Why?

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Permalink Reply by RoyW on March 31, 2013 at 7:47am

LT,

We do live in a fallen, very evil world. Once it got so evil that God destroyed every living human on this planet (with the exception of Noah and his family.) I'm not sure but I think we might be getting close to that place again. Here in America, we may be on the verge of recognizing homosexual marriage. Persecutions, martyrdom and other violent actions against God's people didn't cause God to react with judgment. Jesus did tell us that we would have these kinds of trouble and He was certainly correct in His prophecy. I thought abortion would be the final straw. We have killed nearly 60 million babies since we legalized it. The Holocaust did not bring the judgment. I'm sure God was speaking once again to that nation. What will be the final straw? Will the recognition of homosexual marriage as being equal with heterosexual marriage be it? Will we no longer be able to insist our employees recognize that God's Word teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman? How will this affect Christian business owners? They are being forced by our present administration to pay for abortions for their employees. What is next?

We live in a fallen, evil  world. Whatever triggers it, there is coming a day when God says, "It is enough!" I think we might be getting pretty close to that day. President Obama has the public support to force Christians to recognize homosexuality as a viable alternate lifestyle. Is this it? Are we there?

I, for one, do not expect it to be easy for those who stand firm with the Gospel. I am like you. I don't know if we are ready for it. Jesus died for the sinner of which I am one. However, that salvation is only for those that will acknowledge Him and His Word. There is a new gospel in America that allows us to be politically correct. I reject that gospel. That which was sin 2000 years ago, is still sin today. Nothing has been written or given since the close of Revelation. It is still all we have. It is amazing how many that say they are following Christ will say that the Word doesn't really mean what it says. I still believe judgment is coming and I'm not quite sure what all we need to do to get ready. Be prepared. Keep our eyes open for false prophets for there are already many among us.

On a good note: Jesus is still Savior and King of this world. What He has promised will come to pass. There is a new world coming. Blessed be the name of our Lord.

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on March 31, 2013 at 1:46pm

Roy,

Amen.

Lord Bless,

LT

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on March 31, 2013 at 9:39am

Has Christianity lost its way? Has the pulpit stopped presenting people with truth? Are pulpits failing to prepare them for a life of service and struggle while living as strangers in this fallen world?

Jesus said in Matthew 24, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark” (verses 37-38). Judgment is coming and people don’t even know about what is going to happen to them. See verse 39. Have pulpits failed? Jesus' words are true. All we can do is keep speaking the truth in love. But many aren't speaking the whole truth at all.

We seem to expect the world to act like the Body of Christ and we expect law makers to honor God when God is far from them and the Body is pressured to look and act like the world and many aren't able to withstand the pressure. The Supreme Court is about to make a decision that if passed and becomes national policy, it will affect everyone. If we think we are persecuted for our faith now we are not at all prepared for what lies ahead and our pulpits indeed have failed us. Our pulpits will be approached and asked to perform the ceremonies. In the future, probably not the near future because even if the law is passed it could take several years before it becomes a national policy, but they will likely face civil lawsuits, fines, and perhaps even jail for refusing to honor what is deemed as someone’s civil right. Do you think that many aren’t going to want church weddings with all the trimmings? Let's face the truth.

The church will have to make a stand for truth. I believe no minister or pastor should officiate at such a ceremony, and yet I believe no minister or pastor should perform a ceremony where a man and a woman are being united in marriage but committing adultery by doing so or where an unbeliever is being unequally yoked to a believer either. Sin is sin. Right?

I don’t see how this law before the Supreme Court right now, even if it isn't passed at this time, will not eventually be passed because of equal rights. I know that this type of issue brings a lot of things to the light. Seeing it in the news has made me realize how far from God our nation is.

Yes, judgment is coming but I still would like to see many people come to Christ instead of having to face God’s wrath. In Matthew 3:12 we read, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." The way I understand it, the wheat is thrown into the air with winnowing forks and the wind blows the chaff away and the wheat falls back onto the threshing floor. This has been happening since these words were spoken. Why are we so surprised still?

I know that the day I got married, I had a church wedding but it wasn’t my church. It was the church of my fiance's stepmother. I wasn’t in church at the time. I was saved but was not living faithfully for God at that time. I still wanted to get married in a church. The pastor didn’t counsel me and my soon to be husband. He didn’t ask if we were born again. He assumed we both were believers because I had wanted the church ceremony. My soon to be husband was divorced when I met him and he didn’t get saved until three years after we got married. My marriage was sinful in God’s sight. Did the pastor even care? It wasn't even a concern of his for he never even questioned us in any way.

Yes, our pulpits are failing to help people see their sin. They are failing in many ways.

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Permalink Reply by Grazer #E2H on March 31, 2013 at 10:55am

Is it a sin to be yoked to an unbeliever? Or just  not advisable?

Also, by your reasoning, all weddings of atheists are sinful in Gods eyes so why stop at protesting same sex marriage?

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on March 31, 2013 at 11:28am

I'm afraid that atheists are dead in their sins. How can we truthfully say that God recognizes or is honored by anything they do? As for being unequally yoked in marriage, how is it God-honoring? Is it right for a Christian to date or marry a non-Christian?

This doesn't mean these sins can't be forgiven. But we have to agree with God about our sin -- confess it -- and ask for forgiveness. Atheists don't even believe in God. Man-made laws might recognize marriages but the question is when does God recognize a covenant of marriage? I asked God to forgive me. My husband is born again. So is my son and my stepdaughter. God is merciful and forgiving.

You are right though about how we are so ready to protest homosexual marriage but are happy to accommodate other kinds of sins and agree with people in their sin instead of helping them see it.

I value your friendship but I can't agree with you on this issue.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on March 31, 2013 at 11:39am

PS I don't expect any picketing in front of courthouses asking for marriages where people commit adultery to be banned. That would be unthinkable, wouldn't it? But sin is sin.

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Permalink Reply by Grazer #E2H on March 31, 2013 at 12:21pm

Perhaps that's the major problem; the "church" dropped the ball years ago on so many things (though what those things are causes some debate) But it seemed to get it right with abolishing slavery.

I just think if you're going to spend money protesting something, go the whole hog and protest everything that you disagree with, especially if it's related.

Just putting some stances of other countries into the mix;

"Homosexual acts are still illegal in 41 of the Commonwealth’s 54 nations. Penalties include the death sentence in parts of Nigeria and Pakistan; 25 years jail in Trinidad and Tobago; 20 years plus flogging in Malaysia; and life imprisonment in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Bangladesh and Guyana.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on March 31, 2013 at 12:59pm

Yes, and people were stoned to death in the OT for adultery. I'm in no position to cast stones at anyone. My personal feelings about it are that I'm truly sorry it is before the Supreme Court and I wish the government was less involved.

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Permalink Reply by RoyW on March 31, 2013 at 1:42pm

I agree.

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Permalink Reply by ribbon on March 31, 2013 at 2:49pm

I think its the Christians who are getting the stones thrown at them instead of the other way around. If they believe in the biblical truth then they are stoned. I will not say who but I have someone whom I love greatly who may or may not be gay but who agrees that the Christians should shut up. The people should have a right to vote for what they believe in but why such an attack on the Christian? 

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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on March 31, 2013 at 4:19pm

Janie,

 

Your observation is pretty good.

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on March 31, 2013 at 4:50pm

Janie, the world hates Jesus and Jesus said the world will hate us but we are not to be like the world. None of us deserve heaven. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The problem is that many have shut up. Another problem is that people must have ears to hear and that part is totally up to God.

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