To the guy on the other side of the screen,

December 4, 2017

I know that you don’t know who I am, but I’m praying that this letter would be read by you, and that it would affect you for the better. You see, I can understand your predicament: in one sense, you make your living in probably the most pleasurable way possible, but in another sense, I am guessing that you probably feel more and more empty after every scene filmed.

Here’s why the first sense is a reality. In Proverbs 5:18-19 we read the following:
“Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.  A loving doe, a graceful fawn— let her breasts always satisfy you; be lost in her love forever.” That’s only one small aspect of sexuality, but the Bible isn’t afraid to say, “Yes, it feels good.” The Bible also encourages partaking of sex. However, there is a caveat there!

In Genesis we see that God created the whole world. Included in creating the world was creating sexuality. Genesis 2:20-25 says,

The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found as his complement.  So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place.  Then the LORD God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.  And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man.  This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.  Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.

God created one man and one woman and they were to become one flesh. The chapter concludes by the narrator saying, “The man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.” This means that there is nothing inherently wrong with sex. The thing that is wrong with sex is what we do with it. Within marriage shameless sex and nudity can occur. Outside of marriage there should be shame. Perhaps you used to feel shame in your marriageless sexuality, but now you no longer do. That shame was God trying to get your attention. If the shame is no longer there, it is because God is in the process of judging you for your sin (see Romans 1:18-32).

If your profession leaves you feeling empty, it is because you are empty. You ignored the shame God was pointing out so that you would turn your life over to Him, and now you are trying anything and everything to get the emptiness inside filled up. Listen to what King Solomon—the wisest man who ever lived—had to say:

So now, ⌊my⌋ sons, listen to me, and don’t turn away from the words of my mouth.  Keep your way far from her. Don’t go near the door of her house.  Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others and your years to someone cruel;  strangers will drain your resources, and your earnings will end up in a foreigner’s house.  At the end of your life, you will lament when your physical body has been consumed,  and you will say, “How I hated discipline, and how my heart despised correction.  I didn’t obey my teachers or listen closely to my mentors.  I am on the verge of complete ruin before the entire community” (Proverbs 5:7-14).

If you continue to pursue illicit sexuality, this will be your epitaph. Get out of the cycle of needing money, filming sex, feeling empty, spending money, needing money, etc.

Perhaps you have read this far, and it has hit you. Perhaps you’re wondering, “Okay, why in the world does someone care to warn me of the error of my ways? Does he just want to say, ‘I’m better than you. Ha’?”

Not at all. If it wasn’t for the grace of God, I’d likely be in the same place as you. Here’s why I’m writing: I want you to know my Savior. Jesus Christ, who came to earth 2,000 years ago—a day which we’ll celebrate in 3 weeks—was a lover of outcasts. He walked with them. He embraced them. He healed them. Take this as an example: “Then a man with a serious skin disease came to Him and, on his knees, begged Him: ‘If You are willing, You can make me clean.’  Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. ‘I am willing,’ He told him. ‘Be made clean.’  Immediately the disease left him, and he was healed” (Mark 1:40-42).

Leprosy was as bad as you could get externally in Biblical times. It was also considered contagious. When Jesus reached out and laid His hands on this man—a man who hadn’t been touched since contracting the disease—He was showing intense love for this man. This is the man who holds His hand out to you saying, “Leave your life of sin.”

And even more than just healing physical maladies, Jesus took the wrath of God for us so that we don’t have to face His judgment. He died on the cross and rose from the grave three days later. All you must do to have part in His salvation is believe in this message about Jesus, and obey Him when He says, “Leave your life of sin.”

I know it may sound impossible. I know it may sound like social suicide. I know it is terrifying to leave what is comfortable. But I also know that if you have truly trusted in God, He will take care of you. The key way that He does this is through His church.

I know that too much of the time the church comes off as a bunch of judgmental jerks, but the truth is that we are not all that way. If you pray, and if you seek God’s leading, He will point you toward a faithful, loving church, who will be willing to help you get situated in society away from your former lifestyle.

If this message has affected you for the better, PLEASE seek out a church to join. Please don’t stop looking for one until you find a church that teaches Jesus as central and lives like He lived—loving those that are hurting. Praying for you.

Sincerely,

JW

Part 1: girl on the other side of the screen

Part 2: person watching the screen

Part 4: person behind the camera