PORN, Parents, The Church & The Point

I sit here this morning excited.  It's 8:21 am on Friday September 26th and we are 9 days away from Porn Sunday at Church at Hampton Roads.

Isn't this taboo?  Aren't we suppose to stay quiet?  Aren't our kids to young?  This should not be discussed in Church.

I have experienced the death grip of porn in my life.  Early on in my marriage it almost took everything from me.  But God, in His mercy AND POWER, delivered me from the lies that were fueling my addiction.  Porn is everywhere.  It is pervasive.  It ranges from ads to music videos to beyond hardcore (take my word for it).  It is a destroyer of intimacy & physiology.  It has more of a grip on our culture than we know.  Because, we do not discuss it much.  We live in a self regulated bubble where we do not seem to care about the plight of others.  The social mandate is to remain quiet.  Porn, for the most part is taboo.

Proverbs 24:11 says, "Rescue those being taken off to death, and save those stumbling towards slaughter."

We have received for the most part a lot of great response to our desire to tackle this subject. People who are grateful.  Then there are those who start to squirm, cringe and back away.  Then rarely things are said like:

"My kids are too young..."
"This makes me uncomfortable..."
"Should the Church be talking about this?"
"Aren't you by talking about it opening the door to it?"

I grew up in a generation where not many took the time or effort to tell me about porn.  And when I became affected by it, resentment built up in me like a flood.  I can understand if you (the older generation) sent me out into the world equipped for what I was to face.  But to stay fearful?  To leave me defenseless and open to something like this?  That is NOT love.  Why did I not have older men spending time with me?  Parents doing a lot more for me? WARNING ME?  This thing almost took EVERYTHING!  My marriage, my kids and my future!  I have forgiven, but I wish as a son, with all my heart, someone would have gotten in my face fearlessly about this and possibly have saved me and my wife years of pain.

We, as a church, are dealing with 11 year old girls who have accidentally clicked on "pop-up ads" while online and now are addicted to porn.  THIS IS A WAKE UP CALL.  Your kids WILL eventually be introduced.  Are they ready for what they will face? The lies that come from this industry?

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he/she should go and when they are old they will not depart from it (leave it....)."

What are you doing to "train"?

Train defined...to undergo discipline and instruction, to drill.

You might say your kids will pursue it if you talk about it.  I say Satan is going to lure them whether you think he will or not.  And if you do not talk to them about it they will have to fight off possible future resentment because you were too afraid to instruct them, train them, and discipline them about things that REALLY matter.  Our role as parents is to equip.  And the best equipping comes BEFORE THE BATTLE! I want to work alongside the Holy Spirit to see Him raise a generation that is equipped, not that has to be fixed after the collateral damage.  The worst that could happen is that even if you have taken the time to equip them, if they still choose to embrace porn they at least know you loved them enough to engage them on this one.

We, the parents and THE CHURCH, ARE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE.  The apostle paul wrote letters to the Corinthian Church exposing sexual immorality that was so bad not even those outside the church were doing such things.  YES, the Church is to talk about any issue pertaining to life, Jesus and perversion.  We are equippers.  Unafraid, relentlessly holding up a banner of truth.

Ezekiel 44:23 says, "They MUST teach My people the difference between the holy and the common.  And EXPLAIN to them the difference between the clean and the unclean." That was said about the Levites (the priests...the "church"...you and me who make up the church now.)

Jesus said he would leave the 99 (the church, the found) to look for the 1 (the lost, the broken) Matthew 18:12.  He also said He is the father who is outside on the porch looking for His lost son even though the older son (the found one, the Church) is tugging on His shoulder, at times bitter that the world isn't revolving around him (us) (Luke 15:11-32).

Jesus came to deal with real issues, not hide from them. He has asked us as followers to be like Him:

"A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher." - Luke 6:40

Are you ready?  To be like your Teacher?  Jesus Christ? To be unafraid of sin, brokeness, perversion.  To seek and save that which is being lost?  Are you ready to equip those around you instead of being silent while they die inwardly and spiritually?  

Proverbs 10:5 says "...he/she who sleeps during the harvest is a disgraceful son/daughter."  There are people out there. They are the harvest.  The Great Commission to reach is our mandate!  Let us NOT sleep during our watch.  We will give account to God for how we honored Him and His Son by how we did or did not pursue people fearlessly.

It is time for us to reach boldly into Satan's kingdom and snatch those who are being led away to death!  Does every church or christian have to do it exactly the same way or in like manner? NO. But do not be ruled by fear.  Fear is a demonic spirit, not just an emotion you do not like (2 Timothy 1:7).  God has given us a SOUND MIND, READY for action.  

LET'S REACH!


Joel

God is a step ahead | STOP WORRYING

I had a moment this year as I get ready to turn 39 that I haven't had before.  It was a moment where the Holy Spirit whispered to me something I had not seen as clearly in ALL my life growing up in ministry.

