You
CAN’T build a bridge between something that ISN’T separated.
03/05/2019
__________________________________________________________________________
As
a Pastor who was called into the ministry from a very young age, it saddens my
heart to see all this Confusion and Hatred amongst the body of Christ. Number one, God
is Not the author of CONFUSION, 1Corinthians 14:33, but of PEACE.
Number two, God cannot stand for there to HATRED in the lives of His children;
His Word says get rid of it Ephesians 4:31.
We read in Proverbs 10:12
and Proverbs 10:18
that hidden HATRED produces LYING LIPS and stirs up strife; while love covers
and overwhelms ALL transgressions.
Would
it not be BEST for the “Church” to put aside all its HATRED
towards others, love them like Jesus commanded bringing them into the Body of
Christ with their love? Does your “Church” truly LOVE people like Jesus
commanded? Put it to the test by seeing how well Luke 6:27-38
is being played out in your “Church”.
“But I say to you who hear [Me and pay attention to My words]: Love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good
for] your enemies, [make it a practice to] do good to those who hate you, bless and
show kindness to those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Luke 6:27-28
All this bickering and fighting over LGBTQI+
individuals in your “Church” that you feel need to be oppressed, thrown in the
fiery pit of hell, murdered and even thrown out the doors is NOT Christ-Like
behavior. You MUST remember the Words of Jesus when you are passing judgment on
those who have given their lives to Him from John 11:25-27 which says, Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and
the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies; and everyone who lives and
believes in Me [as Savior] will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes,
Lord; I have believed and
continue to believe that You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the
Son of God, He who was [destined and promised] to come into the world [and it
is for You that the world has waited].”
Let
us look to the Word of God concerning intimate relationships between two people
of the same sex. We will also take a moment to look at the “Clobber Passages”
and learn the TRUTH from that culture and time in history.
Let us look now to our Savior Jesus Christ and His teachings. Jesus did not make a mistake when He was speaking to His Disciples concerning His return; you have Biblical Scholars, Pastors and Teachers trying to dismiss His words from Luke 17:32-37 which state, “Remember Lot's wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
It is here that Jesus did NOT confuse the sex of the two people in bed together. The only thing Jesus was concerned with pointing out here is that one would be a BELIEVER and one would NOT be a BELIEVER; therefore they would be left behind. Jesus did NOT need to stop and explain why He said two men would be in bed together; THAT WAS NOT what was important. If it had been a big deal that two men were sleeping together, HE WOULD HAVE MADE A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT.
Moving on we see in Ecclesiastes 4:8-12 the Lord God pointing out how important it is for man not to be alone. God did NOT say man must have a woman or man, He just pointed out that man should NOT be alone.
There was a certain man—without a dependent, having neither a child nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “For whom do I labor and deprive myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity (a wisp of smoke, self-conceit); yes, it is a painful effort and an unhappy task. Two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. Woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up. Again, if two lie down together, then they keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:8-12
In Acts chapter 8 we learn of the conversion of an Ethiopian Eunuch and his baptism because of his belief and faith in the Word of God. There is NOTHING in this scripture that says he was NO longer an Eunuch, just the fact that he was SAVED because of his BELIEF.
But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the road that runs from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” (This is a desert road). So he got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch [a man of great authority], a court official of Candace {queen of the Ethiopians} who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship,and he was returning, and sitting in his chariot he was reading [the scroll of] the prophet Isaiah.
Then the [Holy] Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah, and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I [understand] unless someone guides me [correctly]?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now this was the passage of Scripture which he was reading:
“Like a sheep He was led to the slaughter;
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He does not open His mouth.
“In humiliation His judgment was taken away [justice was denied Him].
Who will describe His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”
And as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
So He does not open His mouth.
“In humiliation His judgment was taken away [justice was denied Him].
Who will describe His generation?
For His life is taken from the earth.”
