Purity Overview

Parents, Here is the information and follow up for you as we talk about purity in the vital preteen years that your child is in right now.

PURITY

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The word pure means free from anything of a different, inferior, or contaminating kind. The thoughts and behavior of the people of God need to be pure. Think about the best kind of jewellery: pure gold. My ring is gold plated. How much does it cost for 1kg of gold? $32,000 Think about a bottle of water, you wouldn't want it if it wasn't pure.

THREE AREAS OF PURITY

1. Pure deeds − Luke 6:46; 1 John 5:3; James 1:21−25.
2. Pure words − 1 Peter 2:1; Matthew 12:34−37; James 3:2−8.
3. Pure thoughts − Matthew 5:8; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Prov. 4:23.

 

Many believe their thoughts do not matter, so long as they do not actually practice evil deeds. But pure thoughts are essential to a pure life, because our thoughts determine what we say and do. Pure thoughts lead to pure words and pure deeds.

 

STUDY ON JOSEPH

In the Old Testament, Joseph is an example of purity. He had pure thoughts. When Potiphar's wife made sexual advances toward Joseph, he refused. The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is found in Genesis 39:7-9.

 

I think it would have been almost impossible for Joseph as a young man in his prime to say no to temptation without his love for God. With the extreme focus on sex and love in our culture, the same is true for us. Many women have a desire to be loved and are willing to give up their purity hoping to fulfill that need. The lies of our enemy Satan deceive us into believing that sex brings love, and we pay the price of guilt and disappointment.

 

Gen. 39:1-6a, Gen. 39:6b-10.

• How did the temptation to sexual impurity come to Joseph?
• What motivated Joseph not to succumb to this ongoing temptation (Gen. 39:8-9)?
• Read Jesus’ words in Jn. 14:15, 21. How do they relate to Joseph’s decision to remain pure?

PURITY TAKES PLANNING

Purity doesn’ just happen, and the heat of the moment is not the time to decide what your boundaries are.

 

Prov. 14:15 

1Corin. 10:12 

Lam. 3:40 

 

• Do you agree or disagree with the importance of “giving thought to your steps” and “examining your ways”?
• Think of a personal situation or experience you were in that you shouldn’t have been. Did you have a plan beforehand to prevent you from getting there? How might a plan have helped you prevent it?

Ministry Update - 1/2/12

Good evening Parents & Leaders!!

Hopefully everyone had a great Christmas and a fantastic New Year's holiday!!  Now that things are back in full swing, I want to make sure everyone is up to speed on everything going on.  So, be prepared, this may be a bit of a long-ish post, but please make sure you look it over so you don't miss anything important.

1) Wednesday Nights - Starting this week, January 4, drama practice will start back up at 6pm & our small groups will start back up at 7pm.  Also starting this month, on the first Wednesday of each month, the middle school ministry will be participating in "Deeper 1.3" in the main sanctuary.  Deeper 1.3 is a special time of prayer, worship, & teaching that is open for anyone at Crosswind to be a part of.  It will take place every month on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of the month.  Submerge will be participating only during the 1st Wednesday of each month, and we will be in our small groups for the rest of the time.

2) Dateable Series - Starting this coming Sunday, January 8, we will be doing a 6-8 week series on Dating & Relationships based on the book "Dateable" by Justin Lookadoo.  The series (as well as the book) will focus on several principles that students need to understand about how relationships start, end, & what it takes to make them work....correctly.  I want to encourage everyone to be a part of this process along with your child, by asking them about what they have learned, and talking to them about how the principles can apply to their lives (and most importantly, their dating habits).  I believe that if we can help them discover a solid basis for building relationships, it can save them from a world of heartache & heartbreak as they get older.  I also want to encourage you to purchase the book and read through it (on your own or with your child) as we go through this series, so you can have a better idea of what we're talking about (and in turn have a better grasp on how to talk to you student about the principles).  Here is a link to Amazon.com where you can purchase the book for just around $10.

3) Winter Meltdown Retreat - There are two important things about the upcoming retreat @ RVR.  1) The final payments are due by Jan. 15.  If you need to know what the remaining balance is for your child, please let me know.  2) We are having a meeting on Sunday, Jan. 15 @ 10am in the Youth Chapel to go over all of the final details with everyone going on the trip.  If your child is attending, please try your best to make this meeting so you don't miss any important info.  I will also be giving everyone their sweatshirts that day (to bring with them to the retreat).

If you have any other questions, please let me know!!