Welcome to the Victory Blog

Hollywood has given us all the wrong ideas about sex. Unfortunately, the church hasn’t really done a good job of correcting that. This past weekend, in an effort to reverse that trend, Colleen and I together addressed the final topic in our Elephant in the Pew series: Sex and Marriage.

Reading Proverbs 5:15-19, it’s quite evident that God’s telling us that sex is reserved for marriage. From the very beginning, going all the way back to Genesis, He wants the man and the woman to come together and become one flesh. However, the enemy has perverted this, bringing a lot of shame and guilt. And our culture is rife with impure and unholy ideas about sex, leading many to think of sex as something dirty or a forbidden pleasure. Yet, God wants us to think about sex in a godly fashion, the way He talks about it in the Bible…a lot.

So here’s the elephant: God wants us to have a fulfilling sexual life. Yes, that’s what I said. God created sex, after all, and everything He does is good. As I’ve said previously, sex is a gift from God. However, the only place a fulfilling sexual life can truly happen is between a married man and woman who share spiritual, soul and physical oneness.

Sex was meant to go so far beyond a few moments of immediate pleasure. It’s not just a physical act, it’s a spiritual act – we are spiritual beings. That’s why spiritual compatibility is the #1 stabilizer in a relationship. It’s very rare for spiritually incompatible people to have a fulfilling sexual relationship. If one partner is not being filled spiritually in God, they will look to their partner to meet their needs – something they cannot do. In order to be spiritually one, we must be mutually committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, to sharing a prayer life together, to the authority of the Word of God and to keeping ourselves pure.

Soul oneness is oneness of mind, will and emotions. It doesn’t mean that the two people just stop being who they are individually. If we’re truly in a relationship, disagreements are inevitable. It’s not important that we think alike, but rather, that we both think like God. That means being ever ready to believe the best about our spouses, not giving in to feelings of futility or hopelessness. It means constantly reaffirming our commitment – emotionally and otherwise – to our marriage – and keeping our heart in the relationship. Wives especially need to exercise patience with their husbands in this area. Oneness of soul requires humility, forgiveness, commitment and openness.

Physical oneness, at first glance, seems like the easiest and most natural part. Yet, we’ve already seen how intricately it is bound up with oneness of spirit and soul. Actually, there are a lot of things that can be tremendous hindrances to physical oneness in marriage, like pornography, infidelity, abuse, pre-marital sex, stresses of life, physical changes and selfishness.

In order to have physical oneness, we need to protect and perpetuate romance. We need to keep ourselves attractive and protect our time together. It is essential that we keep an open dialogue. And here, just as wives need to be patient with their husbands in the emotional oneness, husbands need to be patient with their wives in the physical oneness.

So, contrary to all the misinformation in our culture, the simple truth about sex is this: God intends that we have fulfilling sexual lives in a loving marriage relationship that is characterized by oneness of spirit, soul and body.

(Listen to or watch this past weekend’s message here.)

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been dealing with sexual issues that most people don’t talk about in church – facing the Elephants in the Pew. In a large part, it was all leading up to this past weekend in which we hosted a number of special events and services called The Porn Talk. We see pornography as being an increasingly pervasive but hidden struggle for many people in the church, making it the biggest Elephant in the Pew that we (and the church at large) need to address. So, we invited a special guest speaker – Craig Gross, Founder and Pastor of XXXchurch.com, whose online ministry specializes in helping people trapped in bondage to pornography.

His message was straightforward and simple, exposing the truth about pornography addiction among both men and women, and sharing the story of how XXXchurch.com got started and what they do. If you weren’t able to make it to one of our services, I highly recommend that you listen to or watch this message here. In the mean time, I’ll highlight a few things that stood out in what he shared:

Craig’s ministry in this area started when he was a youth pastor and began noticing that more and more kids were struggling with pornography. Eventually, he began to envision a safe place online, a community to help people and let them know they’re not the only ones dealing with this. As a result, he created their website, XXXchurch.com, billing it at the #1 Christian Porn Site. And what better place to launch such a site than at a porn convention?! So, he and his wife set up a booth and started telling people about a better way and promoting the site. Since then, they’ve been to 35 of these shows – in the US, Europe, Australia, Canada – giving away Bibles that say, “Jesus loves porn stars!” and seeing many people’s lives touched – both those within the industry and those who consume it.

