Reluctant to pray? It may be that……… by Russell Moore

(VIA)Justin Taylor

Russell Moore:

One of the first ways you can tell that you are moving beyond temptation into a pattern of sin is if you find yourself in a time of prayerlessness.

That isn’t just a “spiritual maturity issue”—it’s a gospel issue.

You are recreated through the gospel with a nature that longs for communion with God. The Spirit within you cries out, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6). Prayer is exactly how you experience the sympathy of your high priest who has triumphed over your temptation. After all, you are not the only one praying when you pray. The Spirit himself prays through you, and as he does so, he works to align your will and desires with those of Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:26–27).

If you are reluctant to pray, it just might be that you, like Adam and Israel before you, are hiding in the vegetation, ashamed to hear the rustling of the leaves that signals he is here.

Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, p. 171.

(via)

Don’t waste your life, John Piper (video) si cartea

* Citeste  cartea  ‘Nu-ti risipi viata’ in  limba  Romana, autorul   John Piper, traducere Mihai Damian.  (117 pagini)

* Read – ‘Don’t waste your life’ in the English language  (192 pages)

Fireproof – Film on Effects of pornography on a marriage (Film crestin subtitrat in Limba Romana-Efectul pornografiei asupra casatoriei)

I posted this before, but in light of the articles that I just posted, this Christian film is useful in dramatizing the devastation pornography has on one particular couple’s marriage.

Click on image which will take you to the film (in two 56 minute videos):

The threat of pornography to marriage by 9Marks ministry

from 9marks ministry (Mark Dever’s ministry)I do not want human ideas. I want God’s word about the church. I turn with hope and confidence to Mark Dever’s radically biblical commitment. I thank God for 9Marks.” ~ John Piper, author and pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, MN

Premarital Counseling, Pornography and Marriage. To read the whole article click here.

CULTURAL CHANGE AND PORNOGRAPHY

9M: How do you think the culture has changed over the last fifteen or twenty years? What do you think marriages are facing now that they may not have faced twenty years ago?

WS: There are probably many cultural pressures that make marriage different than it was even 15 or 20 years ago. I will just point out one because it’s one of the most insidious. I’ve seen time and time again just how powerful and destructive pornography is in marriages. Of course, pornography is more than 20 years old, but what has changed in the last 20 years is technology. In the past there was this shame barrier that you had to be willing to cross. To really throw yourself into pornography, you had to go to a different part of town. You had to get out of your car and walk into a store and be willing to be seen. Your name and your face would be associated with the material that you were handling. Now anonymity seems almost guaranteed. It’s not just available to you, it’s invading your life. It’s promoting itself. It will pop up in your e-mails. It will show up on the movie menu in the hotel room. Probably the classier the hotel, the easier it is to view pornography and the more shamelessly it’s displayed.

Pornography is on the offensive against you. It’s coming after you. So you have to have real reasons to say no to it, not just because you are going to get caught. That’s not a good enough reason because you’ll have opportunities to secretly indulge in it. The mode of pornography has changed, and the message has become amplified. Without being graphic, anybody who’s seen pornography will probably know what I’m talking about. Pornography is ultimately about anonymous, meaningless relationships where the center of focus is personal gratification.

Sex is wonderful, but sex is intended by God to communicate meaning and purpose. It is intended to communicate God’s commitment, covenantal and sacrificial love, tenderness and care. It is not intended to communicate a freedom to do what you can get away with, focus on yourself, and engage in anonymous, meaningless relationships. You take those anti-relationship messages of pornography and pair them with a physiological high and you’ve got something really nasty on your hands. It doesn’t just enslave a person’s time and thought life. It begins to invade the rest of their relationships. Those same messages of convenience, pleasure, and self-focus leak all over your life—they don’t just stay on your computer .

9M: Do you have any wisdom for pastors and churches for taking the offensive—ways they can be proactive in the battle against pornography?

WS: I think one of the ways churches should work against this threat, very simply, is to start talking about it. And don’t just talk about it as something that’s out there in the culture, but talk about it as something that’s coming after us as individuals and families in the church. Create forums/arenas where people who are battling with it can talk about it without being shamed or treated like second class citizens. Create an open conversation where this problem is treated with the same care, concern, and tenderness as any other sins and struggle.

This is a very simple but bold step. You need to say, “We’re going to talk about it like it’s a problem in our church, because it is.” It is a given. Of course, this conversation should occur as part of the larger culture of discipling and accountability that pastors should be cultivating in their churches.

Then be really practical in giving people tools to do something about it.

