Shining Some Light on “50 Shades of Grey” – From Pastor Dave Watson

~ nycshepherd ~ 1 Comment

As I write this article we are just a few days away from the American holiday of Valentine’s Day. This is the day our culture will celebrate in one way or another romantic love, real and imagined.  Dinner reservations will be made, romantic cards will be bought, roses will be sent and hopefully everyone will be happy.

We are just a few days more away from the beginning of Lent, the 50 day period that the Christian world has set aside to focus on the greatest act of love ever known. This period of time culminates with the remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for you and I. This one selfless, sacrificial act is the true measure of love for us.   In that vein, 1 John 4:10 explains, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
We are also just one day away from release of the movie that is highly anticipated by many, “50 Shades of Grey”.  The movie, which opens on Valentine’s Day Weekend, is based on the New York Times Bestseller three book series, “50 Shades of Grey” by female author E. L. James. These books have made millions of dollars. Presales for the movie are setting records. The books and movie have been strategically marketed to women and I am sure the movie will have a great, perhaps record breaking, weekend at the box office.

As I write this I am greatly concerned for the women in our lives and the women in our culture. Mainstream movies with strong pornographic elements have been marketed to men for some time. The effects of these movies on men have been quite disturbing. The unrealistic expectations stimulated by the fantasy provided on the screen have created appetites in men which no woman can realistically satisfy.  Beyond that, there is very little authentic love in the aforementioned movies. They aren’t about giving of ones’ self unconditionally and sacrificially, but rather they are about “you are here to please me as an object of my desire.” In other words, they are about lust and unbridled lust at that.

“50 Shades of Grey” in both its book and movie renditions is marketed as “porn for women”. Through the genre of Bondage, Sadism and Masochism (BDSM) in the sexual arena there is a promise of some sort of fulfillment for a woman. That promise is a lie. Allowing oneself to be dominated, whipped and raped is neither fulfilling nor smart. It is, in fact, dangerous and twisted. It is not a healthy expression of sexuality it is an unhealthy expression of base lust that if left unchecked leads to emotional pain and devastation.

My concern for the women in our lives and in our culture is twofold. I am concerned that first of all, they will believe the lie that this kind of sex — this kind of perverted lust — will bring them the sort of fulfillment that they have been longing for. This kind of expression of love is a pseudo replacement for the real thing. My second concern is that they may very well feel great pressure from the men in their lives to participate in this risky behavior in order to please or keep them.

I can already hear someone, somewhere saying right now that “No self- respecting woman would allow herself to be put into a situation where she did anything she was uncomfortable with.” I mostly agree. They shouldn’t and perhaps they wouldn’t. The difficulty we have is that there are a lot of women; I mean a lot of women, especially young women, who don’t respect themselves for a variety of reasons. They are dating immature, selfish boys dressed as men. How does this movie affect these relationships? What kind of position do the expectations of our culture put on these women? The answers to these questions are not good.

In addition to single women, we have married women whose sex lives are unfulfilling. They may be married to men who feel the same way. Is BDSM really the direction we would like people to go to find fulfillment sexually or otherwise?  I am sure it is not.  BDSM is not an expression of authentic love but of untethered lust. It’s not healthy. It never has been and it never will be. Let’s get a grip here.

Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 as he tells us the standard for genuine love from God’s perspective.  He states: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

The type of love described by Paul is what we need to cultivate in our relationships. It will result in satisfaction in life as well as in the bedroom. When two people in the Covenant of Marriage seek to live out this kind love they can experience fulfillment on a level that is all it was ever intended to be.

So, here’s my advice to followers of Christ as well as to anyone else who will listen:

Young women, my young sisters in Christ, don’t see this movie or read the books. The images on the page and on the screen are not healthy for you. They make promises that they can’t keep.

Mature women, my sisters in Christ, set the right example for those younger women who look up to you. Take a stand. Be your sister’s keeper. Don’t see this movie or read the books. Inform yourself about this topic and share that information with the individuals that this movie seeks to prey upon.

Older women, my mothers in the faith, please pray. These are difficult times for your daughters in the Lord. They need your intercession.

For men, young, old, and older, avoid the movie and the books like the plague. You don’t need these images in your head. Remember what the Bible teaches regarding how you are to treat and view women other than your spouse (1Timothy 5:1-2).

For all of us, let us daily cultivate authentic love from a pure heart, a good conscience and an authentic faith                  (1Timothy 1:5).
If you just must see a movie this weekend, go and see “Old Fashioned,” a movie about true love and romance – http://www.oldfashionedmovie.com/.
Listed below are other helpful resources about “50 Shades of Grey” :
http://www.scissortailsilk.com/2015/02/10/christian-women-and-christian-grey/

http://www.evangelicalsforsocialaction.org/50-shades-grace/to-everyone-who-thinks-fifty-shades-is-all-sorts-of-awesome-please-stop-and-think/
http://www.evangelicalsforsocialaction.org/50-shades-grace/campaign/
http://www.miriamgrossmanmd.com/parent-survival-guide-to-fifty-shades-of-grey-how-to-talk-to-your-child-about-sadomasochism/

Blessings,
Pastor Dave Watson

A New Year’s Prayer

~ nycshepherd ~ Leave a comment

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Heavenly Father, as we begin a New Year we just want to start by praising You for who You are and all that You have done.  LORD, there is so much that is beyond our understanding. You are in so many ways indescribable. Thank You for Your revelation of Yourself in Creation, in history and in the Holy Scriptures. God Your are All-Mighty, nothing is impossible for You, You are All-Seeing, nothing and no one escapes Your sight, and You are All-Present, there is no place that You are not. We worship You in these first few days of the New Year for Your Greatness. LORD, You are also holy and we worship You in the beauty of Your holiness. Thank You for Your mercies that are new every morning, Your grace that is sufficient and Your love that knows no end. We exalt You this day because there is none like You.

As we face this New Year we are keenly aware of our shortcomings. We aren’t what we should be. We aren’t often times who we represent ourselves to be. We sin; we fall short of our own expectations, but more importantly, of Your standards. We transgress, we step outside of the parameters You have set for us for our own good. We do so out of rebellion, we don’t want You to rule over us. LORD, we are a people filled with iniquity, we are broken, we are bent, and we are twisted on the inside. Our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked.  Thank You that there is forgiveness from You. Thank You that though we have earned through our sin both separation now and forever from You, You in Your Infinite Wisdom and because of Your Matchless Love have rescued us. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to make atonement for our sins; to be the propitiation, the only offering that is satisfactory for our sins, to redeem us, to buy us out from the enslavement of our sins through His death, and to reconcile us to You and to justify, make us right in Your sight, through His resurrection.

Thank You for drawing us into a life changing relationship with Yourself.  Thank you for seeking us out and bringing us to the point where we committed our hearts to You. We have been so imperfect in keeping our commitment to You. Thank You that when we haven’t stayed as close as we should to You, You have brought us back, Thank You that when we have strayed as Your children You have chastened us that we might be partakers of Your holiness. Thank You that when we’ve let go of You that You have always held on to us. Thank You that we are always in Your Grip. We don’t know the blessedness of being sinless people but we do know the blessedness of being forgiven people and we can’t help but say hallelujah to You our  Great God.

We pray for our nation today. We pray for our President. We pray that You will keep he and his family safe. We pray that he and our other leaders will seek You for their guidance and direction. We pray that You will provide for them a Daniel, one who will whisper into their ears Your wisdom, Your precepts. We pray for our city today. We seek its peace, its shalom, its well- being. We pray for its political leaders.  We pray for our Mayor. We pray for Your protection of he and his family. We pray that he, the Police Commissioner, the Fire Commissioner and so many others, will be given wisdom by You, because they seek it, the wisdom they need to keep this city safe.  LORD please watch over our first responders. Keep our cops safe, keep harm from coming to them and help them to carry out their very difficult task in a way that pleases You. Please watch over our firefighters. Please keep them safe as they put themselves in harm’s way. LORD please minister to the cops and firefighters families in these most difficult of times.

We pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Thank You for the unconditional covenant You made with Abraham and that in Him all the nations of the earth have been blessed though the Messiah, Christ our Lord. As the apple of Your eye, please keep Israel safe.  May Israel’s leaders seek to please You. Please intervene as well for the Palestinian people. We know their plight is before Your eyes as well. Only You have the solution for them. Please bring peace to the Middle East.

We pray right now for the churches in this city. We pray for our church. Help us to be the body of Christ we are intended to be. Help us to follow the orders of our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ. May He always have Pre-eminence in our midst.  May we be the hands and feet of Jesus demonstrating the heart of our Lord everywhere we possibly can in this city. May we feed the hungry, clothe the naked,  house the homeless, adopt the orphan, mentor the fatherless, nurture the motherless, rescue the  addict, counsel the wayward, warn the rebellious, encourage the fainthearted and  hold on to the morally weak, all in Jesus’ name. May we also be the mouth of our Lord. May we prophetically call the city to repentance and may we pastorally call the city to find rest in You. May we proclaim the Gospel of God’s salvation faithfully from our pulpits and from our homes and work places across the neighborhoods of our city. May we as Your Church do our part to heal the “racial divide” in our city. Let us insist that there be justice for all men and women because all are made in the image of God. Let us also demonstrate what it means for people of all ethnic backgrounds to get along. Let us proclaim by words and deeds that there is not a black church, not a white church, not a brown church and not a yellow church but only His Church.

We pray for ourselves in the coming year. Help us to abound in love yet more and more. Help us to approve and seek not just the good but the things that are excellent, the things that are the best. Help us to be authentic and blameless until the return of our Lord. Help us bear fruit, much fruit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; against such there is no law. May we seek to walk in Your perfect will in the coming year. May we surrender our will to yours and may we be sensitive to the Holy Spirit that You gave us. May we ask everyday “What would You have me to do”. May we be controlled by Him and not our flesh each and every day.  May we be burdened for our friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbors to come to know You.  Please convict us to pray for them and bring them to our mind constantly.

LORD, help Calvary Chapel to be all that You would have us to be. Please help Your ministry through us to reach people and advance Your kingdom.  Please help each ministry to excel. Help each leader of each  ministry to grow. Help the projects we have set out to do to be accomplished. Help the radio broadcast, God in Our City, to reach many.  Help the Bible Institute, The New York Institute for Biblical Studies, to equip many. Help the DIVAS and CHAMPIONS to make a difference in young people’s lives. Help our Christian Education Program to develop kids with character. Help our Worship Team to continue to please You. Use our Men of Impact and Women of Influence ministries like we have never seen before. Help our outreaches to bring people into Your kingdom. May the preaching and teaching from the pulpit be anointed with Your favor. Enable our new ministries to Seasoned Seniors, Overwhelmed Single Moms, Artistic Young Adults and the Latino Community to thrive. Help us to begin a food pantry.  Enable work on the house to be completed. Please use our missionaries both here and abroad.

Above and beyond everything else, enable us to bring honor and glory both now and forever to You —  the One who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think. In Jesus name we pray this prayer, Amen.