One question that I did not feel comfortable answering from the pulpit is this one...Is masturbation a sin? Well, it took me a little while to find ANY Scripture that speaks to this taboo topic, but I did!
In Lev. 15:16-18, we read, "When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body in water, and he will be unclean till evening." The passage goes on to say, "When a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening."
The first instance seems to imply the man is alone, especially compared to the second instance, where the passage spells out his being with a woman. This could infer that masturbation is the method the man uses. As far as I have read on this topic, there seems to be no physical health consequences to the person who masturbates; in fact, masturbation can be seen as a natural way for a person to be relieved of pent up sexual energy. Furthermore, there is no prohibition mentioned in this passage, and in fact, the method of cleansing is the same as that prescribed for heterosexual union.
The other side of this discussion, however, cannot be ignored. I must point out that lust and impure thoughts are sins according to Scripture. So, when masturbation includes lustful or impure thoughts, then it is a sin. So, now the obvious question: When does masturbation happen sans lusting? Well, lest you repudiate the OT Levitical Law as outdated and obsolete, we must remember that Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it. Therefore, my mind goes to a possible reconciliation of the Yes/No answer of the question.
Could it be that perhaps God created a way for unmarried men and women to release the natural sexual energy that builds in their hormonal impulses to keep them from having sex outside of marriage? Masturbation does not necessarily have to include lustful thinking or fantasy. As we get older and are exposed to ungodly perceptions of sex, this may become more of an issue.
One final element of this question must be addressed. Obsession with masturbation with or without lustful thoughts is a sin. That is to say, masturbation, if at least not expressly prohibited in Scripture, can become a god to the person and a snare used by the devil. Therefore, keep yourself from any and all pornographic materials, no matter the medium.
I hope this helps you better understand this topic. As always, I encourage you to conduct your own self-study on this or any other topic. Be like the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures diligently to learn the Truth!
Randy
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Master in a Manger
This Advent Season, our church will be taking a very unique approach to the First Coming of Jesus Christ. God came into this world as a baby on the straw in a manger, but His purposed destination would become pierced hands and feet with Roman spikes on a cruel, wooden cross.
As we peer into the life of the most influential man ever to be born on this earth, we learn that His hands would touch the leper's wound, His eyes would weep for the consequences of sin, His mouth would proclaim eternal Truth, His feet would walk the dusty road toward Calvary, and His heart would break under the weight of the world's sin as He hung on the cross.
Jesus never intended to stay in the manger, to stay in safety, to stay in obscurity. His mission was established at the foundation of the world, when God the Father chose to create man in His image. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become the atonining sacrifice that would satisfy God's wrath for the sin of mankind. Jesus was born into this world to do for man what man could not do for himself - to be reconciled to God.
This is the Good News of all creation. At its core, Christmas is not about gifts, or lights, or cards, or feasts, or snow, or even family. It's about the greatest expression of love - the giving of a sinless life for all other lives. Jesus came into this world for one reason - to die and then to be raised, thereby putting death to death for all who believe on Him!
Join us this Sunday as we kick off the Advent season!
Pastor Randy
As we peer into the life of the most influential man ever to be born on this earth, we learn that His hands would touch the leper's wound, His eyes would weep for the consequences of sin, His mouth would proclaim eternal Truth, His feet would walk the dusty road toward Calvary, and His heart would break under the weight of the world's sin as He hung on the cross.
Jesus never intended to stay in the manger, to stay in safety, to stay in obscurity. His mission was established at the foundation of the world, when God the Father chose to create man in His image. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become the atonining sacrifice that would satisfy God's wrath for the sin of mankind. Jesus was born into this world to do for man what man could not do for himself - to be reconciled to God.
This is the Good News of all creation. At its core, Christmas is not about gifts, or lights, or cards, or feasts, or snow, or even family. It's about the greatest expression of love - the giving of a sinless life for all other lives. Jesus came into this world for one reason - to die and then to be raised, thereby putting death to death for all who believe on Him!
