"...take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them... and that you DO NOT INQUIRE after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise. You shall not do so unto Jehovah your God; for everything that is an abomination to Jehovah which He has hated, they have done unto their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire unto their gods. Whatever I am commanding you, take heed to do it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it." (De12:30-32)

"But sexual perversion and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it NOT EVEN BE NAMED among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no prostitute, unclean person, nor covetous person, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one beguile you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them." (Eph5:3-7)

There are certain things that we know, but God exhorts the Believer to NOT TALK ABOUT it. Why?

Running a small business (sign shop) as I do, my store has somehow gotten on the mailing list of a local magazine, "Spokane Business Catalyst". Most of the time it gets chucked into the trash, because as I flip through the pages quickly, the photos are all of today's empowered feminists and milk toast male wimps...and how they are running local businesses. The magazine's editor is originally from Kent, WA; that's over on the "left" side of the state.

One month the editor wrote an editorial that I happened to actually read before throwing it away. In typical "left coast" format, she bewailed how Spokane is not up-with-the-times in things like Environment, Green, Troops-home, Diversity Progressiveness, Sustainable development...all the current politically correct buzz words of communism. Not realizing they also have a "Reader Feed Back" section, I e-mailed her, suggesting that she might be invited to take her communistic views back to Kent, from which she came. Explaining to her that, the fact that Spokane does NOT follow closely on the heels of everything that is Politically Correct is one of Spokane's appeals; something that makes living here somewhat tolerable. I was e-mailed, asking if they had permission to use my e-mail in print, which I declined. But the next month they printed a portion from somebody else who had expressed things similar to what I had, about her "Troops Home" agenda.

It was quite telling to read her "Editor's Response" to that e-mail, including things like: "my intent was to highlight Spokane's city leaders' SILENCE on the current major issues facing our nation...in order to attract new businesses and new professionals it would behoove Spokane to be known as a city that embraces and encourages diversity in ALL ITS FORMS; not just cultural and gender, but the diversity of thought and shared ideas that are essential to truly be an OPEN-MINDED COMMUNITY." And in her closing paragraph says that the Spokane City Council should "publicly acknowledge" their decision to not address the "Troops Home" agenda.

Hmmm. The city council should -say- that they are NOT SAYING anything?? Isn't that -already- what their "silence" is?

Please bear with me while I share another item, before we focus in and address what it is we need to say this month.

Every once in awhile we have observed some historical perspective from the book of Jasher. Here's another: In Genesis ch39 is the account of Joseph in Potiphar's house, how Potiphar's wife wished to seduce Joseph, but he refused, and ended up in prison. vs10 boils the entire thing down to: "And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day after day, that he did not give heed to her, to lie with her or to be with her."

However, if one reads the account in Jasher ch44, one reads how Joseph was quite the manly "hunk" for a woman to look at, and Zelicah continually pined away for him. She had a bunch of her girlfriends over for "tea" one day, and as they are all cutting into their fruit with their knives, Joseph is brought around, and when they all get sight of him, they all cut into their own hands with their knives, not even feeling the pain, due to being swooningly 'overcome' by his masculine appeal. One gets the sense from reading, similar to the kittens and cougars on the latest 'bachelor' TV show ("Age of Love"), where in the promos one female is shown saying, "I just want to touch him and play with him!" As one reads the account in Jasher, it has the 'feel' almost as though one were reading a trash novel, seeing a tabloid episode, or watching a scene unfold on a TV soap.

And it then suddenly dawned on me 'why' God did not include a lot of detail in the historical narratives in Scripture...

What happens when an unmarried couple are watching a "love" scene in a movie. Do they not often start "making out". If a husband finds his wife being reticent due to whatever 'issues' she may have, so he finds other interests, how does he get his wife to go along? Start -TALKING- ABOUT "alternatives". Start being "open-minded"...to DISCUSS things like swapping and whatever else people are into. (Yes, TV also has the "wife swap" show!) If a person is reading all the 'details' of somebody else's escapades it somehow takes away the 'evil' of the activities. See? -They- are doing it, and just look at how they are getting 'into' it, and all the smoochy details; so therefore it's OK for me/us, too.

This local magazine editor cannot very well -blast- the person who objected to her Left-Coast slant, but comes back with: Spokane needs to DISCUSS their lack of certain "diversities"; they need to TALK ABOUT how they are not as open-minded on certain things.

You see...this is how evil slithers in. This is how satan did with Eve, through the serpent. Hey, did God -really- ssssaaay??? Well, let's TALK about this; let's DISCUSS it. Let's get a discussion group going and engage in Dialectics and Concensus. Nobody is wrong. Everybody has right to their own opinions. Nobody is 'judging' anybody else, here. If somebody says something that is way out in left-field, we won't criticize them; we'll EMBRACE and ENCOURAGE the 'diversity' of their own INDIVIDUALITY.

And what happens?

The girl says "no", but the guy keeps "O, c'mon, you love me don't you", and pretty soon he wears her down; or the guy is trying to keep pure thoughts, but she continues to seduce with her skimpy attire and smooth flirtatious ways. Don't gays have 'rights', too? Let's have discussion and social mixers...see? The gays are just "loving" people, too, just like you and me. On a TV 'talent' show, have some gays and transvestites come out behaving like buffoons to get "buzzed" out; but at least they got some exposure, so people 'see' them; get the public "used to" the idea of perversity being out in the open; and in such a setting, rather than being 'criticized' they get -laughed- at; see how jolly (gay) it all is!!! Isn't protecting the environment also a good thing?

Or...
We're not "going Pentecostal" or anything like that, but let's have so-n-so bring their guitar and we'll sing (just) a couple of choruses during our otherwise 'normal' Sunday morning worship...Well, people received that so well, let's have more choruses next time. Next week we will try a new thing....not use the organ at all, but have only the guitar-based choruses. And a few years later, a person drives by and sees the placard on the building's foundation from so-many years ago "Such-n-such -Baptist- Church", but today the organ is completely gone, and they are a fully Worshipping, Healing, -charismatic- church.

Is there a way to keep the evil from creeping in? Potiphar's wife was unsuccessful in seducing Joseph. Why? Because he refused to listen to her seductions. He wouldn't "lie" with her; he refused even to "be with her" (Ge39:10) He wouldn't even talk or have DISCUSSIONS over the matter. He told her "no" and explained, "How then can I do this great evil and sin against God?" (vs9b) And would then -LEAVE-. Silence.

God told Israel -NOT- to "inquire after their gods" nor to investigate "how" did they worship? Don't go digging into ancient archives to map out old liturgies and learn them. Archaeology shows ancient 'ruins', because God -judged- them.

What happens when a person reads a slut novel or becomes engrossed in the plot of a TV soap? Does the person not begin to become 'absorbed' -IN- the plot. And in the mind, what is the difference between being mentally absorbed and physically doing? In "the Brain and Morality" [link] we discovered that there is no difference.

What happens when people start to talk, discuss and dialogue? And then discussion turns into concensus (agreement)? First of all there is 'allowance' for diverse thoughts, and then the person begins to think the same way others do. If that discussion involves moral behavior, a person then begins to -behave- as others do. If their thoughts are immoral, that means the person begins to sin. If those thoughts are about alternative gods and worship, that means the person begins to engage in idolatry.

That is why God commands: Don't inquire after their gods. You inquire, talk, discuss, dialogue...you then worship those gods.

Regarding sexual perversities: Don't EVEN LET IT BE NAMED among you. In years gone-by it used to be that children were not allowed to listen to adult discussions of sexual matters. Why? Children are -imitators-. (Eph5:1) What they see, they do. What they hear about, they wonder, investigate, learn, and do. This is why so-called "sex education" in schools is such a stupid idea. But it is part of satan's agenda. He knows that what children know about, they will do. So, if children are -educated- in these matters at a young age, their promiscuity will begin when they are young. This is why Godly people are opposed to such things being taught in school; and why it behooves Christian parents today to home school their children, to shelter them from it.

There are some things that are "unmentionable", and shouldn't be known until the man and woman come together and "discover" each other for the first time. The way the world is today, mankind has become degraded like the animals. Like "brute beasts" (2Pet2:12)

In today's world, everything is paraded before us, it is impossible to escape at least a minimal understanding -that- certain perversities exist. But is it necessary to do in-depth studies of it all? God says NO.

God commends those of Thyatira who "have not known the depths of satan" but exhorts, "hold fast what you have till I come" (Rev2:24-25)

"In the abundance of words there is no end of transgression, but he who restrains his lips is prudent." (pr10:19)

"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Rom6:16)

A person who worships God, by the same token, will not be spending their time studying the "depths of satan" with endless hours in New Age, Hindu, Yoga, catholicism or charismania. They will be studying Bible Doctrine. A person who wishes to be holy and pure before God will not be guttered in the trash talk of the local tavern or night club. They will "rejoice with the wife of [their] youth" (Pr5:18)

A person who spends their energies in "dialogue" with the unrighteous, by such dialectic, proves that they do not truly love the Lord their God "with -ALL- [their] heart, with -ALL- [their] soul, exceedingly in every way" (De6:5) When a Believer is in God's presence, the dogmas of unbelievers are "unmentionables" in God's presence. If a person takes side excursions to study (in depth) other "belief systems", such excursions are -DIVERSIONS- AWAY from God.

This is one thing that bothers me about many so-called "discernment" ministries, even though they are certainly useful 'reference' resources; when they spend (seemingly) 'all' their emphases on what is 'wrong' with everybody else out there.

Yes, the Bible addresses the bad. It says to "flee sexual perversion" (1Co6:18); it also describes how the "strange woman" will come enticing, claiming to be a Godly woman. (Pr7:14) But the Bible does not go into the details of all the sexual deviancies that exist, and what they do during their orgies. The Bible addresses how the pagans sacrificed their infants to idols (Le18:21); but it does not enumerate the rituals nor give the words to their songs of worship to their demons, how they are preparing their infant for the sacrifice, hoping their sacrifice will be acceptable.

Again: It's a matter of servanthood. Whom does the Believer serve? Who is the Believer's Master? We cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve both God and the world.

"No one is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. It is not possible to serve God and mammon." (Mt6:24)

"And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content." (1Tim6:8)

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live with sound mind, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify a people for His own possession, zealous unto good works...

"...whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy...

Amen!

Related topic: the Hypocrisy of Diversity