The
eunuch replied to Philip, “Please tell
me, about whom does the prophet say this? Is it about himself or about
someone else?” Then Philip spoke and beginning with this Scripture he preached
Jesus to him [explaining that He is the promised Messiah and the source of
salvation]. As they continued along the road, they came to some water; and the
eunuch exclaimed, “Look! Water! What forbids me from being baptized?” [Philip said to
him, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he replied, “I do
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”] And he ordered that the chariot
be stopped; and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and Philip
baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord
[suddenly] took Philip [and carried him] away [to a different place]; and the
eunuch no longer saw him, but he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found
himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the good news [of
salvation] to all the cities, until he came to Caesarea [Maritima]. Act 8:26-40
Do not judge and criticize and
condemn
[others unfairly with an attitude of self-righteous superiority as though
assuming the office of a judge], so that you will not be judged [unfairly]. For just as you [hypocritically] judge others [when you are sinful and
unrepentant], so
will you be judged; and in accordance with your standard of measure [used to pass out judgment],
judgment will
be measured to you. Why
do you look at the [insignificant] speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice and acknowledge the [egregious] log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me
get the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite (play-actor, pretender),
first get the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take
the speck out of your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:1-5
Now we come to one of the most fought over
scriptures concerning a Centurion believed to be “gay” asking Jesus to heal his
boy servant. Centurion soldiers often took teenage boys to be their male lovers
so this was a known, common occurrence that did NOT surprise JESUS. At this
time in history it really does not matter if
he was gay, bisexual or whatever, the point is He journeyed a long way
to let Jesus know how much he cared for his boy servant and he let Jesus know
he had FAITH in the WORDS of JESUS so all Jesus needed to do was say it is so
and his boy servant would be healed. This is showing GREAT FAITH despite sexual
orientation.
As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him [for help], and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, with intense and terrible, tormenting pain.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied to Him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority [of a higher rank], with soldiers subject to me; and I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following Him, “I tell you truthfully, I have not found such great faith [as this] with anyone in Israel.I say to you that many [Gentiles] will come from east and west, and will sit down [to feast at the table, and enjoy God’s promises] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [because they accepted Me as Savior], while the sons and heirs of the kingdom [the descendants of Abraham who will not recognize Me as Messiah] will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place [which is farthest removed from the kingdom] there will be weeping [in sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [in distress and anger].” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was restored to health at that very hour. Matthew 8:5-13
To
Jesus Christ our Lord it does NOT matter what your SEXUAL ORIENTATION may be;
the only thing that matters is YOUR WILLINGNESS to GIVE YOUR LIFE to HIM so you
might be saved from your sins. You are COVERED by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB {CHRIST
JESUS} once you have accepted Him as your Savior which is ALL that matters to
HIM!!!
The disciples said to Jesus, “If the relationship of
a man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” But He said to
them, “Not all men can
accept this statement, but only
those to whom
[the capacity to receive] it has been given. For there are eunuchs who have been
born that way from their mother’s womb [making them incapable of
consummating a marriage]; and there are eunuchs who have been
made eunuchs by men [for royal service]; and there are eunuchs who have made
themselves so for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He, who is able to accept
this, let him accept it.” Matthew 19:10-12
For a more in depth explanation of Matthew 8; 19 and Luke 7 check out the following link, Would Jesus Discriminate?
There are no wedding ceremonies in the Bible, so the same-sex vows
between Ruth and Naomi and David and Jonathan provide the best Biblical models for
wedding vows. Ruth’s famous vows to Naomi are often used in weddings —
heterosexual as well as same-sex marriages. Few people realize that these
beautiful promises were originally spoken by one woman to another:
“Where you go I will go, and
where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
{Ruth 1:16}
Then they wept aloud
again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law [goodbye], but Ruth clung to her.
Then Naomi said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to
her gods; turn back and follow
your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me
to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go,
and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God,
my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do the same to
me [as He has done to you], and more also, if anything but death separates me
from you.” Ruth 1:14-17
Since the modern idea of sexual orientation didn’t exist in Biblical
times, the powerful love story of Jonathan and David in 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel suggests that same-sex couples are affirmed and blessed by God.
We are told that "the soul of Jonathan
was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul"[1 Samuel 18:1]. This does not signify an entirely
spiritual effect. The Hebrew concept of soul was not synonymous with
"spirit". When Genesis tells of God forming Adam's body out of the
dust of the earth, it says that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life (in Hebrew, Greek and some other languages, the word for wind and breath
and spirit are the same), "and man became a
living soul" [Genesis 2:7]. The "soul" in the
Hebrew Bible is the whole life of
the person: physical, mental and spiritual. Hence, when the soul of Jonathan was knit with that
of David, it was not simply spiritual: it was physical as well. Jonathan loved
David with his whole being: his living body and spirit.
Jonathan and David made a formal covenant [1Samuel 18:3]. The Hebrew word used is the same as
is used for the marriage covenant. To seal it, Jonathan took off all the items
that he was wearing and gave them to David [1Samuel 18:4]. From that day, David moved in with
Jonathan [1Samuel 18:2] (at the insistence of Jonathan's
father, King Saul) and did not live at home with his parents anymore,
indicative of the type of covenant they had made.
When David had finished
speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bonded to the soul of David, and
Jonathan loved him as himself. Saul took David that day and did not let him
return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because
he loved him as himself; Jonathan stripped himself of the outer robe that he was
wearing and gave it to David along with his armor which included his sword, his
bow, and his belt. 1 Samuel 18:1-4
By giving his garments to David, Jonathan
was sealing his covenant with David, giving himself to David.
