"That We All May Be One"

"It is not possible to exaggerate the importance of your fellowship with your fellow Christians. You need their love. You need their discipline. They need yours. 

The gospel was preached to you not primarily in order that you may be delivered from the torments of hell, but that you might be brought into simultaneous fellowship with God and with your brothers and sisters. Such, at least, is the teachings of 1 John 1:3-4. Such also was the burden of Christ's high priestly prayer in John 17.

The approach of death makes some men look into the future. Hours before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus was pleading for the church of future ages. His vision encompassed you and me and situations in which we, as Christians, find ourselves.

Curiously, he made only one request. He made other requests for the apostles; but when he addressed himself to the church of the future, his requests were limited to one (John 17:20-23). He prayed only that we might be united, united not organizationally but in heart, 'I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me' (John 17:23). 

The fact that he made only one request for the church of the future indicates the importance of what he asked for. Yet as we look at the nature of his request, we wonder why unity of spirit, important as it may be, should merit such exclusive attention. Had he prayed, for example, that the church might constantly be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, it would make more sense to us. A zealous church, a church faithful to death, a militant church, a church that could confound its foes: all these we could have understood. But a church in which the members enjoyed harmony and closeness in Christ among themselves, how important really is it?

He gives us a repeated clue to the puzzle. 'That the world may believe' is the phrase he uses in verse 21. For the church was to be left on earth for that purpose: that the world might believe. Power in testimony is evidently not something that the church can possess as a sort of separate package; it cannot exist alone. The church that convinces men that there is a God in heaven is a church that manifests what only a heavenly God can do, that is, to unite human beings in heavenly love. Wherever the sign of loving unity exists, the world will be convinced. Miracles of healing, large mass rallies, powerful preaching, superb organization all may have their place. But there is nothing on earth which convinces men about heaven or that awakens their craving for it like the discovery of Christian brothers who love one another."  pgs 148-150

- John White

from: http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Practical-Handbook-Christian-Living/dp/0877847770/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362115682&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fight+john+white

Spiritual Gifts In The Body Of Christ

"First, spiritual gifts are not primarily given to benefit the individual, but the entire body. Anyone who seeks a spiritual gift and employs it in order to give himself a kind of spiritual ‘high’ is missing the point of spiritual gifts. Perhaps this is the most serious criticism of the contemporary tongues movement. Not only has one gift been exalted above all the others, but the primary purpose of this gift seems to be self-edification..."

http://bible.org/seriespage/spiritual-gifts-1-corinthians-121-11


"Of course, the undergirding principle in all that we do is the glory of God. We must exercise our spiritual gifts in order to glorify God aright. Peter teaches this in I Peter 4:11 when, writing of our spiritual gifts, he says that they are to be exercised "that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ." Paul had already written this to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 10:31), but here he becomes more specific. Yes, gifts are for the purpose of glorifying God, but there is still another, more immediate purpose. That purpose is the edification of the body of Christ. God is glorified when we use our gifts to build up the church..."

http://www.biblicalstudies.com/bstudy/spiritualgifts/ch05.htm

"1 Corinthians 12 - Diversity and Unity in Spiritual Gifts"

http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4612.htm

G.O.S.P.E.L. - "Propaganda"

Tim Keller on Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Fruit

http://kellerquotes.com/spiritual-gifts-and-spiritual-fruit/

"The Gospel Is Not Right-Wing Or Left-Wing"

"Because the gospel of Jesus is not an ideology or a philosophy or a methodology or a therapy but a supernatural in-breaking of God into our lives, I am concerned at how many Christians do not bring it to bear personally, critically, and explosively on the political right and left. It seems to me that too many Christians gravitate to right-wing Republican politics or left-wing Democratic politics because they see some parallel between a political plank and a part of the gospel. It's like saying that the party that uses candles must be the true one because they're shaped so much like sticks of gospel dynamite. The gospel was meant to explode with saving power in the lives of politicians and social activists, not help them decorate their social agenda. 

Jesus did not come into the world to endorse anybody's platform. He doesn't fit in. He created the world. He holds it in being by his powerful word. He will return someday to judge the living and the dead. And he came the first time to die so that left-wing activists and right-wing talk-show hosts would be broken into pieces for their sin and put back together by the power of grace. He came so that from that day on Jesus himself would be the supreme treasure and authority in our lives. He came so that we would become radically devoted to the glory of God. He came so that the only kind of racial diversity and racial harmony we would pursue is Jesus-exalting, God-glorifying, and gospel-formed. 

