Last week we had our last message in the “Front Page Series” I’ve mentioned, and the topic was Same-Sex Marriage. I think it’s the best message on homosexuality I have ever heard to date (although I have heard very few messages on the topic – but even if I had, it would still rank as a great one!). I highly recommend checking it out.
I really like the way my pastor approached the topic. He starts by emphasizing God’s love for all humanity – including people who identify as gay. As he notes, many Christians ostracize people for their sexual orientation, but God calls us to love everyone.
At the same time, he also notes the reality from Scripture that God does not support everything His creations do – including homosexuality. He says that long before we were ever born or thought of, God categorized it as sin – not because He doesn’t love us, but because it was not in His design for romantic relationships. The message looks through Scripture – from the Old Testament to the New – to highlight that God, at no point, changed His mind on this issue.
I know this topic can be very challenging to address for many Christians – as also pointed out in the message, Christians have so many conflicting views on the topic. But as Christians, our standard for every issue has to be what God says – not our personal feelings.
In His Word, God lays out His standard for relationships that glorify Him. I’ve heard the arguments that some people try to make from Scripture that God is not actually against homosexuality – that He is only against it for the people for whom it is not their “nature” – but such “interpretation” defies the cannons of biblical construction (yes, I am part referencing legal statutory interpretation, but I am fascinated at how the maxims of construction are similar- I think the law borrowed from biblical hermeneutics)! As tough as it can be to swallow for even some followers of Christ, it is not in His will.
So what do we do as Christians in a world where being against the practice seems to be increasingly unpopular? We show love to everyone – because every single person, regardless of orientation, is valuable to God – but also recognize that our identity first has to be in Christ. I believe it is more than possible for a born-again Christian to struggle with homosexuality. But I also believe that is where victory through Christ comes in – through His Spirit in us we can overcome any struggle despite what the world says.
I think the message also presents a beautiful picture of the purpose of marriage to glorify God. A marriage - between a man and a woman – gives a couple the divine enablement to be even more empowered, united – to live for Christ. Marriage joins a couple in body and spirit, as One.Flesh. That is all the more reason to remember that our bodies are temples – houses of God – that just can’t be handled by any old “date” in the heat of passion. Before we let someone else that is not our spouse in a divinely orchestrated marriage touch us here or there, we have to think about how God views not just sex – but any romantic touch. He has designed intimate physical contact for a purpose, in marriage, that is meant to be so fulfilling, freeing and illustrative of His sacrificial love for us. How beautiful even that thought is – and so worth the wait!
Regardless of what you think about homosexuality, I think this message is worth a listen to hear what God thinks. And anytime we look to God’s Word, we should pray that God opens our eyes to see all the wonderful, liberating truths in His law. That’s what I pray for in this case, too.
Check out the message here. Note you can also get it on iTunes – The Bridge DC > Front Page > Same Sex Marriage. Let’s take the Creator at His Word that His thoughts and ways are always higher than our own – perfect.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Love the World. Challenge the Church.
On Sunday we had a great message at church that I wanted to pass on. We’ve been doing this series called “Front Page” about how recent events in the news relate to our faith. Topics we’ve covered so far are natural disasters; Bin Laden’s death; Harold Camping/May 21st and the Westboro Baptist Church.
The latest topic was the Westboro Baptist Church. The theme, “Love the World, Challenge the Church,” was about the need for Christians to show society more compassion and be known more for what we stand for than the particular sins that we are against. The message also was that, while we need to show the world more love, we also need to confront each other about sin within The Body more– in other words, many of us need to reverse our behavior!
Love the World…
The “love the world” part was a great, necessary message. A central part of this aspect of the sermon was that we often have godly expectations of an ungodly world. However, evaluating myself, I could say loving the world is not something I struggle with. If I ever start to think about why someone who does not know Christ would not understand godly principles, I immediately think of 1 Corinthians 2:14, which was also covered in the message: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 is a similar reminder of how radically different God’s ways are from the world’s- and that we can only know God’s truth if we’ve accepted Christ!
Challenge the Church…
The greater challenge for me from the message was confronting others in The Body of Christ, or “speaking the truth in love,” as it is often described. Below are a few of the reasons – or excuses -- we give for not confronting other Christians about sin:
One excuse for me is not wanting to be misjudged. I’m thankful that people know me as a person who holds godly standards and avoids compromise. But, admittedly, at times I’ve felt judgment for taking unpopular positions. Sometimes other Christians assume that because of a stance you’ve taken, you believe anyone who does not do the same is not living for God, or that you think you’re a better Christian- even if they’ve never asked you what you really think! As a result, in some instances I’ve avoided confronting someone where I should have because (1) I think the person already knows where I stand and I don’t want to do “overkill” or (2) someone might think I view myself as better than they are (aka “holier than thou,” if I can bring that back!).
I think it can also be challenging to confront another brother or sister in Christ who you already admire for their walk with God and may also be a good friend. On one hand this can make it easier because of the existing bond, but that’s also what can make it harder. You want that person to still like you – and, again, you don’t want them to think that you see yourself on some higher spiritual plane than they are when, in fact, you actually look up to that person!
Another reason is sometimes we just don’t see some issues as serious enough to confront. I think if we had friends who started doing drugs or engaging in prostitution, we’d probably think those were issues of death or life that require confrontation. But, consciously or not, there are some sins that may not seem to be worth confronting: for example, a brother or sister in Christ is part of a ministry team at church but frequently shirks on responsibilities, but the team still gets things done. Someone might be kinda sorta hanging out too closely with someone they shouldn’t, but there’s no way to bring it up without being direct. In these instances, we might think saying something is “more trouble than it’s worth.”
Other times, we feel like we can’t confront someone because we’ve struggled with the same issue. In short, we don’t want to be hypoctrites!
These are just some of the instances when we keep silent within the Body. However, if we really consider the consequences of sin and the purpose of the Body of Christ – to build each other up in love – there are times when we have to speak up.
Working On It...
This is an issue God has been working on me for some time. It started a few years ago when I had a series of unrelated conversations with brothers or sisters in Christ, and The Holy Spirit literally told me to ask some pointed questions that seemed to be a little bit in left field i.e., I “didn’t have enough information to go on,” I thought, or I judged them too direct. In the instances where I chose to ignore His voice, I later found out that exactly what God had brought to my mind was at issue, and that the person faced a serious consequence as a result of the circumstance. I regret those instances not because speaking up necessarily would have changed the outcome, but because I didn’t do what God told me to.
By contrast, in the instances where I did listen, even if it was uncomfortable, God used me to address an issue another brother or sister in Christ was having and encourage them, however big or small. Ultimately, our job as Christians is always to do what God asks us – even if we don’t think we have all the facts. In my experience, God has tended to use me to confront spiritual issues that I’m passionate about and already attuned to God’s heart on. I think being sensitive to God’s leading in areas where He’s already given us insight into is one way He can use us in this area.
Putting It On…
Speaking the truth in the Body is about love. I Corinthians 13: 6 says that love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Not pointing out harm in The Body can be a way of delighting in evil.
Ephesians 4 also says that speaking the truth in love helps us grow up to be more like Christ, The Head of the Body.
Getting Better…
I’m learning that love tells the truth. I’ve noticed that when I really care about someone else, I’m able to confront issues despite the fact that it might be really uncomfortable. What compels me most is that I want their relationship with God to thrive – and their witness to be evident to all. But that’s also how we should feel about everyone in The Body!
Ultimately, to love others, especially those in the Body, there are times we need to be confrontational. We have to get over ourselves and our worries so that we can build each other up in love. And the more we do it, the better we’ll get at it (Amen)!
Take a listen to the Westboro Message (or get it free on iTunes at the Bridge DC> Frontpage > Westboro Baptist) – and take your own “Love/Challenge” inventory!
The latest topic was the Westboro Baptist Church. The theme, “Love the World, Challenge the Church,” was about the need for Christians to show society more compassion and be known more for what we stand for than the particular sins that we are against. The message also was that, while we need to show the world more love, we also need to confront each other about sin within The Body more– in other words, many of us need to reverse our behavior!