I grieve for you, my brother
Y’honatan {Jonathan}, you meant so much to me!
Your love for me was deeper than the love of women. 2 Samuel 1:26
Your love for me was deeper than the love of women. 2 Samuel 1:26
In 1 Samuel 20 we are given a perfect picture of how much
David and Jonathan’s Covenant meant to each other because they loved each other
so much.
Jonathan made
David vow again because of his love for him, for Jonathan loved him as himself.
1 Samuel 20:17
Jonathan gave
his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, take them to the city.” As soon as
the boy was gone, David got up from the south side [beside the mound of stones]
and fell on his face to the ground [in submission and respect], and bowed three
times. Then they kissed one another and wept together, but David wept more. Jonathan told David, “Go
in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and
between my descendants and yours forever.’” Then he stood and left, while
Jonathan went into the city. 1 Samuel 20:40-42
As you can see from both these stories
it is possible for two people of the same gender to love each other beyond any
love they could have for the opposite sex. Yes, David went on to obtain many
wives after the death of his beloved Jonathan. David did suffer for his LUST
for women yet he was called “A man after God’s own heart” {1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22}. If the covenants made between Ruth and Naomi, and
David and Jonathan had been an abomination before the Lord that Word of God
would have said so. These relationships however have been celebrated for
centuries for showing the LOVE between people of the same gender.
Now
let’s examine the “Clobber Passages” used by the “Conservative Christian” to
beat up anyone and everyone in the LGBTQI+ Community. Of the 20 or so bible
passages that have been interpreted as involving homosexual behavior, the seven
listed below are mentioned most often.
The following very brief descriptions are necessarily
over-simplified. More detail can be found after this graph. You may well find
the beliefs that you have been taught in one of these columns:
Genesis 19
The Story of Sodom and Gomorrah including all the cities of the plain [of Siddim] that they were allied with {Admah, Zeboim, and Bela} that were ALL destroyed by God, found in Genesis 19 is one of the most widely used scriptures to condemn homosexuality. However, when you study the Word of God you will find God had a totally different opinion on this matter.
As I live,” says the Lord God, “Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the sin of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters (outlying cities) had arrogance, abundant food, and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and committed repulsive acts before Me; therefore I removed them when I saw it. Ezekiel 16:48-50
Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13
As for the Scriptures in Leviticus 18 and 20, God had instructed Moses to tell the Israelites not to follow the customs of the Egyptians and Canaanites for they followed many Pagan gods and goddess. The sex referred to hear would be the sex with temple prostitutes because this is how they worshiped their gods and goddess’ of fertility. The Canaanites worshiped Astarte, goddess of war and sexual love; while the Egyptians worshiped Taweret, protective ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility amongst many other goddess’ and gods.
Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Romans
1:26-27 and 1
Corinthians 6:9-11 both refer to the temple prostitutes of that time who had
sex with men and women in the worship of the FERTILITY goddesses, Artemis (Diana) and Tammuz.
When you read Romans 1, the letter to the people of Rome you need to
understand that Pagan Idol Worship was still very much a part of the Romans
daily routine. Paul was trying to get them to understand that the behaviors
they were exhibiting were not what God wanted for them. He was writing to let
them know that their Pagan ways were interfering with God working in their
lives. Temple prostitution was normal for them because they were worshiping one
of their gods/goddess’ when they were in these temples.
But
God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and
lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic
reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a
long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able
to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the
mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was
this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God,
refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and
confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives.
They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded
the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you
can buy at any roadside stand. So God said, in effect, “If that’s what you
want, that’s what you get.” It wasn’t long before they were living in a pigpen,
smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the
true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who
made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes worse followed! Refusing
to know God, they soon didn’t know how to be human either—women didn’t know how
to be women, men didn’t know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and
defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then
they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and
loveless wretches. Since they didn’t bother to
acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all
hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing.
They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating.
Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies,
swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking
lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. {Stupid, slimy,
cruel, cold-blooded} And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know
perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care—worse, they
hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best! Romans 1:18-32
When
Paul wrote to the people of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 6 he knew that these people worshiped
Priapus {god of fertility} and Aphaea {goddess of fertility} which usually
involved sexual orgies and sex with temple prostitutes.