  • If you have an Internet connection in your home, think of it as a portal to a XXX book store. You have a doorway in your house that leads to an adult book store if you have an internet connection, a cable TV, or satellite connection. So treat it like it’s a door that needs to be guarded and locked. It’s ok to be entertained with your computer, but you need to know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. You’re not just grazing on your computer.
  • Limit private access to the computer. If you have a desktop computer, put it in a family area with the screen facing the middle of the room.
  • There are all kinds of software available that are effective, but no software is foolproof. There are software options that are effective at erecting a barrier (stringing up some razor wire). If you break through, it’s because you wanted to break through – not because you were entrapped.

There are all kinds of basic things that we can do to protect ourselves, but we seem to walk around in churches with naiveté. People are assuming, “No one is talking about it so it must not be a problem.” I have seen countless examples of pastors and church administrators who’ve been ensnared by it. I have counseled people who work as cleaning staff who will log onto computers at night and look at pornography in the buildings they are cleaning. Hopefully, some of these suggestions will be helpful in battling this prevalent issue.

read entire dialogue here.

The Seduction of Pornography and the Integrity of Christian Marriage by Albert Mohler

Click on ‘Fullscreen’ to enlarge and then press the ESC button to toggle back to regular screen. (Esc button is on your typing keyboard in the upper left corner by the F1 key)

View this document on Scribd

Pornography – the dangerous addiction (Romanian / English resources) ‘New’ Online Book

Biofizician Ortodox-Virgiliu Gheroghe

Pornografia – o realitate care ne priveste- conferinta Sibiu Bucuresti

Feriti-va ca de foc. E mai rau ca focul! (Virgiliu Gheorghe)

Este socant ce planuri se pun la cale de  UNESCO si Uniunea Europeana asupra subiectului de educatie sexuala pentru copii in scolile din UE. Citeaza niste statistice din Statele Unite, ingrozitoare. Media de virsta a copiilor care incep sa foloseasca pornografia este 11 ani. E bine sa fim informati de pericolul acesta care distruge familiile si societatea noastra. Virgiliu Gheroghe explica cum consumul pornografiei (excitare prin privire) timp de 5-10 ani, ii imbatrineste creierul cu 30 de ani din cauza leziunilor care sint produse dupa mai putin de un an de consum. Dupa numai sase luni de zile, acel om isi schimba total gindirea si nu isi mai doreste familia sau copii ci doar implinirea placerii chimice in consumul pornografiei. Virgiliu Gheorghe a scris inca o carte- ‘Efectele micului ecran asupra minţii copilului’ care apare sub sigla „Asociaţiei pentru Apărarea Familiei şi (a) Copilului”. Conferinta a fost tinuta la Sibiu de Virgiliu Gheorghe. Video 2 ore 40 minute,  Altermedia Romania.

(Pentru ca acest video nu mai este ‘available’ postez 3 fisiere video de la cea mai recenta conferinta cu Virgiliu Gheorghe.

Uploaded by on Feb 25, 2011 from 24 feb. 2011, Aula Facultatii de Drept Bucuresti; filmare: Aurel Duta pentru FoaieNationala

Partea 1

Partea 2

Partea 3


Inca un video care l-am mai postat- Despre pericolul pornografiei cu  Dr Albu v Eeden (cu translator). Conferinta a luat loc la Biserica Baptista Timisoara, Romania.

Conferinta la Biserica Baptista Timisoara, Romania.

1st collector for ‪Despre pericolul pornografiei – Dr Albu v Eede…
Follow my videos on vodpod

Mark Driscoll – What the Bible Really Says About Sex (on Fox News)

The Bible and Neuroscience on Promiscuity by J.P.Moreland

by rodi in J.P.Moreland, Marriage, Youth Tags: Bile and neuroscience, family series, following bible teachings, hooked, J.P.Moreland, promiscuity, sexual relations, traditional marriage

Dr. Moreland’s blog header Bible verse:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and

whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Matthew 16:25

J.P.Moreland is the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, California. I have four earned degrees: a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Missouri, a Th.M. in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, an M. A. in philosophy from the University of California-Riverside, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Southern California.

During the course of his life, he has co-planted three churches, spoken and debated on over 175 college campuses around the country, and served with Campus Crusade for Christ for 10 years. For eight years, he served as a bioethicist for PersonaCare Nursing Homes, Inc. headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

In his post Dr. Moreland quotes from , Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting our Children.and starts out by affirming what we, as Christians now and believe about the impact of the Bible (the Word of God):

The Bible is the greatest source of wisdom for life in all of humanity.  If followed, its teaching regularly and without rival leads to human flourishing.  It is important to keep this in mind, because, since the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States, current after current of alleged thought has told us to jettison scriptural teaching in favor of some recent, more updated findings.  This has especially been true in the sexual revolution, which tells us that traditional biblical morality is stifling and repressive.  However, if the Bible is true, one would predict that. In fact, following its teachings would lead to flourishing, and disobeying its teachings would have a deleterious effect on people.

