Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Church – The First Coptic Orthodox Church in Malawi The Children are The Future Of The Church and Malawi

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Malawian Students at University studying their undergraduate degree in Egyptian Universities are celebrating with our church the Christmas season by their wonderful choir

What are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or sexually transmitted infections (STIs), are infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. They are usually spread during vaginal, oral, or anal sex. But sometimes they can spread through other sexual contact involving the penis, vagina, mouth, or anus. This is because some STDs, like herpes and HPV, are spread by skin-to-skin contact.

Some STDs can be passed from a pregnant person to the baby, either during pregnancy or when giving birth. Other ways that STDs may be spread include during breastfeeding, through blood transfusions, or by sharing needles.

There are more than 20 types of STDs, but the most common including:

• Chlamydia

• Genital herpes

• Gonorrhea

• HIV (AIDS)

• HPV

• Pubic lice

• Syphilis

• Trichomoniasis

• Hepatitis B & C .

What causes sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

STDs can be caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Who is affected by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

Most STDs affect both men and women, but in many cases the health problems they cause can be more severe for women. If an STD is passed to a baby, it can cause serious health problems.

What are the symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

STDs don’t always cause symptoms or may only cause mild symptoms. So it is possible to have an infection and not know it. And even without symptoms, STDs can still be harmful and may be passed on during sex.

If there are initial symptoms, they could include:

• Unusual discharge from the penis or vagina

• Sores or warts on the genital area, skin rash all over the body , Painful rash of shingles.

• Painful or frequent urination (peeing)

• Serious Infections by opportunistic viruses or bacteria.

• Itching and redness in the genital area

• Blisters or sores in or around the mouth

• Abnormal vaginal odor

• Anal itching, soreness, or bleeding

• Abdominal pain , Fever.

How are sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) diagnosed?

‣ If you are sexually active, you should talk to your health care provider about your risk for STDs and whether you need to be tested. This is especially important since many STDs do not usually cause symptoms.

‣ Some STDs may be diagnosed during a physical exam or through microscopic examination of a sore or fluid swabbed from the vagina, penis, or anus. Blood tests can diagnose other types of STDs.

‣ After developing complications such as Tuberculosis, Shingles, Pneumonia .

What are the treatments for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)?

‣ The most reliable way to treat STDs is to avoid infection with it, this only can be by avoiding sexual relationship outside marriage.

‣ There is no cure for STDs caused by viruses, but medicines may help with the symptoms and lower your risk of spreading the infection but finally most of Viral STDs will be fatal or at least handicap the affected person.

‣ Antibiotics can treat STDs caused by bacteria or parasites only .

Can sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) be prevented?

‣ Yes it can be prevented if we follow Lord Jesus commandments (”Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.) “(Hebrews 13:4 NKJV)

The second question is what is meant by (The Bed Undefiled) ?

‣ Hebrews Chapter 13 is the concluding chapter of the book of Hebrews and ends with a series of final exhortations to Christians. Verse 4 says, “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge”.

‣ The Greek word translated “undefiled” is only used in this exact form four times in the New Testament, and it means “uncontaminated” or “set apart.” ”For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;“(Hebrews 7:26 NKJV) Saint Paul guided by Holy Spirit uses this word to describe Jesus Christ, our high priest.

‣ Saint James also uses same word ”Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.“(James 1:27 NKJV) says that “undefiled” religion is that which helps widows and orphans and remains unstained by the world.

‣ The marriage bed is to be kept pure or undefiled. In other words, the sexual intimacy shared between a husband and wife is to be reserved for that couple alone. God created the sexual union to be between a husband and a wife Only. No other use of sexuality is ever condoned in Scripture. To abuse or misuse God’s gift of sex is to defile the marriage bed.

‣ A marriage bed can be defiled in several ways:

1. Fornication: When two unmarried people engage in sexual intercourse, they are defiling God’s good gift of sex. Those who have not vowed themselves to each other in a binding lifetime union have no right to exploit the culmination of such a vow. Sex was designed to be the final act of consecration when a couple pledge their lives to each other in a sacred covenant. All forms of sexuality outside a marriage union are bringing dishonor to the honorable institution of marriage ”Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.“(I Corinthians 6:18 NKJV)

2. Adultery: When one or both parties in a sexual union are married to someone else, God calls their sexual acts adultery. Adultery was punishable by death under God’s Old Covenant with Israel (Deuteronomy 22:22; Leviticus 20:10). Even though we no longer live under that covenant, adultery is still high on God’s list of moral evils (Matthew 5:28, 32) and is always named as a sin that keeps unrepentant offenders from inheriting the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19; 1 Corinthians 6:9).

3. Homosexuality: Another defilement of the marriage bed is the perversion of men having sex with men or women with women. Despite our world’s current embrace of homosexual practice, this vile act has never been and will never be sanctioned or blessed by God. Homosexuality is a distortion of God’s gift of physical unity between husband and wife and is the only sexual activity labeled an abomination (Leviticus 20:13). The prohibition against homosexuality carries right into the New Covenant, as it is listed with those sins that keep the unrepentant out of the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:9–10; Jude 1:7).

4. Prostitution: Proverbs 7 gives a detailed look at the destruction that comes upon a young man who allows himself to be seduced by a harlot. The sin of harlotry is often used as a metaphor for unfaithful Israel (Hosea 4:15; Jeremiah 3:8; Judges 8:33). Christians are warned to avoid such immorality because of the sacredness of the marriage bed (1 Corinthians 6:15–16; Ephesians 5:3).

5. Pornography: Using pornography for sexual gratification is a more modern way to defile the marriage bed. Pornographic books, videos, sexting, and the use of other sexually explicit materials also defile the sanctity of the sexual union between a man and wife. Porn has the effect of bringing strangers into the bedroom, even if only through the eyes. Jesus warned that lust associated with looking at a woman is equivalent to adultery before God (Matthew 5:28). Pornography has elevated sexual lust to an art form, but it is still corrupting to the heart and a sinful defiling of the sexual act.

‣ God created human beings to be pure in body and spirit. Sexual union between a husband and wife was a part of that purity (Genesis 2:24–25). When Adam and Eve sinned, sexuality was tainted along with everything else. Jesus purchased the power to reclaim that purity through His sacrificial death on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). No sin, including sexual immorality, is too great for the power of that atoning death and resurrection to pardon. Even though we may have defiled the marriage bed in many ways, God can restore sexual purity and holiness when we repent and commit our lives to following Him, the answer is YES, we can be sure about His forgiveness and restoration of our purity by reading the following Verses:

1. ”Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.“(Psalms 51:7 NKJV)

2. ”But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.“(I John 1:7 NKJV)

In the end our consolation is to remember this statement by Lord Jesus Christ when he he forgives the lady caught in the adultery as we read the story in John 8:11 — click on link to watch the story.

“ Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

We are blessed to serve many small villages in our neighborhood.