Porn and sexual sins are ravaging the Body of Christ. Most of the people fighting these addictions don't seek help. In fact, most deal with a level of shame and condemnation that drives the sin further underground. If that's you or someone you love, you're not alone. Freedom is possible and closer than you think.
Why stainless steel? To keep it from breaking due to overuse, of course!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Enemy Recognition
You haven't forgotten that we're at war, have you? The church and the world have been at war from the beginning. As followers of Christ, we enlisted in the army of God when we said yes to Him. Now, we have to remember who the enemy really is and how to engage in battle properly.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Practical Righteousness
Preaching righteousness is not popular these days. Certainly, we are the righteousness of Christ but there's more to it than just being washed in His blood. He calls us and enables us to be and do so much more.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Sexual Atheism
There is an area of people's lives that has become a center of living as if there is no God while claiming to follow and serve Him. It's sex. The practice is called sexual atheism and it's the acceptable sin of an entire generation.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Heroes and Antiheroes
Well, Deadpool is out now and making a lot of money. He's the most successful of the string of antiheroes embraced by our culture but he's not the latest. Look no further than to the Father of Lies himself as a crimefighting detective. Lucifer as an antihero? Why not? We like them nasty.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Abortion Rites and Compassion
Abortion is still a hot topic. If you doubt that, look no further than the histrionics coming from NARAL over a funny Doritos commercial. This is an issue we must face head on but how we do that is very important. Our approach to protecting life will mean the difference between victory and defeat.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Help Make The Sex, Porn, and Freedom Conference Happen
There is a cancer spreading throughout our culture and the Body of Christ. It’s time to face this evil head on.
Pornography and the culture it creates has penetrated every level of society. It’s everywhere including the church. Some of the numbers:
- 33% of youth pastors admit to pornography addiction or to struggling with pornography
- 40-45% of Christian men admit to being addicted to pornography
- 70% admit to struggling with porn
- 25% of all internet downloads are porn related
This is just a taste. However, if you believe this is just a problem for men, consider the following:
- Fifty Shades of Grey has sold over 125 million copies worldwide with an estimated reach of nearly double that amount with libraries and book sharing. Millions of Christian women have been exposed to the BDSM lifestyle in its pages.
- Surveys range from 25-40% of women admitting a pornographic addiction.
Our culture is becoming increasingly sexualized and it’s influence is felt in the church. That’s why we are putting on the Sex, Porn, and Freedom Conference scheduled for May 14th of this year. We’ll be sharing the full statistics, how porn has influenced our culture, and, most importantly, how to break free from its clutches. We’ll be using personal testimonies, clinical methods, and the power of the Gospel to share freedom from sexual addictions.
Our speakers include Pstr. Mike Kerby, (Director of Jesus’ Outsider Ministries and program host), Kim Kerby (a survivor of the real BDSM lifestyle and Addiction specialist for Jesus’ Outsider Ministries), Kevin Sisco (D.MIN., LCPC, CSAT, CMAT, Antioch Group), and Rich Gerberding (Men of AIM).
In order to make this conference happen and help stem the tide of sexualization in the church, we need your help. We are looking for businesses, congregations and ministries who are willing to stand up to this evil and support our efforts.
Through sponsorships, direct donation, and congregational support, we need to have at least half of the projected cost (approximately $3000 of an expected $6000 cost) covered before we start selling tickets. We need to accomplish this before April 1st to ensure a venue has been booked and printed materials can be ordered.
Sponsors with at least $75 will be featured on the conference site. Higher levels of sponsorship (at least $150) will be in the participant guide including a full color logo and a QR code to the sponsor’s website or Facebook page.
Please consider how you can help. More information and links to make contributions can be found on a special section of our site dedicated to the conference or you can contact me directly. My contact information is below.
In Christ,
Pstr. Mike Kerby
Director and Program Host
Jesus’ Outsider Ministries
Office: (309) 670-0302
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Being The Outsider
Recently, a friend from the last congregation we served as pastors started listening to the podcast. He asked me about the name and where it came from. It occurred to me that if he asked that there are others wondering the same thing.
Jesus' Outsider was born from the life that the Lovely Bride and I have always lived. When it came time to shut down my (mercifully) short-lived political program and go back to the Gospel, we spent a lot of time in prayer about the name and the format. Ultimately, it was our identity in Christ that was the inspiration for the name.
For as long as I can remember, I have been an outcast. As a kid and teen, I was too geeky for the cool kids, not good enough for the A Band, and not athletic in the slightest. Even in the Navy, I wasn't exactly Mr. Popularity. Once I came to Christ, that continued. At first, many well intentioned people tried to shape me to fit the mold of what they thought I should be. Once that didn't work, I was relegated to the work that no one else really wanted. On occasion, I found a few people that I fit with but, for a wide range of reasons, these times were relatively short. The same is true of the lovely bride.
We've been a part of a lot of groups but, with most of them, we were in the but not really part of the group. The best description I can come up with is that we have been the socially acceptable outcasts.
This is the source of the name. We belong to Christ (There's a possessive to Jesus that we are His) but have always been on the edge of His people. After lamenting this for years, we finally accepted the situation as an asset rather than a liability. As outsiders, we can take on the issues that the insiders may not be comfortable addressing. We can reach out to the people that the majority doesn't know how to reach. Since then, the Lord has been close to us. We are outsiders and outcasts that found our home in Him.
Over the years, we have found others that are like us. They want Jesus but feel rejected by His people. Many, like us, have experienced what it's like to be forced into a mold that they just don't fit into no matter how hard they try. The outsiders, the hurting, the mentally ill, the seekers, and the rejects within the Body are the ones we connect with. As fellow outsiders, we understand where they are.
As I said, being outsiders for us has been freeing. There's nothing we can't address. We are privileged to preach freedom from the challenges and sins that the church doesn't want to address. Porn, mental illness, and others avoided by too much of the Body are our bread and butter. Our mission is to reach the unreachable, the teach the church to love the unloveable, and speak what many consider unspeakable.
We are Jesus' Outsiders. We belong to Him in Whom the reject, the outcast, and the nobody can find home.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Forgotten Trait
There is a trait that we don't talk about much anymore yet it is important. It encompasses many of the virtues we need to successfully walk as disciples of Christ. If properly taught, this one forgotten trait might even bring more men back into the church.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Man Card!
Man Card! Get your Man Card here! The real thing has to be earned and it's not what you might think. Step up to Man Card 101 and get started on the real thing. Ladies, you might want to tune in, Real Men are important to you too!
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