a glimpse towards Sunday 2.13.15

I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom. I watched the movie Lincoln. What a fight for freedom that great man fought. I’m studying the incredible letter of Galatians where Paul is all about freedom. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Why are we so quick to give freedom up? Perhaps loneliness. Maybe a thirst for approval and acceptance. A quest for power and money. We must prove our worth. Certainly we are broken and still believe we can handle the ravages of sin, death, and separation from our Creator. Slavery.

Is this too preachy for a Friday?

50 Shades of Grey comes to theaters this weekend. It’s already broken box office records in France. It’s expected to be the highest grossing advance ticket sales movie of all time. The movie is based on the El James book of the same name — of which over 100 million copies have been sold worldwide in over 50 different languages.

Many view the book as poorly written and comparable to a mediocre English paper from a high school sophomore. The movie portrays a violent, selfish sexuality that spits in the face of God’s design for intimacy and a mingling of souls between a husband and wife. In the end, freedom is turned into slavery. This is not a romantic drama. 50 Shades Of Grey is mommy porn, and affirms the alarming statistic of pornography among women quadrupling in the past three years. The movie’s romantic rating was recently downgraded from NC-17 to R. How crazy is it that marketers are releasing this film on Valentine’s Day weekend? Our view of sex and love is broken. Slavery.

Freedom has turned into slavery.

One in five girls are sexually abused by men and women who view pornography. One in twenty boys suffer the same horror. 50 Shades Of Grey normalizes sexual abuse. How could a Jesus follower who prays against sex trafficking or laments domestic violence, feed the thirst for this film? Freedom turned into slavery.

Interestingly, Jamie Dornan, the male star of 50 Shades, said he had to take long showers after filming just so he could touch his wife and daughter. Dornan’s wife does not want to see the flick.

Paul… the same guy who’s shouting “FREEDOM” in Galatians was screaming, “Flee sexual immorality,” to the Corinthians (I Cor. 6:18). WHY? Freedom.

This Sunday, we’ll be diving into Paul’s personal fight FOR freedom in Jesus. It’s a powerful and practical battle Paul waged for US. Our text is Galatians 2:1-10. Give it an advance read, and then invite a fellow slave to come along with you to church. We’re going to break the chains of slavery. I don’t think you want to miss this one.

What Paul fought for is something we should fight for. Freedom.

Christians are debating and heralding the tenets of slavery, when we should be basking in our freedom, and helping other captives be set free.

So… since it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, and I want to intentionally pursue freedom. Tonight I’m taking my gorgeous wife and two younger kids to see the movie “Old Fashioned.” You should watch this trailer (CLICK HERE), and consider going too. We’ll be at the 7:15 showing at the Regal Town Center Theaters in Kennesaw. You should join us. God’s design of love and romance is WAAAY more than 50 shades. Within God’s awesome design (have you read Song of Solomon??), there is powerful freedom. Not slavery.

Why would anyone willingly choose to be a slave?

See you Sunday at 9 & 11 a.m.
Blessings My Friends,

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