Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Homosexuality in the End Times

Not too long ago, I went off line at about 4:30 to finish cleaning up the house and get supper started for Bruce for when he got home from work. We both like to listen to the news when it comes on at 5pm so I turned the TV on our local news station so that it would be on the right channel when the news came on. While cleaning I realized that the show playing then was Oprah and she had on a young country music star who had apparently recently come out and said she was a lesbian. She told a heart wrenching story of how she hid it all her life from everyone including her parents and how being brought up in a good Christian home she was sure she was hated by God and would go to hell for it. Her story was truly heart wrenching and my heart went out to her and to all those like her.

Unfortunately she still doesn't understand the Truth. She thinks she feels a billion times better now because she's told the truth and she's not "living a lie" anymore. And well she should! Lying is a sin (as she knew too) and of course "living a lie" is a sin as well. Sin hurts us in many ways and hurts those around us. So here are these poor people who are so enslaved to many sins that they feel their only way out is to either kill themselves and get it over with, or be a practicing homosexual and decide (somehow) that God doesn't see homosexuality as a sin anymore.

What's even sadder is that many of these people were raised in "good Christian homes" and went to "good Christian churches". Where then was the discipleship they so badly needed when they were young??? Why then do they not understand that God never hated them because they were tempted to sin??? He hates the sin, not them. Where is their understanding that God doesn't make mistakes, that He doesn't create people as "homosexuals" or pedophiles, or thieves, or murderers, or liars etc. Why do they not understand that all of those things, like so many others, are quite simply sins and temptations??? Why do they not understand that God has called us to take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ???

Do they seriously believe that God creates people to be murderers and thieves and homosexuals??? Apparently they do, but they are so very wrong!

How very sad that they feel they have to act on their sinful desires in order to "be happy". All they had to do was tell the truth about their sinful desires to have a homosexual relationship instead of hiding them. It's when we hide our sins that we give Satan a hold over us and many of these people obviously hid this sin for a very long time. Then instead of confessing the sinful thoughts/feelings and taking them captive in Christ, they went the other way and determined to find a way to reconcile their sin and yet remain "Christian". Just as Adam blamed God for his sin when he said, "the woman you gave me" made me do it, so they are blaming God for their sin by saying "God made me this way so it's His fault".

And now they are blaming those "good Christian churches" for all their problems and this young lady actually said that churches are ruining young people by telling them that homosexuality is wrong!!!

Unfortunately she's right in some ways. Churches that haven't been or aren't discipling their youngsters, and parents that are waiting for the church to teach their children God's Ways instead of doing it themselves are hurting the young.


Our children should all know that they will be tempted many times in many ways, but that being tempted doesn't make them "bad". It simply means that they need to turn to the Lord for His help and they need to be taught how to guard their minds and hearts by taking their thoughts captive for Christ. Basically, it means they're human! They need to know that they can always go to God about any thought or feeling they have and that He loves them always and that He will help them. That doesn't mean that He will make it easy for them though. There's a big difference between helping someone and doing it for them! And that's a HUGE thing that many people today simply don't get anymore.

Everyone wants everything handed to them on a silver platter instead of having to work for it. While God does give us gifts that way sometimes, for the most part He requires us to work out our salvation and use the tools He's given us in His Word.


I could go on and on about what they "should" have been taught, and what they should know, but you get the idea. What's so horribly sad though is that now, because these people think that they have finally been "freed" they are preaching their "salvation" to everyone, using every means at their disposal--TV, Radio, movies, the Internet, meetings and community groups, political activism etc.

Some of them are in many ways a part of this "new Christianity", that Warren, Piper, and others preach--but it's a Christianity without the Gospel and those people are going to go to Hell and will bring everyone else right along with them!
So this half of the homosexual group is attacking the church, the body of Christ, with all the ammunition they can bring on it, and the other half, the half that are "atheists" are paving the way for them in society by mocking God.

