All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
Strip Club
Rachelle Starrn was raised in a Christian home & had never been inside a strip club in her life. But she felt this calling from God to reach out to women in the sex industry. She knew that God had given her a passion for those women to know how much He loves them & how precious they were in His eyes. Whatever doubts, she knew God was calling her to take action. He didn't want her to just to feel compassion for them but to do something about it.
In 2008, she started Scarlet Hope, a ministry that reaches out to women involved in the sex industry. They take big, southern-comfort-style dinners to strip clubs. Their prayer is that they're not just feeding their stomachs but they're feeding a deeper spiritual hunger. In some clubs, they fix hair & make-up so they can get some one-on-one time with the girls. It gives them the opportunity to pray with women in the middle of the strip club.
She states that many hearts have been changed & lives touched & many turned to Christ for forgiveness & new beginnings. She says she has seen Jesus show up many times in the back of a strip club dressing room. Many dancers opened up to them, sharing their struggles, asking for prayers, & some have even accepted their invitations to church.
What are your thoughts on this testimony? When I read it I must admit doubts flooded me. I know Jesus goes to the sinners but He didn't put their make-up on before prostituting themselves. Am I wrong with my feelings? No one knows the mind of God but do you really believe God would have them take such drastic steps to reach others?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ribbon on
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But if God would send His only Son to die for us, why would you think that would apply to everyone but you?
Because of a life long feeling rejection from God and the demonic battle I endured with what seemed god turning his head. I could not go through that battle alone again..... but at the same time I want to be saved. Fear gets the best of me. But this is another subject so I will stop on this here.
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Permalink Reply by Seek on
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You feel rejected by God probably because you feel rejected...period. Makes it hard to believe anyone cares, including God. And if life is hard, can make it even more difficult to believe God cares. Because we somehow think if He cared, He'd make things easier, but easier isn't always better except in the short term. But I promise you that if you keep seeking after the truth of His Word, you'll find it and begin to understand. Keep asking Him to reveal His love to you.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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Seek,
And if life is hard, can make it even more difficult to believe God cares. Because we somehow think if He cared, He'd make things easier, but easier isn't always better except in the short term. - Amen to the amen. Beautifully said.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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Janie,
It's OK for you to feel and think that those ministering to these people should not enter the clubs.
We read this in Philippians 3:15, All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
We must trust God to correct us in errors of doctrine and practice. We remain teachable. We repent. We are receiving mind renewal. We are growing spiritually. We are at different stages of spiritual development. There's nothing wrong with sticking to your convictions and trusting God to make things clear to us when we are thinking differently and not agreeing on various points of view.
I'd rather they not enter the clubs anymore either. I've been unable to decide if entering the clubs is wrong. I became frustrated and tried to convince myself that it is a black and white issue and therefore, they are a bad ministry since they've messed up on this part. Then I realized it is a very gray area for me, and I am going to accept that I don't know if it's wrong to go into strip clubs to rescue women out of that environment. I'm not being called to do it. I think I'm being called somewhere though but I'm fighting it. You see, I'm very messed up myself.
You are loved, Janie. I love you and always will.
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PS I have a strong impression that this is more of an issue regarding weak and strong christians and how the strong are not to cause the weak to stumble. This discussion and the one about Superman and the one about the picture of Jesus breakdancing have all left me with the impression that God is seeking to get us all to be more careful with those weaker in the faith. I am weak but obviously there are others much weaker than even I. I've asked God this morning to forgive me for any comments I've made that may have harmed those weak in the faith or have caused them to have a defiled conscience.
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Aww Amanda thank you... you made my day. I love you too.
Im not upset becsuse yall don't agree with me.. I am just getting pouty becsuse I was feeling yall may think I didn't care for these women because of my views being different. That's all I was saying.... you made my day.... I needed that. =D
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If someone is weak in their faith, shouldn't the stronger christen help guide them?
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I don't think it's just about weak and strong Christians, but some of us, no matter how strong in Christ, may have weakness toward certain temptations that others don't. Like one feeling drinking is wrong for them and another not being convicted of it. So we may be lead away from things that others are lead to, because of different abilities/gifts/strengths.
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Yes, but Christians are still human and don't always do what they should, don't always listen to the Spirit at all times or interpret the Spirit correctly. Takes a lot of prayer to really be a mentor to someone. Pray that God sends you a mentor.
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What I mean when I say it's an issue about the strong and weak is that the ministry is violating the instructions given in 1 Cor 8 and Romans 14 by publicly sharing their methods of rescuing and reaching the women in the adult entertainment industry. We also may be erring by sharing what we think about these things, and I'm referring specifically to what is not done in faith is sin as it says in Romans 14 which makes it about more than just eating and drinking in front of the weak. IMO of course.
In 1 Cor 8 we read:
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
In Romans 14 we read:
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[c] -
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My comment response about preachers going inside bars had nothing to do if its ok to drink alcohol or not. It was about what it would look like to others seeing a preacher going into a bar .
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