How far is too far? Matt Chandler

VIDEO by Wretched

Sexul e cea mai mare problema cu care se confrunta tinerii – Zac Poonen la Biserica Penticostala Kenmore (Seattle)

Vorbind despre Iosif din Vechiul Testament, Zac Poonen intreaba:

Ce pasiuni au tinerii la 17 ani? Eu stiu, pentru ca si eu am avut 17 ani. Nu trebuie sa fiu proroc ca sa stiu care e problema tinerilor. E vorba despre sex. Fiecare tanar se confrunta cu aceasta problema.

De ce vorbesc asa deschis despre asta? Obisnuiam sa merg la o biserica buna, unde se predica Scriptura. Dar acolo nu s-a vorbit niciodata de problema mea cea mai mare: despre sex.  Nu mi-au spus niciodata cum sa-mi controlez gandurile. M-au invatat despre Cortul Intalnirii, despre semnificatia componentelor lui… Problema mea n-avea legatura cu cortul. Problema mea se lega de sex si nimeni nu vorbea despre asta.

Ce s-a intamplat dupa aceea? Stateam in banca si ei vorbeau despre aceste lucruri spirituale inalte doctrina si studii biblice… Nimeni n-a vorbit niciodata despre problema mea cea mai mare.E ca si cum ai merge la un spital pentru ca ai cancer si ei iti coase camasa pentru ca e putin rupta si tu spui: Problema mea e ca am cancer, nu maruntisurile astea!

Repentance/Pocainta…exista o intelegere gresita a acestui lucru: Pocainta nu inseamna ca am ajuns la desavarsire. Inseamna ca mergeam in directia gresita, dar m-am intors. Linia de sosire poate fi 1000 km distanta de mine. N-am ajuns acolo. Tot ce zic e ca m-am intors. Nu spun ca am dobandit victoria. Nu, dar mi-am schimbat atitudinea fata de pacat. Stiti, ne-am permis multa vreme anumite obiceiuri. Si avem nevoie de multa vreme ca sa scapam de unele obiceiuri. Cu cat e mai adanca groapa pe care ai sapat-o in anii de pacat, cu atat dureaza mai mult sa fii eliberat de pacate.

click pt sursa

Dorintele sexuale sunt normale. Ele raman in noi si dupa ce ne nastem din nou. E o presiune enorma si la barbati si la femei. Trebuie sa luptati cu ele si Dumnezeu va va da putere. Si daca veti continua sa luptati va veni ziua cand veti birui. Sexul va fi sub piciorul vostru, asa cum Goliat a ajuns sub piciorul lui David. Israelitii tremuaru in fata lui Goliat, „Cum vom putea sa-l invingem?” Si el striga, „Cine ma poate infrange?” Toata lumea tremura. Asa-i, sexul e un urias care se ridica chiar si in biserici si zice, „Cine ma poate infrange?” Pana si oamenii de 50 de ani tremura: Nu putem sa-l biruim, mai bine sa-l lasam in pace.” Unde e tanarul de 17 ani, acel David care sa se ridice in fata uriasului si sa spuna, „Vin inaintea ta in numele lui Isus! Am sa te dobor sub piciorul meu si am sa-ti tai capul.” De ce sunt aceste istorii scrise in Biblie? Ele ne arata ca tinerii pot lupta cand adultii, ca si Saul tremura. Iar tinerii pot avea victorie! Dragi tineri: Luptati!

