Many of us have heard the phrase "preaching to the choir." What that phrase often means is, trying to teach those that already know. But, what does the Bible say about a choir? If you search for the word "choir" you will find absolutely nothing. It isn't there.
The New Testiment, however, does have some things to say about music in the church.
Ephesians 5:19 says "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" Colossians 3:16 says "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" And Matthew 26:30 says "And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives."
Notice that at no point does it say anything indicating the appointing of a group of people to do the singing for them. It tells us, not only what they did, but why they did it, and who they did it for. They sang. They sang to teach and to admonish each other. And they sang making melody in their hearts to the Lord, also with grace in their hearts to the Lord.
The Bible also says in Revelation 22:18-19 "(18)For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
So I conclude that the choir might well need preaching to.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Spare the rod, spoil the child
There are two things I want to touch on here. The first is actually a side point that I may expound upon later. The title phrase "Spare the rod, spoil the child" is one that many people "know" is in the Bible. When in fact, it is not. It is actually first found in a poem written by Samual Butler in 1664 entitled “Hudibras.”
However, with this phrase, the poet mirrors what is actually said in Proverbs 13:24 "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." This is in direct contradiction to what many believe today. Many believe that if you love your child, you will not punish them. And spanking a child is almost a criminal act. Proverbs goes on to say in Proverbs 19:18 "Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death." Death here can of course be both physical and spiritual. Spiritual death (eternal damnation) of course being the most important. Proverbs 22:15 says "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 23:13 "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die." Two notes I want to make here. One) This is not condoning child abuse. The words here are punish and discipline. Two) The word "rod" is also translated loosely as "palm frond" What we would call a "switch" not a steel rod. Proverbs 29:15-17 says "(15) The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother. (16) When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. (17) Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul."
It doesn't take a very wise man to see what the lack of care and discipline in the home has done to our society today. Love and discipline are both necessary. One without the other will ruin the child, and be the downfall of the parent.
Also many people today try to substitute something else for "the rod" or spanking. It is human nature that we learn quickly from pain. Many of us have seen an incident where a child is told something many, many times. For example a parent repeatedly tells their child "Don't touch that. It's hot." Only to later hear the child screaming in pain because they touched it. In most cases, the child will not ever again purposefully touch the object. This is obviously not because he or she was told repeatedly not to do so, but rather because it hurt when they did it. Furthermore the child learns to listen more to the adult about things being hot. This is because they learned from the pain. And when our discipline is painful it is much less likely that we will ever have to be punished for it again. An example from my own life; Once when I was young, my sister and I used crayons and scribbled all over the walls at my Grand-Mothers house. As punishment, she made us scrub those walls for what seemed an eternity, and we thought she was the meanest woman in the world. But a while later, we did the same thing at our own house. My father gave us three swats each with a belt. We never did it again. In fact we rarely gave our parents occasion to punish us at all.
I can also tell you about a friend. She had two boys, and she believed in spankings. The oldest was among the most well behaved children I have ever met. He was very nice to be around, and very polite. He was rarely punished, because he was such a good boy.
Tragically the youngest died in an accident. This, of course, traumatised the mother. As a result, she would never again punish her children beyond "yelling at them."
A few years later she had another son. Her first son was still a "little angel" all this time. It wasn't until the new child was about three or four years old that the oldest realised that his mother would not actually physically punish them anymore. In his mind, this seemed to free the child to do what he wanted.
Both have grown up now, and are in and out of jail.
Hebrews 12:6 "because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." If God punishes those he loves, how can we call it wrong? Hebrews 12:11 says "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." The point of punishment should be two-fold. One is to teach the child not to do wrong, and the other is to not need to punish them in the future. And it benefits the one being punished perhaps even more than the one punishing.
However, with this phrase, the poet mirrors what is actually said in Proverbs 13:24 "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." This is in direct contradiction to what many believe today. Many believe that if you love your child, you will not punish them. And spanking a child is almost a criminal act. Proverbs goes on to say in Proverbs 19:18 "Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death." Death here can of course be both physical and spiritual. Spiritual death (eternal damnation) of course being the most important. Proverbs 22:15 says "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him." Proverbs 23:13 "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die." Two notes I want to make here. One) This is not condoning child abuse. The words here are punish and discipline. Two) The word "rod" is also translated loosely as "palm frond" What we would call a "switch" not a steel rod. Proverbs 29:15-17 says "(15) The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother. (16) When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall. (17) Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul."
