Men’s Sexual Integrity Group

Men’s Sexual Integrity Group

In his book Divine Sex, Jonathan Grant imagines a thought experiment where it is asked of the men in a local church to rank their biggest struggles in life. Most, he said, would rank issues of sexuality at the top of their list. Yet if you asked pastors of the same local church to rank the issues they addressed the most, issues of sexuality, he says, would be at the bottom of their list.  Why, he asks, “does the issue that ranks at the top for most men rank the lowest for pastors?”  The answer is complex, but it demands an answer.

For most Christian men, sexual integrity and purity seem to be insurmountable goals.  But the good news is that God desires this for us, and because he desires this for us, it is possible to live sexually pure lives. Because we were created for honesty and intimacy with God and one another, it’s our hope that this group can turn that honesty and intimacy, which often feel like a curse, into a blessing – bearing the fruit of peace, righteousness, holiness, and love with a confident hope for the future.

This group will be:

  • Gospel-Centered: The gospel not only saves us but continues to transform us (Colossians 1:5-6; 2:6-7). It is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Therefore, our primary aim with this group is to be oriented more fully to Christ and his good news so that we might experience the freedom from sin and freedom unto life that he came to bring us.
  • Committed to a Rule of Life: With the freedom the gospel brings us, we are set on a path of following Christ that requires effort. Developing a rule of life is not legalism, but it is the way into deeper life and joy with God. Adopting a rule of life postures us in a place of humility before God in order that we might grow in grace (James 4:6; I Peter 5:5). This involves disciplined prayer, Scripture reading, meditation, singing, confession, and celebration. We will learn to cultivate these disciplines as the key to fighting sexual sin.
  • Communal, Confidential, and Confessional: The gospel not only brings us into union and communion with God but also with each other.  The NT is full of “one another” passages (love, encourage, confess, exhort, be at peace, honor, etc.) that assume we are walking in community. We will seek to live out these “one another” realities as it relates to sexual sin with the hope of fostering healthy relational dynamics that extend to all of our relationships.
  • Structured and Resourceful: This will be elder led and will use a variety of resources, from the Scriptures and the church to the fields of counseling and addiction recovery. 

For more information, please reach out to one of the pastors.