…societatea noastra este saturata cu acest lucru. Nu putem evita, e pretutindeni. Imagini care se succed in mintea noastra de catre printul lumii acesteia. Ii polueaza pe oamenii lui Dumnezeu, ii murdaresc pe predicatori, ii distrug. Cand auziti de un predicator care comite adulter, aceasta nu s-a intamplat peste noapte. S-a intamplat pentru ca a fost infidel timp de 25 de ani in gandurile lui. Se uita la filme pornografice si pacatuia in ascuns. Iar intr-o zi a fost prins. Dupa care spune, „Si David a pacatuit.” Ce inseamna ca si David a pacatuit? Esti Imparat din Vechiul Legamant? Sau predicator din Noul Legamant? Sa le fie rusine acestor oameni! Cauta o justificare in David. Credeti ca Dumnezeu v-a dat Biblia ca sa va justificati pacatul? Sau ca sa va invete sa fiti sfinti? Nu ca oamenii sa caute un verset: „Uite un om pe care l-a folosit Dumnezeu dupa ce a comis adulter…  Gata l-am gasit!” Pentru asta v-a dat Dumnezeu Biblia? Sunt uimit de cati de multi predicatori  care au cazut in pacat vor sa se intoarca in lucrare si il amintesc pe David. A cazut Pavel in preacurive? A comis Petru adulter? Sau Ioan, Iacov, vreunul dintre ei? De ce nu va luati dupa ei? Si eu au fost tineri. Si ei au luptat aceasta batalie. Credeti ca Petru n-a simtit presiune sexuala? Daca a fost o fiinta umana normala, iar eu cred acest lucru, era un om casatorit. A trebuit sa lupte.

Teama de Dumnezeu. Geneza 39 e un capitol grozav pentru tineri. Am zis ca sexul e cea mai mare problema cu care se confrunta tinerii. Priviti-l pe Iosif, care nu a fost la nici o intrunire de tineret, care n-a avut nici o Biblie si n-a fost umplut cu Duhul Sfant. Nu stia nimic despre iertarea pacatelor. Nici macar nu traia cu parintii lui. Era o tinta sigura pentru Satana. Iar o femeie atragatoare incearca sa-l ispiteasca. Daca era cineva mai predispus sa cada, el era acela. Dar uitati-va cum ramane in picioare! Femeia a incercat de multe ori… Iosif n-a voit, si nu a zis: O, nimeni nu ma vede. Nu-l intereseaza ca nimeni nu e de fata ca zice: Dumnezeu se uita la mine! Cum as putea sa fac un rau atat de mare si sa pacatuiesc impotriva lui Dumnezeu? Ar trebui sa invatati cuvintele lui Iosif pe de rost.

Cand stati in fata computerului si nu e nimeni in preajma si sunteti ispititi sa accesati acea pagina unde va puteti satisface pofta si va infestati mintea cu imagini care vor ramane acolo pentru urmatorii 50 de ani. Si care vor reveni in visele voastre chiar si dupa ce va veti pocai de ele. Si dupa ce sunteti umpluti de Duhul Sfant. Aceste vise va vor bantui noaptea. O sa va zbateti necontenit inca vreo 25 de ani dupa ce a-ti renuntat la pornografia de pe internet. Vei zice, „Ce n-as da sa nu ma fi uitat. Iar imi polueaza visele. Am renuntat la pornografie acum 25 de ani si ma tortureaza si azi.” Cu asta o sa va confruntati. Luptati-va!

Zac Poonen – Alege sa fii biruitor !

Related articles

• Conferinta Tineretului la Biserica Emanuel Anaheim – Revive 2012 Noiembrie 16 – 17

Women embracing pornography

with thanks to Gabi Bogdan for alerting us to this link.
Here’s an article that describes the new phenomena of not only how women are getting into and addicted to porn, but how they are influencing their daughter’s generation as well. Read the entire article here – http://www.foxnews.com/opinion The article is written by Patrick Wanis, PhD, human behavior and relationship expert. For more visit: www.patrickwanis.com

Dr. Wanis claims that not only is ”

porn becoming socially acceptable, but it is becoming an aspirational target for women.”

He also points to the fact that

‘Using sex for money and fame, women have found a new way to feel powerful and secure without a man or even necessarily a family.”

But the more disturbing trend that Dr. Wanis points out is that mothers are now sexualizing their daughter by dressing them (not allowing, but actually encouraging this) in provocative clothing, including babies and toddlers. (see his examples in the article).

Dr. Wanis makes a statement that I have not heard before, but, which is right on the mark. I remember the feminist movement fighting militantly against pornography on the basis that it degrades and objectifies women. Now, the tables have turned. Porn is seen as a quick way to riches and fame and has become acceptable in the mainstream by most women. Yet, in the end, as Dr. Wanis points out-

The paradox is that women are becoming more educated than men as women surpass men in attendance and graduation rates – for every two men who get a college degree, three women will do also. But, women are failing to realize the dangers of falling for porn or promoting porn as the new fashionable profession and path to fame, riches and glory. This is the antithesis of female empowerment as MTV, Kim Kardashian and Octomom are teaching young girls to gain power over men by using sex. 