It doesn't take a very wise man to see what the lack of care and discipline in the home has done to our society today. Love and discipline are both necessary. One without the other will ruin the child, and be the downfall of the parent.
Also many people today try to substitute something else for "the rod" or spanking. It is human nature that we learn quickly from pain. Many of us have seen an incident where a child is told something many, many times. For example a parent repeatedly tells their child "Don't touch that. It's hot." Only to later hear the child screaming in pain because they touched it. In most cases, the child will not ever again purposefully touch the object. This is obviously not because he or she was told repeatedly not to do so, but rather because it hurt when they did it. Furthermore the child learns to listen more to the adult about things being hot. This is because they learned from the pain. And when our discipline is painful it is much less likely that we will ever have to be punished for it again. An example from my own life; Once when I was young, my sister and I used crayons and scribbled all over the walls at my Grand-Mothers house. As punishment, she made us scrub those walls for what seemed an eternity, and we thought she was the meanest woman in the world. But a while later, we did the same thing at our own house. My father gave us three swats each with a belt. We never did it again. In fact we rarely gave our parents occasion to punish us at all.
I can also tell you about a friend. She had two boys, and she believed in spankings. The oldest was among the most well behaved children I have ever met. He was very nice to be around, and very polite. He was rarely punished, because he was such a good boy.
Tragically the youngest died in an accident. This, of course, traumatised the mother. As a result, she would never again punish her children beyond "yelling at them."
A few years later she had another son. Her first son was still a "little angel" all this time. It wasn't until the new child was about three or four years old that the oldest realised that his mother would not actually physically punish them anymore. In his mind, this seemed to free the child to do what he wanted.
Both have grown up now, and are in and out of jail.
Hebrews 12:6 "because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." If God punishes those he loves, how can we call it wrong? Hebrews 12:11 says "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." The point of punishment should be two-fold. One is to teach the child not to do wrong, and the other is to not need to punish them in the future. And it benefits the one being punished perhaps even more than the one punishing.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
On Divorce
One thing we tend to learn when we are growing up is; Good medicine often tastes bad, horrible in fact. Similarly much of what the Bible tells us, we simply do not want to hear. And too often the human response is to ignore or deny it. And of course ignoring the truth, or denying it altogether does NOT change the truth. The truth about divorce is rather simple. Our entertainment industrie have glamorized it, and then we have made it mundane. Many people that we know have been divorced and re-married several times. It is possible that some of you may be among the large number of divorced.
What does the Bible say about divorce? Here are two passages (there are more) that pretty much sum it up.
Malachi 2:16 "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away". (same terminolgy is found in Mathew 19)
Mathew 19:9 (Jesus speaking) And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." This does not leave room for anything else. He does not give a grocery list of causes for divorce.
Many people may find that they have already gotten themselves into unscriptural marriages, and many of these decide that their momentary happiness is more important than their immortal soul. James 4:14 ..."For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Obviously where you spend eternity is much more important than the momentary happiness you may or may not derive from an unscriptural marriage. If you are thinking that God won't punish you, then remember that the one thing God cannot do is Lie Titus 1:2.
I know that some people find themselves a part of unscriptural divorces, through no fault of their own. In this case abstinence is definitely the best way to go.
Remember that if you are in doubt of your ability to marry or your chosen mates ability to marry, your immortal soul is much too important to gamble. This applies in any case where you are in doubt.
I hope this has been educational
What does the Bible say about divorce? Here are two passages (there are more) that pretty much sum it up.
Malachi 2:16 "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away". (same terminolgy is found in Mathew 19)
Mathew 19:9 (Jesus speaking) And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." This does not leave room for anything else. He does not give a grocery list of causes for divorce.
