Posted on 08/08/2014 6:38:41 PM PDT by markomalley
Question: why did the mods pull the first posting of this story?
No, that is not so. He is only reflecting the very unforgiving, judgmental attitude that God shows all humans who reject the only offer He has for redeeming those whose habitual lifestyle has been in practicing sinful living in direct defiance to what the pastor preaches and the congregation sustains. That offer is confession, repentance, and abandonment of self, of Sin as a a Master and life style, as well as rebuffing the world system as their standard for behaviors.
You are asking the pastor and the congregation to give the deportment of the deceased an exit stamp of approval, and his relatives a vote of affirmation, when the church assembly cannot conscientiously do so. (Had the family of the deceased been a regular committed part of the cogregation, the pastor might have cut a little slack, if in any case he could still preach a gospel of salvation for the living. But, from the article, it appears they were not.)
Of course all members of the congregation can, and do themselves admittedly slip from time to time. But their process of dealing with that slippage is compliance through confession and repentance, and abandoning ungodly conduct. A continual, ongoing, God-fearing life style is the path to fellowship with God ging on, not just repeating their errors.
Spitting in God's Face in life through sodomy, and thus openly shaming the modest behavior of one's fellowmen/women, is a preferred mode of those with the unnatural bent, and is not the best basis for demanding that the church nave be the celestial departure gate, with the next stop being Sheol rather than Paradise. There are plenty of funeral homes that provide space for entertaining the bereaved in such a case.
The argument is that the relatives want to play the game of "Let's pretend." Honest Christians won't participate when they have to ignore the doctrines on which they live, and also die, in order to play the "He was a nice, loving guy" game.
It's exactly at funeral time, when the test is over after which the marks will be given out, that the message of salvation for the lost kin comes into sharp focus for those remaining, when it is recognized that the determinedly lost, unrepentant child, brother, father, or uncle has finally passed the point of no hope and no return. His demise and future abode should be formally acknowledged, confessed, and wept over, but rejected as a model of one's own behavior going forward.
Rejecting God and His people in life; rejected by God and His people in death. It is deeply sad, but an object lesson needing to be taught.
You need to have some compassion for the pastor who has to deliver this decision to the surviving family. You think he likes to have to do this?
If the the family was intending on including the deseased son’s homosexuality as a part of the service, then yes, I totally agree that it would be wrong to allow the service at the church.
Or, find a church that praises God, trusts His judgement, and does not believe its priests are God.
Nope. And I’m a woman, not a man.
Over 50% of the article was posted in the excerpt.
That’s a no no.
They could always find one of those Unitarian Pagan Churches
Thanks
Homosexuals refer it themselves as queer, so I assume it’s acceptable. The only word they don’t like is faggot. Why they’re called a burning group of twigs is strange.
If they were having hundreds at the service, it could only be homosexuals attending.
Maybe acceptable to some, but to most, it’s vulgar and inappropriate.
It’s our job to deliver the good news. What they do with it is Gods problem, not ours. It’s not for us to deliver the hell, fire and brimstone. It’s our job to simply present who God is by the life that WE lead and the love that WE give.
In bible times the law was that you couldn’t work on the Sabbath day. So what did Jesus do? He worked on the Sabbath day. And what man would not rescue a lost sheep if he fell into the Water Well on the Sabbath. So what laws are we demanding of people? Who among us can throw the first Rock at the adulteress? Who are we to judge another persons repentance towards God?
God loves the world so much that even while we were still sinners he gave his only son in exchange for our eternal lives.
That’s the good news, so spread it.
In these harsh times it’s hard enough to just deliver that without trying to notch up your bible.
And to answer your question more directly: I don’t know...
Maybe just share with him the burden that he’s lost a human being that he loved. That’s enough to melt the stony heart.
That’s how I’d do it anyway.
I read yesterday that the family had the service at a funeral home. Apparently, it was big enough. So much for expecting a bunch of mourners. Why in heck did they say there would be so many attendees?
So go and find another church, plenty of Godless ones out there
Since I’ve never read an article say that a large number of mourners attended the service, that makes the people that said there would be liars.
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