Women have now created false empty idols and have lost their real sense of self-worth, value and significance, replacing it with fleeting pseudo-power and artificial values and relationships, leaving them feeling unfulfilled and unsatisfied.

„Pornography is equally damaging to adult relationships and social bonds – men are struggling to develop close, intimate relationships with real women with some men now preferring porn to sex with an actual human being.

He concludes:

Bottom line: porn does not promote love or sex but rather cruelty and hatred to women, and so, while women continue to endorse and make porn fashionable or a new ideal, they are foolishly robbing themselves and undermining all of the positive strides and triumphs they have made in their quest for equality.

Please read this article in its entirety at the link below and ponder the impact of our words and actions and ultimately ponder the cost incurred to our children’s generation.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/09/15/how-women-made-porn-fashionable/?intcmp=obnetwork#ixzz2CDPEgTCq

Related articles

• America is addicted to pornography; produces 89% of its webpages
• Arousing Ourselves to Death, Dr. Russell Moore
• Two videos on the struggle with (and freedom from) lust
• How does a wife feel when a husband looks at porn?
• Why Pornography Robs a Man of His Humanness
• The downfall of the church will not come from a lack of apologetic teaching; it will come from disintegration of the families in the church
• God’s design for sex
• Satan Uses Sexual Desire by John Piper
• Redeeming Sex
• Pornaddiction.com Launches New Site to Help People Overcome Addiction (pr.com)
• Why more and more women are using pornography (guardian.co.uk)

Sexul e cea mai mare problema cu care se confrunta tinerii – Zac Poonen la Biserica Penticostala Kenmore (Seattle)

Vorbind despre Iosif din Vechiul Testament, Zac Poonen intreaba:

Ce pasiuni au tinerii la 17 ani? Eu stiu, pentru ca si eu am avut 17 ani. Nu trebuie sa fiu proroc ca sa stiu care e problema tinerilor. E vorba despre sex. Fiecare tanar se confrunta cu aceasta problema.

De ce vorbesc asa deschis despre asta? Obisnuiam sa merg la o biserica buna, unde se predica Scriptura. Dar acolo nu s-a vorbit niciodata de problema mea cea mai mare: despre sex.  Nu mi-au spus niciodata cum sa-mi controlez gandurile. M-au invatat despre Cortul Intalnirii, despre semnificatia componentelor lui… Problema mea n-avea legatura cu cortul. Problema mea se lega de sex si nimeni nu vorbea despre asta.

Ce s-a intamplat dupa aceea? Stateam in banca si ei vorbeau despre aceste lucruri spirituale inalte doctrina si studii biblice… Nimeni n-a vorbit niciodata despre problema mea cea mai mare.E ca si cum ai merge la un spital pentru ca ai cancer si ei iti coase camasa pentru ca e putin rupta si tu spui: Problema mea e ca am cancer, nu maruntisurile astea!

Repentance/Pocainta…exista o intelegere gresita a acestui lucru: Pocainta nu inseamna ca am ajuns la desavarsire. Inseamna ca mergeam in directia gresita, dar m-am intors. Linia de sosire poate fi 1000 km distanta de mine. N-am ajuns acolo. Tot ce zic e ca m-am intors. Nu spun ca am dobandit victoria. Nu, dar mi-am schimbat atitudinea fata de pacat. Stiti, ne-am permis multa vreme anumite obiceiuri. Si avem nevoie de multa vreme ca sa scapam de unele obiceiuri. Cu cat e mai adanca groapa pe care ai sapat-o in anii de pacat, cu atat dureaza mai mult sa fii eliberat de pacate.

