Sex Through the Eyes of a Virgin Christian Girl

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Here are a few "perspective changers" on sex from self-described virgin Christian girl, Salem Afangideh.

SEX. It is one of the most talked-about topics in our culture, yet it is also the most perverted from the way God originally intended it to be. I feel very unqualified to talk about sex because, as you have probably figured out from the title of this article, I have no experience in this area. However, God and I have had a few conversations about it. Since He made sex, who better to talk about it with?

Here are a few perspective changers on sex:

1. God made sex: Think about that the next time you are in doubt of how creative, funny, and intricate God is.

2. Sex is fun: In the Christian world, when I was growing up, the older generations’ strategy for trying to keep the teenagers abstinent was to make sex seem dirty and bad. This strategy really backfired when teenagers started having sex and discovered how fun it was; it was much harder to keep them away from doing it. While I would not know about how fun sex is, I have been blessed with Godly couples who have told me it is so worth the wait. Instead of viewing sex as this bad and dirty thing to avoid, I see it as a wonderful and fun gift God has created for me to enjoy in the season of marriage.

3. Sex was made to be within the context of marriage: Eccl. 3:11 says, “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time.” Premarital sex will never be as fulfilling as sex within a marriage.

Sex within a marriage makes you feel safe because your spouse has chosen you over every other person in the world. No matter how much a guy tells you he loves you while dating/courting, if he has not paid the price called marriage, he does not deserve to know what your body looks like. Sex was made to be the final glue that bonds two people together, it was created to be a seal for people who have bonded spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually in marriage. It gets messy when you bond sexually with someone first and then try to figure out the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual connection.

For my sisters who have already chosen to be sexually active, I do not want to bring condemnation, but a challenge to choose purity. We worship a God who delights in restoring us, and if you decide to live a life of purity, He will empower and strengthen you to do it. You will be in a much better position to be an advocate of purity because you have been down both roads.

4. Sex is all about serving: This would have to be the biggest shift from how our culture looks at sex to the way God sees sex. The act of having sex (or not having sex before marriage) is all about serving another person. For the unmarried Christian girl that is striving to save sex for her future husband, you are serving him in a beautiful way and showing him he can trust you after you are married. The fact that you waited for him means more than you will ever know. You are also serving our Lord Jesus Christ by honoring Him with your body. For the married Christian woman who chooses to have sex with her husband after a crazy busy day, you are serving him with your body in the most beautiful way. And as you serve him, you are also serving our Lord Jesus Christ.

How do you see sex?

-Salem Afangideh 

Source: https://www.idisciple.org/

Irrelevant Details? John 8:6-8 || Apologetics For The Bible || Authority Of The Bible

John 8:6-86 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have evidence to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.

(Adopted from “What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ?” God in the Dock)

As a literary historian, I am perfectly convinced that whatever the Gospels are they are not legends. I have read a great deal of legend and I am quite clear that they are not the same sort of thing. They are not artistic enough to be legends. From an imaginative point of view they are clumsy, they don’t work up to things properly. Most of the life of Jesus is totally unknown to us, as is the life of anyone else who lived at that time, and no people building up a legend would allow that to be so. Apart from bits of the Platonic dialogues, there are no conversations that I know of in ancient literature like the Fourth Gospel. There is nothing, even in modern literature, until about a hundred years ago when the realistic novel came into existence. In the story of the woman taken in adultery we are told Christ bent down and scribbled in the dust with His finger. Nothing comes of this. No one has ever based any doctrine on it. And the art of inventing little irrelevant details to make an imaginary scene  more convincing is a purely modern art. Surely the only explanation of this passage is that the thing really happened? The author put it in simply because he had seen it.

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The Four Faithful Women at the cross || International Women's Day || Meditation from the Cross

Jesus dies on the Cross for all kind of sinners, even those who have demonstrated a profound degree of unfaithfulness to Him. 

All the 11 disciples (although temporarily) either renounced their faith or hidden their faces from the general public. Praise the Lord! God will not leave us in between. Even though we fall away for some time, God will pick us up to our profession before we die (Rom 8:28:30). What catches my eye is the 4 women stood with Jesus at the cross until He dies. 

Four Faithful Women of God:

1) Mary the mother of Jesus

2) Mary Magdalene (from whom Jesus drove seven Demons out)

3) Mary the mother of James the younger & of Joses

4) Salome

Even though all the disciples forsook him, these women stood with Jesus. Those whom He called and would commission as Apostles were less faithful than those who would not receive the Apostolic office. 

The Sorrowful look: The most beloved Son of God was now pierced. Imagine how it would have cut them into pieces (Especially for Jesus' mother). Stream of tears would have flown from their eyes. 

Let us learn from these women how to stand with Jesus even in tough circumstances instead running from Him. 

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CAN YOU SEE HER? Joe Stowell

CAN YOU SEE HER? AND BEHOLD, THERE WAS A WOMAN IN THE CITY WHO WAS A SINNER. —Luke 7:37

What a contrast. Jesus loved and forgave the town prostitute. Simon, the good person in town, was repulsed by her presence.

Lisa DePalma, a recent Moody grad, ministers to prostitutes on Chicago’s West and North Sides. Always used and never loved, they hear—some of them for the first time—that God has wonderfully loved them in Jesus Christ. Recently, I sat in a small gathering where Lisa was describing her work with these women. We sat stunned, gripped by the awfulness of her stories of shattered throwaway lives. For most of us, prostitutes are some distant reality, a repulsive part of the dark underside of society. Few of us have ever thought about them, let alone of taking the love of Jesus to them. My guess is that more often than not we think of prostitutes with Simon’s kind of sanctimonious aloofness—the aloofness that often plagues our kind of Christianity.

Lisa wrote these pleading lines:

Can you see her? Will you let God show you?
Her face instead of her clothes? Her eyes instead of her body?
Can you see her? Will you let God show you?
She has a name instead of a label, A broken heart instead of a hard one
Can you see her? Will you let God show you?
The image of God instead of an object of scorn
Her worth to the Savior instead of her worthlessness to the world
Can you see her? Will you let God show you?
His heart of forgiveness instead of your heart that judges
His blood that covers instead of your rules that condemn
Can you see her? Will you let God show you?
And when you do see, what then?

I wish Lisa had been there to whisper these words to Simon as he watched with revulsion the outpouring of the prostitute’s love at Jesus’ feet. His well-conformed life had shut her out. Christ welcomed her in. Are there any sinners that you could love in Jesus’ name? - Joe Stowell

Strategies for Effective Reading

The allure of boasting about the sheer number of books one has read is a common pitfall. However, this approach often leads to superficial engagement with the material. True wisdom is not in the quantity, but in the depth of understanding. Resist the temptation to read merely for the sake of competition or to inflate one's perceived intellect. The essence of reading lies in the assimilation and comprehension of ideas, not in accumulating titles under one's belt.

There is a profound difference between merely reading and absorbing the essence of a book. It is the thoughtful contemplation and internalization of a text that truly enriches one's knowledge and perspective. A dedicated reader who thoughtfully explores 25 books annually over a decade is likely to attain a deeper understanding and appreciation than someone who rushes through 250 books in a single year, seeking quantity over quality.

Approach reading as a journey, not a sprint. Embrace the practice of pausing to jot down notes, ponder over intriguing concepts, and reflect on the implications of what you've read. This deliberate pace allows for a richer comprehension and a more meaningful connection with the material. Remember, the value of reading is not measured by how quickly you turn the pages, but by the insights and knowledge you gain.

Additional Helpful Tips:

Set Reading Goals: Establish realistic and meaningful goals for your reading. This could include a mix of genres, authors, and topics to broaden your perspective.

Engage in Active Reading: Use techniques such as highlighting, annotating, and questioning the text. This active engagement helps in better retention and understanding.

Join a Reading Group: Participating in a book club or reading group can offer diverse perspectives and enrich your reading experience through discussion and debate.

Balance Reading with Reflection: Allocate time not just for reading but also for reflecting on what you’ve read. This could be through writing summaries, discussing with others, or simply meditating on the key ideas.

Choose Quality over Quantity: Focus on books that challenge, inspire, or transform your thinking, rather than aiming for a high number of books.

By incorporating these strategies, your reading experience can become more fulfilling, leading to a deeper understanding and a greater appreciation of the literature you engage with.

Post credit: Monergism 

A Simple Approach to Family Devotions

There is a lot of hubbub in Reformed circles regarding family religion—or, as it is sometimes is called, family worship. If you’re an evangelical, you probably simply call this family devotions. Regardless, there has been a real effort to recover this practice among Christian families. I have even seen some men post statuses containing the “liturgy” of their family worship. They are quite long.

In The Puritan Family, Edmund Morgan writes:

‘Every morning immediately upon rising and every evening before retiring a good Puritan father led his household in prayer, in scriptural reading, and in singing of psalms. Whenever they sat down at table together, he offered thanks to the Lord.’

Now, fathers, please note what Morgan reports next:

‘None of these devotions was supposed to be long. Although the Puritans enjoyed two-hour sermons on the Sabbath, they tried to avoid prolixity in their family services. Cotton Mather says of John Cotton that he always read a chapter of Scripture to his family every morning and every evening, “with a little applicatory exposition, before and after which he made a prayer; but he was very short in all, accounting as Mr. Dod, Mr. Bains, and other great saints did before him, ‘That it was a thing inconvenient many ways to be tedious in family duties.’’

There is a tendency to either do nothing, or to be overzealous in what you do. Neither are good when it comes to family worship. As always, you need to keep it between the ditches. John Cotton strikes me as a solid example of plodding consistency. The goal should be to make Scripture reading, prayer, and praise a normal part of your home. It is unwise to recreate something approximating an entire Sunday service. That is, as Dod and Bains indicated, a very tedious thing for all involved.

My approach is very simple. I read a portion Scripture when my kids are half-way through their breakfast. I do this because I have some very small children. The light distraction of eating actually helps them pay attention to me when I talk. After I finish reading, I ask them a few questions about the passage, make a few applications, and close with prayer. That is it for us. This takes 10–15 minutes.

We follow this pattern Monday through Friday. I would like to eventually add praise to our time together. Presently, my children sing a hymn together as part of their home-school curriculum. I’ll add it into our devotional time soon. My main goal is consistency and participation.

An example might be helpful; here is a summary of what we did around the table today. This morning our text was Psalm 100 (I needed a break from Matthew). I read it and asked, “What is this Psalm about?”

My eldest son (12) said, “It is about God’s goodness and how we are to worship Him.” I replied, “Good. Anyone else?” No one spoke up. I pushed, “Caedmon, anything you’d like to add?” He had nothing. I always push for participation, but I don’t demand water from a stone. So I moved on.

I pointed out that Hudson was right. The passage is full of verbs like shout, serve, and come. However, the imperatives aren’t naked. They are accompanied by modifiers. We must shout joyfully, serve with gladness, and so forth. God isn’t interested in naked actions. They must be adorned with the right attitude.

I told them the passage gave us reasons why we should possess such attitudes. I asked them if they could point any of those reasons out. One of them pointed out that “we are sheep of his pasture.” I agreed; that was a big reason. God takes care of us. He provides for us like a shepherd provides for his sheep.

My application was straightforward. We cultivate gladness and joy through meditating on how God has been good to us. I pointed out a few ways God had been kind to our family. Also, I exhorted my boys to sing with more zeal in the worship service, and to be more attentive during the sermon. I ended in prayer.

That was it this morning. Sometimes it’s less and sometimes it’s more.

Again, my goal is consistency and participation.

Consistency: You need to find a time that consistently works for your family. Evenings don’t work for us. We tried to make it work for years, but were never able to get any real momentum. It took switching to mornings to have a real breakthrough.

Participation: I want my kids to interact with the text. I like to ask lots of simple questions. What is this passage about? What is it telling us to do or not do? Why is it telling us this? What sticks out to you? What doesn’t make sense to you? Etc. I also like to keep it short. I don’t want to see any eyes glazing over. So I only do 10–15 verses on average. Sometimes I go longer, but only if the passage is very exciting. I don’t want anyone, particularly my older children, to check out.

The most important thing is not to establish some kind of perfect family liturgy. The most important thing is to just do something. Find what works for your family. Keep it simple so you can make it into a habit. Because you can always build on a habit.”

- Michael Foster

What are the verses to share while sharing the Gospel? Samuel India

The Truth of the Gospel

(What are the verses to share while sharing the Gospel?)

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

John 14:6 - Jesus is the only way

John 1:12 - When you believe, you become a child of God

John 3:3-5 - You must be born again by the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 2:1,8&9 - We are saved by God's grace through our Faith.

1 Peter 1:23 - We are born again by the Word of God

Titus 3:5 - We are regenerated by the Holy Spirit

Matthew 1:21 - Jesus means the Saviour who forgives our sins

Matthew 3:11 - Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit

John 14:16,17&23 - Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit and through Holy Spirit the Father and the Son come and live within us - the whole Godhead lives within us

Matthew 4:17-19 - We must repent, believe and follow Jesus

Matthew 28:18-20 - We must be baptized and follow all the teachings of Jesus

John 10:10 & 1 John 5:12&13 - Jesus gives eternal life, we have eternal life now now itself through the Holy Spirit

John 13:34-35 - We are commanded to love one another (to love all disciples)

Matthew 24:14 & Mark 16:15&16 - We are commissioned to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God

Matthew 28:19 - We are commissioned to make disciples

Acts. 2:42-47 & Ephesians 4:11-13 - We must live together with other disciples and come together as church for Teaching, Prayer, Fellowship (communion), Worship, Serving one another, for edification and to be equipped for the work of the Mission

John 17:18 - Jesus sends every disciples

1 Timothy 2:2 - We must multiply disciples minimum upto 4th generations

John 20:31 - the Scriptures are written so that the Gospel must be preached and people would believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God and have eternal life

Thus...

John 3:16

God so loved the world and gave His only Son Jesus who saves us through Holy Soirit

And

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - We (the redeemed people) are the Holy Temple of God

And

1Peter 2:9 & Revelation 1:5-6 - We are made holy, a kingdom and priests to God

And Finally

Revelation 5:9-10 & 7:9-12 - God's vision is to disciple all people group and bring them together as one Family

John 10:16 - Jesus is on the Mission of making disciples to make this vision possible, we must join Him on the Mission

Acts. 1:8 - the Holy Spirit is given to do the Mission, the work of the whole Church is the Mission

Let's be Disciples of Jesus

and

Make Disciples for Jesus!!!

FB post -> Samuel India