Promiscuity - is it worming its way into the norm?

Over the past few weeks I made some disturbing observations. They made me think about where our society and country as a whole are headed - if these observations persist, I can assure you that the future looks VERY bleak!

My aim through this article is to alert you with some 'food for thought', about matters that are often swept under the carpet or ignored altogether. While worthless celebrity gossip robs headlines, these issues are forgotten and not made a bigger fuss out of, a fuss that they deserve and require!

Come Dine With Me

'Come Dine With Me' is one of my favourite shows on Channel 4. Watching it for over 3 years, I have seen it evolve. I noticed that in recent episodes, the contestants saw it essential to entertain their guests...well nothing wrong with that! After all, it is a show about hosting! What troubled me however is what they considered entertainment and how it was received.
The contestants began hiring strippers for the night, as disturbing as that itself sounds, I was even more shocked to see the way the contestants reacted...while most women awkwardly acquiesced, most men would shamelessly flirt...my concise description is purposefully implicit, but I'm sure you will get the gist as I had to switch channels!

Did I over react? Now what is wrong with a little bit of fun?

Fun! Seriously! Since when did promiscuity become permissible? Since when did being entertained mean arousing lustful desires? These folks could have easily well entertained their guests with a good old singer, karaoke or even a game of some sort...was a stripper their ONLY available option? No! They chose the 'popular' option! Well, most things that harm society ARE 'popular'...drugs, drunkenness, the list goes on...

Now what's wrong with lusting? No one is hurting anybody?

Jesus said, "...anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart"

Do you still not see it? God considers lust sinful as His Law applies at the heart level. While all of us are guilty of this crime, it does not encourage us to continue sinning; walking into the pit ourselves or leading another into it! We must seek to repent and abstain.
If you're willing to play the secular card on this issue...my argument still stands. Lust is not love. It is selfish, it craves something superficial and temporary. It has been the root cause of adultery, divorces and break ups in innumerable cases, and openly encouraging this 'natural propensity' isn't going to help fortify the family unit, relationships or the community as a whole. It is a destructive, detrimental deception that seeks to disintegrate society.

Think about it! Act on it!

No More Page 3

It's not all bad news! Our apathetic society is beginning to awaken! Hence I'd like to close this post on a positive note, with an opportunity for you to actually 'Act on it!'

The 'No More page 3' campaign started by Lucy Holmes, has been gaining momentum over recent days in Britain, with many uniting their voices against a tabloid newspaper, The Sun, to remove the infamous 'Page 3' - a page dedicated for topless images of women!

'The Page 3 image is there for no other reason than the sexual gratification of men. She's a sex object. But when figures range from 300000 women being sexually assaulted and 60000 raped each year, to 1 in 4 who have been sexually assaulted, is it wise to be repeatedly perpetuating a notion that women are sexual objects?'

~ The Independent

There is a lot that this pressure group-campaign has already achieved, but your support will help make a greater difference. For more information and to sign the petition please follow the link: http://nomorepage3.org/ - It is that simple!

'There never was a man or woman truly converted, from one end of the world to the other, who did not love the revealed will of God. Just as a child born into the world desires naturally the milk provided for its nourishment, so does a soul "born again" desire the sincere milk of the Word. This is a common mark of all the children of God - they "delight in the law of the Lord".

Show me a person who despises Bible reading, or thinks little of Bible preaching, and I hold it to be certain fact that he is not yet "born again". He may be zealous about forms and ceremonies. He may be diligent in attending sacraments and daily services. But, if these things are more precious to him than the Bible, I cannot think he is a converted man. Tell me what the Bible is to a man, and I will generally tell you what he is. This is the pulse to try - this is the barometer to look at - if we would know the state of the heart. I have no notion of the Spirit dwelling in a man and not giving clear evidence of His presence. And I believe it to be a signal evidence of the Spirit's presence when the Word is really precious to a man's soul.'

~ Bishop J. C. Ryle in his book 'Practical Religion'

Marriage without fidelity?

I was shocked to learn recently that Lady Stowell had made a statement that, "In terms of the law, marriage does not require the fidelity of couples."

Marriage is a union between one man and a woman; it's a covenant of  commitment. The very nature of such a promise requires one to be faithful, taking that element out of it results in a shallow, meaningless formality that is merely comprised of words - in my opinion, such a promise cannot be considered 'marriage' and as a result, is utterly worthless!

Lady Stowell believes that couples should 'decide for themselves the importance of fidelity'.
The law exists to discipline and direct society by establishing morality...unfortunately our law makers themselves need a lesson on morality! With people who possess a defective moral compass in power, no wonder society is spiralling down a detrimental bottomless pit!