Many people may find that they have already gotten themselves into unscriptural marriages, and many of these decide that their momentary happiness is more important than their immortal soul. James 4:14 ..."For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Obviously where you spend eternity is much more important than the momentary happiness you may or may not derive from an unscriptural marriage. If you are thinking that God won't punish you, then remember that the one thing God cannot do is Lie Titus 1:2.
I know that some people find themselves a part of unscriptural divorces, through no fault of their own. In this case abstinence is definitely the best way to go.
Remember that if you are in doubt of your ability to marry or your chosen mates ability to marry, your immortal soul is much too important to gamble. This applies in any case where you are in doubt.
I hope this has been educational
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A Little Story about me
I want to tell you a little story about myself. I was raised in the Lords church, and I was baptised in my late teens, but that did not mean I lived my life as a Christian. I drank, and I partied. I even went to jail a few times. I thought, as a youth that these things were expected of me. And, As many did, and do, I thought I was bulletproof, and nothing would hurt me. I was wrong.
On December 31 1987 I went to a New Years Party with my sister and Brother-in-law, at his bosses house in town. My sister was pregnant, so she didn't drink. But my brother-in-law, and I did. We got "falling down drunk" and while we were doing this, it sleeted. Not much, but enough. And, my sister at the time could not drive a standard. So, when we climbed into the car to drive the 10 miles out to the house, on icey roads, while drunk with a pregnant woman and an infant in the car (could we have been any more stupid?) we decided that Billy was "less drunk" so he should drive. It turns out that he was in fact, slightly less intoxicated than I was, but of course still had no business driving.
My nephew, who was normally a very quiet child, threw a fit when i tried to put him in his car seat, and I absolutely could not get him fastened in. So we decided that I should just hold him in my lap. We left, and before the car was even on the road I passed out.
When we came to our turn, onto the farm to market road that would take us home, Billy took the turn too fast and the car went into a skid we slid off into the ditch on the left. Billy corrected, but he over-corrected, and we went into the other ditch, still traveling too fast. Somewhere in the midst of this, my sister sees headlights coming and screams "Billy!" But before that car got to us, we came back up on the road sideways, slammed into an unknown object, and spun over a narrow little bridge, and past the oncoming car. I felt and heard all this happening, but i didn't wake up until it was all over. I woke to see my screaming nephew sitting in the floor. and hear my sister frantically asking "Where's John?".
My sister and Billy were standing outside of the car. My nephew was sitting between my feet screaming as loud as he could. Scared, but unhurt. My sisters leg and Billy's chest were hurting, and my head was bleeding from the glass that got trapped between my head and the back of the seat in front of me. But we were alive.
The oncoming car, seemingly gone, was forgotten, and having no phone available at the time (no houses anywhere near, and no cell phones of course, as it was 1988) we decided to drive the rest of the way home, and have my grandmother take us to the hospital. So they climbed back in and we limped what was left of the car to the house.
It turned out that (as best we can tell) The oncoming car was Billy's best friend going in to work, and what we hit was a car that had broken down, and was left on the road. It also seems that Billy and Mike hit the parked car almost simultaniously. When we looked at the broken car that we had driven Ten miles to the house, we found that it was a good thing that I was the only one buckled in. My nephews car seat was only about 4 inches wide, and my sisters seat was only about 8. So, them not wearing theirs kept them from being cut in two, and me wearing mine, kept me from crushing my nephew. I also want to note that as we were driving that car home, the right rear quarter panel was eating away at the tire, and we had a ruptured gas tank (on the right side). If the tire had blown while we were driving, the impact from the rim hitting the pavement would have caused sparks, and for those that don't know what happens when gasoline fumes meet sparks, we would have very likely been a fireball.
I tell you this true story because the most terrifying thing about that incident to me now is the thought; "What if I had died then?" Not from fear of death, but from knowing that I was in a condemned state. I knew what was right, but didn't act on it. I knew what was right, but I didn't know why. I knew that if it weren't for the will of God Almighty, none of us would have lived through that night. But it wasn't for many years that I decided to devote my life more fully to the Lord.
