Cindy Robertson, pastor at First Christian Assembly of God in Coryville, made a simple yet effective opening statement with four words that set the tone for the sermon, “Lets talk about Sex.” The crowd burst out in a round of applause which Robertson later said surprised her and eased the tension for her speech.
“I understand sex is not a comfortable thing to talk about in public, but it must be addressed to proclaim God’s truth and to address a topic that does not get discussed in church,” Robertson said.
This sermon series took one year to gain approval from the pastoral staff because of how controversial this topic is, according to Robertson. Robertson, a certified social worker independent of the church, counsels married couples experiencing pain and suffering from sex.
Robertson preached God’s purpose for sex is bring two people together in one flesh emotionally, spiritually, and physically. “ Sex is the means to celebrating marriage for a lifetime,” Robertson said.
Robertson closed her message by saying sex is God’s plan and sexual desires are not sinful according to the Bible.
Refreshment, excitement, and suspense were immediate reactions Kevin Williams, Young Life leader, had to the sermon. He said he cannot wait for the next message and that it was satisfying to hear sex talked about in a positive and biblical light.
It was the first time Williams heard sex talked about in church. He said he was reassured that God created it and man made it perverse.
William’s organization Young Life interacts with high school students and he chose to bring students to this message to hear sex talked about publicly from a church aspect. “This sermon opens the door for leaders to communicate with students about sex in a biblical and unthreatening way,” Williams said.
Head Pastor Chris Beard said this topic is both personal and sensitive so it is not easy to deal with in a public forum. He said the sermon went smoothly and more people attended because a woman delivered the message. The attendance for this sermon had the same numbers as last week which surprised Beard, he projected a 10 percent decrease.
Married couples and singles had the option to pick up a 30 day sex challenge booklet. The booklets were made primarily to help people discover emotional needs, read the Bible, and promote sexual abstinence until marriage. The church did not provide enough booklets because of the unexpected attendance and a lot of people took some for family members, according to Beard.
Women make talking about sex relaxing compared to men, according to Beard. Robertson was intentionally chosen to speak this first message because he could hear that she had a good handle on explaining it as God’s idea and that it is positive Beard said. Our church has never discussed sex and Robertson successfully preached this is why it is so significant Beard said.
“It can be frustrating that sex is everywhere in society, yet it is not talked about in church,” Robertson said. Scripture provides truth to misconceptions and distortions people have of God frowning on sex, according to Robertson. People can hear for themselves God’s truth by attending these services, Roberson said.
There will be four more Sunday sermons on sex. The first message is available to listen to on First Christian Assembly's website. First Christian Assembly is located at 220 William Howard Taft Road.
Cindy Robertson 513- 527-4465
Chris Beard 513-751-1066
Kevin Williams 513-543-4058
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