As Christians, it is imperative now more than ever, to stand firm in what the Word of God has to say about issues such as this. It is our duty to direct people to Christ and hence to what is right, because those in power have themselves forgotten what 'is' and 'is not'. Even from a secular point of view, infidelity does no good! It may satisfy our fleeting lustful nature, but it hurts hearts and breaks families - the very institution we must be seeking to fortify.

Think about it! Act on it! The fate of the next generation depends on it!

For more on this: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/faithfulness-not-necessary-in-a-marriage-says-govt/

Visual Development - Connecting with our 'Spiritual Cortex'

Biology revision covered a variety of topics, one of which was on visual development. As I tried to make sense of it all, I realised that visual development is very similar to spiritual growth or 'spiritual development'.

The critical period of visual development is a time in post natal development in which the eyes need to be exposed to light, in order to refine the overlapping connections various neurones from the optic nerve, have with the columns of the visual cortex. The neurones compete for connections with the cortex. Depriving one eye of light (monocular deprivation) during this critical period, will sabotage its chances of acquiring connections with the cortex. As a result, when exposed to light after this period, even though the photoreceptors in the retina respond to it, the visual cortex does not. This is because stimulating neurones strengthens synapses, and the stronger the synapses the better the connections made!

Likewise, once we decide to walk with the Lord (the post natal development in Christian terms), we decide to strengthen our relationship with Him. In order to do so, we must consume ourselves with His word, regularly associate with firm believers and whenever possible, encapsulate ourselves with His presence by worship. Our souls need this spiritual stimuli in order to grow in the Lord so that we mature as Christians. Fortunately, the 'critical period of our spiritual development' does not last a short while but our whole lives, until we're united with the Savior, who is our 'spiritual cortex'.

Don't put it off too late, you may find that you've lost your connection!

Antinomianism - A Big Mistake!

Many of my posts feature the word: 'Antinomianism' - sadly my usage of it, I have learnt recently, has been terribly wrong! I apologize for this error and felt compelled to dig a little deeper into the roots of this misleading word...here is a summary of my findings.

Antinomianism stems from the Greek word meaning 'against the law' or 'lawlessness'. It is a concept that branched out of the Christian doctrine of 'Sola-Fide' (which states that salvation can only be attained by faith in Jesus Christ) shortly after the reformation, budding from Germany and penetrating every nation and generation of Christians to have ever lived. Its proposal that Christians are under no obligation to follow the moral laws due to faith in Christ, is a fallacy of the greatest kind; sadly, perhaps due to its appeal, it still lingers amidst us today, and as Christians it is our duty to rid evangelism of it and undo the damage it has caused.

Sadly this concept is used by many in the Catholic church to accuse Protestants. It's also not surprising  that unbelievers refer to it as a common cause of deterance - who can blame them when many evangelists seem to purely focus on 'Jesus loves you as you are!' swallowing perhaps the most important part... 'But He loves you too much to leave you unchanged!'

Surprisingly, antinomianism isn't a recent concept, it is an age old issue that can even be found battled against in Acts 21. However the Bible is very clear on what Salvation is, how it can be attained and the life that should follow as a result. Just like the apostles, we ought to address it too, and do so quickly. 

Salvation is indeed the outcome of faith but that's only part of the picture...
In Paul's letter to the Galatians he writes:

'...know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.' 
'...by observing the law no-one will be justified.' 
Why?

'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law'
So who has kept everything written in the Book of the Law? 
No one! 
Because 'there is no one righteous, not even one', and we can testify to that with our own lives!

Then what is the purpose of the law?
'...the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith'
The law serves as a pointer, to highlight our need for a Savior. 

However, just because salvation is a matter of faith, you cannot happily gallop off into a whirlpool of sin! Repentance is key! Jesus Himself said in the sermon on the mount, that a man is known by his fruits. Moreover, James reminds us lucidly that 'Faith without works is dead' - good works justify before men our faith after salvation. These good works result from a change of heart and an observance of God's holy law. 
Salvation DOES NOT give us a licence to sin but highlights our liability towards our sin; it DOES NOT overthrow the law, but perfects it! Antinomianism is classic case of 2 Peter 3:16 where the 'ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.'

As I am a novice, I should probably stop ranting, hence I'll leave you to ponder on this Facebook status posted by a friend and young pastor, Ryan King:
'Antinomianism: the sacrifice of godly purity on the alter of 'gospel' passion. It twists propitiation into permission, expiation into an excuse, liberty into licence, and freedom into foolishness. By effectively turning our redemption by Christ's substitution into reason for Christians to sin, it perverts God's grace, denies Christ's Lordship, profanes Christ's blood, and grieves the Holy Spirit. If you want to be truly passionate about the gospel of Christ, you won't go here!'