August 15th, 2006 - 6th Bible Study Whol – i - ness with Myself, Others and God.

Host: Kelly and Nancy Carlisle

Topic: Volitional

Bible Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

The last in this series of Whol – i - ness with Myself, Others and God was well attended. All were comfortable with the format but the passage ended up being a sensitive one. Creator is still deeply divided over the circumstances that led to our youth leader's departure most recently and how to define and deal with sexual immorality or freedom and recognize when boundaries are being crossed. This bible passage highlighted all the decisions, concerns and love that came up during that departure. We read the passage and the historical background in which it was written. Converts, at that time, had not fully understood the ethical implications of the Gospel and were showing laxity in ethical matters. Some felt they no longer needed to work as they waited for the second coming. Kelly led our group and asked the questions like “What three areas of lifestyle, discussed here, most affect a Christian’s ministry?” and “What does this passage say to someone who has already made sexual mistakes?”

Susan talked about striking a balance between individuals serving themselves, serving others and serving God.

Many of us spoke to the issues from different perspectives. The teachers, like Michele, talked about teaching limits to students who believe they can do anything they want, as long as you mind your own business and no one gets hurt with an exercise where the ripple effects are revealed to the students.

Many of us were parents thinking about teenagers in or heading into times where decisions in this area will dictate and change their lives.

There was the aspect of judgment and whether it was appropriate, effective, or damaging to tell someone you care about if, in your judgment, a bad choice was being made. Creator, as talked about earlier, was factionalized by questions of what constitutes immorality versus freedom. There have been many changes in those definitions.

What impressed me is how open so many in the group were to truly discussing this issue and understanding there were many contradictory answers to these questions. Everyone seemed to respect other's answers to these questions.