Khloe Kardashian is reputed to have said ‘I went to Catholic school and they basically just said don’t have sex, but would never explain anything.’  The Bible is explicit in urging us to flee from sexual immorality (1 Cor 6:13, 18, Acts 15:20, 1 Cor 10:8, Eph 5:3, Col 3:5, 1 Thess 4:3), but it also explains the reasons behind this and is not shy in talking about sex.

Today’s society may well seem obsessed about sex, but this is no recent phenomenon; Corinth was in a similar position, declaring freedom from rules and a hedonistic lifestyle (‘I have the right to do anything’ (1 Cor 6:12)) and the fact that sex was merely a physical pleasure like eating (1 Cor 6:13). Paul refutes both arguments in 1 Cor 6:12-20, going back to God’s original purpose in creating male and female and arguing that as the One who created sex, He has the right to establish the rules for sex as well. Gen 2:24 is the key passage in showing us that sex is about more than physical union; it involves a ‘joining together’ (the word means ‘to glue’ or ‘cement’) which is both spiritual and physical, mirroring the relationship between God and people (see Ezek 23 & Rev 21 for the way God describes His union with people as marriage and spiritual idolatry as adultery; see also Eph 5:23-31 for Paul’s connection between earthly marriage and the church’s relationship as bride with Christ as bridegroom.)

Sexual union is not just about fulfilling a physical appetite. ‘There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact.’ (1 Cor 6:18, The Message) No matter how determined people are today to treat sex as a physical function or bodily appetite (the Marquis de Sade, whose contribution to the English language through the word sadism is hardly a recommendation for his views, said ‘Sex is as important as eating or drinking and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or false modesty as the other’), Paul teaches that sexual immorality cannot be equated with these things, but involves a spiritual oneness and goes on to declare that for the believer, our bodies are vitally important. Leon Morris says ‘The body cannot be disregarded as unimportant. The body is for the Lord. It is the instrument wherein a man serves God. It is the means by which man glorifies God.’ (Commentary on 1 Corinthians, P 100) Since God raised Christ’s body from the dead (a fact Paul will elaborate on in 1 Corinthians 15), we cannot treat our bodies as unimportant but as holy temples in which God the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Cor 6:19-20). Our bodies and whole lives belong to God, and therefore we have an obligation to flee from sexual immorality.

There’s also a wealth of online material suitable for use with children. Bible Society’s ‘Bible Bedtime’ encourages parents to read Bible stories to their children; the Bible apps tell fun, colourful cartoon Bible stories, complete with downloadable, printable images from the narratives.

‘The Bible For Kids’ is a selection of animated Bible stories, with games and activities to help children remember the story. Children can read along with the stories, thus fostering the skill of reading aloud.

‘David vs Goliath – A Righteous Tale’ won last year’s Premier Digital award and offers a modern, child-friendly retelling of the story of David and Goliath (aimed at 7-11 year olds), including activities and online games.

‘Guardians of Ancora’ is a tablet game from Scripture Union aimed at 8-11 year olds which offers an interactive experience of the Bible. New stories are regularly added; this app is entirely free to download.

If teaching children God’s word is the aim, there are a number of useful websites which have games, activities and printable resources. ‘Incredible Islands’ has lessons suitable for use in church services or at home, with each lesson linking to more than 100 online games and activities (charges apply.) ‘Bible Buddies’ is a useful tool providing cut-out figures and backdrops to bring Bible stories to life. And for those of you who love Lego, ‘The Brick Testament’ brings Bible stories to life using Lego characters!

With such a plethora of resources available to us, we have no excuse for not engaging with the Bible. The youngest to the oldest can find something to engage us in such a variety of media that we can all find ways of reading the Bible. God’s Word is not chained; in our country, we have so many resources freely available to us that we should indeed be able to read, learn and inwardly digest this precious book. All that is required is our willingness to immerse ourselves in the world of the Bible.

Ps 119:11 says ‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.’ There are a number of online apps designed to help us do just that!

Remember Me is an app that helps you memorise Scripture, using audio as well as word puzzles. Another useful site is Fighter Verses, which focuses 1) the character and worth of our great God, 2) battling against our fleshly desires, and 3) the hope of the Gospel as they give specific verses to learn. Again, a variety of methods help you memorise Scripture, including songs and games.

The Verses Project is another useful website for learning Bible verses, using musical and visual art to help people meditate on and memorise Scripture. Music seems to be a great way of getting God’s Word into our hearts and minds, so this is a really helpful way of absorbing God’s word!

Got Questions? is a website which has 439,557 questions and answers about the Bible, so is really useful for answering questions such as ‘Who was Cain’s wife?’ or ‘What does the Bible say about gambling?’ Great for parents or anyone who really does have questions about the Bible!

There are a whole host of websites which have commentaries on the Bible for those wanting to study the Bible in more detail. Some useful ones are listed below:

1. Step Bible
2. Bible Hub
3. Blue Letter Bible
4. Bible Web App
5. ESword

There is also a lot of sophisticated Bible software available, but some of this is expensive.

There are a host of different apps, websites and games which are available online to help us engage with the Bible, and as we prepare for Bible Sunday on 25th October, it’s good to have a look at some of these for all of you out there who are tech savvy…

Bible Gateway is a fantastic website offering free access to the Bible in more than 70 languages and 200 different translations. It’s a great way to find passages, look up quotations and generally find out more about the Bible. This is the site I really miss when my Internet connection drops out!

Bible Companion is an app which is designed to ‘bring us back to what is most important every day’, helping to ‘build healthy Christian habits of Bible reading’. The Bible Companion App helps create and maintain good Bible reading habits by tracking your Bible readings with consistency meters, progress bars, and reading stats displayed within daily, weekly & monthly charts. Other tracking features include setting goals for prayer, reflection, community, Bible Study, and other readings. For those whose phones seem to control their lives, this is a great way of monitoring what you read!

Bible In One Year is an app which offers daily Old and New Testament readings (along with a reflection on these texts.) A great way to be disciplined about reading the whole of the Bible.

She Reads Truth & He Reads Truth give reading plans in ‘manageable lengths’ for men and women with beautiful text and imagery. They can be read online or on a phone or by email subscription. You’re encouraged to reflect on the passages read by asking the following 5 questions:

1. What does this teach me about God?
2. What does this teach me about man?
3. What does this teach me about the Gospel?
4. How will I respond?
5. How will I pray?

The whole point of all these tools is to get us engaged in actually reading God’s Word. It’s never been easier to do this, when we can carry the Bible with us on a phone or tablet wherever we go. Let’s make the most of technology and dive in!

Bible Sunday 25th October

Bible Sunday is this coming Sunday (25th October), with both services (10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m.) celebrating the role of the Bible in every Christian’s life. Find out what our favourite Bible verses are and why and how the pieces of the Bible jigsaw fit together! Don’t forget that there will be a Christian bookstall on Sunday, with books, calendars, Christmas cards and devotional guides on sale.

Baptismal Service 7th November

On Saturday 7th November at 6 p.m. there will be a baptismal service at GPCC. Always one of our favourite celebrations, a baptismal service celebrates new life in Christ and gives the opportunity to hear about what God is doing in the lives of local people. If you’d like to be baptised, contact Garry or Julie for further information. After the service (which will use our new portable baptistery for the first time), there will be refreshments served, so come along to find out more about this important outward sign of God’s grace in our lives.

Mission Aviation Fellowship visit 15th November

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) will be visiting us on Sunday 15th November at 6 p.m. Come along to find out more about this amazing charity, which seeks to fly missionaries and medical help to remote areas of the world. Hear what God’s doing in other parts of the world and be encouraged as you learn about what a difference each person can make.

We also had a birthday to celebrate (the children keep getting in on these birthday photos!)