Dorintele sexuale sunt normale. Ele raman in noi si dupa ce ne nastem din nou. E o presiune enorma si la barbati si la femei. Trebuie sa luptati cu ele si Dumnezeu va va da putere. Si daca veti continua sa luptati va veni ziua cand veti birui. Sexul va fi sub piciorul vostru, asa cum Goliat a ajuns sub piciorul lui David. Israelitii tremuaru in fata lui Goliat, „Cum vom putea sa-l invingem?” Si el striga, „Cine ma poate infrange?” Toata lumea tremura. Asa-i, sexul e un urias care se ridica chiar si in biserici si zice, „Cine ma poate infrange?” Pana si oamenii de 50 de ani tremura: Nu putem sa-l biruim, mai bine sa-l lasam in pace.” Unde e tanarul de 17 ani, acel David care sa se ridice in fata uriasului si sa spuna, „Vin inaintea ta in numele lui Isus! Am sa te dobor sub piciorul meu si am sa-ti tai capul.” De ce sunt aceste istorii scrise in Biblie? Ele ne arata ca tinerii pot lupta cand adultii, ca si Saul tremura. Iar tinerii pot avea victorie! Dragi tineri: Luptati!

…societatea noastra este saturata cu acest lucru. Nu putem evita, e pretutindeni. Imagini care se succed in mintea noastra de catre printul lumii acesteia. Ii polueaza pe oamenii lui Dumnezeu, ii murdaresc pe predicatori, ii distrug. Cand auziti de un predicator care comite adulter, aceasta nu s-a intamplat peste noapte. S-a intamplat pentru ca a fost infidel timp de 25 de ani in gandurile lui. Se uita la filme pornografice si pacatuia in ascuns. Iar intr-o zi a fost prins. Dupa care spune, „Si David a pacatuit.” Ce inseamna ca si David a pacatuit? Esti Imparat din Vechiul Legamant? Sau predicator din Noul Legamant? Sa le fie rusine acestor oameni! Cauta o justificare in David. Credeti ca Dumnezeu v-a dat Biblia ca sa va justificati pacatul? Sau ca sa va invete sa fiti sfinti? Nu ca oamenii sa caute un verset: „Uite un om pe care l-a folosit Dumnezeu dupa ce a comis adulter…  Gata l-am gasit!” Pentru asta v-a dat Dumnezeu Biblia? Sunt uimit de cati de multi predicatori  care au cazut in pacat vor sa se intoarca in lucrare si il amintesc pe David. A cazut Pavel in preacurive? A comis Petru adulter? Sau Ioan, Iacov, vreunul dintre ei? De ce nu va luati dupa ei? Si eu au fost tineri. Si ei au luptat aceasta batalie. Credeti ca Petru n-a simtit presiune sexuala? Daca a fost o fiinta umana normala, iar eu cred acest lucru, era un om casatorit. A trebuit sa lupte.

Teama de Dumnezeu. Geneza 39 e un capitol grozav pentru tineri. Am zis ca sexul e cea mai mare problema cu care se confrunta tinerii. Priviti-l pe Iosif, care nu a fost la nici o intrunire de tineret, care n-a avut nici o Biblie si n-a fost umplut cu Duhul Sfant. Nu stia nimic despre iertarea pacatelor. Nici macar nu traia cu parintii lui. Era o tinta sigura pentru Satana. Iar o femeie atragatoare incearca sa-l ispiteasca. Daca era cineva mai predispus sa cada, el era acela. Dar uitati-va cum ramane in picioare! Femeia a incercat de multe ori… Iosif n-a voit, si nu a zis: O, nimeni nu ma vede. Nu-l intereseaza ca nimeni nu e de fata ca zice: Dumnezeu se uita la mine! Cum as putea sa fac un rau atat de mare si sa pacatuiesc impotriva lui Dumnezeu? Ar trebui sa invatati cuvintele lui Iosif pe de rost.

Cand stati in fata computerului si nu e nimeni in preajma si sunteti ispititi sa accesati acea pagina unde va puteti satisface pofta si va infestati mintea cu imagini care vor ramane acolo pentru urmatorii 50 de ani. Si care vor reveni in visele voastre chiar si dupa ce va veti pocai de ele. Si dupa ce sunteti umpluti de Duhul Sfant. Aceste vise va vor bantui noaptea. O sa va zbateti necontenit inca vreo 25 de ani dupa ce a-ti renuntat la pornografia de pe internet. Vei zice, „Ce n-as da sa nu ma fi uitat. Iar imi polueaza visele. Am renuntat la pornografie acum 25 de ani si ma tortureaza si azi.” Cu asta o sa va confruntati. Luptati-va!

