Sex, Consent and Personal Responsibility

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Photo by Caleb Ekeroth on Unsplash

Sex, Consent and Personal Responsibility

A long time ago, in what now seems like a galaxy far away, the general consensus was that the only appropriate context for sexual activity was within marriage defined as one man and one woman committing themselves to each other for life. This viewpoint was derived from the Bible and 2000 years of christian tradition.

Marriage provided a safe place for people who loved each other to engage in sex acts in an atmosphere of mutual respect. “Consent” could be negotiated by partners who knew each other intimately and were committed to pleasing one another. Marriage also provided a safe place for children to be raised, which was important because in those days sex and reproduction were hard to separate.

The system was not perfect as people were involved. Rape was an uncommon but real crime and generally despised by the public. Domestic violence was a reality that marred some marriages. People were unfaithful at times, and divorce on these grounds occurred.

Then in the 1960’s came the birth control pill and the Sexual Revolution. Sexual activity was divorced from childbirth and also from marriage. More diverse forms of sexual expression came to be tolerated and “no fault” divorce became all the rage, leading to much higher rates of marriage breakdown.

Sixty years on, we have a very weak institution of marriage being constantly undermined to accommodate same sex marriage and threesomes.

More worrying, but entirely predictable, we have people opining about the issue of consent in sexual encounters. Self-styled “experts” claim that consent must be enthusiastic at every stage of the process. If you so much as look at a person without this consent you can be accused of harassment or assault.

The NSW Police Commissioner suggested a phone app whereby people can register their agreement before hand, only to be shot down by the feminists who claim it was just a patriarchal ploy to continue the repression of women. What happens if “Yes” changes to “No” part way? If you are playing with your phone prior to sex, you might as well just cut all the risk and go straight to the porn sites.

Men have their reputations trashed by people alleging unwanted sexual approaches that took place decades before. Even the death of a complainant years ago is not enough to stop the outrage and the name calling.

We don’t need consent apps and education in primary schools. We don’t need culture change in Parliament or diversity training in corporations.

Just one simple rule will fix it: if you are not married to a person you don’t have sex with them, kiss them, touch them or do anything remotely sexual with them.

An additional rule would be: you love your spouse with all your body, mind and soul until death parts you. Those words you spoke at the altar are supposed to be a binding life-long promise.

If society honoured marriage, practised the “sanctity” of marriage and taught children and youth to do likewise, many of the scandals and problems that keep cropping up would be done away with.

This is another area where God’s intention for people works out a lot better than the wisdom of mere humans.

Reflection on Matthew 10:16-25

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Scripture

“When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking – it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

Observation

Jesus sends His followers out like sheep among wolves. They will need to be shrewd like snakes and as gentle as doves.

They will be handed over to courts and flogged. But this will be an opportunity to tell the rulers about Jesus. They should not worry about what to say because God will tell them the words to speak.

Family members will betray them, and nations will hate them. Everyone who endures to the end will be saved.

Application

Persecution is always a possibility for christians. Even in the relatively benign Christendom cultures, we see a growing seizure of power by governments and the use of that power against people who question the prevailing ideology.

Covid has been the perfect opportunity for politicians to offer “salvation” to terrified voters. Lockdowns and border restrictions once considered unthinkable became reality.

Pastors who refused to abide by restrictions that forbade church meetings but allowed casinos to operate, found themselves before courts and even imprisoned.

In all of this, we do not have to be anxious about how we will conduct ourselves in court. A trial is a great opportunity to speak of Jesus. Prison ministry can be very rewarding.

When we are under pressure from state, employers or neighbours, we can be sure that the Holy Spirit will speak through us. We can be sure also that the Lord will direct our paths, even through unpleasant trials.

Prayer

Thank you Father for the assurance that you will never leave me. I pray for my nation Lord- please send revival so that every knee will bow before you. Amen.

Mushrooms

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Mushrooms are not common in Narrabri as most of the time the soil is too dry. With all the rain we have had, they are springing up everywhere. This is a selection of what is growing in my garden at the moment.

Ephesians 4:14

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Here is my commentary on Ephesians 4:14. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au

Ephesians 4:14

Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching, and by the cunning and craftIness of men in their deceitful scheming .

When we, the church, are mature and attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, then we will not be easily moved from our faith in Christ. This is talking about the state of the church rather than specific individuals, although it is obviously as true of individuals as it is of the Body of Christ.

This state of maturity brings with it a measure of strength and stability. The winds and storms of life do not sway an adult as they might do a small child. We have strength, experience and resources that a child left alone would not have.

The church is surrounded by enemies who seek to destroy her. The only way to survive is to grow strong in the Lord, to become mature under the tutelage of the five- fold ministry gifts.

In the Bible waves often refer to the constant stirring and restlessness of humanity without God; in other words, a godless culture.

These waves batter the church. Popular opinion is always opposed to the church, because God’s perspective is opposed to human opinion. Society wants to go its own way in respect to sexuality, abortion, families, marriage, euthanasia, and so on. These are the core issues of any society, and western culture is rapidly accelerating away from biblical values on these and other issues.

There is constant pressure on the church to modify its teachings, to modernise its beliefs. The world wants the church to endorse its sinful desires rather than to condemn them.

When the church is mature, it resists these waves that come against it. It refuses to be pushed around by popular opinion and stands firm. Churches that are not mature find themselves compromising and ultimately overwhelmed by the waves so that they lose their distinctiveness and ultimately die.

The church should be directed by the wind of the Holy Spirit. It can be instead “blown here and there by every wind of teaching.”

There are many false teachers in the church. To be a false teacher does not mean that a teacher is wrong at every point. No, they are often right at most points, but they overemphasise a particular doctrine.

Prosperity teaching is one such doctrine. God wants to prosper us, but that means He wants us to live good and virtuous lives in fellowship with Him. Prosperity in God’s ways comes from living generously and faithfully within the means that He gives us. Prosperity teaching twists this to say that God wants all of his disciples to be wealthy by the world’s standards.

“New” teachings seem to arise several times a year. it can be tiring just keeping up with the latest fashions. These teachings are like competing winds that blow the church in all directions.

God has called the church to be faithful and patient, to walk in humble obedience to him. New teachings might seem exciting, but they distract us from our purpose.

Another way that the church is buffeted about is the cunning and craftines of men in their deceitful scheming.

There are people, both men and women, who seek to use the church as their personal domain of power. Some are pastors, but many are not. They want to use the church as a means to exercise control over other people.

In the 1990’s, there was a movement in the church called “Shepherding.” Under this teaching, people were taught that they were not to make any decision unless it was first submitted to the pastor. This was totally unbiblical and served as a means for pastors to control their parishioners.

Many churches have been destroyed by people insinuating themselves into a position of power and undermining the legitimate authority of the pastor or other ministers.

These crafty and deceitful schemes of people will cause an immature church to fall apart. The need is for those churches to be mature so that they have discernment in seeing the true motives those who would come into steal and destroy .

The encouraging word in this verse is that when we are mature we can withstand these enemies.

Over many years I have seen people try to established churches on poor teaching, or on the sheer strength of their personality. But these things have no foundation. The pastor or church planter has no real relationship with Christ, so how can they build anything for Him?

The church needs to be led by genuine men and women of God, the five-f old ministers placed by God, not by the appointment of human structures.

Key points in this verse

  • The church has many enemies who try to overcome it
  • We must be mature in the faith to withstand opposition
  • False teaching will blow the church in every wrong direction
  • We must be wary of the craftinessof people and their deceptive schemes.

Reflection on Matthew 10:1-15

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Scripture

“Go and announce to them that the kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, cure those with leprosy, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received.

Observation

Jesus chooses the twelve apostles and the sends them out to the people of Israel. They are to announce the good news, heal the sick and raise the dead.

The apostles are not to take any money, but to rely on the hospitality of people in the various towns they visit. If anyone refuses to welcome them, they are to shake the dust from their feet as they leave.

Application

Our task as disciples of Jesus is not complicated. Firstly, we are to tell people that the kingdom of God is here. That means that people should turn away from their selfish ways of living and submit to the authority of King Jesus.

To back up the claim about Jesus’ reign, we are to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons. In other words, our message needs to be confirmed with miracles.

I read today about a couple who went to a remote village in Africa to translate the Bible into the local language. It was difficult at first because, although they had learned French which was an official language in that country, very few of the local people understood French. After several years of learning how to fit into that village, there was a boy who was suffering a life- threatening illness. There was no medical care available, so the missionary said to the pastor, “We should pray.” As he said the word “pray” the boy opened his eyes. They prayed for him and he was healed immediately.

This is the normal christian life. We need to take hold of the authority given to us in Christ and exercise it to His glory.

Prayer

Lord, teach me how to preach your gospel, heal the sick and raise the dead so that I can serve you effectively. Amen.