For anyone one who struggles with pornography, know this:

Jesus Christ can and will free you from this bondage!

If you want to start this process, there are three things you need to do:

1. Confess your struggle to God. Obviously, it’s no surprise to Him and He loves you deeply. It’s amazing how the power of things hidden in darkness is broken simply by bringing them into the light through honest confession to God. Humbly recognize that you need God’s help to overcome this.
2. Confess to someone else. There’s no other sin like this one. You can’t do it on your own. Ask for help. Make yourself accountable to them – at least one or two people who can really hold you accountable. Give them permission to talk to you about issues.
3. Decide right now to clean this thing up. Don’t be like a dog returning to its vomit. Shut the doors. Cut off the access points – unfiltered, unaccountable internet use, cable, magazines, etc. You’ve got to take this matter seriously. That means taking some extreme measures. Your relationships with God, family and others are more important.

You do not have to go any further down the road of suffering created by bondage to porn. God can set you free and really wants to do so. He can put you on the right road. He can fill the hole in your heart. He can bring healing and reconciliation and meet every need – not just temporarily, but for real, solidly, eternally. Don’t let the devil keep you bound in this for another moment. Freedom is at your doorstep!

The crowd was huge for 212˚ as over 500 middle and high school students filled the floor of Victory’s main sanctuary. The band started to play, and the electrifying worship, that has become so characteristic to 212˚, began. Students rushed to the front with the sort of passion that it seems only young people can bring to their pursuit of God.

The word was clear, blunt and sobering as Donny Pauling, a.k.a., Donovan Phillips, ex-porn producer, revealed the cold, harsh realities of an industry and lifestyle bound in sexual perversion. His in-your-face tone and matter-of-fact way of saying things brought an emotion that is seldom felt in a crowd full of teenagers…gravity.

His raw presentation of not only the facts, but his own brokenness, earned their respect. His transparency was admired by all as he spoke to a generation who esteem honesty as, perhaps, their greatest virtue.

As I looked across the crowd, I saw young men who I’ve walked with over the years in their struggle with pornography. Even as I think of their battle now, my heart breaks for them. After the service was over, I saw one of these young men…and in his eyes, I saw a light…I sensed in him the freedom of a man who has just heard the truth. (See John 8.32) It was the look of a man (and I think it was this way for many) who still had a disease, but had just found the cure.

I think that Porn and Pizza was the beginning of a conversation wherein many will “confess their sins that they may be healed.” It was the beginning of a journey for those whose pursuit of God will not be impeded by the “besetting sins” of this world. May they run and not grow weary; may they walk and not faint! ~ Levi C.

On a rainy Sunday night, it was a welcome sight indeed to see the volunteers from Victory Vida greeting concerned parents who had gathered for Porn and Parents. The Victory Vida worship team set a tone of expectation as they led the group into worship in both English and Spanish. In spite of the pouring rain, V3 was packed out with parents eager to learn what they could do to help their teens keep safe in their Internet usage.

Craig Gross began by giving some startling statistics: 65% of parents are unaware of what their children are doing online; 8 out of 10 teen boys are struggling with porn; 90% of teens are online. So what do we do? Craig summed it up in a few points:

1. Have a conversation with your teens about this issue. He recommended this link: xxxchurch.com/gethelp/parents/resources.html that can give parents the tools they need to discuss this issue with their teens,
2. Move your computer to a public area in the house. He reminded parents of their parental role in this issue – with 13 -18 year olds spending an average of 72 hours a week using some sort of technology – almost two full time jobs – parents do not want to leave their children open to harm;
3. Safeguard your computer, just as you do your television set. It is vital for everyone to have filters and software on your computer to protect your children. He mentioned both filter and accountability software that is readily available through x3watch.com.

Craig also cautioned about the dangers of unmonitored use of social media sites, pointing out that most parents would not allow their teens to travel wherever they want, whenever they want, but routinely let them do that in the online world.

Most teens do not realize the dangers that are inherent in distributing personal information online. The internet is full of online predators, and parents must ensure that they regularly check any social media accounts that their children maintain in order to keep them safe from harm.

The evening ended with an open Q & A session with Craig Gross and Pastors Dennis and Colleen, who have already navigated this world with their own teen. Then, they challenged all the parents to stand firm as they protect their children, even when their children and other parents pressure them to give in. After all, we are responsible to the Lord for them. Pastor Dennis then closed in prayer, asking for wisdom for parents and protection for our teens. ~ Pamela B.

Nearly 700 men came out on a sunny Saturday morning to enjoy a pancake breakfast and talk about a subject that could actually take away your appetite: Pornography.

As breakfast got underway, comedian David Dean lightened the mood with some good humor explaining the secret to a happy life and marriage…you have to giggle…a lot…at yourself. In the midst of the humor, he brought a good message: Your giggle, the joy in your heart, could be your greatest testimony.

Next, Craig Gross, Pastor and Founder of XXXchurch.com, a.k.a. “the porn pastor,” told the story behind XXXchurch.com. It started because he wanted to create a safe place online where people could get the truth about porn and get help.

Then, Gross continued by candidly speaking about the issue of pornography and sexual addiction. He said, “What you’re looking at online will eventually take you offline. You can never get enough.” He exposed the lie that no one is really hurt by porn. “The truth,” he said, “is that there are people that are hurt by this stuff – the consumers, their wives and families and the models and producers as well.”

Gross said, “This issue is very progressive. Once you get into it, you keep having to get a little more, and soon, that’s not enough, and you have to go deeper and deeper to get the same thrill. Unfortunately, most of the time people with this issue don’t even want to get help, at least not until they’ve hit rock bottom. Pornography is a very selfish thing; it pleases no one but self.”

Closing out his segment, Gross listed six ways to ruin your life:

1. Fight temptation with willpower – we’re men, aren’t we?!
2. Believe this lie: “just a little porn is okay.” “It’s just______.” “porn training wheels” You can’t delete the images from your mind. It’s progressive, you’ll want more and more.
3. Spend more time online and less time in God’s Word.
4. Wing it when it comes to your integrity. “Looking once means I’m alive; looking twice means I’ve dissed my wife.” We’ve got to address our issues before they take us out.
5. Go solo. Joining up with others, opening up don’t come naturally to guys. Never met anyone who’s gotten over a problem with porn by themselves. Use X3watch.
6. Believe this lie: “If you fail, just give up.”

Next up, Donny Pauling, a.k.a. Donovan Phillips, ex-porn producer, shared this powerful

testimony:

Raised a pastor’s son, he grew to hate the people in the churches, which were very legalistic. It seemed like everything was wrong. From his perspective, God wasn’t fun and kept people from having fun. People in church were hypocrites. Then, he met a “real” Christian girl and started pretending in order to keep their relationship going. He became the very thing he had grown to hate: a hypocrite.

Pauling started producing porn secretly after he got married, doing it behind his wife’s back for three years, making tons of money. Eventually, he ended up cheating on her and when he confessed to her all that he was doing, it effectively ended their marriage.

He said, “I watched the light go out of a whole lot of [girls’] eyes right before me.” The models’ lives usually fell apart. Even free sites contribute to the trail of broken lives. “Still, I proudly told former church “friends” that I was a porn producer,” he said, “defending myself by saying that if there was no demand, there would be no supply.”

Over time, however, hearing story after story of people’s lives being destroyed and broken, it started to get to him. Then he saw the xxxchurch.com booth at a porn convention. As he began interacting with Craig Gross and his team, Pauling saw them showing unconditional love to himself and others. And this blew away his paradigm. He could no longer justify his hatred of Christians.  His heart started softening. He even started praying. When offered an amazing contract by Playboy, he gave thanks to God, and then immediately knew how petty it was. He started trying to bargain with God, but then he knew his porn career was over; that he couldn’t do it anymore. He hadn’t yet given his life to God, but he just  couldn’t pick up his camera. A few months later, he realized he needed to start trusting God, and gave his life to Christ.

Although they had gotten divorced, Pauling had continued to support his ex-wife. While he had been producing the porn, he was living lavishly and hadn’t saved any of the money. So when he quit, he lost pretty much everything. He was completely blown away with gratitude and humility that during this time, the xxxchurch people started supporting him, and his wife’s bills never went unpaid. After a period of detox, his ex-wife began to share with him how God helped her through the pain.

Now Pauling has started a new business, and his ex-wife actually works for him, and sometimes they talk of reconciliation. He continues to receive letters of support and encouragement through the xxxchurch.com site, as well as from others seeking his help. He also regularly gets letters from some of his former models whose lives are still being ruined by their past. He read one of these by a former photo-only model. The pictures that he had take in the past are still haunting and destroying her life. She was desperate and there isn’t really anything he can do. He stated this poignant truth, “Nobody in the [porn] business ends up being grateful for being involved.”

Pauling closed with this exhortation: “If you’re struggling with porn, know that God has a purpose for your life. After He gets you free, He’ll use you to minister in others’ lives. Come clean to God so He can come along side of you. If God can get me free, He can get you free. No one is hopeless!”

Pastor Dennis concluded the morning saying, “This has been one of the major issues that I’ve seen men have to deal with over the years that I’ve been a pastor – sexual bondage was a huge issue in my life when I came to the Lord. We need to have accountability in our lives. Accountability is being regularly answerable about the issues in your life to someone who is qualified to help you. Every guy needs to have at least one or two guys that they’re accountable to – guys who will ask the hard questions. Porn is no respecter of persons – it doesn’t matter who you are – it is taking people down from every walk of life. I want to challenge every one of you guys to get an accountability partner if you don’t already have one. We’ll only be accountable to the degree we want to be accountable. If you want to be free you’ve got to be truly accountable. No one can go it alone. God wants to set captives free and deliver us from demonic strongholds. He wants to set our lives on a course of purity!”

A few years ago, the group Rascal Flatts had a huge hit with a song called Life is a Highway. Maybe you’ve heard it – the chorus goes: “Life is a highway; I want to ride it all night long…” The highway of life is an amazing journey, but it can be dangerous, and if we’re not paying attention, we’ll wind up in places we never planned on visiting: Exit 15 – Sex addiction, Exit 23 – Porn addiction.

If you attend Victory World Church then you are well aware that Pastors Dennis and Colleen are not afraid to hit the highway and get into an occasional collision; and on Friday, September 18th, that is exactly what happened when the church and pornography collided in an event called Porn and Pastries.

Statistics show that 20% of Christian women are addicted to pornography, and with 50% of Christian men also addicted, there are a lot of Christian women who are impacted by pornography. Because most churches have been reluctant to discuss the topic of pornography, these women have suffered through the pain and shame of porn addiction alone and in silence. That is until Porn and Pastries.

Seven years ago, Pastor Craig Gross founded XXXChurch.com to help people struggling with porn addiction. In 2006, he began Porn and Pancakes, which gives men the opportunity to come together and discuss porn over a pancake breakfast. Seeing the need to offer the same support and outreach to women, Porn and Pastries was created. Christian women discussing pornography? Can you imagine? No way; that will never happen! Well, it did happen and we had the awesome opportunity to host over 900 women who came out to learn about the devastating effects of pornography on individuals and families.  Even the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the Associated Press took note.

Tammy Smart, a member of Victory, came out to learn about porn addiction “I’m always looking to learn something new. This is a great opportunity to learn about something we don’t discuss and be able to get Godly truth.” As the women sat at tables set up on the floor of the main sanctuary, enjoying pastries and parfaits served by Catherine Bachman’s Hospitality Dream Team, music and laughter filled the room. “Esto es muy importante debido a la libertad que tenemos que escuchar y hablar la verdad,” responded Vianey Cortez, when asked about the importance of the evening. (Translation: This is very important because of the freedom we have to hear and speak the truth.) Her friends Patricia and Rosanna agreed, “It will be a great opportunity to hear this kind of truth uncovered. People will be delivered and set free.”

As more women filtered in, the Hospitality Team – outfitted in safari hats – deftly maneuvered through the crowd, providing coffee and ensuring empty pastry plates were quickly replenished, while Summer Bowie welcomed the crowd and opened the evening in prayer. Although the prospect of hearing frank talk about pornography made some a little uneasy, there was an overwhelming sense that the discussion was needed. “I invited several people,” said Betsy Wolf as she settled into her seat, “Some declined because they are not married. But this is not just for married women. This will give us the opportunity to guard against it and get knowledge to help others.”

After praise and worship led by Heather Mangum and an interpretive dance routine, Pastor Colleen took the stage and told the audience that they were “courageous” and “a catalyst for change”. “Tonight we’re going to hear truth!” she declared to a thunderous round of applause. As the crowd settled down, Pastor Colleen introduced Craig Gross. A hush fell over the sanctuary as he explained why he founded XXXChurch.com and how pornography can start off seemingly innocent and without warning become a dangerous, often destructive addiction. He warned about the dangers of the Internet and the need for monitoring and accountability for children and adults when online.