Zac Poonen – Alege sa fii biruitor !

Related articles

• Conferinta Tineretului la Biserica Emanuel Anaheim – Revive 2012 Noiembrie 16 – 17

God’s design for sex

Al Jackson – Red Hot Monogamy: God’s Design for Sex – Proverbs 5:1-23  Message at Southeastern Seminary

Preaching from Proverbs 5:1-23, Jackson says that God’s design for sex is that a husband be captivated by the love of his wife and a wife be captivated by the love of her husband.

2 principles from this text:

 Principle #1 – Beware the deadly danger of adultery (vv 1-14).

Solomon is saying to his son, and God is speaking to us today, through Solomon’s writings: Beware of the deadly danger of adultery. It will destroy you.  Professor Garret os Southern Seminary says of verse 3 (For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,) that „the man is drawn to the adulteress because she inflates his ego with hollow praise, in ways his wife will not”.

Verse 5 – Solomon says,  „Her feet go down to death „, her steps lead directly to the grave; she has a pathway  and it’s the pathway of traveling toward sexual immorality. It’s not progress, it’s regress. It’s not upward, but it’s downward. Adultery is a dead end road and it leads always, always, always to pain, grief and sorrow and deep regret. Verse 6 – „She gives no thought to the way of life, her paths are crooked but she knows it not”. She’s an airhead, she doesn’t know about real life. She doesn’t know about joy, about real fulfillment; she’s trying to gratify the desires of her flesh.

In verse 7 –   Solomon is saying: „Listen up, go on the straight and narrow”. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7? „Narrow is the road that leads to life and few there be that find it. And, broad is the road that leads to destruction and many there be that walk on the broad road that leads to destruction„. In verse 8, Solomon is saying, „Keep your distance from her. Stay away”. Surely, you know, before someone commits adultery they think about it. That’s why Jesus said, „You heard that it was said ‘thou shalt not commit adultery, but, I say to you that a man who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart„. First, it’s in the head before it’s in the bed. First, it’s an emotional attachment before it’s a physical relationship.

Let me give you some early warning signs. Someof you need them right now because you’ve already been tempted.

1. A growing fascination with that other person. Things are not good at home. The romance has kind of settled down and there’s an emotional distance between you and your spouse. If the devil hasn’t already put old ‘honey lips’ in your path, he will; he wants to bring you down.
2. A heightened sense of anticipation when you have the opportunity to be with this person. Be careful.
3. A growing desire to confide in him or her, especially about how bad your marriage is. And when you get there, you’re just about ready to lose it.
4. Emotional adultery opens the door to physical expressions of adultery. You will pay a high price. See Proverbs 1:9-10 „lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, ¹⁰ lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
   and your labors go to the house of a foreigner” There’s a price to pay for sexual immorality- it might be an unwanted pregnancy, a sexually transited disease, or it might be something financial. There’s a high price to pay for a few minutes of sexual gratification

Look at verses 12-14 „and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! ¹³ I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. ¹⁴ I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.”  I didn’t want somebody to tell me what I could or couldn’t do. I didn’t want that narrow minded, legalistic preacher from Alabama to tell me I couldn’t do these things.  Now, you may cover it up for a while, but, it will be disclosed.

The testimony of the word of God is absolutely sure, „Be sure your sin will find you out„. „Do not be deceived, God is not mocked”. „A man reaps what he sows. He who sows to the sinful nature will reap destruction”.

Please hear my heart this day: Beware, beware the deadly danger of adultery. You are a candidate for adultery, I am a candidate for adultery. Beware! Always keep your guard up. Never, never, never let your guard down. That’s all negative, but, there’s good news. It gets better.

Principle #2 – Rejoice in the delightful pleasure of monogamy

Here I am talking about married monogamy. Solomon is saying here to his son: Beware of adultery, but, rejoice in the delightful pleasure of a monogamous relationship.