We are aware
that Torah is not for a person
who is righteous, but for those who are heedless of Torah and rebellious, ungodly and sinful, wicked and worldly,
for people who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually
immoral — both
heterosexual and homosexual — slave dealers, liars, perjurers, and
anyone who acts contrary to the sound teaching that accords with the Good News
of the glorious and blessed God. 1Timothy 1:9-11
In Jude 1 we learn of the history of the ungodly written for
ALL who call themselves children of God “Christians”, who have given their
lives to Jesus and have been set apart for the glory of God. Among these
teachings we learn that God disapproved of the
ANGELS who had SEXUAL RELATIONS with the women of earth. Nowhere in this
text does it mention anything about homosexuals.
And angels who
did not keep their own designated place of power, but abandoned their proper
dwelling place, [these] He has kept in eternal chains under [the thick gloom of
utter] darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah
and the adjacent cities, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in gross immoral
freedom and unnatural vice and
sensual perversity. They are exhibited [in plain sight] as an example in
undergoing the punishment of everlasting fire. Jude1:6-7
So the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] was growing greatly and prevailing. Now after these events, Paul determined in the Spirit that he would travel through Macedonia and Achaia (most of the Greek mainland), and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome [and preach the good news of salvation].” And after sending two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia [ahead of him], he stayed on in [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor] for a while.About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way (Jesus, Christianity). Now a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of [the goddess] Artemis (Diana), was bringing no small profit to the craftsmen. These [craftsmen] he called together, along with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you are well aware that we make a good living from this business.You see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but almost all over [the province of] Asia, this Paul has persuaded [people to believe his teaching] and has misled a large number of people, claiming that gods made by [human] hands are not really gods at all. Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will be discredited, but also that the [magnificent] temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and that she whom all Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned and lose her glorious magnificence.” When they heard this, they were filled with rage, and they began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Then the city was filled with confusion; and people rushed together [as a group] into the amphitheater, dragging along with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. Paul wanted to go into the [pagan] assembly, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the Asiarchs (officials) who were his friends sent word to him and repeatedly warned him not to venture into the amphitheater. Now some shouted one thing and some another, for the gathering was in confusion and most of the people did not know why they had come together. Some of the crowd advised Alexander [to speak], since the Jews had pushed him forward; and Alexander motioned with his hand [for attention] and intended to make a defense to the people. But when they realized that he was a Jew, a single outcry went up from the crowd as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” After the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of that [sacred stone image of her] which fell from the sky? So, since these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and stay calm and not do anything rash. Acts 19:20-36
We also learn from reading the Old Testament just how prevalent Pagan god and goddess worship was even in the tribe of Israelites. God had to constantly remind the Israelites of His disgust with them worshiping and participating in these Pagan Rituals.
According to the biblical record, the sacred poles or stylized trees associated with Asherah were erected by the Israelites throughout most of their history, especially during the premonarchic (tribal) period {Judges 6:25–26, 28, 30} and during the period of the divided monarchy, both in the northern kingdom of Israel {1 Kings 14:15; 16:33; 2 Kings 13:6; 17:10, 16; 23:15; and parallel references in 2 Chronicles} and in Judah, in the south {1 Kings 14:23, 15:13; 2 Kings 18:4; 21:3, 7; 23:6, 14; and parallel references in 2 Chronicles}. These sacred poles were situated in various locations. In Judges 6, a sacred pole of Asherah is said to have stood beside the altar of the Canaanite storm god, Baal. The Bible also connects sacred poles with the “high places” (open-air cult sites?) and frequently mentions that they stood “on every high hill and under every green tree” {1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 17:10; 18:4; 21:3; 23:13–14; 2 Chronicles 14:3; 17:6; 31:1; 33:3, 19; 34:3; Jeremiah 17:2}. Both of these phrases are stereotypically used by the biblical writers to describe sites of idolatrous worship, implying, as does Judges 6, that the worship of Asherah was an apostate behavior in Israel and improper for followers of YHWH.
Yet despite these and other references associating Asherah with apostasy {for example, Exodus 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:3; Judges 3:7; 1 Kings 18:19}, and despite the fact that the Israelites are explicitly forbidden in Deuteronomy 16:21 to erect one of Asherah’s sacred poles beside an altar of YHWH, there are multiple indications in biblical tradition {Judges 2:13}that many in ancient Israel did regard Asherah’s cult icon as an appropriate sacred symbol within the religion of YHWH. For example, one of Asherah’s sacred poles stood next to YHWH’s altar at Bethel, one of the two great cult sites of the northern kingdom of Israel {2 Kings 23:15}. Another of Asherah’s sacred poles stood in that kingdom’s capital city, Samaria. The sacred pole of Samaria, moreover, which was erected during the reign of King Ahab (reigned 873–852 b.c.e.), was allowed to remain standing by the reformer King Jehu {1 Kings 16:33; 2 Kings 13:6}, even though Jehu was generally at pains to remove all non-Yahwistic cults and cult imagery from the land. This fact suggests that Jehu perceived the sacred pole as appropriate in the worship of YHWH.
In
1 Samuel
31:6-10 we read about the defeat and death of Saul, his three sons
and all his men. It was the pagan Philistines who took over the land and
displayed Saul’s weapons and armor in the temple of the Ashtaroth {female
goddess}.
Tammuz -
Tammuz was a Syrian and Phoenician god of fertility, venerated in the worship
of idols and elaborate, extreme rituals. The Greeks adopted Tammuz as one of
their prominent deities, changing his name to Adonis. Ezekiel lists the worship
of Tammuz as one of the abominations in God's sight {Ezekiel 8:1-18}
that was being practiced in the temple precincts in Jerusalem. The chanting of
a litany of woes (or, singing a song, of lamentation see {Ezekiel 8:14}
shows that the cult of Tammuz was active in Jerusalem.
As
you can see one must be very careful when placing judgments on people because
of their own personal “Religious Beliefs”, which may or may not line up with
the Word of God. It is always BEST to refer to the Word of God when you are
witnessing to others.
I
want to leave you with some Scriptures concerning ones salvation and
relationship with Christ Jesus and our Father God. I want you to pay very close
attention to these scriptures and answer this question: DOES THE WORD OF GOD
tell you that SALVATION is only reserved for certain people? If you answer yes
you can rest assured it is the FLESH you are operating in and NOT the SPIRIT of
GOD which lets you know that ANYONE who calls on the Name of JESUS CHRIST CAN
and WILL BE SAVED once they repent of their sins and accept Him into their
hearts and lives. Praise the Lord!!!
Remember
JESUS CHRIST is our BRIDGE to SALVATION so there is NO need for a CHURCH to try
to build a bridge to the LGBTQI+ Community!!!
Forever
in Christ Jesus service,
Extra Scriptures on Salvation and Relationship with Christ Jesus
and Father God
May the Holy Spirit guide you into the TRUTH of God’s Word as you allow
Him to teach you so you will truly be able to quote Malachi 3:18 “Then you will again distinguish between the righteous
and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve
Him.” and it be TRUE of your life.
If we [freely]
admit that we have sinned and
confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and
promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything
not in conformity with His will and purpose].
For I am convinced [and continue to be
convinced—beyond any doubt] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor things present and
threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This
righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or
Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There
is no distinction, since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God,and
are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God,
and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] grace, through
the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,
whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world] as a [life-giving]
sacrifice of atonement and
reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His
righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in His forbearance
[His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously committed [before
Jesus’ crucifixion]. It was to
demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and
the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely confidently on
Him as Savior].
For if while we
were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, having been reconciled, that
we will be saved [from the consequences of sin] by His life [that is, we will
be saved because Christ lives today]. Not only that, but we also rejoice in God
[rejoicing in His love and perfection] through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have now received and
enjoy our reconciliation [with God].
If you
acknowledge and confess with
your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as
God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in
his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of
sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly],
resulting in and confirming
[his] salvation.
Therefore He is
able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come
to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God].
Therefore if
anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as
Savior], he is a new creature
[reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and
spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because
spiritual awakening brings a new life].
Jesus said to
her, “I am the
Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, relies
on) Me [as Savior] will live even if he dies; and everyone who lives and believes in Me [as Savior] will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have
believed and continue to
believe that You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God, He
who was [destined and promised] to come into the world [and it is for You that
the world has waited].”
For you [who are
born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed,
sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full
rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were
baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed]
have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His
characteristics and values].
This Jesus is
the stone which was despised and
rejected
by you, the builders, but
which became the chief Cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else;
for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by
which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for
salvation].”
Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be
lifted up
[on the cross], so
that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually
live forever]. “For
God so
[greatly] loved
and dearly prized the world,
that He
[even] gave
His [One
and] only
begotten Son, so that whoever believes and
trusts in Him
[as Savior] shall
not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world
to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the
final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no
judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject
Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted
and sentenced], because
he has not believed and trusted
in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One
of His kind, the One who alone can save him].
Acts 11:18 – Gentiles can be saved
John 6:44 – God draws mankind to Jesus for repentance
Acts 17:30-31 – God commands ALL people everywhere to REPENT
2 Chronicles 7:14 – Humble and pray healed land
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too difficult for Me?”
But even if our gospel is [in some sense]
hidden [behind a veil], it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing; among
them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to
prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God.
Be sober [well balanced and
self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of
yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking
someone to devour.
We love, because He first loved us. If
anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother he
is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot
love God whom he has not seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment