When those who point out the errors of the abortion clinic, those who are pro-choice are quick to defend themselves, referring to the activities they do as 'Health Care'. It is specifically pointed out as 'women's' health care, at that.
But it is really health care? How can we defend one person's health at the expense of another's health? This just doesn't make sense.
When one person has to die, for the sake of the health of another, that is not health care. That is murder.
There are many inconsistencies in the belief system of these people who practice doing abortions. Those who support abortions claim that the fetus is just a blob of tissue. Now that it has been exposed that Planned Parenthood supports those who slaughter babies in the womb, and take their body parts and sell them on the black market, some are looking for the organs of the baby so they can use them for their benefits.
This 'blob of tissue' has organs. How about that. You and I have organs. How can something that is just a blob of tissue actually be so valuable to those selling it's body parts?
Women talk about having rights to their own bodies. They will admit that the baby inside them is not part of their body. Yet, they destroy this little one living inside them. Go figure.
It all comes down to 2 things; money (power) and convenience. It's ironic how we listen and follow those who are leading our societies, yet, we toss out the word of God. Which one is valid, especially when they contradict each other?
God doesn't change. His principles don't change. What He said 6,000 years ago still applies today. The Bible explains that grass withers and flowers fade away, but the word of the Lord abides forever. It will never go away. Even if 100% of the population disagrees with God, God is still God. He is still on the throne, and He is still calling people to Himself.
I can't believe people are so naive to believe the lies of those who are promoting abortions. I guess those who tell lies are the ones who embrace liars. That is how it works. Babies in the womb are human beings. The devil hates human beings, because one day, he will be defeated by God, through the means of human beings.
One day, if you have had an abortion, you might wake up to the reality of what you have done. There are ministries out there for women who have had abortions who are now suffering because of what they have done. God forgives those who come to Him in repentance and faith. He knows whether a person is truly repenting, or if he or she is really faking repentance.
If you have had an abortion and are proud of what you have done, know this; one day, you will face a holy God on Judgment Day. It will be horrible. You will see that you have murdered someone. You might not believe it at this time, but you will be faced with it then. You will feel terrible, but it will be too late. That is why God commands us to repent today, before it is too late.
You see, your problem isn't that you wanted good health care in this life, and thought you got it when you had an abortion. The problem is that you don't fear God, or really believe He will punish you for your sins. You see others shaking their fists at God and you think that if God is really there, He would strike them down. But you forget that God is a merciful God, not wanting anyone to perish. He waits patiently for people to turn to Him, but He doesn't wait forever.
God still could allow the person who shakes his or her fist at Him, to be struck down. Sometimes that happens too. Either way, we will not get away with mocking God.
God's word tells us that we cannot do whatever we want to our bodies. We are responsible for taking care of them. Having an abortion is not taking care of your body. It is harmful to you, and it is murder for the little person inside, no matter how small or undeveloped he or she is. We are not to have sexual relationships outside of being married. We are not under God's protection for us when we live immoral lives. And killing a baby is not an answer to this dilemma. Two wrongs do not make something right. It only adds to our list of sins that we will have before we stand before the true and living God.
The root of your sin is not that you got pregnant. It goes much deeper. You are not properly related to God and need to acknowledge your need for Him. You need Him as the Savior for your sins. You need Him to give you a new heart that loves doing good, even if it is expensive or inconvenient. You need Him to be the focus of your life. Without Him, you will be spiritually dead.
One more thing; Many who practice doing abortions or who work at an abortion clinic will tell you that you are doing God's will by having an abortion. They might tell you that Jesus is pleased that you are going through with the abortion and they might even pray for you. Don't be tricked. The Jesus they are talking about is not the same one as the Bible teaches. It's time to look into God's word and see what God has to say about things.
"The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but I have come that they might have abundant lives." (Words of Jesus Christ from the Bible in John 10:10). If you haven't figured it out yet, the 'thief' is the devil. The devil is behind women having abortions. He calls the services provided 'health care' and he tells us that we are entitled to anything we want. Could this be the reason why we are struggling so much as a nation of people?
For more information on the Gospel message, please go to: http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com
or
http://test4gp.wordpress.com
Spiritual Warfare Prep
We Are In The Lord's Army
Friday, July 31, 2015
Saturday, July 25, 2015
When Do We Trespass Or Go Past The Boundaries?
It seems like a lot of people struggle with the idea of a God who created us and makes the rules (sets the boundaries) around us. I have talked with such people who can't understand why a God would punish people who just want to have another religion or faith. Well, maybe, just maybe I have an illustration that might help us understand this better.
First of all, please understand that all illustrations have some flaws in them when trying to communicate spiritual truths. We can never clearly and perfectly explain God's principles with illustrations, but sometimes the truth that is in them is helpful to understand even one main point e about God.
