Lions! Tigers! And Gays! OH MY! Part 1

FIND A MIRROR;

Placing Blame Where Blame Properly Belongs

Well President Obama went and done it!  He's opened a can of worms all over the sizable religious movements in this country.  Didn't someone get Obama the memo that America is a Christian nation?  Maybe the cause of the problem isn't Obama.  Maybe the Executive Order prohibiting organizations, including ahem...religious organizations, with federal contracts from discriminating against employees who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or transgender, isn't the problem.   Maybe LGBT persons aren't really the problem for Christians in America.  Maybe the problem with and for Christians is Christians.   Perhaps if Christians had been obeying God's teachings, and if Christians had sought God's kingdom first, and if Christians hadn't been cherry picking favorite verses while ignoring other very important Scriptures, Christians would be very different, and there wouldn't be this problem with  Gays.   Maybe the real problem is that the Church is suffering a terrible identity crisis.

For more than 20 years I've been asking Christians, leader and laity alike, "Why can't the Church minister the eternal life giving, world overcoming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to gay people?"   The answer I always received was exactly the same, and I mean word for word the same:  "We don't know what to do."   Well it was 45 years ago that the Stonewall Riots in New York City kicked off the modern Gay Rights Movement.   You've had 45 years, so, just between you, me, and God, when do you suppose Christians are going to arrive at an approach to homosexuality?   Can you give an ETA?

What if the topic under consideration here we're curing cancer and not homosexuality?    Would Americans put up with a medical/scientific establishment which hadn't done anything about furthering their and our understanding of cancer?   And more to the point would Americans put up with a medical/scientific community which simply said, "We don't know what to do about cancer."?  Would the world let our medical/scientific communities get away with almost 50 years of inaction and excuses?    We know none of us would put up with a medical/scientific community which gave us 45 years of inaction and continued ignorance.   But then cancer is all about beating cancer and outliving it's incredibly powerful death grip.    Homosexuality is, well it's not cancer, but according to Scripture it is life stealing, and the eternal outlook for homosexuals isn't very bright if Scripture be believed.   The most important question for Christ followers should be:  If the world wouldn't put up with the medical/scientific community, refusing to advance knowledge and treatment of cancer, how is it Christians believe God would accept the Church's empty and useless response to 45 years of the Gay Rights Movement?   Doesn't God love Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgendered (better known by the letters LGBT community)?   We know that God does love LGBT people, and Jesus tells us so:

"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON..."

Surely that covers LGBT persons since they are in and of the world.   God clearly knows how to love, even those, we who call ourselves his children ignore or merely attempt to shame into "proper" behavior.   Perhaps the most important question to ask of all is, "Does God know how to overcome; defeat; put away; end the power of homosexuality and all the baggage associated with the sin?"  That is among the most important questions, but the answer creates more questions and propagates more puzzlement.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived.  Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor

nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards

nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were

some of you.  But you were washed, but you were, sanctified, but you were justified

in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

(Bold text is my addition).

"And such WERE some of you."   Look at that, do you know what that is?   Perfect present past tense of "to be"..."were."   At one time you 'are' but now you are, eternally, "were", as in "You are homosexual, but now God has made you "were homosexual", perfect present past tense of 'to be'.   You 'were' tells us what is no longer in your present, and what will not be in your future.  'Were' tells us what is in your past and will stay in your past.  God has changed everything for you, and for eternity you will not be defined by 'were' but by what God has given you and by what God has made you:  A New Creation.

Clearly, plainly, indubitably, without doubt, with greatest assurance God knows how to overcome homosexuality, and move it into the perfect present past tense for all of eternity.   God doesn't tell us how he does that exactly.  God doesn't tell us the step by step instruction for leading people to freedom, but he does tell us what to do.   Yes that's absolutely right...Jesus tells us what he wants us to do.   If you would say, "I don't know what to do with or about LGBT people or their sinful situation," know that God proves you wrong.

"Do to others what you would have them do for you."

~ Jesus of Nazareth

It's only been in the Bible for over 2000 years, so Church you have no excuse, and be assured you will not stand before God and say to him, "I didn't know what to do."  God will prove to you that you are a liar.  So lets beat the heavenly judgment, and fix our real problem right now.   Take a good hard look in the mirror and say, to that man or woman there, "I am the real cause of my own ignorance."   Say to yourself, "God has the solution, the cure, the fix for LGBT people, and God calls me to be part of the solution."

If you will take up this one little exercise you will see the truth of the matter, and that the Church's problem is herself.   Christians have no excuse for 45 years of ignorance about how God overcomes the sin of homosexuality.   When we start obeying the teachings of Christ God will not fail to lead us to that place..."And such were some of you."  God calls us to reach with his eternal love with a relational approach.   God will show you the right road to freedom when Christians start down that road.  The road to obedience is always the road where Jesus waits for us to join him in his work.  Jesus has been longing for us to join him on the road to eternal freedom for LGBT persons.   Join him, and you'll find the love which overcomes the world.

Stay calm!  There is more I have to say on this matter...  After all God has defeated homosexuality in my life, and God's ways work better than you or I could ever ask, hope, or think.

HOLD TIGHT AND DO NOT WORRY!!

Look for the next post in the series