It is time to get real about porn!

• 42.7% of Internet users view porn
• 20% of men say they view porn at work.
• 53% of Christian men consume pornography.
• Breakdown of male/female visitors to pornography sites: 72% male & 28% female
• 17% of all women struggle with pornography addiction.
• The average age of first Internet exposure to pornography is 11 years old.
• 90% of 8-16-year-olds have viewed porn online (most while doing homework).

Let me give you some things to ponder.

• Has your life been affected by porn? How?
• What are some ways you keep yourself accountable when it comes to porn?
• Do you have pornography-filtering software on your computer? How about your phone? Why or why not?
• Can porn addiction happen to anyone?
• When and how should married individuals ask if their spouse is using porn?
• What kinds of questions can we ask our children to protect them from porn?
Pornography is consuming lives as I write this message. It is not a problem that Christians are exempt from. Let's face it, if 53% of Christian Men admit to viewing porn the real number is much higher. Porn is destroying marriages and ruining families.  It is just a click away from your 11 year old.  If porn is impacting you or someone you love, and I am almost certain it is, then you need to check out the upcoming event:

The Porn Event is a 25-minute experience where people can learn more about the real-life effects of pornography. Featuring different options for men and women, The Porn Event will be offered from May 23-28. Visit ThePornEvent.com for scheduled times and more information.

The Power of One

One man or woman can make decisions to break an addiction that will change a bloodline.
One concept or innovation can advance the trajectory of your life by light years.
One act of obedience can unlock a wealth of reward that will pay dividends for generations.
One relationship can open access to a world of opportunity that you didn’t even know existed.
One word from God can get down so deep in your spirit that it displaces the build-up of years of frustration and disappointment.
It only takes one…

The above was borrowed from Pastor Steven Furtick, but I believe it is very relevant.  ONE decision or ONE act can change your entire life or the life of another.  You can can decide to give up ONE addiction that is holding your back or you can reach out to that ONE person that you know that no one else cares about and tell them what God can do for them.  Take time and think of ONE thing God wants you to do today.  Then just do it!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Should I Hang Out With Non-Believers?

Let me start by giving you a clear and simple answer....YES! As a believer I have heard other believers make comments like "you need to hang out with other Christians". While it is true that sometimes you may have to break off unhealthy relationships that may cause you to stumble as a new believer, it is not true that you should not associate with non-believers. I actually think as believers we should spend less time with other believers and use that time to develop relationships with those who do not have Christ in their life. Sure we should fellowship with one another. But, if we sit back in Church and wait for the non-believer to come to us, it is never going to happen. You have to take the message of Jesus Christ to them, right where they are. This may bring you close to drugs, alcohol, addiction, depression, and sorrow. Just remember though, you have the cure for this misery and suffering...Jesus Christ!

In 1 Corinthians 9:22 -23 (TNIV) it says "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." So be more like Jesus and don't turn your back on someone because they are not a christian.  Get close the them, become whatever you need to be, go where you need to go, and simply do anything short of sin to bring the message of Christ to that person.

I am going to die....will you save me?

Imagine you look up and see a young man standing on the edge of a cliff.  You see him standing there with tears in his eyes and pain on his face.  He is in this emotional pain from years of physical abuse from his father, his is a convicted felon, he is addicted to drugs, and even sells the same drugs on the streets of your town.  He is ready to jump in an attempt to end his pain and get out of this world that does not care about him. Would you run over to the edge and try to save him?  Most of us would still answer yes.  Now, let me ask you again.  Imagine the same scenario, but this time there is a fire burning between you and him.  You know that you can make it through the fire, but you are going to be left with scars and pain that you will fill the rest of your life.  Will you still do whatever it takes to save him?  Or would you just leave him there to die and say the world is better off?  I hope the answer is you would do whatever it took to save this life this person that God loves dearly. 

