Talking About Sex, Singleness & Marriage in Community

I am already broken over the stories of sin, pain, and suffering within our church as we begin our series Sex, Singleness, & Marriage. In our religious context I believe the enemy has used shame and our desire for a perfect image to keep habitual sexual sin, rape, pornography, sexless marriages, and much more in the dark. I believe the Spirit is going to bring many things to the surface.If you are wrestling with these things I pray you walk in the light with your City Group. I pray you will seek help and healing. Don't believe the lie that you will be shamed or cast out from your City Group. Run to the truth that as you walk in the light and confess to one another you will be drawn closer.Because of who Jesus is and his work on our behalf, our identity is Him not in what we have done or what has been done against us. As you rest in the truth that you are no longer a slave but a child of God, no longer an enemy but a joint heir with Christ, you should be freed up to be honest about your sin - or sin done against you - and seek help. My hope for our City Groups through this series is to see the implications of the gospel of Christ Jesus and how to apply it to the sin, suffering, and shame that will arise.I understand that most of us are bent to offer empty advice and a few short steps, even though we are where we are solely because of Jesus' transforming grace. I desire for you to listen and love well before offering anything to others. Empathetically enter into their world, incarnate the love of Christ, and identify with their suffering. And when you offer something, may it be Christ and him crucified.We all need a Redeemer not platitudes or a band-aid. Our hope is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, proclaiming Him as the world's true Lord. One biblical counselor has said, "When we counsel Jesus, we are counseling redemption, not leading people to get better, per se, but leading people to the risen Savior that causes transformation." As we behold him we are transformed into his image. We become what we worship.My prayer is for God's glory seen in transformed lives including strong marriages centered on Jesus, reconciled relationships, healing, forgiveness received from Jesus and extended to perpetrators, sex enjoyed in marriage as a gift from God, pornography and masturbation put to death, selfishness repented of, and much more.If you still are not comfortable sharing you sin, pain, or suffering with people from your City Group I am available during response-time prayer each week. Or you can email me at ryan@theparadoxchurch.com