Pastor Ralph Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 Q2. Why would loosening of sexual standards to conform to the prevailing morals of the culture be destructive of vital Christian faith and witness? How has your culture tended to take the edge off your own Christian moral convictions or forced you to be quiet about them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Stanley Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 I would say for Christians of today it is not easy being a Christian in a world of today.Believers experience a lot of pressure to compromise,with sin.Compromise is blending two diffrent things,could be moral standards in faceing a situation in what is right and what is wrong. You may not join in the fun,but it probably consists of some form of sin.We must not tolerate sin by bowing to the pressure to say to oneself or others Im just being open minded or you could just be quiet and say nothing. As we join in with people being Christians we can cooperate with people as much as we can,BUT,avoid any partnership or participation that could lead to immoral practices.Just as Christ joined in with the people,He had great love for them in teaching the people what was right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darleen Nelson Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 As with so many things being constantly put in contact with things you do not naturally accept as a Christian you become more acceptable of them and the shock originally felt becomes less and less. If you are not on guard you not only accept these activities as bieng normal but you can be drawn into taking part. The manl place where I see this affecting me is in TV and movie watching, books I read, the language I use, and the music I listen to. Books that would have been considered scanculous and never read if anyone would find out you had read them are now almost innocent when compared to present day best sellers. Language that was once considered very offensive is now heard everywhere. Movies and TV leave nothing unshown. Music speaks of personal things as common knowledge and even encourages rebellion against family, law and society. Maintaining your Christian attitude among such things is becoming more an more unacceptable among the general public who do not want to be reminded of how far away from God they have gone. It becomes more and more important for us to maintain our Chrisitan values and to speak out about them when we have the chance whether we feel comfortable doing so or not. This is our witness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesus4al Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Compromising. This is an exhilarating subject. God says that we are either for Him or against Him. How does 'compromising' jive with 'obedience'. The easiest way to 'compromise' is to ignore. If we choose to ignore God's Word we are choosing to turn our back on Him. But, He said that His sheep hear his voice, and follow Him. Believe you me, I understand that 'obedience' is not easy. It may very well be an advanced lesson to some of us, but be what it may; I am closer to my Lord Jesus today because I have called on Him. My call has gone out while in the heat of battle, and His Word has comforted me: "I will never leave you or forsake you!" I am His sheep, and I bleat. Love ...Bro. Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Spaulding Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 We cannot conform to the morals and attitudes of the world and remain valued disciples of Jesus Christ! Many would have us think that we can blend in and not cause waves, but as Christians, we are to be leaven in the world, challenging the world and, by example, leading them to the Lord. How has the world taken the edge off my Christian beliefs and behavior? In some instances, I am quiet about my belief, for instance, with my daughter who has turned her back on God and taught her two daughters to do the same. If I push what she grew up with, and already knows I believe, she has threatened to refuse to have anything to do with me. I cannot influence her if I cannot be near her! By showing the love of Jesus for her through my treatment of her, I pray that she will see and be drawn back to Him. Actually, her attitude has mellowed in recent years. I pray often that He will guide me--specifically--if He wants me to step up and confront her at some time. If He is guiding, then it will turn out right. If I just push forward on my own, I will do nothing but further turn her away from Him. With others, as when my husband and I have been in full-time missions, I have been able to share Jesus in certain circumstances. In others, I pray for guidance and attempt to follow. But, I'm not always successful--especially here in the United States! Today, our country is more and more people who claim Christianity, but have become more "pew sitters" than "doers"! It is a big challenge not to be pulled down into the same pit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Ann Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Our society has loosened morals and values concerning sexual behavior. Television has made fornication a normal act. Anyone turning on a television can, at any time, find a program where immoral acts are being committed. I find the acceptance of homosexuality extremely threatening. Children watch TV and get the idea that everything is permissable. I feel the church needs to stand firm in teachings about sin. I have received a negative review about a chapter in my book because I condemned homosexuality as sin. I will not compromise to accept what the world deems permissable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennLady01 Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 1 John 2:15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Philippians 2:12 says we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Its