The Sex Recession Meets the Purity Revival (Issue 23)

📱 TL;DR

70% of teens choose purity, but 24% of young adults are celibate. The question isn't whether you're having sex - it's whether your heart is pure. Jesus made lust equal to adultery. The battlefield is your heart, not your behavior.

Welcome, Family

The statistics are shocking.

Fewer than 40% of American high schoolers have ever had sexual intercourse. The number of 18-29-year-olds who went without sex for an entire year doubled between 2010 and 2024, going from 12% to 24%.

We're in a "sex recession."

But here's the question: Is this biblical purity or just cultural disengagement?

There's a difference between choosing celibacy for God's glory and accidentally ending up celibate because dating is hard.

The statistics tell us what's happening. They don't tell us why. And the "why" is everything.

During our Q&A on sexual purity, three questions emerged:

1. Does someone still have value despite their sexual past?

2. What is sexual purity? What does it look like?

3. What is the point of having sexual urges when we are single?

These aren't academic questions. These are heart questions that determine how you see yourself, God, and His design for sexuality.

Reserve your spot for Friday's Bible study - we're exploring God's design for sexual purity. This isn't about rules. It's about the heart behind the rules.

🍞 This Week's Bread

• ⏳ The Sign: Why 70% choose purity but 24% choose celibacy

• 📖 The Word: What Jesus meant when He made lust equal to adultery

• 🌍 The Witness: The woman who lost her value and the Savior who restored it

• 🔥 The Work: Three questions that reveal your heart condition

• ⚡ Midweek Power: Wednesday prayer for pure hearts

• 🙏 Prayer Corner: Healing sexual shame, strength for purity

📚 This Week's (Virtual) Bible Study
Friday, October 3rd (8-10 PM ET)

[🔗 Join Live Study] | [📱 Request Replay Link]

Can't make it live? We'll send you the recording!

⏳ The Sign

The numbers are staggering.

Teen sexual activity has declined consistently since 1991. About 24% of men and 13% of women aged 22-34 report going at least a year without intimacy.

So what's happening?

Are we seeing a purity revival or just a dating apocalypse?

The statistics can't tell us the condition of the heart - and that's what matters most.

Jesus made this clear: "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). He relocated the battlefield from behavior to heart.

You can be physically celibate and sexually impure - consuming pornography, indulging fantasies, feeding lustful desires.

You can also be physically celibate and sexually pure - guarding your heart, honoring God with your thoughts, treating sexuality as sacred.

Same behavior. Completely different hearts.

The heart behind the choice determines whether it's purity or just avoidance.

📖 The Word

Jesus destroyed every comfortable definition of sexual purity.

Before Jesus: Adultery was physical. Purity meant no sex outside marriage.

After Jesus: Adultery includes lustful looks. Purity means guarding your heart, not just your body.

This is both terrifying and liberating.

Terrifying because you can sin sexually without touching anyone. Every lustful glance, every impure fantasy - Jesus calls it adultery of the heart.

Liberating because sexual purity is about heart condition, not just physical virginity.

Sexual purity for singles: Don't have sex AND don't lust, consume pornography, or treat others as objects.

Sexual purity for married: Don't cheat AND don't lust after others or compare your spouse.

Sexual purity is a heart condition affecting everyone, regardless of relationship status.

Your value doesn't decrease because of past sexual choices. If you're in Christ, you're a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Why do we have sexual urges as singles? Sexual desire isn't sinful - it's what you do with it that matters. It's meant to drive you toward covenant marriage, not casual encounters.

Sexual purity isn't the absence of desire - it's channeling desire toward God's purposes.

🌍 The Witness

She was caught in adultery. Not accused. Caught.

The religious leaders brought her to Jesus as a trap. They wanted to force Him to choose between compassion and law.

Instead, Jesus chose both.

"He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first" (John 8:7).

One by one, the accusers left. They recognized their own need for mercy.

"Woman, where are those accusers? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one, Lord."

Then came the words that changed everything:

Notice the order: First mercy, then morality. First acceptance, then instruction.

Jesus didn't say her past didn't matter. He said, "You still have value despite your sexual past, but don't stay where I found you."

This is biblical sexual purity:

• Grace that covers the past - you have infinite value regardless of sexual history

• Truth that guides the future - Jesus' love doesn't leave you unchanged

Your sexual history doesn't determine your value. But your understanding of God's design should transform your future choices.

🔥 The Work

Let's address the three community questions directly:

1. Does someone still have value despite their sexual past?

Absolutely, unequivocally, YES.

Your worth isn't decreased by past mistakes. But affirming your value doesn't mean ignoring God's design.

The gospel holds both: You are accepted as you are AND God loves you too much to leave you there.

2. What is sexual purity? What does it look like?

Sexual purity is honoring God with your sexuality in thought, word, and deed.

For singles: No sexual activity outside marriage AND guarding your heart from lust, pornography, sexual fantasy.

For married: Sexual faithfulness to your spouse AND freedom from lustful desires for others.

For everyone: Treating sexuality as sacred, not casual. Viewing others as image-bearers, not objects.

3. What is the point of having sexual urges when we are single?

Sexual desire serves several purposes:

• Motivates you toward marriage - the proper context for sexual expression

• Teaches you about covenant - desire is meant to be exclusive and committed

• Reveals your need for self-control - preparing you for healthy marriage

• Reminds you of your design - you're not meant to be alone forever

Sexual desire isn't meant to be immediately gratified - it's meant to be properly channeled.

⚡ Midweek Power

Wednesday night (October 1st, 8-9 PM ET): Pure hearts in a sexualized culture

Come ready to pray for:

• Hearts that honor God with sexuality

• Healing from sexual shame

• Strength for purity choices

• Understanding God's design

📅 Set your reminder!

🙏 PRAYER CORNER

We're interceding for:

• Those carrying sexual shame

• Singles struggling with desire and loneliness

• Married couples honoring God with sexuality

• Anyone confused about biblical sexual purity

• Hearts needing to understand their value

📅 What's Next

Friday, October 3rd(8-10 PM ET): 
[🔗 Join Live Study] | [📱 Request Replay Link]

🎯 100 Days of Love in Action Challenge Starting Monday, September 23rd! One intentional act of kindness every day through December 31s.

📣 Take Action:

• Forward this to someone who needs to understand their value

• Follow @mogakaeventsministry for daily purity encouragement

• Join our Groupme for community support

✝️ Final Word

Sexual purity isn't primarily about behavior - it's about the heart behind the behavior.

You can be celibate and sexually impure. You can avoid contact while consuming pornography and treating others as objects.

You can also be celibate and sexually pure - honoring God with thoughts, preparing for marriage, treating sexuality as sacred.

The difference isn't what you do - it's why you do it.

If you've failed sexually, your value hasn't decreased. Jesus offers forgiveness and power to "go and sin no more."

If you've maintained purity, remember the goal isn't perfection - it's honoring God with every aspect of sexuality, including your heart.

Jesus raised the standard not to crush you, but to transform you. When your heart is pure, behavior follows. When your heart honors God, sexuality becomes worship.

The sex recession might be cultural, but sexual purity is spiritual.

And that's the only kind that truly satisfies.

In His Love,
Mogaka Events Ministry

Come As You Are is a Spirit-led devotional for young adults hungry for God's presence. Written by Ravi Patel and Chriss Mogaka.