Sexual Sin

Lots of good questions are being raised lately due to the plethora of situations regarding gay marriage and likely 'hate crime' legislation:

• What does the Bible say about gay marriage / same sex marriage?
• Is it possible to be a gay Christian?
• What does the Bible say about homosexuality? Is homosexuality a sin?
• What does the Bible say about bisexuality? Is being a bisexual a sin?
• What does the Bible say about transsexualism / transgenderism? Is gender identity disorder / gender dysphoria the result of sin?
• Are Christians guilty of hate speech?
• What does the Bible say about getting a sex change?

Apart from homosexual sins, it is equally important not to lose focus on the many heterosexual sins that we often choose to overlook or not confront...

• What does the Bible say about sex before marriage / premarital sex?
• What is an appropriate level of intimacy before marriage?
• Is it wrong for a couple to live together before they are married?
• Is it wrong to have a relationship with a close relative?
• What is the difference between dating and courting?
• If an unmarried couple has sex, are they married in God's eyes?
• Should a married person have a close friend of the opposite sex?
• What should I be looking for in a husband?
• What should I be looking for in a wife?
• Is born again virginity possible?
• What does the Bible say about the concept of a common law marriage?
• What does the Bible say about divorce and remarriage?

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) " 9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Adjusting our Addictions

I was actually kind of surprised that the newest data only shows one in ten video game players as being addicted. Maybe they raised the standards for being defined as 'addicted' due to the reality of our addiction-prone world today...

• An 'addicted gamer' spends 24 hours a week playing video games
• A 'casual gamer' ONLY spends 12 hours a week playing video games

How awesome would it be for us to have 1 in 10 Christians addicted to the Bible and Prayer! How incredible would it be if the 'casual Christian' invested 1.5 hours a day in their walk with Christ??

Where is your time, energy, emotions, and focus directed? How can you seek to shift your 'addictions' towards Jesus Christ?

Psalm 1:1-3 "1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."

Ephesians 3:14-19 "14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Quotes - Dr. Albert Mohler

Quotes from Dr. Albert Mohler in He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World "Large numbers of Americans...profess belief in God but live like atheists." "The heart and soul of expository preaching...is reading the Word of God and then explaining it to the people so that they understand it." "Preaching therefore is always a matter of life and death." "God is most beautifully praised when His people hear His Word, love His Word, and obey His Word." "Our people can have a deep repository of biblical facts and stories, and yet know nothing about how any of it fits together." "Congregations that are fed nothing more than ambiguous 'principles' supposedly drawn from God's Word are doomed to a spiritual immaturity." "We must assume a context of spiritual confusion, and this is often now a hostile confusion."