I know this sounds like some crazy story, but in fact this is happening right here in Saltville and the rest of the US.  More than 32,000 Americans take their life each year and more than 4,000 of those senseless deaths are young people between 15-24.  In addition, more than 33,000 people die from drug overdoses in this country yearly.  I will bet that anyone who reads this knows someone that had died from suicide or overdose in the last year.  The sad part is that many of these folks died without knowing Jesus Christ and without hope for eternal life. 

Most of you will read these and say "that is terrible...that is so sad".  But my question is are you willing to do anything about it? Are you willing to let these people die without knowing Jesus Christ? Romans 5:6-8 (TNIV) says "You see, at just the right time , when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person some might possibly dare to do.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us".  So God allowed Christ to die for ALL of us ungodly sinners.  Therefore, I urge you never to judge anyone's sin because God loves them just as much as he does you.  Share the Gospel with them right were they are in their misery and addictions.  Tell them what God has to offer. You can't be afraid to leave of your comfortable little world and go in to theirs.   Jesus was never afraid to hang out and teach the prostitutes and drunkards, so why should you be afraid?

If you know him, Christ DIED to save you.  So how are you going to repay him?  What are you willing to do to save the life of the ones he loves?

God is in the TV...Well at Least We Act Like It.

According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more

than 4 hours of TV each day (28 hours/week). This means that the we 

spend two months of each year watching TV. In a 65-year life, you will

have spent 9 years of your life glued to the tube. Leviticus 26:1 says "Do

not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and 

do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it.I am the

Lord your God." Yeah, maybe we don't carve out stones and worship 

them, but we most certainly spend thousands of dollars on our high 

definition TVs and spend way too much time watching them.I know 

because I am as guilty as anyone.  For those that don't watch much TV 

just insert Facebook, Xbox360, Wii, PS3, text messaging, or other time

killers.

To my Christian friends, take a minute to think about what you could 

do with the time spent idolizing your television. You could spend time 

reading your Bible, praying, or you could devote this time to to reaching

out tothose who don't know Christ and that need your help. Are there 

lives not being saved because you are looking for God in the TV? 

Because I watch enough to know he is not in there. So I challenge you

(and me) take half of the time your waste on useless things and

devote it to serving your Lord and Savior. John 12:26 says "Whoever

serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. 

My father will honor the one who serves me." Again he is not in the TV,

 even if your new HD TV does look heavenly on game day. 

To anyone who does not know Christ, I challenge you to take just one

hour (25%) of your TV time to read The Bible.  I personally suggest 

your start with the New Testament. If you do this, your life will never 

be the same. The answers to having a happy life on this earth lie within

those pages.   For those who think the bible can't help them.  Have you

ever read it? If not, then how do you know? 

Jesus...More Than a Sacrafice

Growing up in the Church as a child it often seemed that Jesus was portrayed as just a simple sacrifice for the sin of man.  This oversimplified teaching made him seem to me like the sheep that people would sacrifice to appease God in the Old Testament.  Though without a doubt I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, I think churches often don't focus enough on the fact that Jesus lived for our sins just as much as he died for our sin.  He was not a victim of the blood thirty God, but of evil men.  In my opinion the suffering Jesus experienced was allowed by God so that all of us who are suffering emotionally or physically would have someone to identify with (a Friend to relate to). In turn his life and suffering  set forth our mission as Christians.   From the prophet Isiah,  Luke 4:18-19 says "The Spirit of the lord is upon me because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release of the captives and recovery of the sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the lord."  Jesus mission on earth focused on the least of us (Matthew 25:31-46).  Jesus did not spend his time teaching the preachers, priests, clergy, or their congregations.  Jesus spent most of his time on earth with the drunkards, prostitutes, sick, poor, and everyone else that the Church of those days wanted nothing to do with. So I say it is time for Churches to wake up and stop focusing all of their effort on the saved souls that line the pews on Sunday morning.  It is time to take those Christians out of their comfortable seats and to take up the the mission of Jesus.  Take your ministry to those who are suffering and are in need.  Why is the church a dying institution?  It is because we have lost site of the real mission shown through life, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ.