Very true! It is much easier to look at the sin in the lives of others than to turn that searching eye inward. I've never understood why there is so much emphasis put on this particular issue.
To those that are spiritually mature and can read the signs of the times. satan has made it an issue as it is his main weapon for breaking up the family and creating society in his image.
Homosexuality at the core is destructive (one of satan's modus operandi), and contrary to public opinion, it is not a lifestyle to be celebrated. The main cause of suicide amongst homosexuals is not as they would tell us the lack of acceptance of their way of life. It is the self destructive nature of the thing and the fact that it is controlled by satan, who as I say, is only interested in destroying people.
The fact that homosexuals may be doing his bidding does not mean he is kindly towards them as he will destroy anyone where he has the chance so homosexuals get no special favours from him.
We may wish it would go away but it is not going to so we have the choice of ignoring it which is what satan wants us to do, or we can stand up for the truth which ultimately will set people free from homosexuality.
If we stand up for the truth which is the one thing satan hates, we are going to be on the receiving end of some nasty responses, but for me I would rather have God's approval than try and satisfy the current culture of hedonism which is taking over society.
If we have any doubts about that, the election of Barak Obama confirmed it. What the people of America have said is they prefer a society that will kill its young without censure and allow all manner of sexual licence approved by government.
One final thing. The fact that we are dealing with the issue does not mean that we are ignoring our own shortcomings. Christianity is a daily walk and requires us to die daily. The true believer will not shy away from this as he is aware of his sin and need and for this reason, they are the sort of people that can adequately address sin as a subject as they have no qualms about where they stand on the matter and knowing that, they as much as anyone needs the constant grace of God.
The sad thing today about the church is that to be able to minister to a homosexual in order to bring them out of Egypt, the minister has to have already come out of Egypt themselves! The majority of the church is in bondage to these things themselves and the honest question is how can they help others when they can’t help themselves? :wacko:
Lisa, I have only picked out one sentence from your post as being representative of the whole post.
First, I do not disagree with your overall sentiments expressed in the post. It is a subject I could wax lyrical for a long time. Having said that I am reminded of an article I read recently, which commented on some of the silly signs outside churches. One was "Don't tell me I am wrong until your perfect" which is about as stupid as they come.
If no one was allowed to bring loving correction until they were perfect, we would find ourselves descending into anarchy very quickly.
What it means is that the parent cannot correct the child, the teacher cannot correct the student, the police officer cannot correct the criminal, the judge cannot impose a sentence, the politician cannot make laws, the local Council cannot protect the environment, the shopkeeper cannot stop people stealing the school cannot impose rules, we cannot stop the paedophile molesting children and so on and so on because all these people who are required to impose corrective action are not perfect.
It would not take much to work pout that anarchy will descend very quickly.
The important factor in all this is the grace of God. Without that we are of all people most miserable as all have sinned and come short of God's glory. No one in the New Testament was perfect but that did not stop them taking action against those who were doing wrong and it did not stop Paul issuing instructions to the churches how they were to deal with the sinner.
You have probably noticed as I have that many of the people who minister in any given area are people who have been set free from that particular issue themselves, which makes them very qualified to bring freedom and release to the people concerned. I am sure that these same people are not resting on their laurels but are pursuing their own walk of holiness as best as they know how.
The bottom line is that we are perfect in Christ and God does not deal with us according to our sins but according to his loving kindness which means that perfection is not a requirement to be used by God.
But I do agree that we cannot turn a blind eye to blatant sin in the church, especially from leaders who some seem to have the idea that they are beyond correction.
What does it matter? The Church and God need not recognize the marriage just because the law allows it. It's not going to affect how the Church and God recognize your marriage. It doesn't concern you or the Church.
Wish that were the case, but it is not. Canada has had legalised SSM since 2005 and a report that I received this week shows that it has been a disaster for society and law abiding citizens. Thousands of them have been charged under hate laws because they dare to express an OPINION contrary to what the politically correct pink thought police deem acceptable. They have had to curb the powers of their Human Rights Commission as it seems to delight in charging all and sundry as a result of accusations by homosexuals that their " feelings" have been offended by such comments.
The complainants do not have to prove anything and does not have to pay any costs, but the accused is now deemed guilty until they can prove their innocence, which is a denial of natural justice. This will often cost them thousands of dollars in legal bills and often the case is withdrawn once they have been hung, drawn and quartered.
As a result of legalised SSM, freedom of speech has well and truly been dealt a blow as your freedom of speech is only granted now if you concur with the politically correct homosexual view.