easy to take your eyes off God just for a "moment "to indulge the flesh but we are of the spirit if we are in Christ and not of the flesh. I believe its only God's strong hand on me that keeps me from falling because our enemy is cunning. If we behave like those in the flesh there is no difference between us of the church and those not of the church. God gives us the strength we need and the wisdom to work out our salvation and it is with fear and trembling because I know how weak the flesh is and how easy to conform to the world. Compromising sexual standards are all around us but that gives us the opportunity to shine like stars. God Bless and Shine like stars Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaunita Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 "When good men (or women!) stand by and do nothing, evil prevails" I don't know where that quote originated, but its true; When we as Christians, stand by and allow evil and 'blatant' sins to occur in our Churches, or fellowships, it will only grow...case in point, some of the "churches" (denominations) that welcome homosexuality, as a life style, and nothing more...not accepting that it is sin. If we close our hearts to Gods Word in one matter, it won't be long before our hearts become 'hardened' to Gods Word...period! A hardened heart, cannot be reached, nor can it hear the voice of God speaking. The big word is Compromise...God doesn't tolerate it, and neither should we. (How has your culture tended to take the edge off your own Christian moral convictions or forced you to be quiet about them?) Quiet about it? Not me! I don't relish the idea of standing before my Lord someday, and having Him ask me why....Why I didn't stand up, and speak up, for Him and His Word. God is saying to us all, in these dark days of tolerant compromiseing for the sake of 'peace' and unity...(which is no peace or unity, unless it be based on the Word of truth!) ...'Choose ye this day whom ye will serve......' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cct1106 Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 If you look at the television or listen to the radio, they make the sexaul activities seem like a must in our society to be accepted. These activities have lost the true meaning of what God intended. God intended for man and woman to marry and to bear fruit. Not man and man, Not woman and woman, but man and woman. We have an evil spirit among us who timeps each and every one of us every minute, hour of our lives to be immoral or think immoral things. But we have to be strong and believe to not conform to what others want us to do and/or be. I can testify that I have always been and will always remain a moral human being as God intended me to be. Nothing, no one, and certainly no evil spirit is ever going to change me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindy Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 It is extremely important to keep God's Law and to model that Law for others. We can never compromise in our own behavior those things we have learned from God's Holy Word. At the same time, we must always love the Image of God in others, even when they behave contrary to our understandings of Scripture. I live in Kansas where Fred Phelps pickets churches and restaurants and, worst of all, funerals. He carries signs that say, "God hates ****" and other atrocities. God doesn't hate those who are lost, He seeks those who are lost. Let us try to offer healing grace to those with whom we disagree, without compromising on what is sinful, because we were still sinners when He offered grace to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungry Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Q2. Why would loosening of sexual standards to conform to the prevailing morals of the culture be destructive of vital Christian faith and witness? How has your culture tended to take the edge off your own Christian moral convictions or forced you to be quiet about them? We are conforming to the world and not the WORD--things that are clearly stated in the Bible as the "LAW" are being slowly chipped away and broken away, we are chipping away at the foundation that based this country; we are losing our Bible basics because of a very FEW and they are winning and because we as the church are keeping quiet....letting judges and politicians make decicions for us and they are not the moral decicions but we keep silent for fear of being ridiculed. But are those people who are upset by the words "in God we trust" giving up the money that it is written on?....NO but they just want to be heard and the lawyers that are becoming rich on these crazy cases, the judges who hear these cases should throw them out.......for the sheer obnoxiousness of them. When the Bible clearly says what is good and what is not, there's not much doubt about what is wrong. I used to think that I as one, couldn't do much, then I began to closely look at the one(s) who started to chip away at the moral foundations and I realized I was letting one and one and one become the standard of what the law became and that's when I realized that when one groups together things change and that's how the churches and people of God should be (we should be one and one and one together to become a group) ---Jesus was one and look how He changed the world and is still changing the world..... Our morals are changing. What was once looked on in sheer horror is now being accepted, TV, movies and the medias are all going farther and farther towards immoral changes and as long as they are testing and not being objected to, they will keep pushing the edge till they have their way and that's what is happening in our society today. The matronly lady who in disbelief said," Wellllllll, I never !!!!!!!!" Doesn't anymore and she is like the dinosaurs----of the age gone by and no more...........but we need to revive her and bring her to life and recharge her to be a leader and to take back what is being lost in our society..