistance such as food stamps and subsidized housing. The concern is that if she were to marry, some or all of the public assistance would stop. We sometimes find older couples cohabiting for a similar reason. A widow or widower may be receiving survivor’s benefits from the retirement plan of a deceased spouse and often there is provision that if the person remarries, the benefits are reduced or stopped.

 

There can be many rationalizations for cohabiting but a Christian cannot escape the fact that the Bible does not allow for it. Even in those cases where there are very real financial considerations, we must make a decision to honor the Lord and then trust Him to take care of us. In Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus made it clear that our Father is fully aware of all our needs and He will provide for us. Our part is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33

 

Tomorrow we will consider the problem of pornography. Then we will spend several days concluding our study of sexual ethics by discussing strategies and actions Christians and the Church can take as we continue to live-out our faith amidst the seismic shift that is occurring in our society.

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Tuesday December 2nd

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Why, my son, would you be infatuated with a forbidden woman or embrace the breast of a stranger?” Proverbs 5:20 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Sex outside of marriage is sin.”

 

As a teenager I grew-up during the height of the hippie movement. That was the “free love” generation. The idea was that love was the answer to the world’s problems and if we would all just be more intentional and less inhibited about expressing love, the problems of the world would magically melt away.

 

Although lip service was paid to the value of kindness and compassion, the primary expression of “free love” was “free sex”. There was a popular Rock and Roll group by the name of “Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young” who had a hit song with the chorus, “If you can’t be with the one you love then love the one you’re with.” And so we did.

 

Eventually the hippies grew-up, got jobs and had kids, and the hippie movement faded away. But the free love movement did not. Instead it morphed into a culture of casual sex which is still very much alive and well in our society today. Among young people it’s known as “hooking up”. This is the notion that guys and girls who have an attraction to each other can “hook up” for a sexual encounter without being encumbered by any commitments which extend beyond the moment. 

 

There is another mindset which exists among adults across age groups which is known as “friends with benefits”. These are men and women who are close friends and who have no romantic feelings for each other, but who come together from time to time to meet each other’s sexual needs. Once the encounter is over their friendship continues as before, but still with no romantic feelings and certainly no commitments.

 

All of the sexual relationships just described are clearly outside the Biblical sexual ethic established by God of one man and one woman in a committed lifelong marriage. They are unbiblical and therefore sinful. Beyond that, casual sex is destructive. The sex act was intended by God to be a holy moment of intimacy shared by a husband and wife. Casual sex cheapens the sex act and undermines the sanctity of traditional marriage. Additionally, casual sex transmits disease. Sexually transmitted disease (STD) is a major health issue today. But it’s easy to avoid contracting a STD – simply marry a person who doesn’t have one and then never have sex with anyone else.

 

As the Church we must boldly and confidently preach, teach, and promote the Biblical model. Then we must practice it ourselves. We must be the champions of traditional Biblical marriage. The culture should be able to look to the church to see examples of healthy married couples and celibate singles who honor God in their sexual lives.

 

Tomorrow we will consider the issue of cohabitation. Is living together without being married ok?

 

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Devotional for Monday December 1st

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”

Our Bible verse for today: “A woman is not to wear male clothing, and a man is not to put on a woman’s garment, for everyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 22:5 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “We are to present ourselves as the gender God created us to be.”

Although Deuteronomy 22:5 is an Old Testament prohibition given to the nation of Israel, and although it is included in a long list of other prohibitions which no longer pertain to the people of God in this day, this one does. It still applies today because it is consistent with the Biblical sexual ethic that God created us as male and female and He intends for us to conduct ourselves within the boundaries of those gender identities.

The editors of the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible are helpful: “For a woman to wear male clothing and a man a woman’s garment (cross-dressing or transvestitism) is wrong because, among other things, it violates the principle of separation that God has built into the created order.”

For the sake of clarity some definitions are needed here. The terms “transgender” and “transsexual” are often used interchangeably and mean, “Appearing as or having undergone surgery to become a member of the opposite sex.”

An important note here is that a person’s decision to present themselves as a member of the opposite sex, either by means of clothing or surgery, is based on feelings not biology. The individual has a desire to present themselves as a member of the opposite sex and then takes steps to do so. There is no medical evidence proving such desires and feelings are biologically driven.

There is a very rare biological condition known as “intersex” whereby an individual is born with a mix of both male and female biological characteristics. These could include mixed genitalia, a mix of both male and female chromosomes, or internal reproductive anatomy that doesn’t match external features. These conditions are rare. Typically parents and doctors make a sex assignment at birth and the individual is then raised with that gender identity. Interestingly though, in the vast majority of these cases there is no gender confusion experienced and the individual goes through life comfortable with their assigned gender identity. Therefore such cases rarely enter into the transgender / transsexual debate.

Culturally, transgender issues are being lumped right in with the rest of the Gay Rights Agenda. Many municipalities and school districts are considering legislation to allow transgender people to utilize the dressing rooms, locker rooms, and rest rooms for the gender they identify as. Conceivably this could mean that a 14 year old boy (with all the sexual equipment of a 14 year old boy) who is feeling pretty today and therefore decides to wear a dress to school, would be allowed to use the girls locker room and the girls rest room – right alongside your 14 year old granddaughter. Folks his stuff is real, it’s actually happening.

Transgender issues are similar to same-sex attraction in that the desires are real and they run deep. As Christians our response needs to be the same. With respect and kindness, but also with confidence and boldness, we must insist that transgender desires, along with all other unbiblical desires human beings experience, can and should be brought under the control of the Holy Spirit.

We have two more “sexual ethics” issues to consider – cohabitation and casual sex, and then we will conclude our study by considering strategies and actions the Christian community can and must take. Take heart – all is not lost!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim