Here are some of my Editorials from my board!They are strictly MY opinion, but I believe that they all have a solid Biblical basis!HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE CHURCH!
I feel that it is important that I state here that everything that I say here, is straight from the Bible! It does NOT reflect ANY denominational belief!How does God look at homosexuality? Long before it was even stated formally by God, we can see that He CLEARLy did NOT create men to have sexual relations with other men, nor woman with other women!Genesis 2:21-24, clearly states 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.This states that it is His wish that ONLY a man & a woman have sexual relations with each other! NOT 2 men & NOT 2 Women!Now we flip over to Genesis 18:16-33: 16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." 20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." 29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." 30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." 32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." 33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.Here, God reveals His Plans for Sodom & Gomorrah. He states VERY clearly in verse 20, that their sin is "grievous", & because it is, He intends to destroy these 2 cities. What was their sin? Genesis 19:5 says: They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." Men having sex with other men. Going against the natural order of what God had INTENDED for man. Even before it was ever written down, we see that God had an intense hatred for homosexuality. Did He hate those who WERE practicing homosexuals? The answer is a resounding-NO! He LOVED the people in Sodom & Gommorah! He even states that if there were only 10 righteous people there, He would spare them! Yet, there were not even 10 righteous people there!I think that this is a very graphic example of showing the whole concept of God's love for ALL men-that while he LOVES the sinner, He HATES the sin.The first time that God's feelings about homosexuality are actually written down, is found in Leviticus 18:22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Here it is in black & white-whether your Bible says destestable, an abomination, or whatever-God IS saying that homosexuality IS a sin! As God is holy, He CANNOT abide a sin like homosexuality in His prescense!Perhaps you can see where I am going with this.Now we come to the present day. We see what should surely turn the stomachs of ANY Biblical Christian-acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle into God's church. If a church is TRULEY Biblical in it's belief, can they accept practicing homosexuals into their fellowship? The answer is a resounding-NO! Homosexuality is a sin! If anyone "claims" to be a Believer, he CANNOT accept practicing homosexuals into the church! There is NO room for argument here! Look at what Scripture says. Isaiah 5:20Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isn't this exactly what some churches ARE doing? And what does God have to say to them? WOE TO THEM! Whenever we see the word "woe" in Scripture, it is NEVER good! Than we have Matthew 6:23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Here we see that even God's light is changed into total darkness, when ANY sin is let into a Believer's life! 1 John 1:6 statesIf we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. And what IS the truth? John 14:6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Since Jesus states that He is the TRUTH, we, as His folowers MUST follow His teachings & His teachings alone! All throughout the Gospels, what was Jesus' message? Hate sinners? NO! He loved the people!Matthew 23:37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. And what does John 3:16 say? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. If we "claim" to be true Believers, we must NOT hate homosexuals! We must see them as sinners, like us, who are in desperate need of the Savior that WE know-Christ Jesus. BUT-we MUST obey Paul's admonition, that we find in 2 Corinthians 6:14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Believers & practicing homosexuals CANNOT fellowship TOGETHER! Sin CANNOT exist next to holiness! Peter states it VERY CLEARLY, in Acts, when he says inActs 5:29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! Here it is, folks! We MUST obey God, rather than men. What did Jesus say about following Him? Matthew 10:38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Mark 8:34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Luke 9:23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. We must forsake EVERYTHING, (& this DOES include our misguided thinking about practicing homosexuals!), & ONLY follow Him! We MUST forsake this misguided notion that practicing homosexuals & Believers can fellowship together! This is NOT "homophobia". This is NOT predjudice. This is NOT hatred or intollerance. This is GOD's WORD! This is what the BIBLE SAYS! Are we going to follow God & what HIS WORD says or not? Let ALL those churches who accept practicing homosexuals into their fellowship do so at their own peril!That's my opinion.Bill
BEAUTIFUL BABY CONTESTS!
1 Samuel 16:7 (New International Version)But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."This has been a subject that has always been in the back of my mind, but just recently, was finally brought to a head!At the mall that I am a janitor at, this past Sunday, (3/18/07), there was a Beautiful Baby Contest held.Now most people wouldn't have a problem with things like this. But are we REALLY aware of what contests like this are?The Bottom Line in this area, is that we are using our children for nothing more that our own financial gain! We "primp", & "prime" them, like they are nothing more than a car for an auto show! THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS! HUMAN BEINGS THAT OUR LORD LOVES & DIED FOR! And we are treating them like nothing more than they are a painting, or a piece of pottery! When you think about it, isn't this the EXACT SAME WAY that slaves were treated during the Civil War era? As nothing more than property? This is a travesty!
To use our children in this manner! And do our children have a say in how they are used? NO! Did slaves have a say in how THEY were used? NO!What really gets me mad about this, is that our Lord has a special love for children. Look at such verses as:Matthew 11:25 (New International Version)that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.Matthew 18:3 (New International Version)he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.Matthew 21:16 (New International Version)"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"Mark 10:14 (New International Version)When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.Luke 10:21 (New International Version)At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.Luke 18:16 (New International Version)But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.and on & on! As Believers, we are called to BE as little children.Yet, we use our children as nothing more than objects, for nothing more than to satisfy our own greed!And here is something else to think about:I remember the Jon Bonett Ramsey case. Do you remember that? Here was a beautiful little girl, who never had a chance to live any kind of a "normal" life, but was constantly being "primed", for one beauty contest after another! Where her parents showing real love to her, or were they just using her, to satisy their own greed? It is not my place to judge them, but did they REALLY look at what they were doing to her?Here's another thought:When a child who has been raised by their parents, has been entered in one contest after another. gets older, what kind of expectations will they have about the real world? Isn't there at least the possibility that they will grow up thinking that life is nothing more than to win contests, to look beautiful, to believe that nothing else matters in the world except to win? Is this a "normal" way to raise kids?NO! These kind of events amount to nothing more than salvery! They amount to nothing more than using our children for our OWN financial greed, instead of raisng the child, & letting them live a "normal" childhood-& let them just be a child.To let them run & play, & not have a care in the world! That is what being a child is all about-NOT about about being raised with the unrealistic expectations of-the only thing that matters is to win & look beautiful!That's my opinion!Bill
THE CURSE OF DENOMINATIONS!
I would like to talk about the curse of denominations.We begin by looking at Acts 2:42-47: 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.Then we look at Acts 4:32-35:The Believers Share Their Possessions 32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.And then, there is Acts 4:24-31:24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: " 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.What do we see, in the early Christian church, from these passages? It can be summed up in one word-UNITY. There was absolute unity among ALL BELIEVERS! Can we truley say that there is this same kind of unity among Believers in today's Christian church? NO! The Christian church is so fractured today, that there is very little unity!What qualities did the early Christian Church have?1. The prayed together DAILY!2. They were all of one mind!3. They shared EVERYTHING!4. They prayed for their leaders together!*SIGH* Can the Christian Church of today claim to be like the early Christian Church? No. That is because man has introduced all kinds of doctrines into the church over the centuries, doctrines that God NEVER INTENDED to be introduced, & created denominations, instead of following the very principles of how the early church was run. Praying together, sharing everything that they had with other Believers, praying for their leaders DAILY, meeting together DAILY! And what happened when they did? GOD BLESSED THEM and added to their numbers DAILY! Why is the Christian Church so weak in it's witness today? It is because we have introduced so many man-made doctrines into the simple faith of the early church, & what happened? The Christian Church split! Split into denominations created by MAN-NOT God!MAN decided how to interpret Scripture, instead of letting the Holy Spirit do the leading, & the church-AS JESUS MEANT IT TO BE fractured into pieces that were ruled by MAN'S beliefs-NOT GOD'S!Look at Psalm 133:1: 1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!In what? Doctrinal beliefs? No-in UNITY! The very unity that makes EVERY SINGLE MAN & WOMAN WHO HAS RECEIVED JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR LORD & SAVIOR, & BEEN BORN AGAIN-ONE!There was NO division in the early Christian church-they were all ONE! Look at Ephesians 4:13:until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.The Christian Church is still very immature today, my Brothers & Sisters! Instead of banding together, as the early church was, we have followed MAN'S beliefs, instead of God's teachings. Look above, at what happened when all the Believers were gathered together in one place, to pray about the persecution that Peter & John went through at the hands of the Sadducees! What happened?Acts 4:30-32:After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly!What any of us wouldn't give to experience that manifestation of God's power!We are ALL Believers because of ONE BELIEF-that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for each one of our sins. We have all accepted the gift that God has offered to all mankind, have been Born Again because of it. The message of the Gospel is so simple, my beloved Brothers & Sisters. SALVATION IS ONLY THROUGH CHRIST JESUS + NOTHING!This is the ONLY message of our Lord & Savior! Not these doctrinal differences! CHRIST JESUS & HIM ALONE+ NOTHING! He is the ONLY way to be saved! Look at 1 Timothy 2:5:For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus Look at what our Lord said about Himself in John 14:6:Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.NOT through Water Baptism, (although every Believe should have this done), NOT through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, (although this IS available to all who desire it), but through Christ Jesus & HIM ALONE!Is this message REALLY so hard to understand, that men need to clutter it up with man-made doctrinal beliefs? No, my Brothers & Sisters-it is about Christ Jesus, & Him Crucified!Period.Bill
CHRISTIANITY & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS!
I was saddened, when I did a Yahoo search under Passion Plays, to see what happened to the most famous Passion play in the world :http://www.adl.org/Interfaith/Oberammergau/Intro.aspI remember studying about the Oberammergau production, from my theatre history classes. This production is famous all around the word.Yet sadly, the sheer idiocy of political correctness, has turned this production into a mere shadow of what it could be, just as PC had a major influence of Mel Gibson's production of "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST."The Jews don't want to be portayed as the "bad guys". Well, I have news for them-they were the bad guys! Jesus was one of their own-a Jew, like them. Yet even with all the miracles that Jesus preformed, even though Jesus gave them what they asked for-a sign, (His miracles)-they still refused to believe in Him.Yet, I can't just be angry with the Jews, because they weren't the only ones who were responsible for killing our Lord & Savior. I was just as guilty. Everyone who ever lived, from the time, that Jesus walked this earth, to the end of time, was, is, & will be responsible for His death. Why? Because when Adam sinned, ALL OF US were guilty of rebeling against God !Psalm 51 illustrates this so perfectly
salm 51:5 (New International Version)Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.David realized the most fundemental truth about mankind here-that even from birth, we are sinful! It is that "sin nature", that is transfered to EVERY human being, from the moment of conception, that makes ALL OF US responsible for what Jesus had to go through! Jesus DID die for us. That he DID cleanse us from sin, by the power in His Blood. That He DID provide a way out of eternal damnation! Yet-by bowing to the idiocy of Political Correctness, something special has been lost from this production at Oberammergau. Once again, the Jews are denying their involvement in the death of the Messiah.And it wasn't just there. In Mel Gibson's film, PC reared it's ugly "REAR", by forcing Gibson to remove the line that we find in:Matthew 27:25 (New International Version)25All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"Again-the Jews are trying to deny their involvement in Christ's death.The ironic thing was, that they didn't know that what they said-"Let his blood be on us and on our children!"-was exactly true, but not just for them, but the whole world as well!Yet-PC, made the truth of Christ's crucifixition, less meaningful, because of removing that one line, just because the Jews were ""offended".Well, I've got news for everyone- & NOT just the for the Jews:. The message of Jesus was MEANT to give offense! If people are offfended by the TRUTH of what the Bible says, that means that the Holy Spirit is WORKING in their hearts, to convict them! But sadly, it is our own stupid pride that has gotten in the way; that, & lacking the courage to stand up for what we KNOW is right, no matter WHAT anyone else may feel!As Believers, all of us MUST stand up for the TRUTH of what the BIBLE says, without compromise, without fear of offending someone, just as Peter & John did in:Acts 5:29 (New International Version)Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!Unless we be as bold as Peter & John were, & STOP SUBMITTING TO THE IDIOCY OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, our witness for our Savior & Lord will NEVER be as stong as it should be! Yes, we must witness with Christ's love-BUT-not at the expense or the TRUTH of God's WORD!We MUST obey GOD, rather than men!It's time to put an end to the idiocy of Political Correctness!That's my opinion!Bill
ABORTION
I would like to take a look at the issue of abortion.One of the biggest arguments in the abortion debate is the issue of when does human life begin.There is not a scientist in the world who would tell you that any living creature in the world can reproduce any offspring of a different species.DNA is the most basic foundational building block of life in both animal & man. It is the most basic building block that makes every creature ONLY ABLE to reproduce it's own kind! It cannot reproduce any other species except it's own!Even in the creation af a human baby, both the woman's egg, & the man's sperm, ONLY contain HUMAN DNA!From the moment that the woman's egg is fertilized, that joined cell contains ONLY HUMAN DNA!Once the fertilized egg starts to grow, it still contains ONLY HUMAN DNA!That fertilized egg will ONLY DEVELOP INTO a human baby, because it contains ONLY HUMAN DNA!Looking at these facts, let us see what Scripture says about reproduction:Genesis 1:24 (New International Version)24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.Look at what I have underlined-".....each according to it's own kind."When God created the world, He made it so that each creature, could only reproduce the same species! A cow could not reproduce a horse. A Pig could not reproduce a dog. Each creature that God created, could ONLY REPRODUCE IT'S OWN KIND-NOTHING ELSE!It's the same way with humans-a human can only reproduce another human.Regardless of what a baby looks like, when it is forming-it is still a human being!It cannot be anything else!When a human kills another human being-it is murder!When a woman has an abortion-it is killing another human being, regardless of what stage of development the baby might might be in! Why is it murder-because the baby, even if it is unborn, has ONLY HUMAN DNA-NOTHING ELSE! It is STILL a human being!An unborn baby is still a human being, because it CANNOT BE ANYTHING ELSE!Abortion kills another human being.Therefore abortion IS MURDER!That's my opinion.Bill
I feel that it is important that I state here that everything that I say here, is straight from the Bible! It does NOT reflect ANY denominational belief!How does God look at homosexuality? Long before it was even stated formally by God, we can see that He CLEARLy did NOT create men to have sexual relations with other men, nor woman with other women!Genesis 2:21-24, clearly states 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man." 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.This states that it is His wish that ONLY a man & a woman have sexual relations with each other! NOT 2 men & NOT 2 Women!Now we flip over to Genesis 18:16-33: 16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." 20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." 29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it." 30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there." 31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." 32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it." 33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.Here, God reveals His Plans for Sodom & Gomorrah. He states VERY clearly in verse 20, that their sin is "grievous", & because it is, He intends to destroy these 2 cities. What was their sin? Genesis 19:5 says: They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." Men having sex with other men. Going against the natural order of what God had INTENDED for man. Even before it was ever written down, we see that God had an intense hatred for homosexuality. Did He hate those who WERE practicing homosexuals? The answer is a resounding-NO! He LOVED the people in Sodom & Gommorah! He even states that if there were only 10 righteous people there, He would spare them! Yet, there were not even 10 righteous people there!I think that this is a very graphic example of showing the whole concept of God's love for ALL men-that while he LOVES the sinner, He HATES the sin.The first time that God's feelings about homosexuality are actually written down, is found in Leviticus 18:22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Here it is in black & white-whether your Bible says destestable, an abomination, or whatever-God IS saying that homosexuality IS a sin! As God is holy, He CANNOT abide a sin like homosexuality in His prescense!Perhaps you can see where I am going with this.Now we come to the present day. We see what should surely turn the stomachs of ANY Biblical Christian-acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle into God's church. If a church is TRULEY Biblical in it's belief, can they accept practicing homosexuals into their fellowship? The answer is a resounding-NO! Homosexuality is a sin! If anyone "claims" to be a Believer, he CANNOT accept practicing homosexuals into the church! There is NO room for argument here! Look at what Scripture says. Isaiah 5:20Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isn't this exactly what some churches ARE doing? And what does God have to say to them? WOE TO THEM! Whenever we see the word "woe" in Scripture, it is NEVER good! Than we have Matthew 6:23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Here we see that even God's light is changed into total darkness, when ANY sin is let into a Believer's life! 1 John 1:6 statesIf we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. And what IS the truth? John 14:6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Since Jesus states that He is the TRUTH, we, as His folowers MUST follow His teachings & His teachings alone! All throughout the Gospels, what was Jesus' message? Hate sinners? NO! He loved the people!Matthew 23:37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. And what does John 3:16 say? "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. If we "claim" to be true Believers, we must NOT hate homosexuals! We must see them as sinners, like us, who are in desperate need of the Savior that WE know-Christ Jesus. BUT-we MUST obey Paul's admonition, that we find in 2 Corinthians 6:14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Believers & practicing homosexuals CANNOT fellowship TOGETHER! Sin CANNOT exist next to holiness! Peter states it VERY CLEARLY, in Acts, when he says inActs 5:29Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men! Here it is, folks! We MUST obey God, rather than men. What did Jesus say about following Him? Matthew 10:38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Mark 8:34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Luke 9:23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. We must forsake EVERYTHING, (& this DOES include our misguided thinking about practicing homosexuals!), & ONLY follow Him! We MUST forsake this misguided notion that practicing homosexuals & Believers can fellowship together! This is NOT "homophobia". This is NOT predjudice. This is NOT hatred or intollerance. This is GOD's WORD! This is what the BIBLE SAYS! Are we going to follow God & what HIS WORD says or not? Let ALL those churches who accept practicing homosexuals into their fellowship do so at their own peril!That's my opinion.Bill
BEAUTIFUL BABY CONTESTS!
1 Samuel 16:7 (New International Version)But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."This has been a subject that has always been in the back of my mind, but just recently, was finally brought to a head!At the mall that I am a janitor at, this past Sunday, (3/18/07), there was a Beautiful Baby Contest held.Now most people wouldn't have a problem with things like this. But are we REALLY aware of what contests like this are?The Bottom Line in this area, is that we are using our children for nothing more that our own financial gain! We "primp", & "prime" them, like they are nothing more than a car for an auto show! THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS! HUMAN BEINGS THAT OUR LORD LOVES & DIED FOR! And we are treating them like nothing more than they are a painting, or a piece of pottery! When you think about it, isn't this the EXACT SAME WAY that slaves were treated during the Civil War era? As nothing more than property? This is a travesty!
THE CURSE OF DENOMINATIONS!
I would like to talk about the curse of denominations.We begin by looking at Acts 2:42-47: 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.Then we look at Acts 4:32-35:The Believers Share Their Possessions 32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.And then, there is Acts 4:24-31:24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: " 'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. 27Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.What do we see, in the early Christian church, from these passages? It can be summed up in one word-UNITY. There was absolute unity among ALL BELIEVERS! Can we truley say that there is this same kind of unity among Believers in today's Christian church? NO! The Christian church is so fractured today, that there is very little unity!What qualities did the early Christian Church have?1. The prayed together DAILY!2. They were all of one mind!3. They shared EVERYTHING!4. They prayed for their leaders together!*SIGH* Can the Christian Church of today claim to be like the early Christian Church? No. That is because man has introduced all kinds of doctrines into the church over the centuries, doctrines that God NEVER INTENDED to be introduced, & created denominations, instead of following the very principles of how the early church was run. Praying together, sharing everything that they had with other Believers, praying for their leaders DAILY, meeting together DAILY! And what happened when they did? GOD BLESSED THEM and added to their numbers DAILY! Why is the Christian Church so weak in it's witness today? It is because we have introduced so many man-made doctrines into the simple faith of the early church, & what happened? The Christian Church split! Split into denominations created by MAN-NOT God!MAN decided how to interpret Scripture, instead of letting the Holy Spirit do the leading, & the church-AS JESUS MEANT IT TO BE fractured into pieces that were ruled by MAN'S beliefs-NOT GOD'S!Look at Psalm 133:1: 1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!In what? Doctrinal beliefs? No-in UNITY! The very unity that makes EVERY SINGLE MAN & WOMAN WHO HAS RECEIVED JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR LORD & SAVIOR, & BEEN BORN AGAIN-ONE!There was NO division in the early Christian church-they were all ONE! Look at Ephesians 4:13:until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.The Christian Church is still very immature today, my Brothers & Sisters! Instead of banding together, as the early church was, we have followed MAN'S beliefs, instead of God's teachings. Look above, at what happened when all the Believers were gathered together in one place, to pray about the persecution that Peter & John went through at the hands of the Sadducees! What happened?Acts 4:30-32:After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly!What any of us wouldn't give to experience that manifestation of God's power!We are ALL Believers because of ONE BELIEF-that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for each one of our sins. We have all accepted the gift that God has offered to all mankind, have been Born Again because of it. The message of the Gospel is so simple, my beloved Brothers & Sisters. SALVATION IS ONLY THROUGH CHRIST JESUS + NOTHING!This is the ONLY message of our Lord & Savior! Not these doctrinal differences! CHRIST JESUS & HIM ALONE+ NOTHING! He is the ONLY way to be saved! Look at 1 Timothy 2:5:For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus Look at what our Lord said about Himself in John 14:6:Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.NOT through Water Baptism, (although every Believe should have this done), NOT through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, (although this IS available to all who desire it), but through Christ Jesus & HIM ALONE!Is this message REALLY so hard to understand, that men need to clutter it up with man-made doctrinal beliefs? No, my Brothers & Sisters-it is about Christ Jesus, & Him Crucified!Period.Bill
CHRISTIANITY & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS!
I was saddened, when I did a Yahoo search under Passion Plays, to see what happened to the most famous Passion play in the world :http://www.adl.org/Interfaith/Oberammergau/Intro.aspI remember studying about the Oberammergau production, from my theatre history classes. This production is famous all around the word.Yet sadly, the sheer idiocy of political correctness, has turned this production into a mere shadow of what it could be, just as PC had a major influence of Mel Gibson's production of "THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST."The Jews don't want to be portayed as the "bad guys". Well, I have news for them-they were the bad guys! Jesus was one of their own-a Jew, like them. Yet even with all the miracles that Jesus preformed, even though Jesus gave them what they asked for-a sign, (His miracles)-they still refused to believe in Him.Yet, I can't just be angry with the Jews, because they weren't the only ones who were responsible for killing our Lord & Savior. I was just as guilty. Everyone who ever lived, from the time, that Jesus walked this earth, to the end of time, was, is, & will be responsible for His death. Why? Because when Adam sinned, ALL OF US were guilty of rebeling against God !Psalm 51 illustrates this so perfectly
salm 51:5 (New International Version)Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.David realized the most fundemental truth about mankind here-that even from birth, we are sinful! It is that "sin nature", that is transfered to EVERY human being, from the moment of conception, that makes ALL OF US responsible for what Jesus had to go through! Jesus DID die for us. That he DID cleanse us from sin, by the power in His Blood. That He DID provide a way out of eternal damnation! Yet-by bowing to the idiocy of Political Correctness, something special has been lost from this production at Oberammergau. Once again, the Jews are denying their involvement in the death of the Messiah.And it wasn't just there. In Mel Gibson's film, PC reared it's ugly "REAR", by forcing Gibson to remove the line that we find in:Matthew 27:25 (New International Version)25All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"Again-the Jews are trying to deny their involvement in Christ's death.The ironic thing was, that they didn't know that what they said-"Let his blood be on us and on our children!"-was exactly true, but not just for them, but the whole world as well!Yet-PC, made the truth of Christ's crucifixition, less meaningful, because of removing that one line, just because the Jews were ""offended".Well, I've got news for everyone- & NOT just the for the Jews:. The message of Jesus was MEANT to give offense! If people are offfended by the TRUTH of what the Bible says, that means that the Holy Spirit is WORKING in their hearts, to convict them! But sadly, it is our own stupid pride that has gotten in the way; that, & lacking the courage to stand up for what we KNOW is right, no matter WHAT anyone else may feel!As Believers, all of us MUST stand up for the TRUTH of what the BIBLE says, without compromise, without fear of offending someone, just as Peter & John did in:Acts 5:29 (New International Version)Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!Unless we be as bold as Peter & John were, & STOP SUBMITTING TO THE IDIOCY OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS, our witness for our Savior & Lord will NEVER be as stong as it should be! Yes, we must witness with Christ's love-BUT-not at the expense or the TRUTH of God's WORD!We MUST obey GOD, rather than men!It's time to put an end to the idiocy of Political Correctness!That's my opinion!BillABORTION
I would like to take a look at the issue of abortion.One of the biggest arguments in the abortion debate is the issue of when does human life begin.There is not a scientist in the world who would tell you that any living creature in the world can reproduce any offspring of a different species.DNA is the most basic foundational building block of life in both animal & man. It is the most basic building block that makes every creature ONLY ABLE to reproduce it's own kind! It cannot reproduce any other species except it's own!Even in the creation af a human baby, both the woman's egg, & the man's sperm, ONLY contain HUMAN DNA!From the moment that the woman's egg is fertilized, that joined cell contains ONLY HUMAN DNA!Once the fertilized egg starts to grow, it still contains ONLY HUMAN DNA!That fertilized egg will ONLY DEVELOP INTO a human baby, because it contains ONLY HUMAN DNA!Looking at these facts, let us see what Scripture says about reproduction:Genesis 1:24 (New International Version)24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.Look at what I have underlined-".....each according to it's own kind."When God created the world, He made it so that each creature, could only reproduce the same species! A cow could not reproduce a horse. A Pig could not reproduce a dog. Each creature that God created, could ONLY REPRODUCE IT'S OWN KIND-NOTHING ELSE!It's the same way with humans-a human can only reproduce another human.Regardless of what a baby looks like, when it is forming-it is still a human being!It cannot be anything else!When a human kills another human being-it is murder!When a woman has an abortion-it is killing another human being, regardless of what stage of development the baby might might be in! Why is it murder-because the baby, even if it is unborn, has ONLY HUMAN DNA-NOTHING ELSE! It is STILL a human being!An unborn baby is still a human being, because it CANNOT BE ANYTHING ELSE!Abortion kills another human being.Therefore abortion IS MURDER!That's my opinion.Bill