Never take tomorrow for granted. And never take what you are being tought for granted. Do as the Bereans in Acts chapter 17, who "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so", "study to shew thyself approved" (II Timothy 2:15). Make sure that you are following the Lords will, and not the commandments of men. "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mathew 15:9) and similarly stated, "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7:7) I was told all my life that what I was being taught was the truth, and that 'this' was right and 'that' was wrong. But, it wasn't until I started reading the Bible for myself, that I found why 'this' was right and 'that' was wrong. I learned that many things I held for truth were not true. These things were not taught to me from the Lords church, just misconceptions I had picked up throughout my life, and personal beliefs I had based on what I thought I knew.
I am very thankful that the Lord saw fit to allow me to live long enough to come to these realizations. And, to start to live my life the way he wants me to live. If you aren't ready for the Lord, If you don't know how to be saved, or if you are still thinking "tomorrow I will seek out the lords will." You cannot count on having a tomorrow, or even another breath. If you don't know what you need to do, I will give you a quick list.
1) Hear the Gospel - Romans 10:17
2) Believe - Hebrews 11:6
3) Repent - Luke 13:3,5
4) Confess Christ - Romans 10:9,10
5) Be Baptised unto the remission of sins - Acts 2:38
6) Be faithful - Revelations 2:10
I would be more than happy to assist anyone to the best of my ability in finding a scripturally sound congregation in their area. And who judges, what is scriptural? The scriptures.
On December 31 1987 I went to a New Years Party with my sister and Brother-in-law, at his bosses house in town. My sister was pregnant, so she didn't drink. But my brother-in-law, and I did. We got "falling down drunk" and while we were doing this, it sleeted. Not much, but enough. And, my sister at the time could not drive a standard. So, when we climbed into the car to drive the 10 miles out to the house, on icey roads, while drunk with a pregnant woman and an infant in the car (could we have been any more stupid?) we decided that Billy was "less drunk" so he should drive. It turns out that he was in fact, slightly less intoxicated than I was, but of course still had no business driving.
My nephew, who was normally a very quiet child, threw a fit when i tried to put him in his car seat, and I absolutely could not get him fastened in. So we decided that I should just hold him in my lap. We left, and before the car was even on the road I passed out.
When we came to our turn, onto the farm to market road that would take us home, Billy took the turn too fast and the car went into a skid we slid off into the ditch on the left. Billy corrected, but he over-corrected, and we went into the other ditch, still traveling too fast. Somewhere in the midst of this, my sister sees headlights coming and screams "Billy!" But before that car got to us, we came back up on the road sideways, slammed into an unknown object, and spun over a narrow little bridge, and past the oncoming car. I felt and heard all this happening, but i didn't wake up until it was all over. I woke to see my screaming nephew sitting in the floor. and hear my sister frantically asking "Where's John?".
My sister and Billy were standing outside of the car. My nephew was sitting between my feet screaming as loud as he could. Scared, but unhurt. My sisters leg and Billy's chest were hurting, and my head was bleeding from the glass that got trapped between my head and the back of the seat in front of me. But we were alive.
The oncoming car, seemingly gone, was forgotten, and having no phone available at the time (no houses anywhere near, and no cell phones of course, as it was 1988) we decided to drive the rest of the way home, and have my grandmother take us to the hospital. So they climbed back in and we limped what was left of the car to the house.
It turned out that (as best we can tell) The oncoming car was Billy's best friend going in to work, and what we hit was a car that had broken down, and was left on the road. It also seems that Billy and Mike hit the parked car almost simultaniously. When we looked at the broken car that we had driven Ten miles to the house, we found that it was a good thing that I was the only one buckled in. My nephews car seat was only about 4 inches wide, and my sisters seat was only about 8. So, them not wearing theirs kept them from being cut in two, and me wearing mine, kept me from crushing my nephew. I also want to note that as we were driving that car home, the right rear quarter panel was eating away at the tire, and we had a ruptured gas tank (on the right side). If the tire had blown while we were driving, the impact from the rim hitting the pavement would have caused sparks, and for those that don't know what happens when gasoline fumes meet sparks, we would have very likely been a fireball.
I tell you this true story because the most terrifying thing about that incident to me now is the thought; "What if I had died then?" Not from fear of death, but from knowing that I was in a condemned state. I knew what was right, but didn't act on it. I knew what was right, but I didn't know why. I knew that if it weren't for the will of God Almighty, none of us would have lived through that night. But it wasn't for many years that I decided to devote my life more fully to the Lord.
Never take tomorrow for granted. And never take what you are being tought for granted. Do as the Bereans in Acts chapter 17, who "searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so", "study to shew thyself approved" (II Timothy 2:15). Make sure that you are following the Lords will, and not the commandments of men. "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mathew 15:9) and similarly stated, "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7:7) I was told all my life that what I was being taught was the truth, and that 'this' was right and 'that' was wrong. But, it wasn't until I started reading the Bible for myself, that I found why 'this' was right and 'that' was wrong. I learned that many things I held for truth were not true. These things were not taught to me from the Lords church, just misconceptions I had picked up throughout my life, and personal beliefs I had based on what I thought I knew.
I am very thankful that the Lord saw fit to allow me to live long enough to come to these realizations. And, to start to live my life the way he wants me to live. If you aren't ready for the Lord, If you don't know how to be saved, or if you are still thinking "tomorrow I will seek out the lords will." You cannot count on having a tomorrow, or even another breath. If you don't know what you need to do, I will give you a quick list.
1) Hear the Gospel - Romans 10:17
2) Believe - Hebrews 11:6
3) Repent - Luke 13:3,5
4) Confess Christ - Romans 10:9,10
5) Be Baptised unto the remission of sins - Acts 2:38
6) Be faithful - Revelations 2:10
I would be more than happy to assist anyone to the best of my ability in finding a scripturally sound congregation in their area. And who judges, what is scriptural? The scriptures.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Is Gay OK?
A few things I want to say first
1) I am not writing this to offend anyone, but I will not apologise for the answers God has already given us
2) I am not a preacher, but I am a Christian
3) I am not going to tell you my oppinion. I am going to quote directly from the Bible (New International Version)
4) I am not writing this to
a)condone any hatred toward homosexuals (Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)(Mathew 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,)(Mathew 22:39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.')
b) say anyone is better or worse than the other. (Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God)
Here are the answers from the Word of God
Leviticus 18: 22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."
Leviticus 20: 13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. "
Romans chapters 1 and 2, but specifically
Romans 1:24-32
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
1st Timothy 1:9&10
9 We also know that law[a] is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts*, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine
*New King James Version says "Sodomites"
*New American Standard says "homosexuals"
1 Corinthians 6:9
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
Conclusion
The Short answer is No gay is NOT Ok
Many including President Obama have called these outdated standards. Jesus said in Mathew 24:35 and then again in Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." You have but to look through the Old Testament to see what happens to nations that have fallen away from God as completely as we have.
1) I am not writing this to offend anyone, but I will not apologise for the answers God has already given us
2) I am not a preacher, but I am a Christian
3) I am not going to tell you my oppinion. I am going to quote directly from the Bible (New International Version)
4) I am not writing this to
a)condone any hatred toward homosexuals (Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)(Mathew 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,)(Mathew 22:39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.')
b) say anyone is better or worse than the other. (Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God)
Here are the answers from the Word of God
Leviticus 18: 22 " 'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."
Leviticus 20: 13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. "
Romans chapters 1 and 2, but specifically
Romans 1:24-32
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
1st Timothy 1:9&10
9 We also know that law[a] is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts*, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine
*New King James Version says "Sodomites"
*New American Standard says "homosexuals"
1 Corinthians 6:9
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders
Conclusion
The Short answer is No gay is NOT Ok
Many including President Obama have called these outdated standards. Jesus said in Mathew 24:35 and then again in Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." You have but to look through the Old Testament to see what happens to nations that have fallen away from God as completely as we have.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Soft Tipped Darts
I want to tell you about a somewhat recent experience of mine. I was out of town for a while. I wasn't too far from home, but I was far enough to make it pretty inconvenient to come home and attend Church at my home congregation. So, I looked for a more convenient congregation, and I found one. When I got there Sunday morning I was surprised, as the building was huge. I mean monstrously huge, especially for the smallish town it was in. Being my first time there, I was of course a few minutes late, and everyone was already inside and seated. The service had already started. The building was packed. And I found out later that there were actually two morning services. Of which this was the second, and both were packed.
