7 May 2013

How Should We Respond to Gay Marriage?

by | posted in: ethics, marriage, sin | 2

Every blog post I wrote has come from personal experience or a conversation I’ve had, etc.  This one is no different.

Yesterday on facebook, I was saddened to find out that a college acquaintance of mine, one who was in youth ministry with me and a professing Christian – now ordained in a denomination, was getting married yesterday to her girlfriend.  This saddened me so much for her.  On our long scenic drive home, the Mister and I were discussing what should be our response.  Here are some thoughts:

1.  A government-sanctioned marriage between two women is not a marriage in the eyes of God.  In our country many states may be allowing same-sex marriage.  This does not make it right in God’s eyes.  God would never rejoice in something that is an abomination or sin to Him.  See Romans 1:18-25, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

2.  Sin does not please God – so how could a homosexual marriage?

3.  We all sin (yes), so we should not counsel the person (if you have a relationship with them in the first place) in a harsh, judgmental tone.  Ephesians 5:14-16.  The reason I chose this verse is because the person in my life that got married yesterday is a professing Christian.  I’m not a judger of hearts.  I am also a sinner – a great sinner.  But, this passage is written by Paul to the church at Ephesus.  He is talking about people in the church who have been diluted and mislead by all sorts of unbiblical teaching.  For any to think that gay marriage is promoted by God, or right, has clearly been mislead by the Enemy.

4.  Show compassion; this needs to be our immediate response.  We need to be like Jesus in this encounter.  When he dealt with the woman caught in adultery, he did not shame or accuse her, but allowed her to be free of the sin and the entanglement of it.  Our God does show wrath and anger toward sin, but he also shows compassion on the sinner.  (John 8)  God the Father shows much compassion on me and I’m a sinner.  I would need to show compassion to my friend and hopefully lead her back to a right relationship with God.

5.  Call to repentance.  One of my favorite Scriptures in the NT says this “…God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”  Oh that has blessed me and lead me to have a repentant heart so often as I’ve read with tears over my sin this incredible display of God’s love toward great sinners.

6.  What about church membership.  Let me say a few things: first, any denomination that would ordain a homosexual to be a minister of the Word of God and sanction and condone homosexual marriage is no longer a church because they do not hold to the truth of the Word of God.  Second, if this couple were at the church I attend, I would (hopefully) seek to encounter them, provide them with godly counsel about their lives and why their lives demonstrate that they do not believe God or His Word.  If they couple were members and then became homosexual or started living a homosexual lifestyle – that would be cause for church discipline and counsel and a desire for them to turn from sin.

7.  As I’ve been reading in a book about the authority of the Word of God in our lives: this matter of homosexuality (whether it is right or not) is not primarily a question of preference or sexual orientation or anything else for believers.  It is a question about what we believe the Bible to be.  If we believe with the Bible that it is the very word of God and it is profitable and truthful in everything it says and is useful for our lives to instruct us in all truth – and we disagree with what the Bible says about the “rightness” of homosexuality – then obviously we have a disagreement with God.  I have a feeling that I know who is going to ultimately win that disagreement.

As we get deeper and deeper into a country that is living in prevalent sin and as we see sin creep in (or barge in) to our churches – let us pray that we will know what the Word of God says, guard our own hearts and minds, show compassion to sinners, and call them to repentance (just as the Lord has done for us).

 

1 Aug 2012

Thoughts on CFA Day

by | posted in: World Events | 4

I wasn’t going to enter this conversation, but thought I would after reading a few of the blogs out there on it.

1.  I go to CFA a few days a week.  The town I live in has 2 CFAs and the busiest fast food restaurant in our town is the CFA closest to our home.  I go there because they have CF Diet Coke, a fabulous unsweet tea, and the best chocolate chunk cookies.  And they have free wifi.  They have free refills.  Need I say more?  I don’t go there because the food is cheap (because it isn’t, in fact I think it is overpriced for the most part).  I don’t go there because I will only support “Christian” companies.  I go there because it has what I need and it is convenient.

2.  I love listening to the workers interact with each other and the patrons.  Tony, the manager at the one I frequent, was having a training conversation with an employee the other day and was sharing life-leadership lessons from his own life, not just what was in the CFA manual.  I love hearing management pour into their workers life-long lessons that can be used outside of the workplace.  That’s just good management and leadership.

3.  I have known several CFA employees and I know every CFA is different, but I hear things about what goes on and what is said and there seems to be just as much disrespect for authority in CFAs as there is in any fast food restaurant.  And not every employee they hire is a Christian who lives a Christ-centered life.  They may be the majority – but it isn’t the exact way it should be.

4.  I am not going to CFA today.  I went yesterday.  Does that make me a person who doesn’t believe in what they are doing?  Ha – I support CFA.  But, I just don’t like crowds or bandwagons.

5.  What is this boycott really about?  Here are some ideas: 1.  Some business leaders don’t like the success of other companies above their own.  2.  No one likes being told they are wrong (any one not in favor of biblical family values would not agree with Dan Cathy’s statement).  3.  One leadership of one company should not be able to influence city management on whether or not to have or build new CFAs in their towns.  4.  This whole thing will blow over.  5.  CFA may take some hit on their books for July – but they are still standing behind what they said.  6.  We have no reason to discriminate against gays and lesbians or folks who just don’t like other people telling anyone else they are wrong.  Truth will win out (and that truth is found in the Word of God).  7.  As far as I know and have read Scripture, having unbiblical family values  or a different sexual orientation isn’t the unpardonable sin.  There are many other sins mentioned in the Bible – ones that I do and many other believers who are eating 3 meals at CFA today do: lie, gossip, gluttony, pornography, not go to church, not witness to their neighbors (eating 3 meals at CFA today and not mentioning Jesus is not witnessing in my opinion), debt, consumerism, etc.

6.  If you are eating 3 meals at CFA today, think about these things: what are your motives (is it to be right or is it done out of love and faith – since things done without faith is sin), are you spending more than you have budgeted for your food this week, is it gluttonous for you to be eating 3 meals there, and have you told anyone that Jesus loves sinners.  We were made to glorify God – not Eat Mor Chikn.