I have, I guess, most of the time thought of Satan (the Devil, Lucifer, our adversary and opponent) as the one doing the conspiring against us or circumstances would happen to me and then God would go ahead and respond to intervene.  This year God showed me something as I did my reading through the Bible that has truly brought a new level of peace in my life and it became SO clear.  I want to share it with you.  


The Book of Esther goes like this ~

Chapter 1  

•   Queen Vashti angers King Ahasuerus  

Chapter 2  

• Search for a new Queen begins
• God moves a Jewish girl Esther into a place of favor to become Queen 
• Mordecai the Uncle of Esther saves the King from a plot to assassinate him

Chapter 3

• Haman, the highest official at the time comes up with a plan to kill off ALL Jews 

Chapter 4

• Mordecai appeals to Esther to go to the King about Haman's plan
• The Jews fast and pray for God's intervention

Chapter 5

• Haman builds 75 ft. gallows to hang mordecai on

Chapter 6

• Mordecai honored by the King for saving his life

Chapter 7-9

• Queen Esther gains favor and informs the King successfully about Haman's plot
• Haman is hanged along with his 10 sons were hung on the 75 ft. gallows Haman had built for Mordecai, his enemy.

If you have read this story before you may have caught this, you may have not.  The plan to attack and kill God's people came AFTER God had ALREADY begun to initiate His plan of salvation and deliverance!

STOP Worrying.  God BEGINS your way out BEFORE the attack comes!  Esther was ALREADY on her way into position (like the queen on a chess board about to get checkmate) BEFORE Satan could even inspire the wicked plan Haman came up with.  God is ALWAYS moving AHEAD of our giants!

STOP THINKING

• God is blind to your situation
• That He does not care
• That He is not powerful enough

He has ALREADY worked His plan

• on your way out
• on your freedom
• on your deliverance
• on your protection BEFORE the giant that is standing in your way right now even thought of standing in your way

Thank you Jesus you ARE more powerful than ANY giant and you see further, clearer than ANYONE.  You will not leave us, or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Pastor Joel

The Dividing Line is Coming

As I sit here this morning I think of the mandate God has given us to reach the world.  The Great Commission.  But as I think about it I am reminded that Jesus said the world would hate us because it hated Him.  And that those who love darkness always try to get away from the light.  Because the light exposes their actions.  That light is the Word of God.  Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path."

That light is also the person of Jesus.  John recounts in the first chapter of the Gospel of John, " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

This world is vehemently opposed to the truth.  We want to be "gods" ourselves.  Determining for ourselves what is right and wrong.  But that is NOT reality, we can not be our own god.  The end will be eternal death (eternal separation from God along with eternal punishment.)  There IS a war happening.  And you WILL be found on one side or the other!

The middle ground is shrinking.  WHO DO YOU BELONG TO?  I think of the movie Elf, where Will Ferrell sings, "I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!"  The true "Church", the ones in love with Jesus are NOT ashamed of the truth.  They are NOT ashamed to be counted among the followers of Jesus.  You can not ride the middle forever.

Satan and God are unified in the fact that neither of them will accept anything but full obedience.....they will mark those who belong to them.  It will happen...there will be NO 50 shades of grey on this one.  Which one will you choose?  The world, or Jesus...The Way, The Truth and The Life.  You will make a choice.  You are making a choice.  Indecision is a decision.  I appeal to you, give Him (Jesus) everything today...

Man's system that is coming will be one of the tools God and Satan use to identify their own.  The world is converging into a single entity and rule.  This is not a new concept.  It's in the Bible.  They (the world) will "mark" you with their system in the right hand or forehead according to Revelation 13 and you will not be able to buy or sell unless you have it.  If you take it you have sealed your fate.

The timeline might be vague but friends the time to decide is TODAY.  God has NOT been vague in His word.  Who are you serving?

Joel Brown & Halloween

Halloween.  Trick or Treating.  The last thing I want is for the world not to know where I stand. So, do I celebrate, honor, give it personal recognition or worth?  

Below are my thoughts.  Each of us MUST wrestle with what the Holy Spirit is saying to us about what we celebrate and join ourselves to.  And this is where I have landed.  Each one of us must act on our convictions.

My convictions are that I am in a covenant relationship with God.  A Marriage.  And I think to myself, would my wife like it if I were to flirt with someone other than her?  And if it would not sit well with my wife then why would I flirt with Halloween, evil spirits and the celebration of the power of death.  Would my Jesus who I am intimately connected with and committed to be ok with my flirting with others?

The seed / origins of Halloween is demonic.  These demonic spirits are the "others" I am referring to...and what we celebrate we open ourselves up to.  So if our lives are being effected by impatience, depression, anxiety, fear, stress, anger, frustration, worry...then somewhere we have opened ourselves up to the demonic.  Because those are the fruits of the flesh and the Kingdom of Satan.  The Fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faith and self-control.