While Craig’s message was powerful and disturbing, Michele Truax’s personal story of the devastating impact her husband’s pornography addiction had on their marriage struck a nerve. Michele shared that she, like many women, was aware of her husband’s issues with pornography prior to their marriage, but thought they would go away after marriage. “It’s important as women to know who we are in Christ. Not the superficial image.” She explained to the crowd. While her husband’s addiction to porn left Michele feeling like she was nothing and filled with hurt, bitterness and anger, Michele stressed the importance of forgiveness. “Stay close to the Godly people in your life,” Michele advised, “and serve. Serving gets you out of yourself.”

Just when the crowd thought they had heard all they needed to know about pornography, author Shelly R. Warren took the stage and completely mesmerized the crowd with her personal story of being addicted to pornography and sex. Unabashedly and unflinchingly she discussed the allure of porn and the impact her sexual promiscuity had on her mind, body and soul. Shelly explained that porn was a gateway and illustrated the dangers of allowing gateways into our souls by reading 1 Timothy 4. Shelly’s story was not warm and fuzzy, and definitely not something you would expect to hear in church; and while Shelly’s disarming charm and wit brought a lightness and sense of humor that allowed the audience to laugh, it was clear – porn, no matter how harmless it may seem, is dangerous and destructive. “Low self-esteem,” Shelly explained, “is the biggest problem. We need to see our value.” Shelly punctuated this by reading Matthew 7:6.

By the end of the night, the message was clear – keep your eyes on the road and steer clear of those seemingly innocent exits on your journey down the highway of life. ~ Karla E.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16 NIV).

Do you have a dirty little secret? Are you bound by an addiction to pornography? If so, confess your sin to God and to someone else and be FREE already! Why stay captive to sin any longer? Why let the enemy control your life another day?

A great place to start your confession and begin down the road to recovery is xxxchurch.com. Craig Gross, founder and leader of xxxchurch.com (based out of Las Vegas – Sin City) was our guest speaker during our weekend services on 9-19-09 and 9-20-09. Craig joined Victory World Church for our fourth session in our series on sex entitled “Elephant in the Pew”. And not only was an elephant in the pew, but a disciple of Christ was in the pulpit – filled with boldness, power, and anointing from the Holy Spirit! Craig shared with Victory a powerful message about the destructive power of pornography – a message that is long overdue for the church community. It’s time we face the issues that are affecting the church head on, and Craig’s message did just that. We confronted pornography and EXPOSED it for what it is – - SIN, DEATH, and DESTRUCTION.

The issue of Internet pornography addiction is put best as written on the xxxchurch.com website: If you sent a bottle of vodka to every home in America every week for a year, you would no doubt have a whole wave of alcoholics. The Internet has created a wave of pornography addicts with its pervasive porn delivery mechanism.

Craig, a former youth pastor, emphasized the importance of confessing our sins to God, confessing our sins to one another, repenting, and asking for God’s help. xxxchurch.com is a place where you can go to confess your sin and set up accountability for your Internet usage. Free software called X3watch is available for download at xxxchurch.com. An upgraded version called X3watch PRO can be purchased for $19.00. These programs ask you for the email addresses of up to three accountability partners. When you go to any adult Internet site, your designated accountability partners are notified by email with a listing of the sites you visited. If you disable X3watch, your accountability partners are notified as well. Basically, if you surf the net for Internet pornography, you will be EXPOSED! Craig also encouraged us to call or meet with our accountability partners on a regular basis, as the X3 accountability program is only one aspect of the accountability process. We need to stay away from isolation and have relationships with others whom we can talk to and who will hold us accountable for any sinful behavior.

Friends, let’s not keep making the same mistakes. “As a dog eats its own vomit, so fools recycle silliness” (Proverbs 26:11 The Message). Let’s do what we gotta do to keep ourselves a Holy vessel for the Lord. For some of us, this will mean downgrading cell phones to non-web phones, canceling cable and Internet subscriptions, avoiding roads where pornographic material is sold, and choosing to trash the sales flyers and magazines that feature underwear models. Whatever it takes, just do it. Be bold and do it today.

It is obvious that Mr. Craig Gross has answered the call to serve the Lord. To date, Craig has been to 35 pornography conventions in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and beyond. And just what kind of people has Craig found at these conventions? Human beings, that’s who. It all started in January of 2002 when Craig rented his first booth at a pornography convention for $5000 dollars (thanks to his American Express card). Craig’s message at these conventions is “Jesus Loves Porn Stars”. And Craig is so sure about this message that he has Bibles made with covers that say just that (pic of bible). As you might imagine, persuading publishers to put a cover like this on the Bible is not always easy, yet the bold message on the cover is nothing but the TRUTH. “Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him.”If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you” (John 8:31-32 The Message).

Something that came as a shock to some was that 3000-5000 bibles are handed out (for free) at each pornography convention that XXXchurch attends. Craig understands the fundamental truth of the word of God: It has the power to CHANGE PEOPLE! As a result of the positive reception that Craig has received at pornography conventions (yes, I said positive), he was invited to a pornography convention geared specifically towards homosexual pornography – and invited back! XXXchurch will also have a booth at the Atlanta Gay Pride festival in October – handing out free bibles.

Craig also reminded us that times have changed and the world our children are growing up in is much different than what many of us experienced in our childhood. Children can be searching the net for innocent information and come across pornographic material. Parents: WAKE UP!!

Victory thanks God for Craig’s understanding of the times we live in. People of this world are spiritually dead, bound by the chains of sin, and burning in a fiery pit on a daily basis. But thank God for laborers like Craig who are sharing the truth of Jesus Christ with the lost.

“Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38 Amplified).

Craig’s message to Victory can be downloaded here.

To learn more about Craig, XXXchurch, and X3 watch, go to xxxchurch.com. While there, take the X3 Porno Pledge!

*Annual revenue for the pornography industry: $70 BILLION – More than ABC, CBS, and NBC combined. *Number of pornographic web pages: 400 MILLION

~Alex H.

This past weekend, I invited Ricky Chelette of Living Hope Ministries to talk about homosexuality, which has become an increasingly large Elephant in the Pew that few churches have addressed effectively until recently. I felt it was important to have someone speak who had come out of that lifestyle and now has a powerful ministry to others. I was incredibly grateful to him adn the message he brought. Apparently, so were hundreds of others based on the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve had since then.

His message was enlightening and full of hope, highlighting the amazing, transformative power of the Gospel. He opened our eyes to the ways in which same gender attraction gets a foothold in the lives of young boys, arising primarily in those who are more sensitive and who lack healthy male affirmation, attention and affection. His description of this process was easy to understand and right on, coming from both his ministry to thousands of others who have struggled in this area and his own struggles earlier in life.

There’s really no way I can do justice to his message here, other than to strongly urge you to watch this message online, even if you were there this weekend, and especially if this is an area in which you struggle. Even if this isn’t your issue, most, if not all of us, have someone in our lives that struggle in this area and would benefit from his words of wisdom, hope and life.

As I mentioned this weekend, we are in the process of starting up a ministry to deal specifically with this issue, as well as other sexual brokenness issues. You’ll be hearing more about that later. For now, we want you to know that Ricky also has a lot of other resources available, again for both men and women, at his ministry’s website: livehope.org. Know this: God’s power to transform is much greater than ANYTHING we struggle with in our live. Through the power of Christ, anyone can find freedom, wholeness and salvation!

There are some choices a person should never have to make: Shoes or shots for the kids? Dinner or a doctor visit? Power bill or prenatal care? For more and more people in Gwinnett County, health insurance is not an option if they are to eat and keep a roof over their heads. Where do they turn when medical needs arise?

Incorporated in 2004, Good Samaritan Gwinnett is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization committed to caring for the indigent, homeless and working poor who do not have health insurance. Their mission is to demonstrate the love of Christ in word and deed to those in need by providing affordable, high quality primary health care and other non-urgent care. It is the aim of Good Samaritan Gwinnett to not only meet physical needs but to also address the spiritual needs of uninsured patients through prayer and biblical counseling.

Located in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Good Samaritan Health Center of Gwinnett serves low-income families, many of whom are single mothers with young children who do not receive health benefits from their employer or are unable to qualify for government assistance. The Center provides uninsured families with a wide-range of services typically found in a family physician’s office such as well child and adult exams, chronic disease management, preventive care and women’s health. In addition, they offer dental, optometry, counseling and health education services. All services are designed to be available, affordable and accessible to the uninsured men, women and children of Gwinnett and the surrounding counties.

