dhchristian Posted January 27, 2020 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 9 Topic Count: 136 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 2,488 Content Per Day: 1.40 Reputation: 1,325 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/29/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted January 27, 2020 Just now, johnthebaptist said: I don't believe that I am doing that, but my church, the United Methodist Church, if I can believe what I am reading, is on the verge of splitting over this issue. It is being taught by many that homosexuality is not a sin. Indeed, for five years recently I had a preacher telling me from the pulpit that I am an evil person because I believe that it IS a sin. I Don't want to add fuel to the fire here, as a sin is a sin, But the difference between Homosexual and heterosexual sins is that Homosexuality comes from a reprobate mind according to Romans 1.... In Other words, Unnatural affections have overtaken that person. So there is a greater healing process involved for these folks who have fallen into Homosexuality as there are for those in heterosexual sins. I am not saying that heterosexual sins are not reprobate either, but there is more of a healing process involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted January 27, 2020 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 0 Topic Count: 908 Topics Per Day: 0.19 Content Count: 9,653 Content Per Day: 2.02 Reputation: 5,837 Days Won: 9 Joined: 04/07/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted January 27, 2020 1 minute ago, johnthebaptist said: I don't believe that I am doing that, but my church, the United Methodist Church, if I can believe what I am reading, is on the verge of splitting over this issue. It is being taught by many that homosexuality is not a sin. Indeed, for five years recently I had a preacher telling me from the pulpit that I am an evil person because I believe that it IS a sin. Methodists have gone down paths like this for some time. I recall the women in ministry battle (a female Southern Baptist Seminary grad I knew became a Methodist minister some 30 years ago). Now, I have since discovered ALL Christians are priests of God (Revelation 1:6, Revelation 5:10, 1 Peter 2:3-9) of various ministries... but fewer than 1% of believers actually step up to any form of ministry. Whenever there is a shortfall (say; of men in the pulpit for example) God does not deny the women who step up in their place. Judges 4-5, the women at the tomb of Christ, etc. When I pointed this out to the Methodist denominational board, they denounced me as bigoted for not believing women had every right to be in the pulpit in the first place. 1 Timothy 2:9-15 be damned in their opinion, I suppose. A passage I used to go after females in the pulpit at one time until the Holy Spirit himself convicted me of this... It was not audible words but the impression I got was 'so it would be better that the Gospel does not get out at all than that a woman should preach or teach to men?' I was undone. Ideally men should be the only ones teaching / preaching to men... but when over 99% of believers will not step up... As I said... the Methodists have been going about things like this for the wrong reasons fora long time. Some of the best / most gifted speakers and teachers of the Word I've heard were women. One in particular was multi talented (played organ, sang, played guitar... was funny). But if any were doing so as a feminist rather than as a woman of faith stepping up top fulfill a ministry men were too worldly or cowardice to fill... then it was not for the right reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted January 27, 2020 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 0 Topic Count: 908 Topics Per Day: 0.19 Content Count: 9,653 Content Per Day: 2.02 Reputation: 5,837 Days Won: 9 Joined: 04/07/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted January 27, 2020 Just now, dhchristian said: I Don't want to add fuel to the fire here, as a sin is a sin, But the difference between Homosexual and heterosexual sins is that Homosexuality comes from a reprobate mind according to Romans 1.... In Other words, Unnatural affections have overtaken that person. So there is a greater healing process involved for these folks who have fallen into Homosexuality as there are for those in heterosexual sins. I am not saying that heterosexual sins are not reprobate either, but there is more of a healing process involved. Okay. I appreciate your candor. Perhaps my vigor has been from the traditional way the Church has singled out these people who face temptations and addictions we all face in different ways or aspects of our life in this fallen world. If I have over stepped, I apologize. I hope we all consider that we will win more (one soul at a time) to Christ through love with dignity and respect for all. Sometimes it's the last thing we want to do. Or we have to keep stopping ourselves from lapsing into anything but love for our fellow man (sinner). Love disarms people (especially when they expect and are used to hate). I worked with a lesbian at he Post Office in California some years back who watched me closely. I wore a cross outside my uniform shirt in those days, listened to Christian radio constantly at my letter case, and one day she said "You scare me." I asked why? I never said or did anything to accuse her or disrespect her. We became fast friends. She (alone) threw me a going away party at the office when I transferred out of State. None of my coworkers (some were fellow Christians who went to the same Calvary Chapel I did) even thought to. Also she and her partner (the city District Attorney) bought several pieces of furniture from us which helped finance the move. We lost touch. And I cannot say she is a believer in Jesus today... but don't you think she might have considered it more from the love with dignity and respect I showed her than from hate? We never discussed whether homosexuality was right or wrong. She already knew. In fact, this is what fuels the defiance of sinners (especially homosexuals)... the fact that they will never ever get affirmation from the one they seek it the most... themselves. Love them. By doing so, we stand a better chance to win them to Christ. God bless you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhchristian Posted January 27, 2020 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 9 Topic Count: 136 Topics Per Day: 0.08 Content Count: 2,488 Content Per Day: 1.40 Reputation: 1,325 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/29/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted January 27, 2020 Just now, JohnD said: Love disarms people (especially when they expect and are used to hate). John, The Word of God says we are to speak the Truth in Love (Eph 4:15), Part of the Problem is that people are afraid to speak the truth about homosexuality. If a brother is committing adultery with another's wife, I am obligated and instructed to call them out lovingly on their infraction and sin, and then publicly if they do not change their behavior. I am not allowed to do this for a homosexual? Why, because we will be labeled as homophobic? It is not politically correct? Do You see the double standard here? 1 Corinthians 5 applies to the homosexual as well as the heterosexual deviant sinner. That being said, no homosexual should be banned from coming to a church and hearing the Word of God being preached as we are all sinners, But when they want to continue in their sin and sit in the higher offices of the church is where the problem comes in, and their sin is condoned. That to me is like having a preacher take a shot of whiskey on the pulpit and light a crack pipe before he begins preaching. The Truth is the drunkard, the crack addict, the Homosexual and the adulterer all need to hear the Gospel, But none of them should be in leadership in the church, nor those sins condoned and tolerated by the church. The Church needs to be free to express its disapproval of these moral issues even when it is not politically correct to do so. Silencing the churches in this regard is a form of totalitarianism that we do not want to fall victim to if we can avoid it? Even now churches in Europe, and Canada are facing such totalitarian controls as they are here in the U.S. And that is their plan of attack, incremental totalitarianism. You see, we are meant to be the salt of the earth, Salt on a wound stings but it also heals. Take the time to read this link, as this will explain what I mean, as this is not just the church that is being silenced, and this is no different than the 1930's in Germany. https://illinoisfamily.org/faith/censoring-christianity-how-were-being-silenced-and-how-to-cope/ God bless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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