1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Getting to Know Jesus: 2 Peter 3
3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God and heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God and heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
3:14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Devastated by Internet Porn
by Steve Gallagher
As of 2003, there were 1.3 million pornographic websites; 260 million pages
As soon as his wife pulled out of the driveway, Pastor Jessie booted up his computer. With shaking hands, he moved through the screens into the pornographic areas of the Internet he had become so familiar with. His anticipation mounted as he clicked on one of his favorite sites. Jessie did not realize that his wife had been suspecting that he had a problem.
That morning, she decided to sneak into the house to see what he was up to. She was in the room before he knew it. The look of horror and betrayal on her face when she saw the computer screen would haunt him for months to come.
Jessie's story could be multiplied by millions. According to U.S. and News World Report, web surfers spent $970 million on pornographic websites in 1998, a figure that is expected to rise to more than $3 billion by 2003. One researcher estimates that 60 million Americans have visited sexually explicit websites.
Tragically, the percentage of Christian men involved is not much different than that of the unsaved. According to most surveys, at least 17% of Christians regularly view pornography. The internet has made the raunchiest sexual images available at a click of the mouse in the privacy of one's home or office.
Pastor Jessie's story is fairly common. Upon completing Bible College, he entered ministry with a sincere desire to "walk in a manner pleasing to the Lord." At first, he maintained a healthy relationship with God, ministering to his flock out of the spiritual abundance that came from his vibrant devotional life. Eventually people began flocking to his church.
This taste of success drove Jessie on. As his ever-increasing responsibilities demanded more of his time, his prayer life began to dwindle. When he did try to pray, heaven seemed closed to him. Rather than spending time in the word seeking the spiritual nourishment he needed personally, he simply spent his time looking for sermon material.
Over a period of months, the fountain of life had dried up for him. True, his ministry continued to flourish, but inwardly he was growing increasingly apathetic and coldhearted. Jessie didn't realize it, but his spiritual listlessness made him an open target for the enemy. During this period of time, he began having occasional lustful thoughts.
At first, he would shut them out, but as time went on, he increasingly entertained them. One day, while on the Internet, the thought came to him to type a sexual phrase in the search engine. With a mounting curiosity and a depleted spiritual life, he gave in to the temptation. What came up on the screen was so electrifying to him that he spent two hours rushng through dozens of adult websites.
Jessie had just entered the dark realm of pornograpy. Over the next several months, this once-godly man plunged deeper and deeper into the sewers of perverted images. He kept telling himself that he would quit, not realizing that every single visit to a porn site was digging him into a deeper pit that would be harder to climb out of.
Getting caught by his wife was a beginning, but he had developed a serious addiction by this time. He soon found out how weak his promises to quit were. The following excerpt from my book "At The Altar of Sexual Idolatry" explains this:
Steve Gallagher is the founder and president of Pure Life Ministries. He has dedicated his life to helping men find freedom from sexual sin and the abundant life in God that comes through deep repentance.
As of 2003, there were 1.3 million pornographic websites; 260 million pages
As soon as his wife pulled out of the driveway, Pastor Jessie booted up his computer. With shaking hands, he moved through the screens into the pornographic areas of the Internet he had become so familiar with. His anticipation mounted as he clicked on one of his favorite sites. Jessie did not realize that his wife had been suspecting that he had a problem.
That morning, she decided to sneak into the house to see what he was up to. She was in the room before he knew it. The look of horror and betrayal on her face when she saw the computer screen would haunt him for months to come.
Jessie's story could be multiplied by millions. According to U.S. and News World Report, web surfers spent $970 million on pornographic websites in 1998, a figure that is expected to rise to more than $3 billion by 2003. One researcher estimates that 60 million Americans have visited sexually explicit websites.
Tragically, the percentage of Christian men involved is not much different than that of the unsaved. According to most surveys, at least 17% of Christians regularly view pornography. The internet has made the raunchiest sexual images available at a click of the mouse in the privacy of one's home or office.
Pastor Jessie's story is fairly common. Upon completing Bible College, he entered ministry with a sincere desire to "walk in a manner pleasing to the Lord." At first, he maintained a healthy relationship with God, ministering to his flock out of the spiritual abundance that came from his vibrant devotional life. Eventually people began flocking to his church.
This taste of success drove Jessie on. As his ever-increasing responsibilities demanded more of his time, his prayer life began to dwindle. When he did try to pray, heaven seemed closed to him. Rather than spending time in the word seeking the spiritual nourishment he needed personally, he simply spent his time looking for sermon material.
Over a period of months, the fountain of life had dried up for him. True, his ministry continued to flourish, but inwardly he was growing increasingly apathetic and coldhearted. Jessie didn't realize it, but his spiritual listlessness made him an open target for the enemy. During this period of time, he began having occasional lustful thoughts.
At first, he would shut them out, but as time went on, he increasingly entertained them. One day, while on the Internet, the thought came to him to type a sexual phrase in the search engine. With a mounting curiosity and a depleted spiritual life, he gave in to the temptation. What came up on the screen was so electrifying to him that he spent two hours rushng through dozens of adult websites.
Jessie had just entered the dark realm of pornograpy. Over the next several months, this once-godly man plunged deeper and deeper into the sewers of perverted images. He kept telling himself that he would quit, not realizing that every single visit to a porn site was digging him into a deeper pit that would be harder to climb out of.
Getting caught by his wife was a beginning, but he had developed a serious addiction by this time. He soon found out how weak his promises to quit were. The following excerpt from my book "At The Altar of Sexual Idolatry" explains this:
"As the addict enters the beginning stage of remorse, he will often make certain promises to God vowing never to repeat the same sin again: 'Lord, I swear I won't do this ever again!' As his eyes are opened to the reality of the horrible emptiness and nature of his sin, he readily makes such a vow; for, it is at this moment that he truly sees sin for what it really is.
However, the problem with making such a resolution is that it stems from the man's own strength and determination to resist and overcome an evil. This sort of "promise-keeping" will never endure future temptations in the same area. It is for this exact reason that the sex addict has attempted countless times before to break the habit, yet to no avail.
The man desperately needs repentance. True repentance comes when a man's heart has changed its outlook on sin. A man will only quit his sinful, destructive behavior when he was truly repented of it in his heart. As he moves closer to the heart of God, he begins to develop a "godly sorrow" over his sin.
Jessie's struggles continued. He grew discouraged after being disappointed over the exaggerated claims of "powerful" books and "life-changing" seminars about overcoming sexual addiction. He considered entering the Pure Life Ministries live-in program for men struggling with sexual sin, but close confidants told him that he did not need to take such a drastic step.
Finally, he resigned his church and made the decision to enter the program. At that point, he didn't care what it would cost him: he had to get right with God. The Lord began to come to Jessie in a powerful way at Pure Life. He helped him to see that his problem wasn't mystical. He simply had to begin where he had gotten off track in the first place: his devotional life.
Having experienced great brokenness over how his sin had destroyed his walk with God, devastated his wife, and ruined his ministry, he sought the Lord with a new fervency.
Being in a godly and protected environment, he began crawling out of the pit of sin. Temptation lost its stranglehold on him. Hope for a new life in Christ gave him an added incentive to press into God. It wasn't long before the old fire from God had returned in his life."
Steve Gallagher is the founder and president of Pure Life Ministries. He has dedicated his life to helping men find freedom from sexual sin and the abundant life in God that comes through deep repentance.
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