Let's say you are at a friend's house. Your friend welcomes you inside. You feel welcome and sit down. But let's say that you feel some kind of entitlement to this house. Normal people do not feel entitlement when going to a friend's house, but, for the sake of the illustration, let's say that you do. You go into your friend's refrigerator and look for some food. You find a couple of things you like and pull them out. You cook them up and eat them. Then you look for something else, but can't find it. You complain to your friend that there is no food in the house. At night, you expect a room with a nice comfy bed, but all that is available is a twin bed with a hard mattress. You complain about that. Really, your friend hasn't even offered an overnight stay in his home, but because you feel entitled to it, you expect it. The next day, you invite your girlfriend over to stay with you (even though you only have a twin bed) and you complain because your girlfriend cannot be nicely accommodated. Your friend, who owns the house, however, has boundaries for those in the house. He does not believe in people sleeping together outside of a marriage relationship, so he says you can't have your girlfriend stay in his home. You bolt at your friend because of his 'rules' and claim they are unfair. You think that because you love your girlfriend that it makes it ok for you to have this illicit relationship with her. Your kind friend is now being called a 'Bully' and a 'tyrant' and is 'prejudiced' against you because he has house rules. His home also has order, which goes against your grain. Those who are staying there, need to be in the home by midnight, not because he is being mean, but because it creates a hardship for those who live in the home when people come in late at night.
If you are the visitor in this story, what do you think you are doing while staying at this friend's house? The answer is simple. It is called, 'trespassing'. Your friend loves you and wants you to be able to stay in his home, but, he has boundaries (which is something every person and family needs to have). Boundaries are not there to take our fun away. They are there to protect us. There have been studied done, where people were more comfortable where there were boundaries put up. For example, in a school yard, the school did not have a fence around the property. But something happened when a fence was put up around the school yard. The children actually played outside once the fence went up, whereas before, they tended to stay inside or close to the building.
We intuitively know that we need boundaries. Unfortunately, some children have had their boundaries taken away by their parents. Their parents abused them and forbade them to protect themselves. These children grew up and have no idea how to set boundaries for themselves. But the average person in America today sees boundaries as restrictive and too structured. Many in this country have this idea of entitlement as well. A lot is expected from those who are over them. And if they don't get what they want, right away, they get angry.
Like the visitor in the story, we expect to have the food we want. We expect to have a nice bed to sleep in and the many comforts that are available to us. We complain when the weather is not enjoyable to us. The problem isn't with food or comfort, the problem is with our expectation of having a right to them.
Do you realize that most of the world goes to bed hungry and doesn't have a bed to sleep on. Most do not have good clothes to wear. The more we think of our 'rights' to these things, the less we will consider those who do not have them.
We are like the visitor to his friend's home. Only the home we are visiting is planet earth. God put us on this planet for a reason and it was not to get all the gusto we can get while we are here. We get angry with God because of the boundaries He has placed around us. He has told us where these boundaries are, in His word. We think it is unfair that God has 'rules' and think that He wants to take our fun away. But this is a lie from the devil.
Whether we like it or not, God is the Creator, and we are the created. We are subject to Him and will give account to Him after we die. He created us to love Him and to know Him. But instead of our wanting to know Him, we want to do our own thing. That is called, 'autonomy'. We want autonomy away from God. All of us do. We don't like it when He 'interferes' with our lives. But we are the ones who are blind, for when we see God, we will gladly give up our rights to ourselves. We no longer need to live for ourselves, nor do we need to try to find satisfaction in other things. Our satisfaction can really only come from God alone. If we try to live for all those other things, and we break God's rules and trespass His boundaries, we will never be satisfied, and we will end up being judged for our sins (trespasses).
Instead of being angry with our Creator, we should be grateful. God promises to take care of us when we trust in Him, and turn from our selfishness to Him. We need to repent of our sins. We need to let go of those things that are outside of His boundaries. We need to embrace those things inside His boundaries.
The Psalmist said, 'Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day' (Psalm 119:97 ESV).
How can someone love something that is so restrictive? It is because he was set free from loving himself, and now he was free to love God (which is something we cannot do on our own). The Psalmist saw God with his spiritual eyes and was mightily affected. He was very much changed. Now there was something bigger than himself to live for. It was easy for him to let go of the things that he once treasured.
In another Psalm, the Psalmist also says 'The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.' (Psalm 16:5, 6 ESV)
If you think that following God means that you have to live a life full of rules and restrictions, then you misunderstand who God is, and why you need Him. You will try to follow those rules as best as you can. You will pat yourself on the back and think that because you are trying so hard, that God will reward you. But that is not true. God rewards those who seek Him, and those who forsake the things they have for the kingdom of God's sake. When we realize how magnificent, glorious, powerful, and awesome God is, we will not have a hard time parting with our toys.
For more information on the Gospel and knowing God, please go to http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com or
http://test4gp.wordpress.com
"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-37 ESV
First of all, please understand that all illustrations have some flaws in them when trying to communicate spiritual truths. We can never clearly and perfectly explain God's principles with illustrations, but sometimes the truth that is in them is helpful to understand even one main point e about God.
