Shortstop

I would venture to say that my faith is as strong as the WORD that is in me and activated in me and the WORD that I hear. For without the WORD of GOD I have no faith...The Word says our faith comes by hearing the WORD and doing the WORD... If I have little Word I have little faith...If I have mucho Word I have mucho faith.... AND that no matter what, I have to have trust and faith that God has it ALL under control even when it looks out of control....

Actually you are quite in error. According to Ephesians, the Church is for believers. At any rate, the gay church (Open Door Community Church), whose website may be found by Googling for it, is as far from G-d as one can get. It is a stench and abomination in G-d's nostrils, and those participating in it will be judged harshly for leading so many astray. Can you please post the particular scripture in Ephesians you are referring to? Thanks... I don't know about the church you posted...I am not a gay individual, but one of my friends is openly gay...If I was to push him out of my life because I am a woman who is married, and a believer, the LOVE of Christ is not shining through me...Where I draw the line is that I do not particpate in his life, lifestyle...When I talk to him, it is about the love of Christ...If that makes me a person who is pushed out of fellowship by you or anyone else, then your church is not one I would attend, because it lacks the love of Christ... Those who choose to continue in their sin, will be judged by GOD...But then again we are all sinners... It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 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. Eph 4:11-14 That text you quoted still does relay that the church is for the believers...If we are the temple: 1 Cor. 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? This would be that each person is a type of church...When we gather together we form the body of Christ....We are not to preach to one another BUT to those WHO are lost...For we are no longer LOST!....So, your telling me that the church is for those who are saved and we are not to preach to the lost in church because church is for the saved?

Is this friend a Christian? He is a believe in Christ Jesus, yes.... Does he realize that his lifestyle is sinful? No Do I judge him for it? No He doesn't know his lifestyle is sinful? If that is the case, shouldn't you tell him? Even Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more. He didn't simply run her accusers off and condone her sin. He has been told, does he believe it, NO... I never said I didn't tell him...

Is this friend a Christian? He is a believe in Christ Jesus, yes.... Does he realize that his lifestyle is sinful? No Do I judge him for it? No have you shared the truth with him, that his lifestyle is sinful and will keep him eternally separated from God if he doesn't repent? if you have, then a big thumbs up. (friends don't let friends drive drunk....) if you haven't, is it because you are afraid you will be perceived as judgmental? I am sorry I had to crack a grin when I read your reply...No one has ever accused me of being afraid to speak up....Sorry, that just made me grin... Yes, I have shared the good news with him... Yes, I shared with him about how his lifestyle is sinful and what can become of it if he does not change...

Is this friend a Christian? He is a believe in Christ Jesus, yes.... Does he realize that his lifestyle is sinful? No Do I judge him for it? No

John 19:11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." What do you think that was and why was it greater? My answer....It was those who turned over Jesus because they did not believe in who HE was...Their disbelief was what was greater and because of this, their judgment will of course be harshier... The judgment of Sodom was harshier because it refused to come up out of her sin... As with anyone who refuses to come up out of her sin... We see that judgment in the gay community, they are being judged harshly and now have a plague on them, AIDS... Our eyes should remain on HIM and not the sins of others....NOT one is without sin...If you say you are the bible says you are a liar...

Actually you are quite in error. According to Ephesians, the Church is for believers. At any rate, the gay church (Open Door Community Church), whose website may be found by Googling for it, is as far from G-d as one can get. It is a stench and abomination in G-d's nostrils, and those participating in it will be judged harshly for leading so many astray. Can you please post the particular scripture in Ephesians you are referring to? Thanks... I don't know about the church you posted...I am not a gay individual, but one of my friends is openly gay...If I was to push him out of my life because I am a woman who is married, and a believer, the LOVE of Christ is not shining through me...Where I draw the line is that I do not particpate in his life, lifestyle...When I talk to him, it is about the love of Christ...If that makes me a person who is pushed out of fellowship by you or anyone else, then your church is not one I would attend, because it lacks the love of Christ... Those who choose to continue in their sin, will be judged by GOD...But then again we are all sinners...

Some sins are more serious than others. In Corinthians, Paul taught that the church should disfellowship with someone committing adultery and incest. He told them to turn the guilty party over to Satan for the destruction of the body, that hopefully the soul would be saved in the end. I doubt that would have been his advise for someone found to have stolen a cookie. This idea that all sins are equal is not found in the Bible. As a matter of fact, the Bible mentions a distinction between sins unto death and ones that are not unto death. That alone shows all sins are not equal. Again, I believe it is being over looked that the judgment by God is what varies in the degree department...

Just to point out here in a "stonger" sense... Being gay is no more a sin than stealing a cookie from the store...Sin is sin... The church has labled it a bigger sin, because it's a sin against the body..... It is more open than if one sneaks and steals a cookie...When being gay was behind closed doors, these issues were not discussed like this...

Wonder what's next...

Is not the church for those who are "sick" and in need of help? If those who are mature go OUT and preach the message Jesus preached while on this earth, maybe the "city" would not be as sick as it is today... Church is not about sitting in your Sunday's finest, shiniest car in the parking lot, best said statement, best show on the altar.....It's about reaching out to those who are lost. If a gay man or woman walked into your church, would you kick them out? Would you preached them right out the door? Or would you love them enough so that the LIGHT of JESUS CHRIST shined so through YOU that --that is what made the difference for that gay man or woman to change their sinful life style...

The doctrine of inspiration states that God moved the writers to record exactly what He (God) wanrted recorded. There are several possibilities. Jesus could have communicated this to the writers (or someone known by him) post resurrection. He could have been overheard by someone in the garden. God could have supernaturally given this knowledge to the writers YEP!