Purity and Truth Menu

All items for July, 2010

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God’s prescription for life-long romance

By Jesse Jost (Taken from Extreme Romance)

The gift of romance and physical intimacy

God loves to give His children good gifts! His creativity, wisdom, and love manifest themselves in the varied pleasures He bestows on us. But with any gift, there is a right way and a wrong way to enjoy it. We can maximize the enjoyment of the gift or misuse it so badly that it actually becomes a curse. With each gift comes a responsibility to not let it go to waste or to use it improperly.

Continue reading…

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Sexually Compatible?

How can we know if we are sexually compatible if we don’t do some experimenting?

By Jesse Jost (Taken from Extreme Romance)

Sexual compatibility is not simply a matter of two people finding someone else with the right genetic make-up. Sexual attraction is a very complex issue. For whatever reason, some people will be more sexually attractive to you than others. People will argue that you should marry someone who really turns you on sexually. I agree that there should be lots of spark and attraction in marriage, but I disagree that we need to find our certain “type” to be sexually satisfied. Learning how to be satisfied sexually and how to satisfy your spouse is an art that has to be learned. Movies and novels will sell you the idea that all you have to do is put two sexually compatible people together and their experience will be wonderful. It is easy to create that perfect scenario in fantasy, but in real life there are so many more issues that have to be worked through. Continue reading…

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Highly recommended Apologetics Resources

Recommended Books on Apologetics

Basic

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Frank Turek and Norm Geisler

Between Heaven and Hell by Peter Kreeft

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Michael Licona and Gary Habermas

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel

The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel

Intermediate

Jesus Under Fire General Editors J.P. Moreland and Michael Wilkins

Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ron Tacelli

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

True for You But Not For Me by Paul Copan

That’s Just Your Interpretation by Paul Copan

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

Advanced

Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig

Scaling the Secular City by J.P. Moreland

Great Apologetics Websites

www.str.org (Greg Koukl)

www.equip.org (Hank Hanegraaff)

www.apologetics315.blogspot.com (A terrific collection of audio debates and messages)

www.tektonics.org (A good place to resolve bible difficulties)

www.rzim.org  (Ravi Zacharias)

  • Brad

    Good list. I think I own more than half of these titles. John Piper’s God is the Gospel is also a great title to consider.

    Brad

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What is Christian Apologetics?

Apologetics comes from the Greek word, apologia, meaning defense. Apologetics is the spiritual discipline that provides reasons for belief. Apologetics seeks to prove that Christianity is not only rooted in history and evidence, but is also consistent with and corresponds with reality. It also seeks to answer objections such as: “how could a good God send someone to hell? Is Jesus really the only way? Why has the church been so hypocritical and brutal?”

Biblical Support for Apologetics:

1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”

2 Cor 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Phil. 1:17, “But the latter [preach Christ] out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.”

Jude 3,  “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

Titus 1:9, “ holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”          

2 Timothy 2:24-25, “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.”

Isaiah 1:18, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”

Matt 22:37, “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”

1 Thess 5: 21, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.”

2 Cor.5:20, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

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God’s ROMANCE for singles

by Jesse Jost 

 Love, sex, and romance are some of God’s greatest gifts to us. Romantic love is one of the most powerful forces in the world. But this is not a gift to be enjoyed any way we see fit. God gave us strict rules regarding love. It is only to be used in the context of lifelong commitment. God gave us these rules not to restrict our pleasure but to restrict our pain. If you violate these rules the gift ceases to function the way God designed it. A sports car will cease to function if you put the wrong kinds of fuel in it and don’t take proper care of it. In the same way, sex and romance can be ruined if the owner’s manual is not followed. Misuse of this gift can bring terrible pain and heartache if God’s design is ignored. However, these gifts are also the most amazing pleasurable experiences known to man, if they are accompanied by purity and holiness.

Continue reading…

  • Keith

    God created time.Create all things but not Romance in the since of what you see in movies or the terms diehard romantic or hopeless romantic .flowers,valentines etc.but we are supposed to treat LADIES With respect.and Women should act dress and behave like Godly women as in Proverbs 31,but Man is to be head of the household .today to many females want to act like men(tattoos,cussing etc.tomboyish like) GOD FEARING MEN AND WOMEN ARE WHAT MAKES A MARRIAGE WORK.Before I Redicated myself to THE LORD I Used to and sometimes do watch those romantic comedies only problem is they have too much sex or premaritial instead of old fashioned Christian values.GOD MUST COME FIRST .We must seek him and keep him first.

  • Sophia Thundu

    Thank you, as a single young woman, this is the exact encouragement I needed for my heart from the Lord. I am so grateful you wrote this. I have always and will always be determined to wait on the Lord for His choice of my spouse. I have met mant different people who believe that God doesn’t choose a mate, but rather there are so many options out there and there is no one persona exactly for you. But I’m my heart of hearts, and believing in the goodness and unique plan God has for my life I know He can provide my spouse for me. I have not met him yet, but I know he is real and exists. I have been praying for him and trusting God to bring it to pass. I am reminded of Romans 4 the faith of Abraham, where he knew his body was old and beyond hope of having a promised child, but God have Him a promise and he believed Gid, standing steadfast in faith, God was pleased with this and brought the promise to fulfillment. And in Jeremiah 29:11, God does know the plans he has for me. If he directed my life so far as the schools I attended and the places I’ve been, the opportunities that have opened, why would he not direct and being to pass my future husband that he so lovingly is keeping for me, as much as He is keeping and preserving Him for me? The walk of purity comes with challenges and temptations as you wrote about earlier like possibility of infatuation or wondering if someone you notice could be the one. God has faithfully guided me by His Spirit and His word to know how to treat one another as the body of Christ, in 2 Timothy 5:1-2, he shows is how to relate to one another, and young man and women are to relate to one another as brother and sister in all purity. And in Song of Songs 2:7, there is an address to women not to awaken love before it so desires. So I truly am strengthened and encouraged by your article, God bless you, I love to see the faithfulness of God in bringing your heart desire to pass. I currently encourage others in the walk for purity and faith in God, when he fulfils his promise to me and his goodness, I look forward to sharing that part of the story too. John 14:1 Have faith in God.

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Breakdown: A Demon’s Guide to Communication

http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-young-nerd-hacker-virus-hacking-thoughts-green-background-image35193479 A demon’s guide to using communication effectively.

By Dr. Wormwood PhD

(Message intercepted by Jesse Jost)

Communication breakdown is an excellent way to destroy relationships. Historically this has been one of our greatest and most effective tools. I always marvel at how easy it is to use and how much damage it can cause. One of my favorite books is Jack Hornfield’s inspirational “Human Soup for the Demon’s Soul.”  In it he includes story after touching story of countless marriages crumbling under the skillful use of communication breakdown. In this article, I will explore some tactics I have found very effective after   centuries of seeking new means to bring down these loathsome creatures. I will show you the pitfalls to avoid and how to ensure that the lines of communication stay down. I know you will be inspired to use these simple tricks to bring ruin to your own subjects. Continue reading…

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Choosing Life

by Jesse Jost

Recently a young father in our community was suddenly taken from this life when his sprayer made contact with an over head power line. He left behind a beautiful wife and two small boys and a whole community searching for answers. How could God let this happen? How dare he break up a young couple like that? Those are tough questions. Losing your life partner ranks near the top of the list of the most painful things that can happen to a human. When God allows a spouse to die, emotions are shattered and God’s goodness is called into question. But this tragedy raised a different troubling issue for me. This same community that is in shock that God would allow a death in a marriage has seen the death of many other marriages. These other marriages were not involuntarily broken apart, rather the death was willingly chosen. No, it wasn’t murder that broke the sacred bonds of matrimony, it was divorce. 

Continue reading…

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Why am I not an atheist

Why I am Not an Atheist

By Jesse Jost

For the most part, atheists are content to keep their views to themselves. Understandably atheism and religious fervor don’t usually go together…Until now. Today there is group of militant, dogmatic, fundamentalist atheists with the evangelistic drive of Billy Graham. If you haven’t heard the names of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, or Daniel Dennett, you soon will. In fact you just did. These men have the passion of a late 1800’s women’s temperance union. However it is not the evils of alcohol they are trying to ban, it is the evils of religion. Hitchens claims that “religion poisons everything” while Dawkins wants the teaching of religion to minors to be classified as child abuse. These men welcome us “deluded God-believing nut cases” to abandon our bigoted superstitions and join them in their clear thinking oasis. I have read much of the so called “New Atheism’s” evangelistic material. They want to convert the world to join them in the church of the godless. Continue reading…

  • Tim

    A dear friend of mine recently told me he can’t believe in God anymore. I was stunned. I couldn’t respond in the moment because I didn’t know what to say, or what to do. I just mumbled a few words and that was that. I left for home the next day. And unfortunately he lives in another country so I haven’t had a chance to talk with him about it since.

    For months afterword I was in a weird state of grief, not so much at his admission of atheism as at my inability to respond in a crucial moment. So I spent hours thinking and reading and listening, trying to understand the atheist position, why he ‘lost’ his faith, and (I’ll admit) trying to find answers for him so that the next time I see him I’ll have just the right thing to say.

    It turns out I’ve learned more about my attitude toward atheists and atheism during this time than I have about what he might be thinking or feeling or the pain he might be going through. I think my Christian tradition taught me to hold at a distance those whose beliefs are different from mine, especially atheists. I now realize that my initial response was to feel a sense of superiority because I had the Truth and he didn’t (ironically, he studied at a Bible school and knows the Bible really well). I was also skeptical and suspicious of our friendship, his trustworthiness and morality, and a bunch of other things I can’t quite put my finger on yet. I’m still coming to terms with this dark part of myself. The truth is, I can’t relate to where he is right now because I have a prejudice towards atheists. This simply means I can’t love them very well. And that saddens me deeply.

    I’m beginning to heal. And I’m starting to glimpse what it’s often like to lose ones faith. When I see him next, instead of trying to convince him that he’s wrong about God, or that his atheism is misguided, I think I’ll just give him a hug and tell him that he’s loved.

    Mike McHargue says, ‘Atheists are not evil. They just don’t believe in God. It’s time for those of us who believe to stop expressing hostility towards atheists, be it overt or subtle. May we learn to treat atheists with the kindness, compassion, and consideration that Jesus offers to us.’

    Check out Mike’s podcast.
    http://www.theliturgists.com/podcast/2014/10/14/episode-6-lost-and-found-part-1#disqus_thread

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