The Reality of Pornography

A few days back I was listening to a radio program where a man called in who had been struggling with the sin of pornography. During the call he mentioned a YouTube video from an ex-porn star who had given her life to Christ. What caught my attention was when he said, “after watching this woman describe what is really happening in those videos, I will never ever be able to look at porn again.”

THE LONELINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN

by~A.W. Tozer

"The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind, others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone.

The unsatisfied longings of the prophets for human understanding caused them to cry out in their complaint, and even our Lord Himself suffered in the same way.

The man [or woman] who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. He finds few who care to talk about that which is the supreme object of his interest, so he is often silent and preoccupied in the midst of noisy religious shoptalk. For this he earns the reputation of being dull and over-serious, so he is avoided and the gulf between him and society widens.

He searches for friends upon whose garments he can detect the smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces, and finding few or none he, like Mary of old, keeps these things in his heart.

It is this very loneliness that throws him back upon God. His inability to find human companionship drives him to seek in God what he can find nowhere else."

Drinking Deeply

Last year I memorized these verses From Psalm 74:

  Whom have I in heaven but you?
  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
  My flesh and my heart may fail,
  but God is the strength of my heart
  and my portion forever.

Oh how I long for these verses to be as firmly planted and deeply rooted in my heart as they are in my mind.  This is the lens through which I want to view everything,  whether it be my pain or my pleasures, my joys or my struggles, my gains or my losses.  There is nothing that I posses that is not ash in my hands nor any desire that is not ultimately and completely satisfied in Him.

 ²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.
       I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
       I will tell of all your deeds.

A Little Confused

I received an email  from an active Jehovah's Witness who frequently comments on my videos that made me laugh. I think he's having trouble deciding whether he likes me or hates me:

     "Hi Brian,

I hope you are doing well, and at the same time I hope your computer crashes(;}-) "

Do Jehovah's Witnesses Feel Condemned?

The testimony from a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses and how he felt condemned as an active member of the organization.

  

Just Passing Through

From  J.C. Ryle

“A holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness. He will endeavor to set his affections entirely on the things above, and to hold things on earth with a very loose hand. He will not neglect the business of this life now; but the first place in his mind and thoughts will be given to the life to come. He will aim to live like one whose treasure is in heaven, and to pass through this world like a stranger and pilgrim traveling to his home.

A Quote that Bugs Me

Over the last couple of weeks a quote from St. Francis of Assisi has come up time and time again:

"Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words."

Putting aside the fact that there is no real evidence that St. Francis ever actually spoke these words that were attributed to him by others long after his death, and putting aside the fact that he was a constantly preaching, and putting aside the fact that he was not shy when it came to speaking of sin, the need for repentance and faith I ask this question:  Is this advice biblical, or does it merely tickle the narcissistic ear?



Romans 10:14 tell us of our need to speak to the lost::   "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

Are we to believe that the answer to this rhetorical question from Paul would be:   "Well Paul, people are going to observe my goodness,  and when they do they will repent and trust Jesus because they observed my goodness.  Did I mention that people saw my goodness?"

So many of us struggle finding the courage to open our mouths with the lost about their desperate need for a Savior, but are we really helped by this quote?  Are we encouraged to be bold witnesses for Christ by this quote? Or is it possible that the use of this quote could actually undermine a verse like Romans 10:14 by giving the impression that "speaking" about the things of God is of secondary importance. To borrow a line from Ray Comfort we would never say "feed the starving, and when necessary use food.’
Should people see Christ in us? Absolutely!  But that in no way relieves us of our obligation to open our mouths saying,  "if Christ can save a pitiful worm like me, He can save you too."