Join us this Sunday as we kick off the Advent season!
Pastor Randy
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Money Money Money
Donald Trump's hit TV show, "The Apprentice" kicks off every week with the song, "Money Money Money...Muh-ney!"
Well, the Bible has over 2,300 references to it. So this Sunday we will delve one more time into this all-important and all-provacative topic of Money. This week we will learn what it means to be a cheerful giver. That is not always easy.
But if you ever did NOT want to miss a worship service, this is the Sunday to NOT miss. Why? Well, as they do in the TV medium so well, I am going to have to put you off a bit and let you tune in to find out! Let me just say that you DON'T WANT TO MISS SERVICE THIS SUNDAY!
On another note, please don't think I have forgotten the remaining BIG Questions. The topics include: Satan and masturbation, to name a few. Taboo topics to be sure, but do know that I will address them in this format.
Satan - The question was, "How was Satan able to sin while he was in heaven? My answer is:
Satan was created by God as a free creature, just like Adam and Eve.
Satan became prideful (Isa. 14:14 and Ezek. 28:14-15)
Adam and Eve were in Eden; it appears from Ezekiel that Satan was in Eden as well, when sin might have first occurred.
We don't know when Satan fell, but Jesus saw it. He says in Luke that He "saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." (Luke 10:18)
Next blog, I will answer the question, "Is masturbation a sin?"
See you Sunday! Don't miss it, for it is more blessed to give than to receive!
Pastor Randy
Well, the Bible has over 2,300 references to it. So this Sunday we will delve one more time into this all-important and all-provacative topic of Money. This week we will learn what it means to be a cheerful giver. That is not always easy.
But if you ever did NOT want to miss a worship service, this is the Sunday to NOT miss. Why? Well, as they do in the TV medium so well, I am going to have to put you off a bit and let you tune in to find out! Let me just say that you DON'T WANT TO MISS SERVICE THIS SUNDAY!
On another note, please don't think I have forgotten the remaining BIG Questions. The topics include: Satan and masturbation, to name a few. Taboo topics to be sure, but do know that I will address them in this format.
Satan - The question was, "How was Satan able to sin while he was in heaven? My answer is:
Satan was created by God as a free creature, just like Adam and Eve.
Satan became prideful (Isa. 14:14 and Ezek. 28:14-15)
Adam and Eve were in Eden; it appears from Ezekiel that Satan was in Eden as well, when sin might have first occurred.
We don't know when Satan fell, but Jesus saw it. He says in Luke that He "saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." (Luke 10:18)
Next blog, I will answer the question, "Is masturbation a sin?"
See you Sunday! Don't miss it, for it is more blessed to give than to receive!
Pastor Randy
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Money Matters!
According to the pundits on TV, the election results on Tuesday reflected the collective frustration of the American public regarding our seemingly never-ending economic woes. Whether you have lost your job, foreclosed on your home, had to dicker with collection agents, or just simply had to tighten the belt on discretionary spending, the current economic situation in America has most probably affected you.
Giving in churches has declined by an average 16% in the last year. Many experts agree that the average church member considers the tithe as a discretionary expense on their budgets. If it comes down to paying the electric bill or giving money to the church, the electric bill normally wins out. Oftentimes, church members give to the church a portion of what is left over at the end of each month. Unfortunately, there are many months when there is actually a shortage of money when stacked up against the bills that are owed.
How did America get into such a mess? The politicians, for obvious reasons related to their own job security, will pander to the American public about how they intend to create jobs, crack down on Wall Street, and rein in the lending institutions. That sounds good in theory, but who are they kidding? The government doesn't create jobs - business does. The government can't control Wall Street - investors do. The government can't rein in lenders - consumers do. While it is true that goverment can set policy to facilitate such endeavors, the real culprits in the American economic meltdown are...well, you and me.