It really opened my eyes (even wider) to how very active Satan is in our times! It's like an old fashioned cattle round up, only humans are the cattle and they're being rounded up to go to Hell. I think these people, these "stars" are going to be at the forefront of the battle to have the bible banned as hate speech and that's just part of what they'll accomplish. The question is, how much of it will we witness before the rapture???

see the entire thread here

Help! My Niece Is A Lesbian

Q. Please help us with this–isn’t there somewhere in the Bible which says we are not to have anything to do with people who are in moral depravity? My sister’s daughter is a lesbian and is now living with a woman who has left her husband and daughters to live their lifestyle. As Christians are we supposed to associate with them? Aren’t we condoning their sinful lifestyle if we associate with them or have them into our home? My sister has repeatedly told her daughter that she will go to hell if she does not change.

A. Paul wrote, “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Cor. 5:9-11)

As for your niece going to hell, people don’t go to hell for their sins. They go to hell for rejecting God’s remedy for their sins. Instead of threatening her with eternal punishment is she doesn’t change her behavior, why don’t you try talking about God’s forgiveness being available for all who ask (Matt. 7:7-8), and let the Holy Spirit work on her behavior.


posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...-is-a-lesbian/

Confused About Forgiveness

Q. I was reading the article on forgiveness, (of admonitions in the Bible to avoid believers who are sexually immoral, or who regularly eat or drink to excess, practice idolatry or greed, are swindlers, foul mouthed, gossipers, or verbally abusive (1 Cor 5:11, Ephe 4:29).) In this way we help them see that such behavior is sin..I was told to show love, and help, because it is my family. I’m very confused by this passage.

A. Paul was writing about those who persist in open sinfulness, making no effort to repent. He’s telling us that these folks need to be shown that the public display of such behavior is unacceptable for a believer because it shows disrespect for the Lord and offers a poor witness to the world. He made it clear that he wasn’t referring to people who need the example of God’s love to draw near to Him, but to those who already call themselves believers and supposedly know what He’s done for them.

You understand that we aren’t encouraged to live holy lives to earn something, but to express our gratitude for having been given something. It’s our way of saying thanks. Those whose behavior reflects poorly on them are saying they don’t feel grateful for their salvation and are taking the Lord’s grace for granted.


posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...t-forgiveness/

I Will Not Do That!

Q. Recently you answered a question that dealt with 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Is your response saying we are to having nothing to do with unsaved family after we have tried to talk to them about Salvation, and they do not want to listen? I don’t think I could turn my back on my elderly parents and my siblings. That seems like a very, very poor witness. In fact, I will not do that. Am I misunderstanding something here?

A. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 reads,

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

My answer pertains to those who habitually exhibit this kind of behavior and was not meant as a general admonition. If your family consistently acts this way around you, then tolerating their behavior is like telling them you approve. I think that would be the poor witness. Just because you love a person who isn’t saved doesn’t mean you have to accept abusive behavior from them. In fact, we’re warned not to accept it.


http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...l-not-do-that/

Praying For Family

Q. Something has been troubling me for some time now. It concerns our obedience to 2 Tim. 3: 1-5. I realize we must obey God’s will for our life, so what if the subjects this passage describes happen to be family members? Are we to have nothing to do with them if they fall into these categories? Those whom I am thinking of have repeatedly defied God, and parents as well, who have admonished them lovingly and gently for so long. We all offer prayers for them, but as our time here on Earth grows short, I must confess, our hopes for them have taken a real beating. What God-breathed wisdom can you share with our family?

A. Unfortunately, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 doesn’t contain any exemptions for family. In Matt 10:34-36 Jesus said because of belief in Him members of our own household could turn against us. But to have nothing to do with them doesn’t mean you stop praying for them. Keep doing that. It’s the most powerful weapon you have.


posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...ng-for-family/

What would you do????

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by AzFreebird View Post
All the counseling in the world, all the bible study can't change a chemical makeup of a person... and I truly believe it IS a chemical make-up.
Debi, if it's "chemical make up" then what you're saying is that the chemicals are "out of balance" much like a person with bi-polar" disorder or something like that. But, if you're saying, "God made him that way" then what you're really saying is that either, God made a mistake, or that God purposely made people in such a way that it would be impossible for them to be saved. That goes against everything the Bible says, so I cannot and will not believe that. Even according to their own studies, that's simply not true. Most of the studies done on this are no more then jokes anyway. I've posted information about them before here.

If on the other hand it's something that's physically medically wrong with them, then it's something the medical community should be studying to cure rather then trying to proclaim it's OK and normal which is what they're saying. But then they're also leaning toward saying that pedophilia is also normal and OK along with a number of other things. Basically all they're doing is giving people an "excuse" for their reprehensible behavior and then telling the rest of us that we have to accept it. I refuse to do that too.

The Bible says that God cannot, will not, and does not tempt us, that we are tempting by our own sinful desires. It is our choice to allow those sinful thoughts/ideas/fantasies etc or to do what the Bible says and stop them, taking them captive to Christ and replacing them with the Truth from His Word.

The problem is that this hasn't been taught to people for generations and instead they've been filled with the worlds "wisdom" and ideas and we all know where that leads....straight to hell.

No one "has" to be homosexual, anymore then anyone "has to be" a murder, thief, a pedophile, a rapist, or anything else. They weren't "born" that way. They chose to allow those thoughts and ideas and then they chose to act on them. Thoughts and ideas become emotions; emotions beget more thoughts and ideas until eventually they become actions; given enough time they then become habits, and given more time they then become part of our character. And lo, a homosexual is born.

So in answer to the question in the opening post, assuming that the person knew the Gospel and had been saved, what I would do first would be to make sure the person in question understood the correct biblical way to handle their situation/problem. If they did understand it and refused to accept the fact that they themselves brought this about by (probably unknowingly) not taking control of their thought life, refused to confess their sin, (admit to God that it is in fact a sin) and repent of it, (turn away from it and choose to take responsibility for their thoughts and emotions instead) then I would have to obey God's Word and not have anything more to do with them other then praying for them. I would tell them that I loved them and that I would be praying for them, but that until they chose to repent of their sin that I had to obey God's Word and not have anything more to do with them. I would also let them know that I was in fact showing my love for them by being obedient to God and telling them the Truth so that they too would hopefully some day come to really know Him and following Him and live a life of victory rather then one of defeat wallowing in their own sinful desires.

I'm not saying that it would be easy for me to do, because it wouldn't. It would be the hardest thing in the world to do, but I would do it for Christ.

God never promised that following His path would be easy. In fact He said it would be hard. He even told us that this kind of thing would happen and that families would be driven apart due to our following and obeying Him. On top of that, He told us this would be the cost of following Him and said this would be the cross that many of us would have to bear:

Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Luke puts it this way:

Luke 14:25-27 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

We are to put Christ above everyone and everything in our lives, even if it means dying physically because we do.

We are in the last days and God said that this would happen and that it's only going to get worse:

Micah 7:4-7 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion. Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies are the members of his own household. But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Mark 13:12-13 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

He also promised us this:

Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
Originally Posted by Pamela View Post
I looked at that thread and it made me wonder about a question that I had regarding it. Is it saying in one of the links to not continue in relationships if the people live in a sinful lifestyle?
 
That would be the biblical response.
 

Here are some verses about that; note that in all these cases the person that we are to avoid is someone who claims to be a Christian but is living in unrepentant sin. If the person you're talking about has never been saved, then it's a different story.

Ephesians 5:8-12 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.


1 Corinthians 5:9-13 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.


2 John 10-11 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.


Romans 16:17-18 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

So basically what the Lord says we are to do is let them know we love them and because we love them, warn them that what they're doing is sin and not pleasing to the Lord and then let them know that the Lord commands us to stay away from them until they repent. I would probably add that this will be very difficult for me as I do love them, but because I love the Lord more, I must obey Him and therefore will be praying that they come back to Him soon so that our relationship can be restored at the same time that their relationship with the Lord is restored.