Let's say you are at a friend's house. Your friend welcomes you inside. You feel welcome and sit down. But let's say that you feel some kind of entitlement to this house. Normal people do not feel entitlement when going to a friend's house, but, for the sake of the illustration, let's say that you do. You go into your friend's refrigerator and look for some food. You find a couple of things you like and pull them out. You cook them up and eat them. Then you look for something else, but can't find it. You complain to your friend that there is no food in the house. At night, you expect a room with a nice comfy bed, but all that is available is a twin bed with a hard mattress. You complain about that. Really, your friend hasn't even offered an overnight stay in his home, but because you feel entitled to it, you expect it. The next day, you invite your girlfriend over to stay with you (even though you only have a twin bed) and you complain because your girlfriend cannot be nicely accommodated. Your friend, who owns the house, however, has boundaries for those in the house. He does not believe in people sleeping together outside of a marriage relationship, so he says you can't have your girlfriend stay in his home. You bolt at your friend because of his 'rules' and claim they are unfair. You think that because you love your girlfriend that it makes it ok for you to have this illicit relationship with her. Your kind friend is now being called a 'Bully' and a 'tyrant' and is 'prejudiced' against you because he has house rules. His home also has order, which goes against your grain. Those who are staying there, need to be in the home by midnight, not because he is being mean, but because it creates a hardship for those who live in the home when people come in late at night.
If you are the visitor in this story, what do you think you are doing while staying at this friend's house? The answer is simple. It is called, 'trespassing'. Your friend loves you and wants you to be able to stay in his home, but, he has boundaries (which is something every person and family needs to have). Boundaries are not there to take our fun away. They are there to protect us. There have been studied done, where people were more comfortable where there were boundaries put up. For example, in a school yard, the school did not have a fence around the property. But something happened when a fence was put up around the school yard. The children actually played outside once the fence went up, whereas before, they tended to stay inside or close to the building.
We intuitively know that we need boundaries. Unfortunately, some children have had their boundaries taken away by their parents. Their parents abused them and forbade them to protect themselves. These children grew up and have no idea how to set boundaries for themselves. But the average person in America today sees boundaries as restrictive and too structured. Many in this country have this idea of entitlement as well. A lot is expected from those who are over them. And if they don't get what they want, right away, they get angry.
Like the visitor in the story, we expect to have the food we want. We expect to have a nice bed to sleep in and the many comforts that are available to us. We complain when the weather is not enjoyable to us. The problem isn't with food or comfort, the problem is with our expectation of having a right to them.
Do you realize that most of the world goes to bed hungry and doesn't have a bed to sleep on. Most do not have good clothes to wear. The more we think of our 'rights' to these things, the less we will consider those who do not have them.
We are like the visitor to his friend's home. Only the home we are visiting is planet earth. God put us on this planet for a reason and it was not to get all the gusto we can get while we are here. We get angry with God because of the boundaries He has placed around us. He has told us where these boundaries are, in His word. We think it is unfair that God has 'rules' and think that He wants to take our fun away. But this is a lie from the devil.
Whether we like it or not, God is the Creator, and we are the created. We are subject to Him and will give account to Him after we die. He created us to love Him and to know Him. But instead of our wanting to know Him, we want to do our own thing. That is called, 'autonomy'. We want autonomy away from God. All of us do. We don't like it when He 'interferes' with our lives. But we are the ones who are blind, for when we see God, we will gladly give up our rights to ourselves. We no longer need to live for ourselves, nor do we need to try to find satisfaction in other things. Our satisfaction can really only come from God alone. If we try to live for all those other things, and we break God's rules and trespass His boundaries, we will never be satisfied, and we will end up being judged for our sins (trespasses).
Instead of being angry with our Creator, we should be grateful. God promises to take care of us when we trust in Him, and turn from our selfishness to Him. We need to repent of our sins. We need to let go of those things that are outside of His boundaries. We need to embrace those things inside His boundaries.
The Psalmist said, 'Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day' (Psalm 119:97 ESV).
How can someone love something that is so restrictive? It is because he was set free from loving himself, and now he was free to love God (which is something we cannot do on our own). The Psalmist saw God with his spiritual eyes and was mightily affected. He was very much changed. Now there was something bigger than himself to live for. It was easy for him to let go of the things that he once treasured.
In another Psalm, the Psalmist also says 'The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.' (Psalm 16:5, 6 ESV)
If you think that following God means that you have to live a life full of rules and restrictions, then you misunderstand who God is, and why you need Him. You will try to follow those rules as best as you can. You will pat yourself on the back and think that because you are trying so hard, that God will reward you. But that is not true. God rewards those who seek Him, and those who forsake the things they have for the kingdom of God's sake. When we realize how magnificent, glorious, powerful, and awesome God is, we will not have a hard time parting with our toys.
For more information on the Gospel and knowing God, please go to http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com or
http://test4gp.wordpress.com
"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-37 ESV
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Can Homosexuals Who Use The Bible As Toilet Paper Ever Come To Christ?
Every week we have some new issue we are dealing with that come up in our social media forums. This past week it is no different. We have a transgendered man who talks like a man but looks like a woman, defending those who believe in the act of surgically changing our genders, and giving plausible reasons why we need to applaud such people.
Then there was the article of Gay people parading around doing the act of taking pages from the Bible and wiping their anuses with them.
Friends, we live in a very strange time, where people seem to be going further and further into darkness and have more desire to pull away from reality.
What I am reading in these posts, and especially in the comments, sounds like some kind of Doomsday response. Yes, we have problems. They are serious. We need to take them seriously. But we have relegated them to some kind of hopeless endeavor?
There were a couple of posts concerning the Gay people of a certain community, who ripped pages of the Bible and wiped their hineys with them. Obviously, these people do not fear God, and further more, they are angry with God. They are angry with Him because He doesn't see things their way. So, they are becoming vengeful toward God's people, those who have put their trust and hope in God's Son, Jesus Christ, for their sins.
First of all, these people do not have to be angry with Christians. They can take the Bible and rewrite it and have their own churches that teach whatever they want to believe. People do this all the time. That is how cults get started.
Secondly, I believe these people know they are sinning against a holy God. If they didn't know, they wouldn't take the Bible and rip it apart to wipe themselves with. I don't believe in Allah. But Allah is no threat to me, and therefore, I do not have to take the Q'ran and rip it apart to use it as toilet paper. The words on the Q'ran do not have power and therefore they do not mean anything. So, right there, these homosexuals show that they know what they are doing, and that they are committing sin before a holy God who they will one day face.
Thirdly, I see some comments on these threads that are from well meaning people, but I wonder where they are coming from. Perhaps they see some kind of consolation in bringing out the fact that God is going to destroy these people. Yes, God promises that He will destroy them. But, we have to remember that God is patient with us, and wants all to come to repentance, even the homosexual. We also have to remember that no person is too difficult for God to save.
I have said this in other places recently, but I think we have been led to believe in a small God, instead of the powerful One He presents Himself to be in the Bible. I think, because we have had conferences limiting God's power, that leads us to believe that God is somehow just taking a vacation from showing His greatness and holiness, or that we will not experience His power during this time we live, because it was only for the Apostles, not us.
What amazes me is that so many of the Christians who embrace the God who stopped doing miracles after the last apostle died (or after the Bible was canonized) are the same ones who believe that the Pope or Obama is the AntiChrist. They claim that Jesus is coming back right away because we are in the book of Revelation. Yet, they don't believe in the Supernatural God who never changes, anymore. This makes very little sense.
My point in saying this is, yes, this is serious and these people who are openly involved in sexual sin, are opposing God, but, do we believe that they could ever come to Christ? Have we ever considered praying for their souls? When we see a woman who has a man's voice on television do we just sit in judgment of him, or, do we pray for God to have mercy on his soul?
Many people have come to Christ that were unlikely candidates. One such person is Nicky Cruz. He was seething at David Wilkerson, and wanted to kill him. He came to an evangelistic outreach because he was part of the gang, and the gang went, which meant he had to go. So, he thought to himself of ways he could destroy David Wilkerson's 'prayer meeting' as he called it. By the end of the meeting, when the call to repent and turn to God was given, Nicky was one of the first ones down there. You can read about this in his book, 'Run, Baby Run', or in David Wilkerson's book, 'The Cross And The Switchblade'.
Another person who had a complete turn around was Saul of Tarsus. He too, was seething and angry at Christians. He also was involved in their murders (See Acts 8). God revealed Himself to Saul, and he was radically transformed. In fact, as a result of that, God used him to write several letters to churches that became books in the New Testament!
I am reminded of a story that D.L. Moody experienced. One night, Moody was down because he had not had an opportunity to share the Gospel that day. He saw a man under a street lamp. He went out and talked to the man about his soul. The man became angry with Moody. Another person went to Moody and hollered at him for talking to the man about his soul. I believe it was either the man's boss or client. Moody felt bad about what he had done, but he was faithful in ministering the Gospel to someone that day. A couple of days later, the man Moody had talked to came banging on his door. The man told Moody that ever since he talked with him a couple of nights before, he had been unable to go to sleep. So Moody ministered to the man and he came to know the Lord.
So, instead of just saying that Jesus is coming back really soon (which He really could be) or that God is going to judge these people (which He will if they don''t repent and turn to Him), why don't we pray for them? It is not wrong to point out that Jesus is coming soon or that God will judge those who don't repent. It is just the tone with which we are doing this.
One commenter actually believes that these people have no chance of repenting. Maybe they don't. Maybe they have committed the Unpardonable Sin. We don't know. But what if they haven't? What if God is allowing them to be publicized in order to get our attention so we will be praying for them? What if we had been praying for others all along? Would we be in this mess that we now find ourselves in at present?
2 Peter 3:9 ESV - The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Isaiah 59:1 ESV - Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
Then there was the article of Gay people parading around doing the act of taking pages from the Bible and wiping their anuses with them.
Friends, we live in a very strange time, where people seem to be going further and further into darkness and have more desire to pull away from reality.
What I am reading in these posts, and especially in the comments, sounds like some kind of Doomsday response. Yes, we have problems. They are serious. We need to take them seriously. But we have relegated them to some kind of hopeless endeavor?
There were a couple of posts concerning the Gay people of a certain community, who ripped pages of the Bible and wiped their hineys with them. Obviously, these people do not fear God, and further more, they are angry with God. They are angry with Him because He doesn't see things their way. So, they are becoming vengeful toward God's people, those who have put their trust and hope in God's Son, Jesus Christ, for their sins.
First of all, these people do not have to be angry with Christians. They can take the Bible and rewrite it and have their own churches that teach whatever they want to believe. People do this all the time. That is how cults get started.
Secondly, I believe these people know they are sinning against a holy God. If they didn't know, they wouldn't take the Bible and rip it apart to wipe themselves with. I don't believe in Allah. But Allah is no threat to me, and therefore, I do not have to take the Q'ran and rip it apart to use it as toilet paper. The words on the Q'ran do not have power and therefore they do not mean anything. So, right there, these homosexuals show that they know what they are doing, and that they are committing sin before a holy God who they will one day face.
Thirdly, I see some comments on these threads that are from well meaning people, but I wonder where they are coming from. Perhaps they see some kind of consolation in bringing out the fact that God is going to destroy these people. Yes, God promises that He will destroy them. But, we have to remember that God is patient with us, and wants all to come to repentance, even the homosexual. We also have to remember that no person is too difficult for God to save.
I have said this in other places recently, but I think we have been led to believe in a small God, instead of the powerful One He presents Himself to be in the Bible. I think, because we have had conferences limiting God's power, that leads us to believe that God is somehow just taking a vacation from showing His greatness and holiness, or that we will not experience His power during this time we live, because it was only for the Apostles, not us.
What amazes me is that so many of the Christians who embrace the God who stopped doing miracles after the last apostle died (or after the Bible was canonized) are the same ones who believe that the Pope or Obama is the AntiChrist. They claim that Jesus is coming back right away because we are in the book of Revelation. Yet, they don't believe in the Supernatural God who never changes, anymore. This makes very little sense.
My point in saying this is, yes, this is serious and these people who are openly involved in sexual sin, are opposing God, but, do we believe that they could ever come to Christ? Have we ever considered praying for their souls? When we see a woman who has a man's voice on television do we just sit in judgment of him, or, do we pray for God to have mercy on his soul?
Many people have come to Christ that were unlikely candidates. One such person is Nicky Cruz. He was seething at David Wilkerson, and wanted to kill him. He came to an evangelistic outreach because he was part of the gang, and the gang went, which meant he had to go. So, he thought to himself of ways he could destroy David Wilkerson's 'prayer meeting' as he called it. By the end of the meeting, when the call to repent and turn to God was given, Nicky was one of the first ones down there. You can read about this in his book, 'Run, Baby Run', or in David Wilkerson's book, 'The Cross And The Switchblade'.
Another person who had a complete turn around was Saul of Tarsus. He too, was seething and angry at Christians. He also was involved in their murders (See Acts 8). God revealed Himself to Saul, and he was radically transformed. In fact, as a result of that, God used him to write several letters to churches that became books in the New Testament!
I am reminded of a story that D.L. Moody experienced. One night, Moody was down because he had not had an opportunity to share the Gospel that day. He saw a man under a street lamp. He went out and talked to the man about his soul. The man became angry with Moody. Another person went to Moody and hollered at him for talking to the man about his soul. I believe it was either the man's boss or client. Moody felt bad about what he had done, but he was faithful in ministering the Gospel to someone that day. A couple of days later, the man Moody had talked to came banging on his door. The man told Moody that ever since he talked with him a couple of nights before, he had been unable to go to sleep. So Moody ministered to the man and he came to know the Lord.
So, instead of just saying that Jesus is coming back really soon (which He really could be) or that God is going to judge these people (which He will if they don''t repent and turn to Him), why don't we pray for them? It is not wrong to point out that Jesus is coming soon or that God will judge those who don't repent. It is just the tone with which we are doing this.
One commenter actually believes that these people have no chance of repenting. Maybe they don't. Maybe they have committed the Unpardonable Sin. We don't know. But what if they haven't? What if God is allowing them to be publicized in order to get our attention so we will be praying for them? What if we had been praying for others all along? Would we be in this mess that we now find ourselves in at present?
2 Peter 3:9 ESV - The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Isaiah 59:1 ESV - Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
What Are The Real Issues Behind The Baker And The Florists Who Refused To Cater Gay Weddings?
I am doing better at going to bed earlier. Instead of going to bed around 2 or 2:30, now I am going to bed around 12:30-1. Hopefully, it will get earlier in time.
However, tonight my heart is really burdened, so I might not get to bed early. I am spending way too much time on FB right now, because there are so many misunderstandings of the issues that are going on. I do not think I can straighten them out, but I hope to shed some light on these issues, particularly the one concerning the baker who refused to make the cakes for the Gay wedding.
When I read people's comments on this issue, whether it be something I posted or someone else, I can see that there is confusion on this whole situation. I think we need to have a good Biblical foundation before we can 'see' what the issues are and try to resolve them.
First; God made people and He loves people. He desires to have a relationship with all people, but because we are born in sin, that relationship does not exist until we are convicted of our sins by the Holy Spirit, and we repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.
Second: God loves us enough to provide a way for us to be forgiven of our sins, but also He provided a way for us to be free from the snare of sins.
Third: All of us rebel against God. We really do not like the fact that God gets to call the shots, but, in His mercy, He calls us to Himself, and when we respond to Him in repentance and Faith, we are born again into His family. We now have the power to say 'no' to sin, and 'yes' to righteousness. We also can develop the 'mind of Christ' and have the wisdom of God.
Four: We all sin and have struggles with sin. The question for us is, not so much of wanting to be forgiven of sin. The question is, do we want to be free from sin? Are we looking for an answer for our sin, or are we looking for an easy way to escape hell?
Five: There may be more categories than this, but for now, there are two types of sinners. Each one of us is in one category or the other. There are sinners who are looking for an answer for their sin, and there are sinners who want to continue in their rebellion against God.