There are 1.7 million medically uninsured in the state of Georgia which has the 6th highest number of residents without health insurance in the U.S. and ranks 11th in its percentage of the population lacking coverage, according to a report from Georgia State University’s Georgia’s Health Policy Center and the Center for Health Services Research. Georgia also ranks 5th in the nation with approximately 307,000 uninsured children.

“A need of such magnitude requires the full support of the body of Christ to address. I am convinced that we, as a community of believers, have within our grasp the time, skill, and resources to care for people among us who have fallen on hard times and, for whatever reason, have found themselves without health insurance. After all, Jesus reminds us in Luke 10:37 that a Good Samaritan is one who has mercy on his neighbor.” – Kimberly Adams, Executive Director

“With the economy in the state it’s in, our financial needs have only increased. As more and more people come seeking care, we find ourselves needing to do more, with fewer resources. The past year has brought to our Health Center many new volunteers and donors, who have heard about what we do, and the needs we have, and chose to do something about it. I encourage you to prayerfully consider getting involved.” – Jake Varghese, M.D., Medical Director

This month, we are concentrating our iCare giving on helping this powerful community ministry. We invite you to prayerfully consider taking part by giving to iCare. We also encourage you to give the gift of time as a much needed volunteer.

“Thank you, Victory, for your continued financial support, volunteer hours and fervent prayers for this important issue affecting our community. We never forget the medical, dental, optometry and counseling services we provide for our patients are made possible by your generosity.” – Kimberly Adams, Executive Director

In most churches in America today, singles now make up a larger percentage than those who are married, and that percentage is growing. People are waiting longer and longer to get married.  In fact, in our culture, there is a very big push away from traditional marriage – defined as one man and one woman in a committed, monogamous relationship for life. It is starting to be seen as unnecessary, archaic or inconvenient. Additionally, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people have grown up into a fear of marriage. They’ve seen the awful things that can happen in marriages and divorce, and don’t want to commit to it.

Now, if you’re single, and fully dedicated to the Lord, it can be a great time. And, there are some people who can remain that way happily for the rest of their lives without struggling with sexual desires. However, for the majority of us, God has intended for us to be able to have sex within a marriage covenant. The problem is that if we don’t get married but still have sexual desires, there is a strong push to have sex outside of marriage. And this is where we’ve gotten into trouble. The world tells us to express our sexual desire however we want. But this is a tragic mistake leading not only to physical consequences like sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, but even more so to emotional and spiritual consequences like overwhelming struggles with guilt and shame. God wants us to live free from that stuff!

Okay, we know that sex belongs in marriage, but how do we live as singles until we are married? First, we need to know that God is holy, He wants us to be holy but He doesn’t just leave us there – He’s given us a lot of things in His Word to help us live holy. Also, we need to know that there are three things that fight hard against us living the life God intends. We have to fight the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life – pride ultimately leads to our downfall.

So, how do we live a pure life? How do we overcome these lusts and pride? There are four keys that with God’s help will enable every person, whether married or single:

1. Humility.  This is the key to freedom. For many of us, the reason we slip back into sin is because we think we can handle it. Humility is the place of entire dependence on God; pride is the place of entire dependence on self.
2. Accountability. Requires humility. Whenever we operate outside of accountability, we’re going to fall. I believe the reason that there’s so much heartache and divorce is because one or both of the people in the relationship stopped being accountable.
3. Boundaries.   God establishes boundaries in our lives – started in the Garden of Eden with the tree. Beware: Satan always comes in and questions what God has said, trying to bring down the boundaries in our lives.
4. Commitment.  Don’t do dating, do courtship. Dating is about breaking commitments. In courtship, the goal is a healthy committed marriage and the mindset is to preserve ourselves physically until that marriage.

God has a better plan for the singles than the world does. The question is whether you want to experience the hurt, bondage, guilt and shame of doing things according to the world’s way or to walk in the blessings and peace of doing things God’s way. The choice is yours. I urge you to choose life and freedom!

(There’s a lot more to this teaching than what I’ve written here, including the Top 10 Reasons Why People Wait so Long to Get Married, check out this week’s message. You can listen/watch online or download it here.)