EPISODE FIVE: SEX

A CONVERSATION WITH CRAIG GROSS

 
 

Opening Activity:

There are few words in our culture as loaded, as rife with baggage, or as emotionally charged and spiritually triggering as the word sex. Take a moment and ask yourself why that is. Really think about it. Take a walk around the block and mull it over if you have to. This will all be waiting here for you when you get back.

After you take moment……

OK, you’ve given it some serious thought? Now I want you to find the first mention of sex in Scripture. Feel free to cheat and use the Internet if you’d like. Once you find the first mention of sex in the Bible I want you to ask yourself in what ways this text differs from modern culture’s view of sex. Today we will measure just how far the world’s view of sex has drifted from God’s design for sex.

Questions:

1.     What was your initial reaction to my interview with Craig Gross?

2.     In what way(s) has sex marked you with shame or guilt?

3.     In what way(s) is our current culture getting sex wrong? In what way(s) is our culture getting sex right?

Today’s Goals:

After listening to this week’s podcast and working through today’s session, we will:

●      Be reminded of God’s central desire and intention concerning sex.

●      Explore the way(s) that sex has marked us and shaped our view of relationships, both with others and with God.

●      Reframe our view of sex to better align ourselves with God.

Closing Thoughts:

Craig said something profoundly important during our conversation. When I asked him what he has taken away from 17 years of XXXchurch his answer was, “It’s humbled me.” Craig’s ministry seeks to serve porn addicts and porn stars alike. Craig and his team are like medics on a battlefield serving both sides! As a result, they routinely ruffle feathers and upset the hardliners. Yes, they have received some great press and high-profile support since 2002, but their work is provocative and therefore scrutinized. Suffice to say, the work they do isn’t easy, it isn’t glamorous, and often it’s a thankless job.

“You know,” Craig said during our conversation, “it took 5 years of attending porn shows to see one porn star leave the industry and give her life to the Lord.” And if you asked Craig, he would tell you it’s all been worth it. You see, 17 years working with XXXchurch and triaging victims of the porn industry has humbled Craig. And I’m here to tell you that sex should humble us, as well. As many of us have experienced personally, and as Craig has witnessed while serving those impacted by the porn industry, sex is one of God’s greatest gifts and the consequences for abusing and misusing that gift are grave. People sometimes use sex to achieve a sense of control and power, among countless other fallen reasons, but we should be humbled and amazed by the gift and miracle of sex.

Prayer Prompt: Thank God for the gift of sex. Ask Him to guard your heart against the lust of the flesh, and pray that He will reveal to you, regardless of your marital status, everything He originally hoped to teach us when He first created sex.

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