September 2006 Newsletter:
I don't see it, but I believe it.

What does God think about divorce?

There are several Old and New Testament scriptures in regards to divorce. In Malachi 2:16 we get God’s opinion of divorce: "I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. If this were the first reference that I read of God’s opinion of divorce I would have felt like there was no hope as I am divorced. That is why I am glad that I knew of God’s amazing saving grace first. We all sin, we were born that way. It is something that we cannot escape on our own. That is where God’s saving grace comes in. He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. The moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior those sins are washed away by His blood.

So does that make divorce ok? Let’s look at what Jesus tells us in the New Testament. First let’s see what He said in Matthew 5:31-32: "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. Here he tells us that for a man should not divorce a woman for any reason other than marital unfaithfulness. This is reiterated in Matthew 19:9: I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."

The Pharisees questioned Jesus about the certificate that Moses allowed in Matthew 19:7-8: "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.

In order to understand what Jesus meant by "it was not this way from the beginning" we will need to look at Genesis 1:27 and 2:24:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
God created us (men and women) in His image. Genesis 2:22-23 says "Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man."
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)
This is where we get that men and women were designed by God to be married as husband and wife and not any other combinations.

It can be interpreted from what Jesus said that adultery on part of the husband or wife is an exception and likely the only reason for divorce. So who gets to remarry? In interpreting the passages I came to the conclusion that the person that the sin was committed against would be allowed to remarry, but the person who committed the sin was not.

Ultimately I think that God would have us try to repair a relationship rather than to end it in divorce. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Are there any other reasons for getting divorced? I found one in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. "To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?" (1 Corinthians 7:12-16)

Paul is basically telling us that if a believer is married to an unbeliever and the unbeliever leaves then the believing man or woman is not bound to the marriage.

Bottom line literally and figuratively, we all sin. Christ will wash that sin away with the blood He shed on the cross if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. If you want to know more about Jesus, let me know. If you have accepted Jesus then your sins are washed away, now go out and introduce someone to Jesus so they can have their sins washed too.

Because of Him,

Terry

Too much too soon The Courier-Mail

I have to agree with the author of this article, (Too much too soon The Courier-Mail) Christopher Bantick, that this is taking things too far too soon. This is right along the same lines as when Hasbro thought about introducing a line of dolls based on the Pussycats this past spring.

It is hard enough being a parent in today's culture without having to explain to a 6 year old daughter what lingerie is and why it is not acceptable as a toy for her to play with a doll that is dressed in it.

These companies are all too quick to say that they are just meeting what the kids want. I think that is a good excuse for introducing our kids to toys that God had no intention of them playing with. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NLT) says, "If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing. Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God." By going along with our culture we are being veiled from the Good News of Jesus Christ. Each time watch a show on TV or go to the movies and see adultry, promiscuity, homosexuality, or any other sin glamorized then we are allowing ourselves to be blinded by Satan. Where does one draw the line on this? Good question. But until a line of any kind is drawn then what we see on TV or on the shelves in the toy department are going to become even less moral than they are now.

Because of Him ~ Terry

Does 'Talladega' mock Christians?

Is it ok to mock Christianity? I think that we need to be able to laugh at ourselves, but I do not think that we should be creating so-called entertainment in order to do it. If we do something that is funny, go ahead, laugh. By making movies, television shows, etc. that have a constant theme of mocking Christianity or that show that sins are ok we are little by little creating an atmosphere that condones that type of behavior.

Let me know what you think.

Because of Him,

Terry

PC(USA) - News Service - Rock group gives $75,000 to PC(USA) for Katrina-relief

Except for those affected, the memory of Hurricane Katrina is beginning to fade for most of us. I'll even admit to that. That is also why our youth group is going next year to help with clean-up in Kiln, MS., because it will even be further from most people's memory.

I recognize the name of the rock group, 3 Doors Down, that recently gave $75,000 do the PC(USA) for Katrina relief, but that is all. I do not know any songs that they sing or even what their music is like. What I do know is that they made a generous donation to help those that we are beginning to forget about. Thank you 3 Doors Down.

Because of Him ~~ Terry

Not All Teens Take Driving Test For License

This article caused me to think about when I got my license. I took driver's ed through the Clarion Community High School and got my certificate. Needless to say I had no idea until it was too late that it would count against my GPA. I walked the two blocks from my parents house, took my written examination which was not on a computer, had my picture taken, and was then licensed by the State of Iowa to drive.

After reading this article it concerns me that there is so little driving time for teens. My parents took every opportunity to let me and my little brother drive so we had lots of practice. I doubt that was the case for our a lot of our peers and I would be willing to bet that with the type of schedules families have now that those who get the type of practice I did is even less.
I pray that our state legislators and the DOT get a solid system in place.

Because of Him,

Terry

CNN.com - African missionaries take religion to West - Aug 7, 2006

200+ years ago missionaries were going to Africa. Now Africa is sending missionaries where God has been increasingly calling them to go over the last 20 years or so. They are going to Europe and the United States. Why? Because the churches in Africa see these areas as a mission field and they see people falling away from God at an alarming rate and they see those that have not fallen away falling from the True Word of God.

God's Word is just that and they are tired of seeing God's Word become increasingly PC (politically correct). Come to think of it, so am I.

Because of Him,

Terry

Schools told it's no longer necessary to teach right from wrong - Britain - Times Online

Although this is not a headline for something that is going on in the United States it is still extremely alarming. Teachers in the UK have supposedly been bothered by being told that they are to teach right and wrong to students. They state that doing this is just a given. There is a reason that we have requirements to do things like that. There are already studies of youth that show that truth is only relative to their situation, an authoritative interpretation so to speak.

I thought teachers were supposed to be laying the foundation for the rest of their students lives. Kids need this and teachers should be required, in writing to provide it. If for no other reason than to make sure the teachers remember to do it.

What do you think?

Because of Him,

Terry

August 2006 Youth Newsletter