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candygoo58 Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 I think today we have been come so tolerant of some of what the world thinks is ok. That we forget to look in the word to see what God says is sin. I think we let the TV, radio, and the people around us. We sometimes let these things tell us what is right and wrong. Instead of letting the word be our guide to what is right and wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastorann Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 How timely is this topic in Canada and United States. Here in Canada we are taught that to be Canadian we are to be "tolerant" willing to compromise, to buy into the lie of moral relativism. Really we are being taught to be wimps. Time after time in Scripture, God demonstrates in the lives of faithful believers that we are to choose character over compromise, and this includes young people, they say are to say no to sin and immorality - ie Joseph and Potiphar's wife, and that sexual immorality brings with it a litany of bad consequences - ie David and Bathsheba. There is no room for compromise in the church - we will lose our integrity, and witness, and we will invite the "bad leaven of sin" to infect us - people caught in sin can't live victorious lives. There was a time in my Christian walk where I bought into the lie of compromise, but through God's transforming work in my life and study of His Word and now the responsibility of shepherding of a church I refuse to be silent. The debate about same-sex marriage in Canada has been a wake up call to Canadians - and now thousands are finally taking the courage to speak out and defend God's institution of marriage. Our opponents label us as religious bigots, as hate mongers, as heterosexists. But really we are being the lampstands. We are shining truth on sin and we offer freedom from the bondage of sin. If we allow sin in our midst how can we rescue those who are lost? Is it love to allow people to stay mired in sin? There is never a middle ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda biloni Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 They're comprised because we become part of the world rather than participents in the belief of God's teaching. If we lower our sexual standards to conform to the world, then we lose our faith in the Word of God, and it would be easier to compromise other things that are wrong in the eyes of God. We wouldn't be able to witness about what we don't practice. It's not so much being forced to be quiet as it is a choice to not make waves or to be accepted and liked. I'm ashamed that I make this choice when others in the world afe forced to be quiet for the sake of their lives and those of their families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Williams Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 WHO ARE WE? WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD. We are not to compromise, but stand firm on our faith and belief. If we are to win soul to Christ, we can not heed to the standards of this world. To stay faithful and be a true witness, we must walk according to the word of God and not man. We are a light to a dark world. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves taking on the ways of our culture and quiet about our christian moral convictions. We have to be different, and there are time we will offend others. Children of God have to hates what God hate and love what He loves. Standing on the word of God determine our eternal destination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Whittam Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 Lowering your standards would be terrible witness to the world because that just shows them you are not different than they are. Our culture has said, everyone does it so why should I not do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccs Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 1. Why would loosening of sexual standards to conform to the prevailing morals of the culture be destructive of vital Christian faith and witness? If you loosen the standards God has in place for his Church you would be compromising God Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glynis Bredenkamp Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 Loosening of sexual standards, be it to conform with the prevailing morals of the culture is totally against Gods word. This is clear throughout the Old & New Testament. Did God not destroy Sodom & Gomorrah because of their loose morals? If a Christian allowed him or herself to conform to these loose morals or we compromised & allowed them into our Churches what kind of message are we giving out to the unsaved world? This is very difficult for our Christian Youth of today who are tempted by the morals of "the world". The teenager naturally wants to belong to a group & does not want to be left out. I work in a Reproductive Health Clinic, where I deal with girls from as young as 12-14years, who are sexually active. I found this very difficult at first. As a Nurse we are ethically not permitted to promote any "kind of religion". As I matured in my Christian Faith & in age, as well as in my counseling skills, I found ways of getting round this. I am often not very successful. The young woman or girl, although she admits what she is doing is wrong will continue to do it in order to "be in with the group". This she does in spite of the horrendous insidence of H.I.V. in South Africa. Although I have to be careful not to preach the word of God too openly I have followed Christ's example to love the sinner but not their sin. The girls know that I do not approve of their life style but they know that I am always available to talk to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggsandbacon Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 God created us. He created us sexual beings. He knows how beautiful this is because he made us. He has strict guidlines for sex because he knows if used outside of these guidelines it becomes a destructive force, a useful weapon for the enemy of God. The message the world offers is to feel what is good for you, to discover pleasure, to feel good. That works for a little while but it is another sad counterfeit of the truth. When we ask Jesus into our lives, he must be free to take over, to replace our will with His will, even when it comes to sex. According to the world, biblical views on sex are not to be trusted because the bible is old and made up by men of the times back then. It is hard to speak out against worldly sexual standards but I believe people expect it of christians and if we don't say anything they will know in their hearts we are not true to God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxie Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 Q2. Why would loosening of sexual standards to conform to the prevailing morals of the culture be destructive of vital Christian faith and witness? How has your culture tended to take the edge off your own Christian moral convictions or forced you to be quiet about them? ____________________________________________________________ The best reason I can think of, is the Bible teach's that sexual immorality is wrong, and I believe the Bible to be the ture word of God. Our culture is based upon the moals set forth in the teaching's of the Bilbe. If you tone down are loosen these standards, you destory the very foundation of our Christian Faith, and our culture. I will never relax my standards of morals tough in the Bible. These standards are God's gifts to us to live by. That we may live in righteousness. With out this we have no hope of enternal life. They may try to force me to be Quiet about my moral convictions, but that's all they can do, Is try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sangra Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 I must say that I find this a very diffficult question to answer. There are so many ways that the church has lessened its standards to conform to society, such as allowing divorced people to remarry, permitting unwed mothers to worship in church for example. My dilemma is that I think that the Church is right in doing so, because there is a tension in taking the words of scripture which were important for the situation in which they were written and applying them for ever more. If our Bible contains the Living Word then I feel it is our duty to reinterpret the intention behind the words for today's society. The denomination to which I belong allows people who are living together but not married, practising homosexual people, people who have chosen never to marry, people who may have had an abortion in the past. I am sure there are many who would hold to a more rigid interpretation of scripture than this denomination, but I ask myself in these situations, "What would Jesus say to someone like this who wanted to worship God?" I think Jesus came to break down all the barriers to reaching God. In my experience, the people themselves have, in time, come to want to put their situation aright between themselves and God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 The reason why sexual standards could be destructive to Christian faith and witness is that we have let the world's standards be taught in our schools. They teach that it is ok to have sex before marriage and that it is ok to live with an opposit sex before you are married. The church has not countered the teaching to our kids and teens. To the point where it has effected the schools. We need to teach our kids and teens that it is wrong to go by the world's sexual standards. The cultural in which I live in has given me boldness to speak to my co-workers. When I was single, I didn't date. The people I hung out where those who accepted me for my morals. In school, the teens didn't even try to change my morals because I told what I felt about sex before I was married. My co-workers knew where I stood when it came to my sexual standards. kitty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Miller Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 Q2. Why would loosening of sexual standards to conform to the prevailing morals of the culture be destructive of vital Christian faith and witness? How has your culture tended to take the edge off your own Christian moral convictions or forced you to be quiet about them? When we compromise in one area of our life we may think to compromise in other areas also. The things we find easier to hide from others are the things to which cause Prentense. This is Superficiality. Pretending to be one thing in front of Christian People and while away from them you are something else. Actually I am not being quiet about Moral Convictions... I tell them this is My Own Conviction and I pray they come to understand there are no grey areas in living by the Word. I pray I never have the edge taken off because I want to be convicted so I know to be repentent. I don't want anything or anyone to come between me and Jesus. Compromise leads to destruction. Sunshine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted September 24, 2003 Report Share Posted September 24, 2003 For you conformed to the worlds standards, you became like the unsaved, You did not separate yourself from the world you slacked or compromised the truth. This is destructive for any Christian, for there is no loosening or compromise for a Christian, I feel if you do this you will lose sight of Jesus, you will lose your joy, and your interest in the world will increase, as the song goes "You can't straddle the fence". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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