Love the World…
The “love the world” part was a great, necessary message. A central part of this aspect of the sermon was that we often have godly expectations of an ungodly world. However, evaluating myself, I could say loving the world is not something I struggle with. If I ever start to think about why someone who does not know Christ would not understand godly principles, I immediately think of 1 Corinthians 2:14, which was also covered in the message: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 is a similar reminder of how radically different God’s ways are from the world’s- and that we can only know God’s truth if we’ve accepted Christ!
Challenge the Church…
The greater challenge for me from the message was confronting others in The Body of Christ, or “speaking the truth in love,” as it is often described. Below are a few of the reasons – or excuses -- we give for not confronting other Christians about sin:
One excuse for me is not wanting to be misjudged. I’m thankful that people know me as a person who holds godly standards and avoids compromise. But, admittedly, at times I’ve felt judgment for taking unpopular positions. Sometimes other Christians assume that because of a stance you’ve taken, you believe anyone who does not do the same is not living for God, or that you think you’re a better Christian- even if they’ve never asked you what you really think! As a result, in some instances I’ve avoided confronting someone where I should have because (1) I think the person already knows where I stand and I don’t want to do “overkill” or (2) someone might think I view myself as better than they are (aka “holier than thou,” if I can bring that back!).
I think it can also be challenging to confront another brother or sister in Christ who you already admire for their walk with God and may also be a good friend. On one hand this can make it easier because of the existing bond, but that’s also what can make it harder. You want that person to still like you – and, again, you don’t want them to think that you see yourself on some higher spiritual plane than they are when, in fact, you actually look up to that person!
Another reason is sometimes we just don’t see some issues as serious enough to confront. I think if we had friends who started doing drugs or engaging in prostitution, we’d probably think those were issues of death or life that require confrontation. But, consciously or not, there are some sins that may not seem to be worth confronting: for example, a brother or sister in Christ is part of a ministry team at church but frequently shirks on responsibilities, but the team still gets things done. Someone might be kinda sorta hanging out too closely with someone they shouldn’t, but there’s no way to bring it up without being direct. In these instances, we might think saying something is “more trouble than it’s worth.”
Other times, we feel like we can’t confront someone because we’ve struggled with the same issue. In short, we don’t want to be hypoctrites!
These are just some of the instances when we keep silent within the Body. However, if we really consider the consequences of sin and the purpose of the Body of Christ – to build each other up in love – there are times when we have to speak up.
Working On It...
This is an issue God has been working on me for some time. It started a few years ago when I had a series of unrelated conversations with brothers or sisters in Christ, and The Holy Spirit literally told me to ask some pointed questions that seemed to be a little bit in left field i.e., I “didn’t have enough information to go on,” I thought, or I judged them too direct. In the instances where I chose to ignore His voice, I later found out that exactly what God had brought to my mind was at issue, and that the person faced a serious consequence as a result of the circumstance. I regret those instances not because speaking up necessarily would have changed the outcome, but because I didn’t do what God told me to.
By contrast, in the instances where I did listen, even if it was uncomfortable, God used me to address an issue another brother or sister in Christ was having and encourage them, however big or small. Ultimately, our job as Christians is always to do what God asks us – even if we don’t think we have all the facts. In my experience, God has tended to use me to confront spiritual issues that I’m passionate about and already attuned to God’s heart on. I think being sensitive to God’s leading in areas where He’s already given us insight into is one way He can use us in this area.
Putting It On…
Speaking the truth in the Body is about love. I Corinthians 13: 6 says that love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Not pointing out harm in The Body can be a way of delighting in evil.
Ephesians 4 also says that speaking the truth in love helps us grow up to be more like Christ, The Head of the Body.
Getting Better…
I’m learning that love tells the truth. I’ve noticed that when I really care about someone else, I’m able to confront issues despite the fact that it might be really uncomfortable. What compels me most is that I want their relationship with God to thrive – and their witness to be evident to all. But that’s also how we should feel about everyone in The Body!
Ultimately, to love others, especially those in the Body, there are times we need to be confrontational. We have to get over ourselves and our worries so that we can build each other up in love. And the more we do it, the better we’ll get at it (Amen)!
Take a listen to the Westboro Message (or get it free on iTunes at the Bridge DC> Frontpage > Westboro Baptist) – and take your own “Love/Challenge” inventory!
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