Verses 15-16 ¹⁵ Drink water from your own cistern,  flowing water from your own well. ¹⁶ Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? This is a metaphor- cisterns and spring for sexual intercourse. Quoting from Dwayne Garret: The best interpretation is that sprains and streams of water refers to the husband’s sexual affections, as the cistern refers to the sexual affections of his wife. The man should not take his love and desire to anyone else, by going out into the street. The analogy implies that a husband and wife will fill and refresh each other- the one like a flowing stream, the other like a peaceful well. Sexual anarchy results when people cross over the bounds of fidelity.

We live in a society that is characterized by sexual anarchy. And, the Lord’s speaking to us through Solomon today and saying, „Be faithful to your mate”. Drink water from your own cistern, not some other cistern. Verse 17- „Let them be yours alone„. Not someone else’s, yours alone.. „never to be shared with strangers„. First he says it positively „yours alone”, then he says it negatively, „never to be shared with strangers”. The sexual relationship, the sexual expression, God’s intention is that it be expressed between a husband and a wife, and only there. Whenever God says, „Thou shalt not…” it means: Don’t hurt yourself. And when God says, „Thou shalt”, He’s saying, „Let Me bless you”.

Verse 18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth. He’s saying, „Be satisfied with the one you’re married to from when you were a young man or a young woman”. Take joy in each other, not in someone else.

Verse 19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love  Captivated is the key word here, by the love of our wife. Not somebody else’s wife, our own wife. Focus on her. Focus on your marriage. Give attention to your sexual expression with your spouse. Make it red hot monogamy.

If you’ll water the grass on your side of the fence, it will be greener than the other side of the fence and the grass on the other side of the fence will not be nearly the temptation it would be if you don’t water the grass on your side of the fence.  Don’t just neglect each other.

Verse 20-21 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? ²¹ For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. You know God sees everything? I don’t have to be anxious that someone sees me because I know I am under the all seeing eye of God. Always! Always!

Verses 22-23 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. ²³ He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray. How sad. Die for lack of discipline.

It’s real. Sexual temptation is real. The allure of internet pornography is just a few clicks away. It’s a deadly path. Well, you say, „Brother Al, what can I do? All these women are coming on to me all the time”. Well, what kind of signals are you sending? They don’t come on to me. I have never had a woman come on to me, except for my wife. Be careful what kind of signals you are sending.

Some of you may say, „I’m in an accountability group and I get asked the hard questions week after week, so I’m safe”. I’m all for accountability groups, but that’s no guarantee that you’re safe. Hear my heart on this. I don’t want to seem disrespectful, I have all kinds of groups that I meet with. But, a man who’s in adultery won’t think twice about lying about it. Lying is small stuff compared to adultery.

You say, „What can I do to ensure I won’t have a moral failure?” I don’t know there’s anything you can do to guarantee, but you can certainly do some things that you can make it very very unlikely. I just want to leave you the 2 primary ones that I try to implement in my life and marriage:

1. Keep the fire of romance burning hot with your spouse. Men, never flirt with another man’s wife and never fail to flirt with your own.
2. Pursue your love relationship with God with all your heart.

I believe if we are passionately in love with the bride of our youth and cultivate that relationship and fall deeply in love with God and cultivate a deep love relationship with our Savior, it’s not likely we’re gonna succumb. Scripture says, „Be holy as I am holy”. God is a holy God. It’s a high price to pay, to lose the smile of God for a few moments of sexual pleasure. Men, be holy. Be holy. Jesus said, „Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God”. Do you wanna see Him? I wanna see Him. I wanna know Him, I wanna experience Him, I wanna walk with Him, I want His favor. I wanna experience they unless of His power.

God honors personal, practical holiness.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne (Scottish preacher, died at the age of 29) – „Remember you are God’s sword—His instrument—I trust a chosen vessel unto Him to bear His name. In great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.

Guard your heart, cultivate your marriage. Stay in love with Jesus. Our reward is not here, it’s in glory.

 

Al Jackson – Red Hot Monogamy: God’s Design for Sex – Proverbs 5:1-23 from Southeastern Seminary on Vimeo.

Cristian Barbosu – Ceea ce NU este Dragostea

PAGINA Cristian Barbosu PREDICI

La Biserica Sfanta Treime, Deva in Februarie 2010. Intalnirea tinerilor baptisti din comunitatea Hunedoara.

Introducerea: E foarte important sa invatam sa ne inchinam. E o mare diferenta intre a canta si a te inchina. Si eu cred ca daca sunt cantareti buni, aia se gasesc in bisericile noastre. Domul Isus spune ca cauta inchinatori si e o mare diferenta intre a canta si a te inchina. M-am rugat ca Dumnezeu sa transforme cantarea noastra in inchinare.

Va zic eu voua, pentru ca cred ca sunteti o generatie care cred eu ca Dumnezeu va va da spiritul inchinarii, un spirit al inchinarii adevarat, inaintea lui Dumnezeu unde atunci cand canti ridici mainile spre cer si il slavesti. Mana aia trebuie sa asculte mintea, mintea trebuie sa asculte inima si CE CANTI AIA TREBUIE SA TRAIESTI. Fiindca, spune Scriptura in Psalmul 22 ca El locuieste in mijlocul laudelor poporului Sau. Noi nu cantam sa umplem vremea la biserica pana ce vine predicatorul sa predice. Noi cantam, pentru ca (atunci) cand cantarea trece la inchinare prezenta lui Dumnezeu coboara in mijlocul nostru si e o forta care te impinge, care te transforma. De multe ori nu imi vine sa ma ridic sa predic ca inchinarea a fost atat de profunda, atat de faina, atat de inaltatoare. De aceia vreau sa inchei aceasta parte despre cantare si inchinare cu un cuvant de incurajare pentru voi.

Ce NU este dragostea

Ce este dragostea? N-o sa va vorbesc despre ‘ce’ este drgaostea pentru ca uneori ca sa intelegi un subiect trebuie sa intelegi mai bine contrastul sau prin contrast. Am sa va vorbesc despre ceea ce nu este dragostea dar e vandut ca produs cu eticheta dragostei. Si anume, am sa va vorbesc despre pofte. Sunt 3 cuvinte care definesc ‘Valentine’s”: dragoste, relatie si sex.  Si primele doua detin de ‘sweet'(dulce) – dragoste, relatie. Dar cealalta are de a face cu o parte care e un pic mai ‘sour'(acru). Despre asta vreau sa va vorbesc. Nu fiindca sexul e rau, e de la Dumnezeu. E chiar ‘sweet’. Dar sexul poate deveni foarte daunator cand e lasat de capul lui si de capul nostru.

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Avoid anything that causes you to lust by Clay Jones

Clay Jones is Assistant Professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University. Learn more about Clay here. He has started a series of posts on his blog on the subject of Sexual Temptation. You can follow him here.

In this particular post Jones gives helpful guidance on how to deal with lust. He states that:

Christians need to alarm about absolutely, positively every little bit of lust.

and gives points on how to take steps in order to control lusts. The first step he gives is:

Avoid anything that causes you to lust. I have found, however, that some people will say that they can watch a certain amount of sensuality, sexuality, or nudity and it doesn’t encourage them to lust. But, the trouble is that the reason these people say it doesn’t stumble them is they see so much extremely lustful material that they hardly realize that these little bits fuel their lack of self-control….

So, then, don’t read, watch, or listen to anything that encourages or causes lust. Nothing. If you can’t keep your eyes off jiggling bikinis, don’t go to the beach! If you lust after an actor in your favorite TV show—don’t watch it! Obviously this will result in a major lifestyle change for many.

Matthew 16:24: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Read another really good article by Clay Jones entitled-

“Lust: Are We Willing to Do what It Takes?”

and visit his page of the christian perspective on the topic of Sex here.

Additional articles by Clay Jones- short, biblical and to the point. A must read:

• Is Masturbation a Sin?
• Avoid Anything that Causes You to Lust
• Lust: Are We Willing to Do What It Takes?
• One reason we lust: We need meaning 
• Another Reason We Lust: We Seek Self-Worth
• So You’ve Sinned Again… and Again
• Sexual Sin and Accountability
• Lusting After God and His Kingdom
• Two Diminished Doctrines = Many Puny Christians  Sound the alarm and bar the door! We’ve been robbed! Two doctrinal jewels are missing: human depravity and the Christian’s glorification.