Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins

Things That Make Sexual Sin Easy Editor’s Note: This article by Kerry Duke is quite explicit. If it seems too frank, maybe we have let ourselves slip too far from biblical purity. There is entirely too much familiar and intimate talk between men and women and boys and girls. Some things are private and need to stay that way. There should be a clear line of respect between males and females that keeps them from mentioning personal matters pertaining to the body. But too many young men shamelessly talk about their bodies, the bodies of young women, and sexual matters, openly. Too many young women allow this kind of talk and even engage in it themselves. And far too many grown men and women still think this crude language is funny. When people are this common and carefree about personal matters, there is little to keep them from expressing this attitude by their actions. There is far too much casual bodily contact between the sexes. From an early age, boys and girls are allowed, and even encouraged, to wallow and wrestle with each other. When they begin to date, they see nothing wrong with cuddling on a couch like married couples. They freely sit on each other’s lap and embrace with full body-to-body contact. They hang all over each other without a second thought. Where are the parents, the teachers, and the church leaders? Where is their head? Grown people, especially married people, know what such contact does to youthful passions, and they also know that if two people who are dating display this kind of affection in public, then they will go much farther in private. Are these adults afraid to say anything, or do they just not care? There is little supervision in the home and little accountability on these matters in the home and in the church. Working single parents have a tough job trying to keep up with teenagers in this free and open culture. But even in homes with both parents, young people often receive little guidance and correction about sexual purity because the parents have their minds on other concerns. In the church, little preaching is given on the sins of adultery and fornication. Preachers try to be so nice and positive that they rarely mention a word that would cause a fornicator or adulterer to feel guilty enough to repent. Even worse, too many congregations are like the church at Corinth before Paul rebuked them in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. They shut their eyes to sin in the church and refuse to put the wicked away from them. Dating practices today make it extremely hard to stay pure. People should know better than to watch a movie in a house or apartment alone when they are dating. They are kidding themselves if they think this is harmless. Two people who are dating have no business parking in a vehicle in the dark so they can be alone. There are some simple facts of human nature one has to overlook to deny these things. Sexual desire is progressive – it seeks fulfillment and will progress until it reaches that point, if there is opportunity. Attraction to someone of the opposite sex begins with a look, a smile, or a conversation. Then feelings develop, and those feelings seek expression in touch. Once the touching begins, the direction is always forward, never backward, and as long as the two have opportunity, it will build in strength. The sensible thing is not to put oneself in a situation where these passions have room to burn. In other words, stay around people who have the highest morals. Dancing between the sexes is looked at as innocent recreation. I found a tract entitled, “Dancing in Our Public Schools.” A preacher delivered what is found in the tract on a radio program, and it is hard to find anything like it. He openly criticized school dances, asking mothers and fathers: “Do you mean to tell me that a normal man can take into his arms night after night, a beautiful woman, perfumed as they are, with her in his arms for hours, his hand on her nude back, his body hard against hers, his limbs entwined about hers, his cheek to hers, his hand clasping tight her hand – slowly waltzing to the sweet strains of lustful music and not have his emotions, at some time in this experience, stirred almost and many times beyond his control?” He said to anyone who denies this effect: “You are either a liar or you are a dead man.” I would to God we had preachers who would talk like this today! But this tract was printed in 1951 by E. R. Harper, and there are very few preachers who will even mention dancing in a sermon today. Indecent and provocative clothes draw attention to the body and stir lustful passions. Women and men have no business exposing their bodies the way many of them do. Women wear dresses and tops that have virtually no back and shamelessly expose cleavage. They know they are exposing their bodies when they put on these clothes. They wear skirts and shorts that display their thighs for the whole world to see. They show every curve of their bodies by wearing clothes that fit as tight as saran wrap. Even worse, men and women expose themselves in their underwear and try to justify this indecency by calling it swimwear! Many people, both men and women, are downright dishonest about this. Women know the effect these clothes have on men, and men full well understand it. But neither of them do anything to change. Television and the Internet dump every vile scene imaginable into the minds of men and women. People soak in hours of this garbage every week and become as hardened and disgusting as the people they watch on screen. Sex scenes are burned into their memories. Filthy language still rings in their ears long after they have watched a rotten movie. Their souls become corrupted and their actions follow. People have reduced themselves to animals by watching and listening to this dirt. With so many Americans entertaining themselves with this satanic material, it is no wonder that our society is plagued with every form of illicit and perverted sex: adultery, fornication, pedophilia, homosexuality, bestiality, rape, and incest. Like ungodly sinners described in the New Testament, these have a worthless mind (Romans 1:28), and even become so callused that they are “past feeling”, Ephesians 4:19. Ultimately, it is man’s free will that is responsible for sin. (James 1:14). But circumstances can open the door and give encouragement to sin, and we are facing these on every hand. God give us strength to endure and to do all we can to stem the tide of this ungodliness. Kerry Duke

What Friendly Churches Do It’s been said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” and I believe that is so true. A congregation may “think” they are friendly, but how would an outsider describe it? Would their conclusions be the same? Hopefully, their actions agree with their words. What do friendly churches do? Expect Visitors. Hundreds of neighbors are invited each year to our services, to special days like Friend’s Day and Gospel Meetings. Many of these are face-to-face invitations; others are by mail and newspapers. Many of our members invite on a regular basis. Think how foolish it would be for us to come any Sunday without the thought that someone will be visiting. Let us expect them, because they will be here. Come Early and Stay Late. If everyone arrived at two minutes ‘til and left immediately following the “Amen,” there would be no one to visit with visitors. Plan to arrive a few minutes early to search out visitors. Visitors First. Do not wait until you have visited with everyone else before you search for visitors. They will probably be gone. Give the first few minutes before and after worship and class to find and welcome visitors. Offer Them Four Invitations. Invite them to your class or help them find a class. Invite them to sit with you during worship. Invite them to lunch with you. And invite them to the next service. Just because they are here does not mean the invitations stop. This Means You. No one else can obey the royal law for you. We do not all have the same abilities or personalities. But all of us can offer a kind word. Think how you would want to be treated as a visitor, then “go and do likewise.” If we follow these suggestions, visitors will be more apt to return to the services. We sometimes say that if several people visit with someone, it might “scare him off.” Usually, that is just an excuse. Most people want to be visited. Let’s make them feel welcome! John Denney