The Gospel Does Not Take Sides In This Controversy

My concern is not that the political and social ideas of the right and the left are not often true, as far as they go. My concern is that these ideas are spiritually hollow and impotent. The gospel of Jesus does not come to the controversy between personal accountability and structural intervention and take sides. It calls both sides to repent and believe in Jesus and be born again and make the glory of Jesus the supreme issue in life. The gospel is not a political adviser standing to the side waiting to be asked for guidance. It is the arrival of God saving people from their sin and from the everlasting wrath of God, giving them the Holy Spirit, and bringing their lives progressively into conformity to Jesus. 

For this reason, the impact of the gospel in race relations is unpredictable. It has potentials that no one can conceive. And, to our shame, there have been many contradictions between what the gospel is and what professing Christians have done. I will say more about that at the conclusion of this book. But to answer to those inconsistencies is not to domesticate the gospel into another ideological mule to help pull the wagon of social progress. If that's what it is, then we may safely set it aside, and eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die."  pgs 84-85

- John Piper

from: http://www.amazon.com/Bloodlines-Cross-Christian-John-Piper/dp/1433528525/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361307350&sr=1-1&keywords=john+piper+bloodlines

"The Day and Hour Unknown"

  I'm not going to pretend that I'm an expert on prophetic/apocalyptic literature from the Bible, so take all that I am about to say with a grain of salt (or with a prayer). To be honest, I would rather avoid it all. The dramatic and at times violent language is pretty frightening, especially when I'm someone who already leans towards being afraid of everything. I also want to avoid the natural inclination to slot current events into what the biblical writer is talking about, as if I am the only one in history who can put all of the pieces together accurately. People have been claiming that "the end is near" for thousands of years. Paul even spoke of salvation being nearer when he was encouraging his listeners to stand firm in their faith (although I'm sure verses 11-14 in Romans 13 could be interpreted more than one way, which is another tricky part of reading prophecy, especially apocalyptic prophecy). Martin Luther, Hal Lindsey, and many more have been so sure that "so and so" was the Anti-Christ and therefore Jesus' second coming was going to happen in their own lifetime. While I don't fault them at all for wanting Jesus to return, I really don't want to fall into the sometimes paranoid habit of trying to figure out the day and hour Jesus is coming back, and therefore miss what God might be teaching me about Himself in the meantime or what good works He might have prepared for me to do while I'm living in this present evil age. (Oh but Lord Jesus, please come back soon!) 

   It also seems that too many people end up overlooking the actual context of prophecy and apocalyptic literature in the Bible, what it meant to the original listeners, in trying to make it applicable to today. Well, okay, some people study the whole Bible that way. I definitely used to look at the Bible as only a means to figure out what God was saying to me as an individual until I was taught by my parents that every situation in the Bible is there primarily for us to see who God is, and learn as much as we can about His character, His love, His wrath, His wisdom, how He has dealt with humanity, the kind of relationship with us that He desires, etc. Then in approaching the Bible that way, our worldview is formed, and knowing God/Jesus/the Holy Spirit affects our choices and how we view the world and current events and what is our place in it all. 

 As I was reading the Gospel of Mark this morning, I did come upon a bit of information that cleared some things up for me. I've been a bit confused for awhile about how we should both be on guard as Jesus instructs in Mark 13:23, and realize that "no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mark 13:32). How do we try to acknowledge the signs, but at the same time try not to trick ourselves into believing that we know exactly when everything is going to happen, or worse, follow leaders who act like they do know? Because Jesus also warns that there will be false Christs and false prophets, that they will even perform signs and miracles to deceive. 

 I read this in the IVP Bible Background New Testament commentary: 

 "13:7-8.  Ancient Jewish prophecy teachers usually listed these events among the signs of the end; the end was often portrayed as preceded by great sufferings or a final war, and was sometimes compared with birth pangs. Jesus says that instead these events characterize normal life until the end; history until the final time is only the beginning  of birth pangs." pg 171

 To me, this explains why so many people trying to predict Jesus' second coming could think they were correct. It also made me think about the fact that every reader of the Bible in every country could read events in their own countries into the prophecies. Who will actually be correct? I guess time will tell. I don't want to tell you not to be aware of the times, but I would be wary of declaring your own lifetime as definitely being THE time. And in the meantime, we need to seek God about why He has us here, who we are supposed to preach the Gospel to, how we are supposed to live out His Kingdom in this in-between time. Be discerning, be prayerful, and don't avoid learning about every part of Scripture. 

Remember the Bad Times

"Have you ever noticed how people who experienced the depression years keep harking back to them? They do so with a kind of pride. If you are not irritated by such people, you may be able to observe that the effect of the depression on them was to toughen and strengthen them and that thinking back to the lean years reinforces their resilience. 

If you never thought about it, you might expect that positive and beautiful memories would be the ones to increase our faith. I always believed for instance that one or two really dramatic or miraculous answers to prayer would increase my faith immeasurably. Yet it hasn't worked out that way. 

Lorrie (my wife) and I have seen some pretty big miracles in our day. We could, I am sure, collaborate on a 'believe-it-or-not' book of incredible answers to prayer. Then why don't we write a book? We don't have the time. Such a book is low on our priority list because it would only benefit the bookselling business and our own pockets. It might increase people's faith, but they have a Bible full of better miracles. More to the point, the miracles of which I speak have not increased our faith at all . We are ashamed to admit it, but yesterday's miracle does not make today's obedience any easier for us. 

The first bit of advice the writer to the Hebrew Christians had about increasing their faith was to think back to the tough times in their past (Hebrews 10:32-35). Kenneth Taylor translates the passage as referring to 'wonderful days,' but see what kind of 'wonderful days' they were, even in The Living Bible.

     Don't ever forget those wonderful days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you kept

     right on with the Lord even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were laughed at and 

     beaten, and sometimes you watched and sympathized with others suffering the same things. You suffered

     with those thrown into jail, and you were actually joyful when all you owned was taken from you,

     knowing that better things were waiting you in heaven, things that would be yours forever. Do not let this

     happy trust in the Lord die away. Remember your reward!

You would think the writer would have more sense than to remind discouraged Jews of how rough it used to be. After all, it appears from the context that the Jews in question were seriously considering dropping their Christian beliefs. Yet it is precisely to the tough times that he directs their thinking. 

Why?

I do not altogether know. Tough times, of course, do one of two things. They either break or make you. If you are not utterly crushed by them (in which case you will do all you can to bury their memory), you will be enlarged by them. Their pain will make you live more deeply and expand your consciousness in a way LSD never could. Evidently, the Jews whom the writer addressed had undergone such experience in their sufferings. God had loomed larger in them. Their experience in Christ proved more exciting. Therefore the memories were pain-wrapped but precious. And when the pain wrappings were taken off and the memories relived, their hearts would be stirred to warm allegiance again. Their faith would be quickened. 

If you have only just come to Christ, your rough time may have not yet taken place. But if you've been longer on the way--think back. Remember what happened? How you felt? Doesn't it being to move you? And aren't you a better person for being stirred in this way? Doesn't a more solid sort of faith begin to be rooted? 

Think well on the rough times in your Christian past." 

pgs 105-107

-John White

from: http://www.amazon.com/The-Fight-Practical-Handbook-Christian/dp/0877847770/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360908093&sr=8-3&keywords=the+fight

Pray Together

There are quite a lot of things that I admire about my parents and how they've raised my brothers and I. They weren't perfect parents, but who is? And they've always been very honest about their imperfections. One of the many important things I've learned from them is how to repent, how to ask for forgiveness, and how to lean on God in our weaknesses. They always pointed us to Jesus. Their most adamant expectation of us kids was (and still is) that we have a relationship with God and make that relationship the most important thing in our lives. I wouldn't want any other earthly parents than the ones that I've got. 

The thing that I intended to share about my parents though is the fact that they taught us how to pray, and pray without ceasing. I don't know a lot of parents who pray with their kids or with each other regularly. I don't know a lot of individuals who pray with others regularly. When I say pray together, I don't mean "saying grace" before dinner. I mean sitting together for at least a half hour, praying about life, making choices, asking God to intervene, to teach you about Himself, to heal, to speak. Now of course, it's harder to pray with younger kids for longer periods of time, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to pray for at least 10 minutes, right? (As an aside, I remember as a kid sitting on the lap of the mother of a friend, listening to her family pray in Swahili for at least an hour at a time. I didn't really understand the beautiful language, but I felt the importance of the time seeking God as a family. I think that will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. So don't hestitate to pray with your kids and their friends too!). I don't mean to bring this up to make anybody feel bad but to get people thinking about how much time they spend praying with others, especially their kids or parents. It's a necessary part of life with Jesus. He prayed a lot, and He taught His disciples how to do so by example. We need that time of focus on and with God and with fellow believers. I don't know about you, but I can't make it through the day without prayer. And I thank God for that because it means that He's not going to ever not let me need Him (even if there are times when I'm mad about being so weak).

But anyway, I would encourage that if you don't pray with others in your life, especially your kids or your parents, definitely start. It will not only strengthen your relationship and dependence on God, but it will also strengthen your relationship with those with whom you pray. I would also highly suggest this to dating couples. Get the habit started now before the relationship progresses and you forget that you need to seek God together through prayer. It will knit you together more than most activities done together could ever accomplish. And it will encourage the remembrance that God cares and is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives. We serve such a good God, who desires to have us to come and speak with Him. Why spend anymore time not doing that together with those you love?

" We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,  and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.  And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

We Need Each Other

"Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily fellowship of years, Christian community is only this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ. 

What does this mean? It means, first, that a Christian needs others because of Jesus Christ. It means, second, that a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ. It means, third, that in Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity. 

First, the Christian is the man who no longer seeks his salvation, his deliverance, his justification in himself, but in Jesus Christ alone. He knows that God's Word in Jesus Christ pronounces him guilty, even when he does not feel his guilt, and God's Word in Jesus Christ pronounces him not guilty and righteous, even when he does not feel that he is righteous at all. The Christian no longer lives of himself by his own claims and his own justification, but by God's claims and God's justification. He lives wholly by God's Word pronounced upon him, whether that Word declares him guilty or innocent. 

The death and the life of the Christian is not determined by his own resources; rather he finds both only in the Word that comes to him from the outside, in God's Word to him. The Reformers expressed it this way: Our righteousness is an 'alien righteousness,' a righteousness that comes from outside of us (extra nos). They were saying that the Christian is dependent on the Word of God spoken to him. He is pointed outward, to the Word that comes to him. The Christian lives wholly by the truth of God's Word in Jesus Christ. If somebody asks him, Where is your, your righteousness? he can never point to himself. He points to the Word of God in Jesus Christ which assures him salvation and righteousness. He is as alert as possible to this Word. Because he daily hungers and thirsts for righteousness, he daily desires the redeeming Word. And it can come only from the outside. In himself he is destitute and dead, Help must come from the outside, and it has come and comes daily and anew in the Word of Jesus Christ, bringing redemption, righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. 

But God has put this Word into the mouth of men in order that it may be communicated to other men. When one person is struck by the Word, he speaks it to others. God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of a man. Therefore , the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. He needs his brother solely because of Jesus Christ..."

pgs 21-23

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

from: http://www.amazon.com/Life-Together-Classic-Exploration-Community/dp/0060608528/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360641333&sr=1-1&keywords=life+together

More From "The Secret Thoughts Of An Unlikely Convert"

Kindle Location: 583-589

"She said: 'Rosaria, if people in my church really believed that gay people could be transformed by Christ, they wouldn't talk about us or pray about is in the hateful way they do.'

Christian reader, is this what people say about you when they hear you talk and pray? Do your prayers rise no higher than your prejudice? 

I think that churches would be places of greater intimacy and growth in Christ if people stopped lying about what we need, what we fear, where we fail, and how we sin. I think that many of us have a hard time believing the God we believe in, when the going gets tough. And I suspect that instead of seeking counsel and direction from those stronger in the Lord, we retreat into our isolation and shame and let the sin wash over us, defeating us again. Or maybe we muscle through on our pride. Do we really believe that the word of God is a double-edge sword, cutting between the spirit and the soul? Or do we use the word of God as a cue card to commandeer only our external behavior?"   

 Kindle Location: 602-607

"The world's eyes register what a life in Christ takes away, but how do I communicate all that it gives? Do I really believe, in Charles Bridges' words, 'The very chains of Christ are glorious' (Proverbs 33). Peter, after being beaten for preaching the gospel, rejoiced that he was 'counted worthy to suffer shame for [Christ's] name' (Acts 5:41). I pondered this. To the world, this is masochism. To the Christian, this is freedom. Did I really believe this? Do I really believe this today?" 

 Kindle Location: 660 - 688

"Pride combined with wealth leads to idleness because you falsely feel that God just wants you to have fun; if unchecked, this sin will grow into entertainment-driven lust; if unchecked, this sin will grow into hardness of heart that declares other people's problems no responsibility or care of your own; if unchecked, we become bold in our sin and feel entitled to live selfish lives fueled by the twin values of our culture: acquiring and achieving. Modesty and discretion are not old-fashioned values. They are God's standards that help us to encourage one another in good works, not covetousness.

You might notice that there is nothing inherently sexual about any of these sins: pride, wealth, entertainment-driven focus, lack of mercy, lack of modesty. We like to think that sin is contained by categories of logic or psychology. It's not. So why do we assume that sexual sin has sexual or affectual origins? That is because we have too narrow a focus about sexuality's purview. Sexuality isn't about what we do in bed. Sexuality encompasses a whole range of needs, demands, and desires. Sexuality is more a symptom of our life's condition than a cause, more a consequence than an origin. 

Importantly, we don't see God making fun of homosexuality or regarding it as a different, unusual, or exotic sin. What we see instead is God's warning: if you indulge the sins of pride, wealth, entertainment-lust, lack of mercy, and lack of discretion, you will find yourself deep in sin--and the type of sin may surprise you. That sin may attach itself to a pattern of life closely or loosely linked to this list.  While sin is not contained by logical categories of progression, nonetheless, sin is  progressive. That is, while sin does not stay contained by type or trope, if ignored, excused, or enjoyed, sin grows and spreads like Poison Ivy.

But God is a God of mercy, redemption, second-chances, and salvation. And therefore, when Jesus uses Sodom as an example during his ministry on earth, the example reveals that God is angrier at the religious people of Jesus' day than the inhabitants of Sodom. Jesus says this to God's people in Capernaum:

     And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought to Hades; for if the mighty works which

     were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it

     shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement than for you. (Matthew 11:23-24)

Jesus tells us clearly that had Sodom seen God's power manifested before them as Capernaum had, they would have repented and lived. Jesus' injunction that God is more greatly grieved by the sins of those who claim to know him than by those who know him not, struck a chord for me. There is a fairness and capaciousness to Jesus' words that simply is not reflected in modern evangelical culture. We see this capaciousness reflected in Jesus' invitation noted in the chapter's end. Jesus declares: 'Comes to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light' (Matthew 11:28-30). These passages also convinced me that homosexuality--like all sin--is symptomatic and not causal--that is, it tells us where our heart has been, not who we inherently are or what we are destined to become." 

- Rosaria Butterfield 

from: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Thoughts-Unlikely-Convert/dp/1884527388/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360442237&sr=1-1&keywords=the+secret+thoughts+of+an+unlikely+convert

Sexuality, Marriage, and Redemption

So I've been reading this book...

Yeah, I know, I say that a lot these days. My poor friends, family, and boyfriend are the (mostly) willing targets of the way I learn, reading and discussing what I read. I also really like posting tidbits of what I read on here in hopes that others will be challenged, taught, encouraged, etc. as well. 

Well, this book that I'm reading, The Secret Thoughts Of An Unlikely Convert, is pretty amazing. As a Christian, I've struggled for awhile now with how to address the disparity between a Biblical interpretation of the fallen nature of human sexuality and it's redemption in Christ, and the utter condemnation that certain Christians and churches propagate. I've also known that I can be very ignorant of a lot of aspects of the subject. The author of this memoir, Rosaria Butterfield, is a former Post-modern, Liberal, Feminist, Lesbian who came to Christ at the  most inconvenient time in her life. And her life since coming to know Jesus is not the kind that one would like to imagine. In her own words, her conversion was a train-wreck. It was not a neat and tidy step from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light, without casualties, struggle, and pain. She didn't come to Jesus, instantly stop being gay, and turn into a modern Christian housewife with 2 1/2 kids, a white picket fence, and a dog. I so deeply appreciate her honesty about her struggles. Her candid approach to the pockets of real Christian community she experienced along with the failings and hypocrisy of the American Christian sub-culture is extremely refreshing. Also the Biblical truth she conveys about the complexity and pervasiveness of sin and how one deals with it with Jesus is very instructional. I would seriously recommend this book to everyone. You will learn a lot, not just about Christianity and sexuality, but also about how Jesus really does come and save people, and not in the caricatured way both non-Christians and Christians expect. 

Here's a blurb from the conclusion of her having given her "R-rated" testimony to a group a Geneva College. She hadn't even wanted to talk about her conversion when first asked, because it wasn't anything like the testimonies she had heard and was uncomfortable with the expectations those listening might have of her. This section definitely hits hard and made me think about my own assumptions about marriage, sex, and my involvement with a church:

 

"The talk generated a lot of questions. Some questions revealed what these students had not learned about God's grace. One student asked: 'how you know you are healed if you are not having sex with a man?' In return, I asked him, 'Why is my health as a Christian determined by having sex at all?' I went on to explain what has always seemed obvious to me, but often comes as a great shock to Christians. I explained that all too often good Christians see sexual sin as merely sexual excess. To a good Christian, sex is God's recreation for you as long as you play in God's playground (marriage). No way, Jose. Not on God's terms. 

What good Christians don't realize is that sexual sin is not recreational sin gone overboard. Sexual sin is predatory. It won't be 'healed' by redeeming the context or the genders. Sexual sin must simply be killed. What is left of your sexuality after this annihilation is up to God. But healing, to the sexual sinner, is death: nothing more and nothing less. I told my audience that I think that too many young Christian fornicators play that marriage will redeem their sin. Too many young Christian masturbators plan that marriage will redeem their patterns. Too many young Christian internet pornographers think that having legitimate sex will take away the desire to have illicit sex. They're wrong. And marriages that result from this line of thinking are dangerous places. I know, I told my audience, why over 50% of Christian marriages end in divorce: because Christians act as though marriage redeems sin. Marriage does not redeem sin. Only Jesus himself can do that. The audience seemed a little shocked to hear this. 

The question shifted from sexual sin to expressed anger at church culture: specifically, how do we talk like this in church when church is like is, according to one student, 'filled with hypocrites.' Although only one student articulated this sentiment, the auditorium sighed with solidarity. I pointed that out to them and asked for a show of hands to better see how many shareholders this idea had. The majority of the audience raised a hand. I then put my manuscript aside and issued a challenge to these students. 'Maybe churches are filled with hypocrites because you are not there. Or maybe churches are filled with hypocrites because you are there in pride and in self-promotion. Here's my challenge to you: for those with church ties, start going to church in honest vulnerability. For those of you who are not going to church at all, come to church with me. Make a 6-month commitment. Pray with me for God's saving and guiding grace, and then we can talk about whether or not the church is filled with hypocrites.'"

-Rosaria Butterfield

from: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Thoughts-Unlikely-Convert/dp/1884527388/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360350748&sr=1-1&keywords=rosaria+butterfield

"Why Blame Judas?"

"It is not unusual to hear people expressing sympathy for Judas. They feel he was given an unfair deal in his lifetime and has had unfair press ever since. 'After all,' they say, 'if Jesus had to die, somebody had to betray him. So why blame Judas? He was but the tool of providence, the victim of predestination.' Well, the biblical narrative certainly indicates that Jesus foreknew the identity of his betrayer. (John 6:64,71; 13:11) and referred to him as 'doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled' (John 17:12; cf. Acts 1:15-17, 25). It is also true that Judas did what he did only after Satan first 'prompted' him and then actually 'entered into him' (John 13:2, 27; cf. Luke 22:3).

Nevertheless, none of this exonerates Judas. He might be held responsible for what he did, having no doubt plotted it for some time previously. The fact that his betrayal was foretold in Scripture does not mean he was not a free agent, any more than the Old Testament predictions of the death of Jesus mean that he did not die voluntarily. So Luke referred later to his 'wickedness' (Acts 1:18). However strong the Satanic influences on him were, there must have been a time when he opened himself to them. Jesus seems clearly to have regarded him as responsible for his actions, for even at the last minute in the upper room he made a final appeal to him by dipping a piece of bread in the dish and giving it to him (John 13:25-30). But Judas rejected Jesus' appeal, and his betrayal has always seemed the more odious because it was a flagrant breach of hospitality. In this it fulfilled another Scripture which said, 'Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me' (Psalm 41:9). Judas's ultimate cynicism was to choose to betray his Master with a kiss, using this sign of friendship as a means to destroy it. So Jesus affirmed his guilt, saying, 'Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born' (Mark 14:21). Not only did Jesus thus condemn him, but Judas came in the end to condemn himself. He acknowledged his crime in betraying innocent blood, returned the money for which he had sold Jesus and committed suicide. Doubtless he was seized more with remorse than repentance, but at least he confessed his guilt." - pgs 58-59

- John R. W. Stott

from: http://www.amazon.com/The-Cross-Christ-John-Stott/dp/083083320X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_4