They had a screen up front that displayed the songs we were singing, large enough for me to see it way back in the back. I thought that was pretty cool. But I still preferred the song book.
The singing was good, and the service went well. Then the preacher got up and started throwing "soft tipped darts." No I don't mean that he literally started hurling projectiles at us. What I mean is, as I listened to him, I was reminded of the game of Darts. Well, rather the darts themselves. Originally darts were, in fact weapons. And today we still have the sharp metal tipped darts. But, we also have electronic dart boards that come with plastic tipped darts. They work well with the boards they come with, but they would make a rather ridiculous weapon.
This is what this preaching reminded me of. He was preaching to us, and he was telling the truth. But, he was only telling the truth up to the point that it might hurt someone. Then he put the "soft tip" on it. While many will point out that it is not for us to judge other people, and it wasn't the preacher's job to try and condemn us, it was and is his job to teach us the whole truth, so that we may know the truth and act upon it.
The Truth is black and white, there is no gray. Many God fearing, Bible believing people tend to overlook one thing when they start saying "God wouldn't send me to Hell for that" And that one thing they overlook, is that there is something God CANNOT DO. God Cannot Lie. Titus 1:2 (among others)
There are many examples, all throughout the Bible, of God punishing those that went against his will. The first example is of course Adam and Eve. Another example is Leviticus chapter 10 with Nadab and Abihu. Nadab and Abihu were actually priests, and doing what they were supposed to do. BUT, not the way they were supposed to do it. They were consumed by fire. And then Annanias and Saphira are another example in Acts Chapter 5. They lied and paid with their lives.
This is the same God that will judge me and you on Judgement Day. I do NOT want to find myself standing on the wrong side on that day. Do you? The object of the lesson that preacher was preaching was a simple question. What is our Primary objective as Christians? He kind of tiptoed around it, and came up with a "soft tipped" answer. But, the Answer is simple. Seek out Gods will, and then DO IT.
May God be with you
They had a screen up front that displayed the songs we were singing, large enough for me to see it way back in the back. I thought that was pretty cool. But I still preferred the song book.
The singing was good, and the service went well. Then the preacher got up and started throwing "soft tipped darts." No I don't mean that he literally started hurling projectiles at us. What I mean is, as I listened to him, I was reminded of the game of Darts. Well, rather the darts themselves. Originally darts were, in fact weapons. And today we still have the sharp metal tipped darts. But, we also have electronic dart boards that come with plastic tipped darts. They work well with the boards they come with, but they would make a rather ridiculous weapon.
This is what this preaching reminded me of. He was preaching to us, and he was telling the truth. But, he was only telling the truth up to the point that it might hurt someone. Then he put the "soft tip" on it. While many will point out that it is not for us to judge other people, and it wasn't the preacher's job to try and condemn us, it was and is his job to teach us the whole truth, so that we may know the truth and act upon it.
The Truth is black and white, there is no gray. Many God fearing, Bible believing people tend to overlook one thing when they start saying "God wouldn't send me to Hell for that" And that one thing they overlook, is that there is something God CANNOT DO. God Cannot Lie. Titus 1:2 (among others)
There are many examples, all throughout the Bible, of God punishing those that went against his will. The first example is of course Adam and Eve. Another example is Leviticus chapter 10 with Nadab and Abihu. Nadab and Abihu were actually priests, and doing what they were supposed to do. BUT, not the way they were supposed to do it. They were consumed by fire. And then Annanias and Saphira are another example in Acts Chapter 5. They lied and paid with their lives.
This is the same God that will judge me and you on Judgement Day. I do NOT want to find myself standing on the wrong side on that day. Do you? The object of the lesson that preacher was preaching was a simple question. What is our Primary objective as Christians? He kind of tiptoed around it, and came up with a "soft tipped" answer. But, the Answer is simple. Seek out Gods will, and then DO IT.
May God be with you
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