Secret Church

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Secret Church 11 – Reflections – Part 3 Posted: 12 Dec 2011 03:00 AM PST The following is the final post in a three part series by DMI Intern, Eric Parker.  In this series Eric shares his thoughts on Secret Church 11 and the current cultural climate in relation to “Family, Marriage, Sex, and the Gospel”: ____________________ The Slippery Slope Francis Schaeffer summed up my point at the end of the last post when he said, The idea of absolute, autonomous freedom from God's boundaries flows into the idea of equality without distinction, which flows into the denial of what it truly means to be male and female, which flows into abortion and homosexuality, and the destruction of the home and the family, and ultimately the destruction of our culture. There is a profound connection between all of the things that have gone wrong today (i.e. abortion, divorce, adultery, etc…). And often times, once a culture gives on one front, it's only a matter of time before it finds itself down a road with no foreseeable way back. Many people who would have indulged themselves in the fruit of a worldview that says we should have "autonomous freedom from God's boundaries" within sexuality, have now been left wanting. Sin promises you much on the front end. Indeed it has great boast of all that it can offer. Yet, when you come around to the other side, you not only feel unsatisfied, you may often feel more empty than before. This is because sin is eating away at the things that are distinctly placed in you as people who are made in His image (Gen. 1, 2, 3). Where Are We Headed? In the midst of the decay of all things related to sexuality and marriage in our culture, things may yet get worse. It may be, though, that the most powerful defense for God's design for marriage (and everything that springs from it) would be the destruction of marriage within our culture. Through this, people may begin to see through the dust and rubble of family, marriage, sex, and gender gone wrong, what a grave need there is in each of us to operate in the ways we were made to. At the same time, if this happened apart from the Church shedding the light of the gospel into the most clouded parts of a culture that has self-destructed on these fronts, then there is no hope. For marriage, and all things related, being completely ruined would not, in and of itself, push people toward God's design. Because the Bible tells us that those who do not have the love of Christ in them are in the darkness and walk in the darkness, and do not know where they are going (1 Jn. 2:11, ESV). So there is a great need now, and in the days ahead to light the torch of the gospel in order to seek and save the lost. Our Future Hope No matter how things continue to play out, we have a future hope. But at the same time, we have hope today. Take for instance the films mentioned in the last post. Their very existence is evidence that God is working in our midst to, as Paul put it, "give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). While I do believe that many people in our culture will continue to grow in their sexual indulgences, I also believe that God, in Christ, is calling out a people of His own, in order to show that the true reality of the gospel (namely, Christ and His church/bride) is found in the shadow of marriage. And in the testimony of this shadow called marriage, many people will find true sexual liberation, as well as infinitely more than all they could ask or imagine in the ages to come as we are united with our true husband, Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:20-21)! __________________ To watch or listen to Secret Church - “Family, Marriage, Sex, and the Gospel”, visit the Resource Library in the DMI website.  DVDs, CDs, and Study Guides are also available for purchase through the DMI Store.

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