Then he proceeds to discuss the surprising  findings in the book (surprising that is, if you are an unbeliever):

So far as I know, neither author is a believer, and if he or she is, neither’s religious views form a part of his/her arguments.  The thesis of the book is that, given current brain research, is it now beyond reasonable doubt that sexual promiscuity (basically, any intense sexual activity, including, but not limited to, intercourse) has a negative impact on one’s brain chemistry, one’s health, one’s ability to enjoy sex, and one’s ability to connect emotionally and relationally with someone.  They argue that only in the context of traditional marriage can sexual relations be life-giving.

Click here to read the rest of this article.

(VIA)Brett Kunkle Stand To Reason

2 helpful videos

1 – Live pure, free from pornography & lustful thoughts (Pastor Tim Conway) 28 min.

2 – Freedom from masturbation and pornography (James from ‘I’ll be honest’) 33 min.

This booklet was originally published at Mars Hill Church and is now being offered as a freely distributable online eBook and downloadable as a PDF which Mars Hill encourages everyone to distribute.

Matt Chandler – the Church of Ephesus, doctrine-yes, but…unity, but…love

Every time I listen to Matt Chandler preach, I think on this verse:
Psalm 119
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
as much as in all riches.

Click on the picture to playVideo Sermon.

If you liked this sermon, you might want to watch this additional sermon:

  1. Matt Chandler preaching at Southern Baptist Seminary.
  2. Matt Chandler – Defining masculinity
  3. Matt Chandler – a story of faith in Christ during chemotherapy for a brain tumor

Pastor Mark Driscoll- “I’m going to bury a lot of people. So for me, this (hell) is not just heartless academic speculation,”

You can read more from Driscoll (Piper,Chandler,Mahaney,Keller & others at Driscoll’s website http://theresurgence.com/authors.Below, an article featured on the Christianpost.

Driscoll:

Without Jesus, You Go to Hell

In admittedly his most difficult sermon in 15 years of ministry, Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll made it abundantly clear that hell is real and is the destination for those who don’t trust in Jesus.

“Let me say it clearly, … plainly, … loudly: You are in danger. Without Jesus, you go to hell,” the Reformed pastor told thousands at Mars Hill Church this past weekend.

Driscoll was preaching from the sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke – a New Testament book that he has been going over for the past year and a half with his church. But what made the sermon even more timely and that much more urgent was the recent debate on hell in light ofthe release of Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, by Grandville, Mich., pastor Rob Bell.

If I don’t tell you the truth… your blood is on my hands.

Bell, who has been accused of heresy and preaching universalism, has made media rounds during his book tour this month. In a visit to MSNBC, the popular author was pushed four times by host Martin Bashir on the question of eternal destiny after receiving unsatisfying answers – or rather, unclear ones.

“Is it irrelevant about how one responds to Christ in this life in terms of determining one’s eternal destiny?” asked Bashir, who also accused the author of amending the Gospel so that it’s palatable. Article continues below the video. Click on the ‘more’ link.

Click on image for video

It is terribly relevant and terribly important. Now, how exactly that works out and how exactly that works out in the future, we are now when you die firmly in the realm of speculation,” Bell replied.

“You have to be very careful that we don’t build whole doctrines and dogma about what is speculation.”

Without naming names, Driscoll, author of Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe, expressed profound concern over false teachings and messages that proclaim anything other than salvation through Jesus Christ.

“It greatly disturbs me when well-known pastors and preachers and authors get invited onto television … when the world is listening to them, the interviewer inquires of them ‘if you don’t believe in Jesus are you going to hell?’ and they squirm or they change the subject or they appeal to the emotions or they tell a story, they do anything but say ‘yes, if you don’t know Jesus you go to hell,’” the 40-year-old pastor said.

“Friends, this is the most serious of matters,” he told the congregation. “I’m not the judge but there are pastors that are going to hell. So be careful who you trust.”

For Driscoll, there is no ambiguity in Jesus’ teachings about heaven and hell.

Stressing throughout his sermon that his job is to tell the truth, Driscoll pointed to Jesus’ teachings on the hard-to-stomach issue of hell.

Jesus, he said, speaks of hell more than anyone in the entire Bible. Roughly 13 percent of his teachings and half of his parables are in reference to hell, judgment, or punishment, Driscoll noted.

“Some say Jesus is so loving, certainly Jesus doesn’t believe in hell. I would say the most loving person who has ever lived not only believes in hell but clearly, emphatically, repeatedly teaches on it, which must mean that our sin is more damnable than we can fathom if it requires the most loving person to speak in the most stark of terms,” he pointed out.

“The existence of hell, the instruction by Jesus of hell should reveal to us how sinful sin truly is and how rebellious we really are.”

From the get-go, Driscoll, who was raised a Catholic before converting at age 19, rejected as false several popular positions people hold about death and the afterlife, including naturalism (no soul), universalism (all or almost all go to heaven), belief in reincarnation (multiple, successive lives), annihilationism (suffer in hell a while but eventually cease to exist), and belief in purgatory (temporary punishment and ultimately going to heaven).

Making clear what Jesus made clear, the Seattle pastor known for his no-holds-barred attitude said everyone who doesn’t know Jesus will go to hell.


“Have you received Jesus? Have you trusted in Jesus? If not, you are in the path of the wrath of God. You are headed to the conscious eternal torments of hell,” he asserted.

Quoting Jesus, Driscoll underscored, “‘No one comes to the Father but by me.’ No one. No one. Buddhism, no. Hinduism, no. New Ageism, no. Mormonism, no. Jehovah’s Witnessism, no. Nice people, no. Good people, no. Generous people, no. Religious people, no.”

“There is no salvation apart from him (Jesus)!” he exclaimed.

Regarding a second chance after death, Driscoll stated plainly that there is no second chance.

“Your eternal destiny is sealed upon your death. This life is your only opportunity,” he preached.

“I’m going to bury a lot of people. So for me, this is not just heartless academic speculation,” he stressed. “It’s heartfelt pastoral affection.”

“I’m really worried about some of you,” he said as he became teary-eyed. “I love you. I can’t have your blood on my hands.”

While some try to elevate one attribute of God over another (such as love), Driscoll noted that while God is love the Bible speaks more of His holiness than anything else.

“God is love, and whatever God does is loving. God is also just. God is also holy,” he said. “Our God is also simultaneously, perfectly a God of wrath. Not just our God but the only God.

“God is holy. If we do not repent, we are in the path of His wrath.”

It is in love, however, that God sent Jesus “as our substitute, to go to the cross and give us eternal life,” Driscoll added.

Responding to questions about why God would create people if their future is hell, Driscoll stated, “People go to hell because they reject Jesus. We are in no way innocent.”

“This is not the world as God made it. This is the world as we have corrupted it,” he explained.

He continued, “What is astonishing is God would become a man to live in the world as we have destroyed it.”

The wrath of God was poured out on Jesus, he added, so that it may be diverted from us.

“That is the gift of salvation. That is the love of God.”

In one illustration, Driscoll stated, “It makes perfect sense to me that a convicted criminal goes to prison. Similarly, it makes perfect sense that a condemned sinner goes to hell.”

Hell, he noted, was made for the devil and his angels who rebelled against God. And just as prison was made to protect the rest of the public, hell was made to “protect us.”

“You need not go there. Trust in Jesus.”

Regarding what hell is like, the illustration in Luke reveals a place of torment with flames. It’s like being trapped in a burning building forever, Driscoll said.

Jesus also uses as illustration a place outside Jerusalem called Gehenna. There, children were murdered and sacrificed by fire to false demon gods.

It was a cursed place that became a garbage dump of the city where worms were always feasting and flames were always burning.

Near the end of his sermon, Driscoll pleaded with the congregation not to judge God.

“We have three-pound fallen brains. We have sinful dispositions. We have only been around for a few short years. We are not all knowing,” he pointed out.

“For us to sit on a throne even if it is an academic throne propped up by footnotes, asking the Creator of heaven and earth to pass before us that we might render a verdict regarding His holiness and justice is how all the trouble began in the first place.”

Driscoll urged the congregation and other listeners online to make a decision – eternal life or eternal death.

“You’re still alive so I’m pleading with you. Make your decision while you’re still alive.”

Ce faci cand te intalnesti cu durerea?, Iosif Ton (Daniel 9)

Referinte: Daniel 9:20-26 | Habacuc 3:16Daniel 9:20 Pe când încă vorbeam eu, mă rugam, îmi mărturiseam păcatul meu şi păcatul poporului meu, Israel, şi îmi aduceam cererile înaintea Domnului Dumnezeului meu, pentru muntele cel sfânt al Dumnezeului meu;Ps 32.5; Isa 65.24;Daniel 9:21 pe când vorbeam eu încă în rugăciunea mea, a venit repede, în zbor iute, omul Gabriel pe care-l văzusem mai înainte într-o vedenie şi m-a atins în clipa când se aducea jertfa de seară.

Ce faci cand te intalnesti cu durerea?, Iosif Ton, posted with vodpod

CLIPE FRUMOASE cu Petrica Mihai din Calimanesti (cintare superba de la inceputul credintei)

O cintare superba, primita de la Angela P. Imi aduce aminte de copilaria mea in adunarile din judetul Arad. Cintarea ‘iti unge sufletul’

CLIPE FRUMOASE cu Petrica Mihai din Calimanesti…, posted with vodpod

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