All we have to do is look at the fruit of what is driving our lives and it will show us which Kingdom we may be truly celebrating.  With that said:

• I DON'T want ANYTHING but my covenant relationship with Jesus and to celebrate Him alone.  
• I DON'T want to compartmentalize and add mixture in my life.  Satan does not want to truly remove Jesus from our lives, he just wants to add other things as well and dilute God's power in us along with His connection with us.
• I DON'T flirt with celebrating the power of evil spirits and death.
• I DON'T want my life which is to be a living testimony of that covenant relationship end up confusing those around me...I want the world to see I am sold out God and to ONLY those things that lift Him up.
• I am convinced we are called to stand out.  To be different.  To give our lives wholly and completely to whatever gives honor and praise to the one and only true God.  Jesus Christ.

Psalm 101:3 says, "I will not set anything before my eyes that is worthless."  

Celebrating the power of death is not what I personally aim to do.  I don't even want to feel like I am encroaching on that.  To me it is worthless.  Nothing good will come from me celebrating the power of the demonic or death itself.  Unless it is the power that came AND STILL COMES from the death and RESURRECTION of Jesus.  

Evil defined by Ravi Zacharias is this:  The violation of purpose.  I was not designed to give honor or glory to anything other than my Creator, to celebrate life in Him.  So that's what I'm convicted to stick to.  

And I am EXCITED 1 Corinthians 15:55 says, "Death where is your victory?  Death where is your sting?"  Death your not even worth my time.



Joel  

Two Things That Hinder...Watch Out.

I was reminded lately that selfish ambition plays a large part in offense.  James chapter 4 asks us where the conflict and fights come from that are between us?  Isn't it from the selfishness that wars within us?

Have you ever heard a statement that unveils a persons insecurity? Have you ever sensed another persons jealousy because maybe they are not being seen enough or used enough?  Is this you?  Here are just a couple of quick thoughts:


Offense is just the sign that you are not dead yet.  Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, "...whoever wants to be my disciple MUST DENY THEMSELVES take up their cross and follow me."  Jesus also said not to fight back if anyone takes advantage of us.  Christians, it could be said are merely defined as the the living dead.  If you are able to be offended as a Christian you are wrong.  It's not all about you.

If you can not deal with people getting more attention than you, you will never let Jesus get more attention than you.  Which means God can not at this point promote you to where you are actually wanting to be because insecurity will DEMAND you get worth from that promotion, NOT from God alone.  When you are alright with not having the attention here on earth from people you will see your promotion.  Because at that point Jesus will be able to be first, in front of you.

These two things will cut off your influence with people and God. GET RID OF OFFENSE & INSECURITY.  My heart is passionate to see all of us free, and in a place of influence.  God must be first and we have to love others MORE than ourselves.

Pastor Joel  

Abuse Must Be Distinguished From Use | A response to atheism that it should be preferred in Europe

This is worth 15 minutes of your time to understand the New Atheist Movement.  John Lennox wins a debate against Christopher Hitchen's motion that the new Europe should prefer atheism.

Great job Professor Lennox.  I thank God that there is someone equipped enough to stand on the platform you do and speak with such clarity to the issue of the existence of God.  We are praying for you that God would give you an even larger voice into this next generation.

Joel

Reminded

This morning as I am reading through Jeremiah God is speaking as to what is about to happen to Moab.  And it says this:

"Because you trusted in your wealth and skill, you will be taken captive.  Your god Chemosh,  with his priests and officials will be hauled off to distant lands."  Jeremiah 48:7

There is a reoccurring theme throughout the Bible, its history and its warnings.  Not to trust in ANYTHING other than in God alone. And when I say God I feel I now need to qualify that, I mean the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Immanuel, God with us, Jesus Christ.  Acts 4:12 says that there is no other name by which we can be saved.

Romans 10:11 says, "Anyone who trusts in Him (Jesus), will NOT be put to shame." 

We can NOT get our priorities wrong, we will see God's judgement as soon as we begin to make something other than Jesus Christ our foundation, God, Lord and Savior.  He IS our All in All.  The Author and Finisher of our faith, the one and only True God.  No one will be saved but through Him.

Moab was devastated because they trusted in their wealth and their skill.  The Bible says in Zachariah 4:6 it is not by our might (strength) or power but by His Spirit.  The good news is that if we humble ourselves He WILL be faithful to return to us and restore us.

I plead with you today, DO NOT trust in anything other than Jesus. He is the King of Kings and He will not be mocked.  He loves you and if you place ALL your faith in Him He Himself will fight for you, not against you.  The choice is up to you, today is the day of decision.


Joel Brown