See the original threads on FH here as there is much more in the threads themselves;

Help! My Niece Is A Lesbian

Satanic Attack

Gay Relatives

Homosexuality in the End Times

Re: Jesus' prayer about us

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad View Post
How did the early Christians learn & grow in their faith since there weren't any Bibles?
Great question Brad and one that many unfortunately use thinking that they can easily get out of studying the Bible with. The truth is however that back in those days, children were raised to memorize the old testament and had done so long before they were adults. When the Church was born and the apostles began writing the letters that we now call the New Testament, the letters were first read to the group of people they were sent to. That group would study the letter and memorize it quickly. It was then passed on to the other groups and each group would memorize it before passing it on to the next one. By the time John wrote Revelation, all the converts knew what we call the New Testament by heart--except for Revelation of course. But they did the same thing with that manuscript as well and added it to their memories.

I know today that many find this totally "incredible" and some would even go so far as to think it cruel to make little children memorize things like that at such young ages. Yet the Jews took what God had told them to do quite literally. He told them:


Deuteronomy 31:10-13 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Deuteronomy 4:9-10 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.


I posted about how this was done last year I think... I just bumped up the thread so it could be found easily:

The Dumbing Down of the Bible and Our Kids

So you see, while there may not have been bibles back then, they did know God's Word. The interesting thing about memorization is that in order to continue to remember it, they had to think about it regularly, doing just as the Lord had commanded and talking about it all the time with each other. If they didn't do that, it would eventually fade from their memory.

I actually found this to be true too working with the elderly who had Alzheimer's or who were senile. Many of them wouldn't recognize members of their family--their own children or spouses etc. But they could remember bible verses and hymns! The older they were, the more they seemed to remember the things that really counted like God's Word. Of course this was only true of the ones that had really sought the Lord with all their hearts when they were younger. They had stored up His Word in their hearts, and it was still there to comfort them when they were old and needed it. Those who had just gone to church because they "had" to, didn't have those memories of God's Word. To me that also shows the divine power of God's Word, and God's mercy toward His children. Even if everything else goes, His Word lives forever even in minds weakened by disease or age.

Even during the dark ages when the RCC was in control and doing all they could to prevent people from even hearing God's Word in their own language, much less having a copy of it for their own. God managed to get His Word to His Children, even if it was just snippets of it here and there. There were always men who studied to be priests and learned the Word, and would sneak it to their friends as well and things like that. It was still food for their souls and they devoured it and grew. Of course I'm sure that the Lord Himself spoke His Word into the minds of His children then as well. I know from my own experience that He has placed entire passages in my mind in an instant and all at once, that I didn't know and didn't remember reading. So I'm quite sure He did that then as well. He will never let down any of His Children who are seeking Him with all their hearts. Eventually though Bibles were printed and eventually the reformation happened.

Like so many other things today though, we take our Bibles and the great privilege of having them for granted. Now instead of fighting for the right to read and study the Bible, people fight for the right to at least ignore it, if not burn it, deface it, ridicule it, and get rid of it altogether. How sad that we so often ignore the wonderful gift of God's Word that has been given to us.
 
Here’s a link to the thread on FH about this if you’d like to join us there. (I don’t always post everything on the blog that is posted in the threads)

Jesus' prayer about us

Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

All noble things are difficult

Enter ye in at the strait gate . . . : because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way. . . Matthew 7:13-14.

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it does not make us faint and cave in, it rouses us up to overcome. Do we so appreciate the marvellous salvation of Jesus Christ that we are our utmost for His highest?

God saves men by His sovereign grace through the Atonement of Jesus; He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure; but we have to work out that salvation in practical living. If once we start on the basis of His Redemption to do what He commands, we find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not practised. The crisis will reveal whether we have been practising or not. If we obey the Spirit of God and practise in our physical life what God has put in us by His Spirit, then when the crisis comes, we shall find that our own nature as well as the grace of God will stand by us.

Thank God He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a glad thing, but it is also a heroic, holy thing. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is bringing many “sons unto glory,” and God will not shield us from the requirements of a son. God’s grace turns out men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not milksops. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual things. It is always necessary to make an effort to be noble.


Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (July 7). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

Read the whole study here