It Might Not Be Possible, But It Is Attainable?

June 27, 2019

"That’s impossible… no way... no one can do that… there’s no way I can ever reach that high a bar."

That’s the most common reaction to whenever I preach a message about God’s standard for our purity - a standard that can be summed up in one verse:

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” (Ephesians 5:3)

NOT EVEN A HINT! Not even a hint of impurity in your habits. Not even a hint of impurity in your relationships. Not even a hint of impurity in your thoughts. Not even a hint of any kind of impurity!

IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? CAN WE EVER ATTAIN SUCH A STANDARD?

HAPPY Part 3 - Blessed are the Pure in Heart

June 17, 2019

“Blessed are pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

We’re talking about purity this week, but not the kind of purity that we usually think of. We’re not talking about pure eyes or pure thoughts or pure words; we’re talking about something much more significant to your happiness in life: PURITY OF HEART!

What is purity of heart and how do I attain it? Check out part 3 in our series HAPPY and find out for yourself.

From a "Leader of Two Lives"

June 16, 2017

We just recently concluded the season in the church known as “the Holy 50 days” – that is the 50 days going from the Resurrection of Christ (aka, Easter) to the descent of the Holy Spirit (aka, Pentecost).

While this season was meant to be a time where we rejoice because Christ is here with us in all of His glory, unfortunately for many of us, it is seen as a time of “recovering” from Lent and soon becomes a breeding ground for sin.

Why is that?

PURITY - Spiritual Sweat II, Part 5

March 27, 2017

“But among you there must not be even a HINT of sexual immorality..." (Ephesians 5:3)

Purity matters. We fight for pure water and clean air, but there's one area where we generally don't seem as concerned about purity - that is SEXUAL PURITY.

In Part 5 of Spiritual Sweat II, we tackle the sensitive topic of sexual purity and look at it from God's perspective. We'll see that sexual purity is a lot more important than we may realized and the consequences of disobedience in this area, are greater than you may have thought.

THE TALK - Adventures in Love, Sex & Dating Part 4

August 9, 2015

Get ready ladies and gentlemen...it's time for "THE TALK." Yep, you know what this talk is all about. It's the talk that you never had with your mom or your dad. It's the talk you are avoiding having with your kids as well. It's the talk that you DEFINITELY never heard in church before...until today!

In this week's message, Deacon Michael Guirguis is back to share something you may not have known about sex and your sexuality. It's a message that goes against everything culture teaches today.

Culture teaches that sex is just physical, but God teaches that it's so much more than that.

The Temple of God

February 15, 2013

“You are the Temple of God.” I am? Really? What does that mean?

I didn’t know what to make of it when I first heard that I am the temple of God. I go to church, attend spiritual meetings and retreats – but have I been treating the "Temple of God" in the right manner? Am I keeping it holy as God desires?

I think the vast majority of people who live away from God do so because they have never understood who they are and how precious they are in God’s sight. But the Holy Bible make this clear:

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

What a privilege we have! A privilege to bear the Holy Spirit within us! Yes, we are precious – we are the temples of God. And we must treat our bodies as such.

Stay Pure - For Better or For Worse Part 4

November 12, 2012

Yesterday's message is such an important one for every single person to hear. It speaks about the plague of our era - sexual immorality - and the devastating effect it has on both single and married alike.

It's the 4th part of the series we're doing right now called FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE - 5 commitments to fail proof your marriage. Take a look at the message below and may God help you (and me) to keep this important commitment to Stay Pure.

A “Whatever It Takes" Mentality

August 13, 2012

I know a guy who throws away the batteries in the TV remote control whenever he checks into a hotel.I know a guy who cut the internet service out of his home.I know a young lady who will hug everyone in the world except for her fiancé. She won’t even hold hands with him until they’re married.I know a man who refuses to look up when in line at the grocery store – he just stares at the ground and barely makes eye contact with the cashier because he wants to avoid seeing the trashy tabloids by the register.

Are these people insane? What’s wrong with them? I mean, I understand they’re trying to remain pure and avoid temptation, but it seems a bit extreme doesn’t it?

What they’re doing is what we’re all called to do in a sense. I’m not talking about what they did specifically, but rather the way they approached their problem. These people all have something that many of us lack today: a WHATEVER IT TAKES mentality.

Watch Out for the Giant Mushrooms

August 9, 2012

Giant mushrooms! Yep, that’s right. That’s what you see. That’s a real photo that I took yesterday of three giant mushrooms that are currently growing in my front yard and scaring my neighbors’ kids from coming near my property.

The strange thing is that:

a) I’ve been in this house for more than 3 years now and I’ve never before had a problem with mushrooms

b) Those mushrooms weren’t there at all last week.

c) I saw a little baby mushroom start to come up 2 days ago, but I have no idea how they got so big so fast!

Just so you get some perspective on exactly how large those mushrooms are, I took a picture of one of the mushrooms next to a standard 16 oz bottle of water and another picture next to my size 11 running shoes. WOW!

There’s a lesson to be learned here. The lesson is about the inherent danger of sin and the way sin grows in our lives. If you’re not careful, you may wake up one day and find yourself with a giant problem on your hands that came out of nowhere.

But I have never had a problem with that kind of big sin before.

Not Even a Hint (sermon video)

August 6, 2012

It’s 5:23 am and I am sitting at the airport waiting for my 6:20 am flight to start boarding. I’ll be travelling for the next couple of days so I’m sure if I’m going to get a chance to write a blog post – at least for today. So instead I’m posting a video of the sermon I gave last week at STSA – the first installment in our newest series called NOT EVEN A HINT.

This series is inspired by a verse that I wrote about last week:

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” Ephesians 5:3

You can watch the rest of the videos in this series as they become available by going to our website, www.STSAchurch.org, weekly.

For discussion: I’d love to hear any thoughts, comments or feedback on the sermon if you have any.

A High Standard for Living

July 30, 2012

"But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” Ephesians 5:3

Not even a hint? Isn’t that a bit much? God doesn’t really expect us to reach that level does He? That’s asking a bit much isn’t it? Does God really expect that for us living in the world today?

YES OF COURSE! The beauty of God’s Word is that it is transcendent. It transcends time, culture and all other factors. Something commanded 2000 years ago to a small collection of believers living in the Middle East is just as applicable and relevant to us today. The standard of God is the same yesterday, today and forever. And that standard is this…NOT EVEN A HINT!

Why would a loving and caring God give such as difficult command to follow?