The situation at hand has to do with the baker, and the florists who turned down the opportunity to make the cakes and do the flowers for the Gay weddings that they would have been hired to do.
From this situation, many have drawn all kinds of conclusions, including the idea that the baker hates Gay people. This poor baker has been accused of so many things today, that I am just puzzled.
If I owned a printing press, and someone came to me wanting me to print literature that claimed that Jesus never existed or that He really wasn't God, I would decline the offer to print that material. The way things are going today, I might end up in jail. This is not the same country I grew up in during the middle of the 20th Century.
Today, because a woman refused to bake a cake for a Gay wedding, she has all kinds of accusations on her. Some say that she is throwing stones at the homosexual. I'm sorry, but I do not see the connection here. I see a couple who cannot be faithful to their convictions by baking a cake for a Gay wedding. To them, that would be a form of celebrating something they know is wrong. In America today, it should not be a problem for the Gay couple to find another baker. There are plenty of bakers around, and many who would have no convictions of making cakes for their weddings.
A lesbian mayor in Texas tried to call the carpet on the preachers who lived in her area by making them turn in their sermon notes. She wanted them penalized if they preached against homosexuality.
My question to the homosexual community is, why in the world can't you start your own religion? Why do you get angry with those who preach what the Bible says about homosexuality when you can just start your own church and do your own thing? There is no reason why you can't marry each other in your churches. Why do you have to attack churches that are established in what they believe in and try to twist them around to make them believe what you want them to believe? Leave the churches alone, and start your own. For crying out loud, we live in America, and you can believe whatever you want. But don't try to change the belief system of other people who have convictions from God.
It's time to stop accusing Christians of 'hate' actions. No one who truly knows the Lord is going to hate you. Stop accusing the baker and others who have a conviction that homosexuality is sin, of throwing stones at you. Nobody is throwing stones at you. You are imagining this and it appears that is it willful thinking on your part.
As I wrote somewhere earlier today, we are all going to stand before God. We will all stand either fully cleansed from our sins, dressed in robes of righteousness, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, or, we will stand fully in our sins before a holy God. The choice is yours. If you don't repent, not only will you have the sin of homosexuality before you. You will also have other sins like slander, lying, and manipulation. There is no reason for you to have to make a mountain out of a molehill.
As I wrote above in #5, there are two types of sinners. One is the sinner who wants to repent. He wants to be free from sin. He is struggling with his sin. God will have mercy on this person. The other is the one who doesn't want change. If he or she had an offer of being changed from the state of homosexuality, and if this change would come quickly and permanently, they would not take it. They do not want to be changed by God. They do not want God's authority over them. If they continue, they will have no chance of repenting and turning to God.
I am aware that not everyone who is Gay, is unrepentant. There are many who would take an offer to be changed by the power of God. For those people, there is hope. Please do not think I am attacking you in this article. I do want you to know that God is more than willing to help you. But you must find a church or group of people who know God, that you can trust. You need to get involved in a body of believers in Christ who have maturity and show wisdom and love. You do not have to stay in a state of homosexuality forever.
Remember, God loves us too much to let us stay in our sins. If we choose to stay in our sins, that is our choice, but there will be consequences. If we do not repent of our sins, our hearts will get harder and harder, and it will become harder for us to come to Christ. God paid an extremely high price for us to be set free from sin. He never intended for us to stay in our sins. Nor is He the all-loving God that people imagine Him to be. He is love (1 John 4:8), but He does not force His love on us. We have the choice to respond to Him or not. He does not overlook our sins if we choose to stay in them. But, there is hope, if we desire to come to Christ, He will never turn us away. We cannot come to Him just for forgiveness of sins, and expect Him to be there for us if we continue living in a way that we know is contrary to His nature. He only has mercy on those who will turn to Him in repentance and faith.
For more information on this, please go to http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com
However, tonight my heart is really burdened, so I might not get to bed early. I am spending way too much time on FB right now, because there are so many misunderstandings of the issues that are going on. I do not think I can straighten them out, but I hope to shed some light on these issues, particularly the one concerning the baker who refused to make the cakes for the Gay wedding.
When I read people's comments on this issue, whether it be something I posted or someone else, I can see that there is confusion on this whole situation. I think we need to have a good Biblical foundation before we can 'see' what the issues are and try to resolve them.
First; God made people and He loves people. He desires to have a relationship with all people, but because we are born in sin, that relationship does not exist until we are convicted of our sins by the Holy Spirit, and we repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to save us from our sins.
Second: God loves us enough to provide a way for us to be forgiven of our sins, but also He provided a way for us to be free from the snare of sins.
Third: All of us rebel against God. We really do not like the fact that God gets to call the shots, but, in His mercy, He calls us to Himself, and when we respond to Him in repentance and Faith, we are born again into His family. We now have the power to say 'no' to sin, and 'yes' to righteousness. We also can develop the 'mind of Christ' and have the wisdom of God.
Four: We all sin and have struggles with sin. The question for us is, not so much of wanting to be forgiven of sin. The question is, do we want to be free from sin? Are we looking for an answer for our sin, or are we looking for an easy way to escape hell?
Five: There may be more categories than this, but for now, there are two types of sinners. Each one of us is in one category or the other. There are sinners who are looking for an answer for their sin, and there are sinners who want to continue in their rebellion against God.
The situation at hand has to do with the baker, and the florists who turned down the opportunity to make the cakes and do the flowers for the Gay weddings that they would have been hired to do.
From this situation, many have drawn all kinds of conclusions, including the idea that the baker hates Gay people. This poor baker has been accused of so many things today, that I am just puzzled.
If I owned a printing press, and someone came to me wanting me to print literature that claimed that Jesus never existed or that He really wasn't God, I would decline the offer to print that material. The way things are going today, I might end up in jail. This is not the same country I grew up in during the middle of the 20th Century.
Today, because a woman refused to bake a cake for a Gay wedding, she has all kinds of accusations on her. Some say that she is throwing stones at the homosexual. I'm sorry, but I do not see the connection here. I see a couple who cannot be faithful to their convictions by baking a cake for a Gay wedding. To them, that would be a form of celebrating something they know is wrong. In America today, it should not be a problem for the Gay couple to find another baker. There are plenty of bakers around, and many who would have no convictions of making cakes for their weddings.
A lesbian mayor in Texas tried to call the carpet on the preachers who lived in her area by making them turn in their sermon notes. She wanted them penalized if they preached against homosexuality.
My question to the homosexual community is, why in the world can't you start your own religion? Why do you get angry with those who preach what the Bible says about homosexuality when you can just start your own church and do your own thing? There is no reason why you can't marry each other in your churches. Why do you have to attack churches that are established in what they believe in and try to twist them around to make them believe what you want them to believe? Leave the churches alone, and start your own. For crying out loud, we live in America, and you can believe whatever you want. But don't try to change the belief system of other people who have convictions from God.
It's time to stop accusing Christians of 'hate' actions. No one who truly knows the Lord is going to hate you. Stop accusing the baker and others who have a conviction that homosexuality is sin, of throwing stones at you. Nobody is throwing stones at you. You are imagining this and it appears that is it willful thinking on your part.
As I wrote somewhere earlier today, we are all going to stand before God. We will all stand either fully cleansed from our sins, dressed in robes of righteousness, because of the blood of Jesus Christ, or, we will stand fully in our sins before a holy God. The choice is yours. If you don't repent, not only will you have the sin of homosexuality before you. You will also have other sins like slander, lying, and manipulation. There is no reason for you to have to make a mountain out of a molehill.
As I wrote above in #5, there are two types of sinners. One is the sinner who wants to repent. He wants to be free from sin. He is struggling with his sin. God will have mercy on this person. The other is the one who doesn't want change. If he or she had an offer of being changed from the state of homosexuality, and if this change would come quickly and permanently, they would not take it. They do not want to be changed by God. They do not want God's authority over them. If they continue, they will have no chance of repenting and turning to God.
I am aware that not everyone who is Gay, is unrepentant. There are many who would take an offer to be changed by the power of God. For those people, there is hope. Please do not think I am attacking you in this article. I do want you to know that God is more than willing to help you. But you must find a church or group of people who know God, that you can trust. You need to get involved in a body of believers in Christ who have maturity and show wisdom and love. You do not have to stay in a state of homosexuality forever.
Remember, God loves us too much to let us stay in our sins. If we choose to stay in our sins, that is our choice, but there will be consequences. If we do not repent of our sins, our hearts will get harder and harder, and it will become harder for us to come to Christ. God paid an extremely high price for us to be set free from sin. He never intended for us to stay in our sins. Nor is He the all-loving God that people imagine Him to be. He is love (1 John 4:8), but He does not force His love on us. We have the choice to respond to Him or not. He does not overlook our sins if we choose to stay in them. But, there is hope, if we desire to come to Christ, He will never turn us away. We cannot come to Him just for forgiveness of sins, and expect Him to be there for us if we continue living in a way that we know is contrary to His nature. He only has mercy on those who will turn to Him in repentance and faith.
For more information on this, please go to http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com
Thursday, July 2, 2015
A Rainbow Does Not Mean A Judgment Free God
Today, many are rejoicing because they think they have been vindicated in their 'right' to choose whoever they want to marry. Marriage has been redefined, and the rainbow symbol has been stolen.
A couple of days ago, the Supreme Court decided that men can now marry men, and women can also marry women. We don't have to be stereotyped anymore. Of course, with a law like that, there will have to be a lot of different ways we can end up going.
Even though the Supreme Court has redefined marriage, God hasn't. God never intended for men to marry other men, or women to marry other women. There is no place in the Bible that makes concession for this. Whenever the Bible speaks of marriage relationships, it is always in the context of husbands (males) and wives (females). There is also several passages that explain the judgment of God on those who practice sexual sins, including homosexuality. There is no other way around this.
But what I want to point out, is what the meaning of the symbol of the rainbow indicates. Let's look at the passage that comes right after the world-wide flood took place.
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. *Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.* Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:12-16 NIV
What exactly are we seeing here? God was patient and waited for the people to repent of their wickedness. In Genesis 6, the Bible tells us that the people were so very wicked, that they were inventing new ways of wickedness. God provided an Ark, through Noah, but no one responded to God. They are just like we are today. They love their wickedness and no one is going to stop them, at least they don't think that will happen.
So, the time for the Flood came. When Noah and his family were safely in the Ark, along with all the assigned animals, God closed the door. It was sealed shut. It was too late if anyone were to have changed their minds. They had plenty of time before though, and they would have rather continued in their sins.
When the waters receded, and it was time to get out of the Ark, God showed Noah the rainbow, and explained that it would be a symbol to mankind that God would never destroy the earth again, by means of a world-wide flood. It was to remind us of the everlasting covenant that God made to Noah.
A couple of days ago, the Supreme Court decided that men can now marry men, and women can also marry women. We don't have to be stereotyped anymore. Of course, with a law like that, there will have to be a lot of different ways we can end up going.
Even though the Supreme Court has redefined marriage, God hasn't. God never intended for men to marry other men, or women to marry other women. There is no place in the Bible that makes concession for this. Whenever the Bible speaks of marriage relationships, it is always in the context of husbands (males) and wives (females). There is also several passages that explain the judgment of God on those who practice sexual sins, including homosexuality. There is no other way around this.
But what I want to point out, is what the meaning of the symbol of the rainbow indicates. Let's look at the passage that comes right after the world-wide flood took place.
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. *Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.* Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:12-16 NIV
What exactly are we seeing here? God was patient and waited for the people to repent of their wickedness. In Genesis 6, the Bible tells us that the people were so very wicked, that they were inventing new ways of wickedness. God provided an Ark, through Noah, but no one responded to God. They are just like we are today. They love their wickedness and no one is going to stop them, at least they don't think that will happen.
So, the time for the Flood came. When Noah and his family were safely in the Ark, along with all the assigned animals, God closed the door. It was sealed shut. It was too late if anyone were to have changed their minds. They had plenty of time before though, and they would have rather continued in their sins.
When the waters receded, and it was time to get out of the Ark, God showed Noah the rainbow, and explained that it would be a symbol to mankind that God would never destroy the earth again, by means of a world-wide flood. It was to remind us of the everlasting covenant that God made to Noah.
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| The meaning of the symbol of the rainbow has been redefined. We need to come back to the true meaning of the rainbow that God intended to make. |
Some are taking this to mean that God will not judge anymore. But it doesn't take too much more reading before we find that God is a just God, and will punish sin. Sometimes, we suffer for our sins in this life. But even if we don't, and we don't think we are hurting anyone with our sins, our sins will catch up to us on That Day.
In Genesis 19, we read about God destroying two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah. There is debate in some people's minds about why destroyed these cities, but it is clear that the men who lived in this city were practicing homosexuals.
Lot lived in this city, and he tried to reason with these men. They would have nothing to do with Lot. In fact, they even accused Lot of judging them! They were not listening to a word Lot was saying to them. They knocked the door down in order to get to the angels who were visiting Lot and preparing him and his family to leave the place, for God was going to destroy them.
God struck the homosexual men with blindness. Then the angels directed Lot and his family to go to another city. The sons in law, unfortunately, thought Lot was joking and decided to stay. Lot's wife changed her mind and wanted to go back, so she turned into a pillar of salt. Only Lot and his daughters escaped this impending danger.
God poured fire, sulphur, and brimstone onto the city and everyone who was left was destroyed. Did they have a chance to get out before the disaster? They had warnings, but disregarded them. They chose to not repent, but to continue to live the way they did.
So, if God decides to destroy a city or group of people, does that seem fair to you? What if God gives warnings of destruction? Are we doing the same thing that the people back then did? Do we really think we will escape God's judgment on us?
God calls all men to repentance. He calls men and women to respond to Him in repentance and faith. The next time the earth will be destroyed, it won't be with a flood. God will destroy the earth with fire.
The rainbow is not a symbol that God changed His mind about judgment. It just means that now, there is a way that we can have peace with God. Because of our sins, not just homosexuality, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, around 2,000 years ago, to live a perfect life (without sin), and to die a horrible death, in order to pay the penalty for our sins. He was the only person who has ever risen from the dead, and He is the only One who can forgive us of our terrible debt because of our sins.
 |
| "Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. *Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.* |
The symbol of the rainbow was given before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It does not mean that God will never judge again. He will. His word promises that He will.
Remember, God is all-knowing and He knows the future. He knows what groups of people will rebel against Him. We have taken ourselves out of the umbrella of His protection, because we want the Bible to say things that it doesn't say. We are in danger of being in darkness, and not finding our way back.
Let's not twist God's word around to make it mean something other than what it was intended to. Whenever you see a rainbow in the sky, think of God's mercy to you and how you are alive right now, and can respond to Him if you hear His voice.
The rainbow has been stolen, and we need to defend the true meaning of this symbol. It has nothing to do with Gay rights. It has everything to do with God's mercy to us in allowing us to repent and to trust in His Son, who became the Ultimate Sacrifice for our sins.
God's desire is not to destroy us, but to give us hope and a future. But the hope and future are in Him alone. If we go around Him in order to have hope and a future, it will be false, and it will be short lived. We need to repent and trust in Christ for our salvation. Our freedom doesn't come from Gay rights or whosever arms we twist in the government to get what we want. Freedom only comes from One. His name is Jesus Christ.
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:31,32 ESV
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| The rainbow is not a symbol of sexual freedom. God made many judgments after the rainbow was given. |
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