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dougr777
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Joined: 2009/1/16
Posts: 319


 IS IT OK TO be GAY & CHRISTIAN?

IS IT OK TO be GAY & CHRISTIAN?
-by J. Lee Grady.

Charismatic pastor Jim Swilley’s announcement that he is gay opened the door wider for a subtle delusion. Don’t believe it.

Many people were shell-shocked last week when Atlanta pastor Jim Swilley stood in front of his congregation, Church in the Now in Conyers, Ga., and announced that he is gay. The 52-year-old minister was abruptly removed from his position in the International Communion of Charismatic Churches—a network in which he served as an overseer. Some of Swilley’s members left his church, others stayed, and countless others are now scratching their heads.

We Americans are lost in a moral fog. Two major Protestant denominations (the Episcopal Church USA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) have voted to ordain gay clergy.
Meanwhile, gayness is celebrated in our media, and anyone who refuses to bow to this idol is painted as intolerant and homophobic.

Christians who still believe homosexuality is incompatible with biblical faith feel painted into a corner. If we defend Christian morality, and even if we speak with compassion to those who may struggle with same-sex attraction, we are accused of hate speech or branded as judgmental. So we tiptoe through the minefield of political correctness—and keep our mouths shut.

Sorry, but timidity on this issue is not acceptable. The sins we avoid addressing from the pulpit are the sins that will thrive unchallenged in our culture. We must develop some backbone and speak the truth in love. Here are four truths that should factor into any discussion on this topic:

1. Everyone is born with issues. King David wrote: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me”
(Psalm 51:5, NASB). David acknowledged that he had an inborn sin nature. This is true for all of us!

Many “gay Christian” advocates insist that some people are born homosexuals and therefore they have no hope of altering their orientation. But this is a lame argument since we all are born with a propensity toward certain sins. This is the human condition: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Just because you are born with an inclination toward adultery, alcoholism, shoplifting or pride doesn’t mean you have to stay that way.

2. Christ offers forgiveness and sexual healing. The more strident voices in the gay community hate when Christians speak about homosexuals being healed or reformed. They insist that if you are gay, you must stay that way. They choose to ignore the fact that thousands of people have left homosexuality after coming to faith in Christ.

My friend Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, came out of the gay lifestyle many years ago and now has a great marriage with his wife, Leslie, plus two beautiful children. The ministry he leads has helped countless people—including many Christian “strugglers”—find emotional freedom. Some of them experienced same-sex feelings from childhood; others developed these feelings because they were sexually molested or because of dysfunction in their families.

Whatever the cause of sexual brokenness, the gospel has always provided the solution. It was true for people in the Corinthian church, to whom Paul wrote: “Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals … will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11, emphasis added).

3. Discipleship requires self-denial. In his announcement to his church last week, Jim Swilley said he decided to come out as gay because he was tired of pretending. I’ve talked with others who told me they felt they were being “dishonest” by ignoring their gay feelings. They said they felt free when they accepted “who they really are” and got involved in gay relationships.

For a Christian, that’s a cop out. The essence of our walk with Christ involves denial. Jesus said: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me”
(Matt. 16:24). Jesus was not asking us to pretend we don’t have problems—He calls us to bring all of those problems into His light through repentance. But the Holy Spirit gives us the power to deny sinful desires. That quality of self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (see Gal. 6:22-23).

4. Homosexuality is not a protected category of sin. Many “gay Christian” advocates insist that if you are gay, then it’s fine to go out and have all the sex you want. They ignore biblical commandments against homosexuality (usually by saying that Old Testament law doesn’t apply today); meanwhile they advocate gay marriage even though most gay men are rarely monogamous.
The message is clear: If you have same-sex desires, just go ahead and indulge because that’s how you were created.

This is what the Bible calls licentiousness—which means “lacking legal or moral restraints, especially sexual restraints; disregarding rules.” Actually, the Bible lumps homosexuality in with every other form of sexual sin—and says God will punish those who engage in it...

Regardless of how loudly the world trumpets its hedonistic agenda— and no matter how many backslidden preachers dance to the tune— God has the final say on this matter.

SOURCE- http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/fire-in-my-bones


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Doug R

 2010/11/4 10:01Profile
ginnyrose
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Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

 Re: IS IT OK TO be GAY & CHRISTIAN?

Good article.

Another question one could ask is what are the prevailing conditions that worked to make the 'church' receptive to the acceptance of the 'gay' lifestyle? This just did not happen overnight.

ginnyrose


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Sandra Miller

 2010/11/4 10:17Profile
ManofGod0000
Member



Joined: 2010/6/8
Posts: 191


 Re:

This is devastating still to my heart 7 mind and the Church, but we have allowed it with our loose activity and lack of desire for God's purposes and righteousness

 2010/11/4 10:29Profile









 Re: IS IT OK TO be GAY & CHRISTIAN?

all we can do is pray for the dear man, let God be God, He will fight the battles.

 2010/11/4 10:31









 Re: IS IT OK TO be GAY & CHRISTIAN?

Quote:
Another question one could ask is what are the prevailing conditions that worked to make the 'church' receptive to the acceptance of the 'gay' lifestyle?

1) A basic lack of understanding the whole gospel, which begins with an appreciation of how to identify sin and sins.

2) Manful attempts (works) to make ourselves righteous without engaging God's solution - Christ's death and resurrection and the receipt of the Holy Spirit.

3) Legalism. When all else fails (to control inner desires to sin), put outer constraints on the sinner; make him comply with the appearance of righteousness (hypocrisy), and gradually remove any factors which increase his distress about his consciousness of sin.

 2010/11/4 10:40
Lysa
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Joined: 2008/10/25
Posts: 3699
East TN for now!

 Re: IS IT OK TO be GAY & CHRISTIAN?



We should be remembering J. Lee Grady in our prayers; he is the one lone voice in a popular magazine trying to stir the hearts of the people back to God!

God bless him!!


_________________
Lisa

 2010/11/4 10:45Profile









 Re: IS IT OK TO be GAY & CHRISTIAN?

Quote:
If we defend Christian morality, and even if we speak with compassion to those who may struggle with same-sex attraction,

Same sex attraction is not the same as being gay. Both are different.

When someone declares they are gay, two things are happening here. First, they either were duped in believing they are gay because someone told them that they have same sex attraction and Secondly, they acted out on their same sex attraction and thus are gay.

The first part they believed a lie, and secondly they are in sin.

There are billions of people worldwide that have same sex attraction and there is nothing wrong with wanting to be with the same sex as long it's not homoerotic.

We all have buddies of the same sex, and we are attracted to our same sex because men like to be with other men, and women likewise, it's a normal function in our society.
Quote:
What Causes Same-sex Attraction? Many factors contribute to the development of homosexual attractions. Same-sex attraction is the result of a complex interaction of personality, biological inheritance, and developmental experiences. People do not choose to have same-sex feelings. These attractions usually develop because social and emotional needs were not met in the developmental years. Men do not develop same-sex attraction because they are afraid of women. Women do not develop same-sex attraction because they are afraid of men. In reality, relationships with the opposite gender usually have little to do with same-sex attraction; instead, they have to do with relationships with the same gender.

I wanted to make that distinction.

http://www.samesexattraction.org/

 2010/11/4 10:50









 Re: IS IT OK TO be GAY & CHRISTIAN?

Snuf quoted

Quote:
Men do not develop same-sex attraction because they are afraid of women. Women do not develop same-sex attraction because they are afraid of men. In reality, relationships with the opposite gender usually have little to do with same-sex attraction; instead, they have to do with relationships with the same gender.

Imho, this is a bit simplistic.

Children who have been molested by an adult retain an aversion to the attributes of that adult, until God heals them after they turn to Him. They may not recoil from the gender aspect, but they very well may, and this foundation of fear is an open door to Satan's emissaries to enter a life, and divert it's normal development away from the natural inclinations which God has planted there.

In this age when children are visually (at least) molested from a very young age, due to the moral confusion of their parents and carers, and not much later at an inappropriate age receive further State-legitimised sexual abuse through formal sex education, it is little wonder their ability to value their physical integrity* has been eroded signficantly. How to preserve it* is a challenge, and why to preserve it is a mystery!

Children who reach their teens unmolested in any of these ways are a dwindling minority, and the rhetoric coming from 'the church' is shrouded in ignorance - or is it hypocrisy - desiring to burden their offspring with rules which they themselves never kept, and unwilling to come to God themselves that their own unhealed souls (and sexuality) receive the balm of Gilead for their relief.

This includes those within churches who recognise each other as potentially dangerous, but do nothing to assist the other to seek God for His help. Accountabilty between brethren (and sisters) within the Church is hard enough to find.

Those coming into the Church from the world deserve our respect and support, whatever sins have ruined their lives hitherto, and we should never underestimate the power of our love to help them bring everything to God. Everything, for His dealings.

But sadly, too often we ourselves have kept by one darling sin, by which we find ourselves disqualified to acknowledge the distress of those who battle.

How precious is the cross of Christ to release us into His service.


EDIT: Although I didn't mention 'boundaries', it's important to understand God gave us natural boundaries which healthy people do not breach for themselves or others. If these boundaries are broken by adults in the lives of children, those children are absolved from having any idea what is a healthy boundary, until they are old enough to understand, and redress them consciously for themselves. But, the work which that involves for the 'child' - which could have been avoided altogether by not breaching their boundaries in the first place - is immense. God often does not 'fix' them all at once. Patience is essential, and God is able to finish that which He began.

 2010/11/4 12:01
passerby
Member



Joined: 2008/8/13
Posts: 742


 Re:

Quote:
Another question one could ask is what are the prevailing conditions that worked to make the 'church' receptive to the acceptance of the 'gay' lifestyle? This just did not happen overnight.



Weak church leadership, ignorance, disobedience, rationalism, intellectualism.

There maybe also lack of sound, consistent and persistent doctrinal study, teaching, preaching, or exposition.

Shallow sermons, drama, and worldly music.

 2010/11/4 21:38Profile
JB1968
Member



Joined: 2009/8/31
Posts: 416
Ohio USA

 Re:

Sad. Can one be a short tall person or a fat skinny person at the same time? These are incompatable and so is a "gay christian". If all would just study the Word and be true to it, it would make all the difference.


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James

 2010/11/4 22:21Profile





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