The Bible is not silent when it comes to financial stewardship. Over the next three weeks (or should it be twelve weeks?), we will study the time-tested truth of Scripture on the all-important topic of MONEY. Money does matter, and I am diligently preparing for what promises to be a practical application of God's Truth about Money and how you can set a course for you and your family to take control of your financial future!
See you Sunday!
Pastor Randy
Giving in churches has declined by an average 16% in the last year. Many experts agree that the average church member considers the tithe as a discretionary expense on their budgets. If it comes down to paying the electric bill or giving money to the church, the electric bill normally wins out. Oftentimes, church members give to the church a portion of what is left over at the end of each month. Unfortunately, there are many months when there is actually a shortage of money when stacked up against the bills that are owed.
How did America get into such a mess? The politicians, for obvious reasons related to their own job security, will pander to the American public about how they intend to create jobs, crack down on Wall Street, and rein in the lending institutions. That sounds good in theory, but who are they kidding? The government doesn't create jobs - business does. The government can't control Wall Street - investors do. The government can't rein in lenders - consumers do. While it is true that goverment can set policy to facilitate such endeavors, the real culprits in the American economic meltdown are...well, you and me.
The Bible is not silent when it comes to financial stewardship. Over the next three weeks (or should it be twelve weeks?), we will study the time-tested truth of Scripture on the all-important topic of MONEY. Money does matter, and I am diligently preparing for what promises to be a practical application of God's Truth about Money and how you can set a course for you and your family to take control of your financial future!
See you Sunday!
Pastor Randy
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
What is YOUR Big Question?
This Sunday will be very unique at Carolina Christian Church...YOU don't want to miss it!
We will be giving you the chance to text in your Big Question to our church phone and then the team in our sound booth will put the question on the screen for me to answer. We already have a lot of questions, but we will be taking more this week and even during the message. I for one am excited, as I believe this is exactly how Jesus and the apostle Paul dealt with the questions of their day (whether they be the Pharisees or the Sadducees, the gnostics or the judaizers).
When it's all said and done, we will be asking God's question for us: What is keeping YOU from being the FULLY DEVOTED follower of Jesus Christ that He has called you to be?
At the end of the service, we will have an awesome way to tangibly respond to God's question! Again, you don't want to miss this opportunity to worship God if you want to really understand how to grasp the full life promised by the author and perfecter of our faith - Jesus Christ!
Looking forward to seeing ALL of YOU this Sunday!
Pastor Randy
We will be giving you the chance to text in your Big Question to our church phone and then the team in our sound booth will put the question on the screen for me to answer. We already have a lot of questions, but we will be taking more this week and even during the message. I for one am excited, as I believe this is exactly how Jesus and the apostle Paul dealt with the questions of their day (whether they be the Pharisees or the Sadducees, the gnostics or the judaizers).
When it's all said and done, we will be asking God's question for us: What is keeping YOU from being the FULLY DEVOTED follower of Jesus Christ that He has called you to be?
At the end of the service, we will have an awesome way to tangibly respond to God's question! Again, you don't want to miss this opportunity to worship God if you want to really understand how to grasp the full life promised by the author and perfecter of our faith - Jesus Christ!
Looking forward to seeing ALL of YOU this Sunday!
Pastor Randy
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
What will heaven be like?
One of the most misunderstood doctrines of Scritpure is that of heaven. So many misconceptions prevail as to what heaven will be like - everything from humans being transformed into some angelic being, given a harp and sitting on some cloud (maybe cloud 9?) and singing "Hallelujah" forever and ever and ever to meeting St. Peter at the Pearly Gates and once let in, experiencing an immediate floating, blissful existence.
Sometimes I laugh at these ideas, because there is absolutely no biblical support for any of it. Not only do we make Peter so important on earth, but somehow we make him the gatekeeper to heaven too! In fact, if we are not careful, we might even talk ourselves into not looking forward to heaven, since we can't get past the thought of having to sing constantly 24 hours a day for all eternity.
Fortunately, the Bible has a lot to say about heaven - and it's ALL GOOD! There is really no way a person living in this fallen world will fully grasp the awesome experience of heaven until we have been there. Without saying too much, just know that this life on earth is as close to hell as any Christ-follower will ever come and as close to heaven as any non-believer will ever come.
If we have a better understanding of what heaven is like, we will be all the more fueled by the desire to see everyone we know headed that way. The ones who have gone before us are waiting for us, cheering us on, and awaiting the culmination of history with the Second Coming of Christ, when He will once and for all establish His kingdom on new earth, ushering in the eternal heaven where God and man dwell together forever!
I can't wait for that Day!
See you Sunday!
Randy
Sometimes I laugh at these ideas, because there is absolutely no biblical support for any of it. Not only do we make Peter so important on earth, but somehow we make him the gatekeeper to heaven too! In fact, if we are not careful, we might even talk ourselves into not looking forward to heaven, since we can't get past the thought of having to sing constantly 24 hours a day for all eternity.
Fortunately, the Bible has a lot to say about heaven - and it's ALL GOOD! There is really no way a person living in this fallen world will fully grasp the awesome experience of heaven until we have been there. Without saying too much, just know that this life on earth is as close to hell as any Christ-follower will ever come and as close to heaven as any non-believer will ever come.
If we have a better understanding of what heaven is like, we will be all the more fueled by the desire to see everyone we know headed that way. The ones who have gone before us are waiting for us, cheering us on, and awaiting the culmination of history with the Second Coming of Christ, when He will once and for all establish His kingdom on new earth, ushering in the eternal heaven where God and man dwell together forever!
I can't wait for that Day!
See you Sunday!
Randy
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Does Hell Exist?
It sure would be nice to hear the answer "No" to that question. Sadly, the Bible is too clear that a place called "hell" does exist. Furthermore, the Bible graphically portrays hell as separation from God, outer darkness, the place where the worm does not die, a lake of fire and brimstone that is not quenched, and a place of eternal torment and pain. There is no room to dismiss any of these descriptions for hell.
There is also no biblical support for the idea of annihiliation, the immediate or eventual ceasing to exist. This concept flies in the face of the doctrine of justice and judgment so prevalently defined and explained in the Bible.
Even as I type this, I am in anguish over the permanance of people's decisions made in this life. Paul agonized over his people as well: "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel." If Christians took more time to contemplate the reality of the fires of hell, our fire for evangelism (telling the Good News to the world) would be both critical and urgent.
We live in a world that would prefer to either put hell away from our thinking altogether or else refuse to believe that an "all-loving" God would condemn any "good" person to an eternity of such unyielding torment. To do either of these is foolishness and speaks to the fact that our world has become so accustomed to man's wickedness that we have lost all sense of God's holiness and justice.
Hell is a topic that no preacher wants to preach but a topic that must be preached in order for revival to happen...
See you this Sunday!
Pastor Randy
There is also no biblical support for the idea of annihiliation, the immediate or eventual ceasing to exist. This concept flies in the face of the doctrine of justice and judgment so prevalently defined and explained in the Bible.
Even as I type this, I am in anguish over the permanance of people's decisions made in this life. Paul agonized over his people as well: "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel." If Christians took more time to contemplate the reality of the fires of hell, our fire for evangelism (telling the Good News to the world) would be both critical and urgent.
We live in a world that would prefer to either put hell away from our thinking altogether or else refuse to believe that an "all-loving" God would condemn any "good" person to an eternity of such unyielding torment. To do either of these is foolishness and speaks to the fact that our world has become so accustomed to man's wickedness that we have lost all sense of God's holiness and justice.
Hell is a topic that no preacher wants to preach but a topic that must be preached in order for revival to happen...
See you this Sunday!
Pastor Randy
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