This is the first video in a group of teachings from Jesus that are optional.
Jesus does NOT say you will go to hell
if you choose not to follow him on these teachings.
There are very few teachings like this.
But still, the churches do not tell people about them.
Instead, they teach people to do the opposite of what Jesus advises against.
They do not even mention the best way to behave.
No church will do much to promote true Christianity
with an attitude like this.
If you are never shown the bigger picture,
the preferred option will always be left out.
This is more proof that the churches resist everything that Jesus taught.
In this video, I will talk about celibacy: staying single, and not getting married.
Another interesting thing about this teaching, is that the Apostle Paul also taught it.
And, he taught it in the same way.
He said it is advisable, but not commanded.
In First Corinthians, chapter seven,
Paul talks about staying celibate.
He says it is his own personal opinion,, and not a command from God.
Paul said, "I would like all men to be like me." He was single, you see.
"But each man has his own gift from God, some one way, and others in a different way."
"I say to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them to do like me.
"But if they cannot handle it, let them marry. It is better to marry than to burn."
Let me comment on that word 'burn'. Some people assume Paul was saying,
"If you are tempted to have sex, get married; it is better to marry than to be tempted."
I'm not so sure. We could not say that
to a gay person, or a divorced person.
They have no choice. Burn or no burn, you must live with it, and stay single.
I think it is saying that it is better to marry than go to hell.
You get one chance...only one.
After that, you just have to live with it, if youare tempted.
But that is another teaching that gets overlooked and twisted these days.
Paul continues, "Concerning virgins I have no commandment from God.
"But here is my opinion, as one whom God has helped to stay faithful.
"I assume it is good, in this present distress, for others to be single too.
"Are you married? Don't try to end it. But if you are single, don't go looking for a wife.
"If you do marry, it is not a sin.
"Marriage brings a lot of problems, but I won't bother you with that.
"I will say this: Time is short: Sometimes even those who have wives
"should be as though they had none."
Paul wrote to Timothy, "The Spirit says clearly, that in the end times
"some will distort our faith, forbidding marriage among other things."
What I am saying is not support for barring priests from marriage.
We are seeing today what a perverted mess that teaching spawned
among Catholic priests. Pedophilia has been rampant there for decades.
But, Paul did say it is better to stay single, if you can.
In Matthew 19, Jesus discusses this same issue with his twelve apostles.
He had just said that divorcing your wife
encourages her to commit adultery, and if you remarry, you commit adultery as well.
You will burn for it.
His disciples said to him, "If that is true, it is not good to marry."
Jesus answered, "Not everyone can receive this, only those to whom it is given.
"For there are some who were born without much interest in sex..
"And some have lost interest through circumstances..
"And there are some who discipline themselves to that extent, for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
"If you are able to do it, do it."
Catholics are guilty of forbidding marriage for nuns and priests.
But protestants push people into marriage
maybe to avoid sex outside of marriage, or maybe just to get them to be respectable.
I'm not sure if Protestants still worry
about their young people having sex outside of marriage.
They seem to ignore sex outside of marriage these days.
For some, however, marriage is still seen as a curefor promiscuity.
So if you want to marry, go ahead.
But don't forget, as Jesus said to his disciples,
you only get.one chance to make it work.
After that it becomes adultery. Think about it.
Will you risk everything on this person being the one person for you, for life?
Think very seriously.
There is a false teaching that confuses people on celibacy.
And it is the teaching that masturbation is evil... that masturbation
is the same as committing adultery.
It goes like this.
If you have dreams about sex
or if you masturbate while awake, that is lust. It is the same as committing adultery.
So, every male with normal sex organs is guilty of adultery, unless he marries.
They make one exceptio. If you are gay you cannot marry. You go to hell no matter what,
just for getting sexually aroused.
Please watch my video on masturbation to get a better understanding
of that almost universal teaching.
This teaching that masturbation is evil
breeds self-righteousness and hypocrisy in churches everywhere.
It also puts unfair pressure on wives in otherwise legitimate marriages.
There is much I could say about that, but what relates to
staying celibate, is that celibacy is not impossible.
It is not limited to super-saints who never get sexually aroused.
You just need to accept that any pleasurable, sexual stimulation you will experience
will not come from a sexual partner.
If you want more information, watch the video on masturbation
or write to me personally if you have questions.
We know that at least one of Jesus' disciples, Peter, was married.
It is possible that most or all of the others were not married.
There is no mention of their wives.
There would have been more freedom for them to come and go if they were single.
They did not need to fit their plans around a wife or children.
"If you marry you will have problems, but I spare you."
There is much implied in those final four words: "but I spare you".
Marriage is heavily romanticised, but Paul had the courage to tell the truth.
We need to make that truth very clear,
in a world where so many marriages fail.
Marriage is a lot of very hard work.
It can be the closest thing to heaven that we experience in this life.
But, it can also be the closest thing to hell.
At some point in your marriage, you will experience
the worst side of your partner, and they will learn the worst about you.
Your choice to love them will be sorely tested.
But hey! I spare you!
Just consider that, before you marry,
Do not assume it will solve your problems.
The number one reason men give me for choosing not to obey Jesus
is that their wives do not agree with them doing it.
Some will argue that it is impossible for a married man to live by faith...
That they are morally obliged to put their wives first.
They are not, but it is part of an earlier decision
to rush into marriage without considering whether God was asking them to stay single.
In conclusion, celibacy is the best option.
That is what Jesus taught, and it is what Paul taught.
In the end, you are free to make your own choice.
But if you can stay single, word from Jesus himself is... do it!
Stay single! This is the preference that Jesus taught.
You will probably not hear it preached in your church.
Thank you.