Posted on 06/14/2016 5:32:09 AM PDT by Kaslin
I know that many of you are not only hurting today, you are also angry. And your anger is not just directed at the Muslim terrorist who slaughtered so many of your people. You are also angry at Christians like me, believing that we have helped to create the toxic, hateful atmosphere that led to the horrific massacre.
A gay activist in Charlotte, North Carolina with whom I’ve shared meals and interacted many times, expressed his anger towards what he called the “sanctimonious bulls—t” of conservative Christian leaders, saying, “You helped cause this massacre. Your anti-LGBTQ theology assisted in helping others, including the Orlando shooter, in seeing each of our precious LGBTQ lives as dispensable and worthy of death. . . . F--k your prayers and your chaplains. How 'bout you stop your anti-queer theology that supports our death and despair, huh?”
In your eyes, people like me are hateful bigots, not recognizing the validity of your marriages, not recognizing the depth of your relationships, not recognizing the beauty of your families.
And when we say that homosexual practice is sinful in God’s sight, you feel that we are branding you as inferior human beings, virtually damning you to hell for who you are and for who you perceive yourselves to be from the womb.
Some of you have called us CINO’s (Christians In Name Only), reminding us that Paul taught that love does no harm to its neighbor (see Romans 13:10) and claiming that we are doing you to irreparable harm and damage when we tell you that God has a better way, that it’s wrong for you to engage in same-sex relationships, and that, with God’s help, it can be possible to change from gay to straight.
Many of you hear those words as anything but loving, to put it mildly.
As one woman posted on my Facebook page yesterday, “I blame YOU and people like you for the tragedy in Orlando. As of now, 50 people are dead, 53 injured, including at least one police officer, due to homophobia. And you, and your ilk spreading your messages of hate daily directly contribute to senseless tragedies like this. . . . SHAME ON YOU!”
In reality, if people truly listened to my message (or that of my colleagues), it would never dawn on them for a split second to attack you or try to harm you, and as I’ve said many times publicly, if someone tried to do you harm and I was present, they would have to get by me.
My friends and co-workers feel this way as well: As Jesus laid down his life for us, we are called to lay down our lives for others.
You might say in response, “Brown, you just don’t get it. Your words hurt us deeply and your political stances do violence to us. You’re no better than a mass murderer.”
I say to you in response, “Then forget about me or other Christian leaders and in your moment of intense pain and anger, look to Jesus.”
Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
And Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it” (Mark 8:34-35).
It is Jesus, not religion, that you need.
Maybe you were raised in the church and have issues with “organized religion.”
Maybe you have been hurt by professing Christians or believe that we’re all hypocrites.
I can tell you that Jesus will never hurt you and that Jesus is not a hypocrite, and if you will call out to him from the depth of your pain and despair and ask him to save you and forgive you, he will, just as he forgave and saved me in 1971 when I was a heroin-shooting, LSD-using, 16-year-old, Jewish, hippie rock drummer. And he has never failed me since then.
You ask, “But are you telling me that I’m supposed to stop being gay? Is that your message?”
My message is that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy and transformation, and you can pray what all of us prayed: “God, I confess to you that I’m a sinner in need of forgiveness, and I cry out to you to forgive me and give me a brand new life.”
Then put your entire life into his hands – your past, present, and future; your hopes, dreams, and pains; your sexuality and your desires – and say, “Jesus, I want you to be the Lord of my life, I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead, and wherever you lead, I will follow you.”
Call out to him today from the depths of your heart, and he will hear your cry.
Then begin to talk with him daily in prayer and read the Scriptures on a regular basis to discover God’s will for your life, and do your best to connect with other followers of Jesus who seek to live by his teachings.
It is true that he calls for the complete surrender of our lives to him, but when we take the plunge, holding nothing back, we discover the very meaning of life itself.
If I can be of any help to you on your journey, please let me know. As much as you may perceive me as an enemy, I am praying for God’s very best for your life.
AMEN!
My lying and stealing things is no worse than being an active homo.
I went to a Stand With Orlando rally last night. A tremendous crowd — 750 people, on such short notice -— especially for Johnson City, TN.
The MC told the crowd “Today, we’re all gay— today we’re all LGBT”: an identity of perversion, and I do not believe in that. The song chosen to warm up the crowd was “Imagine” (”Imagine there’s no country -— no possessions -— no religion —— no Heaven”): a creed of denials, and I do not believe in that, either.
I believe the Word of God will stand forever, and His Word is what I had on my sign: “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” And I got a lot of “Thanks-you’s” and huge hugs from mascara’ed boys gone silly and sloppy women gone butch. It all goes to show that, despite what divides us, it’s possible to share a degree of respect and understanding.
And you know what? I believe in that.
>>I blame YOU and people like you for the tragedy in Orlando.
>>The gay muslim in the white house blames those who opposed same sex marriage and men in womens locker rooms.
Notice that blame seems to be the focus for so many angry people. There is an epidemic of blaming in this country. People who are unwilling to take responsibility for their own actions or see responsibility in the obvious perpetrators are desperate to foist their guilt on to someone they dislike. Common targets are Christians, white people, rich people, straight people, men, conservatives, married people, people with jobs who pay taxes.
Ps 107:17
17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
NIVRom 1:22
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
NIV
The “community” of PROUD transumanist/postgenderist perverts operating collectively in the Spirit of anti-Christ isn’t looking for “respect and understanding” with the body of Christ any more than the members of the crowd outside Lot’s house were looking for “respect and understanding” with the angels they wanted to Sodomize.
>>And you know what? I believe in that.
What did Lot's wife, the recovering feminist, believe in just before she turned into a pilar of salt?
I almost out a rainbow flag on my Facebook Sunday. Almost. These were innocent people who had families and friends. They should not be dead.
I don’t know that the last thoughts of Lot’s wife are given to us in the Holy Scripture.
I rather doubt, though, that she turned toward Sodom with the Word of God on her lips, and a prayer for the conversion of the Sodomites in her heart. If such were the case, she would not have been condemned.
I wish we had a clever way to take back the Rainbow.
I envision two stately figures, like classical Greco-Roman statues, one clearly male and the other clearly female. They’d be standing, as it were, a few feet from each other, looking straight forward, he with his left hand extended and she with her right, each holding up one end of a rainbow arching over their heads.
Written on the rainbow (or maybe over it) would the the words, “ Male and female: what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”
I have it visualized in my mind’s eye, but haven’t the talent to produce it.
Gen 1916 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.
...
23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah — from the Lord out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities — and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
NIV
YMMV.
>>If such were the case, she would not have been condemned.
Gen 19:17
17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”
NIV
“Don’t look back”.
Pretty simple.
God didn’t say - Go seek unity and understanding with the Sodomites. His Word is CLEAR on that, too.
The point is he told her to sin no more. He addressed her sin and held her accountable to stop it.
The survivor, Angel Colon who spoke today said the words “Grace of God”.
He survived for a reason. My prayer for him is that he repents, and finds the Lord Jesus who saved him - and will save him forever if he asks.
On the other hand, God did say to go out into the wilderness and seek the lost sheep.
And to bear witness to His Word whether convenient of inconvenient.
Luke 11:17
17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall."
NIV
But the omniscient, thought knowing, Creator of the Universe in temporal form - was not a witness, you say?
John 4:17-18
17 "I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
NIV
Seems to have witnessed those 5 husbands.
Anyhow -
=================
17 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves.
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."=================
Rebuke. Repent. Forgive.
What does this mean?
>>My prayer for him is that he repents,
>>and finds the Lord Jesus who saved him - and will save him forever if he asks.
Amen.
You must first recognize that there is nothing GAY about your affliction.
But the self-congratulatory text you've pasted on numerous threads related to Orlando doesn't mention anything about witnessing the Gospel to them and articulating the truth about the nature of the REPENTANT body of Christ.
Maybe you left that out in between hugs and expressions of mutual whatever.
=================
17 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. 2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 So watch yourselves.
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."=================
Rebuke. Repent. Forgive.
What does this mean?
Maybe you should have been there!
I undoubtedly don’t express myself as well as I ought to do.
I would definitely post it.
>>My message is that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy and transformation,
And that is true.
But the body of the “community” operating in the spirit of anti-Christ doesn’t WANT transformation from sin.
What they and their apostate church body want is permission to sin.
Big difference - Rooted in the covetous envy held by the Satanic prince of this world, and his apostate church, toward Jesus Christ and His church, which is the body of all who repentantly accept and live in Christ’s grace.
Forgiveness of sin is NOT permission to sin.
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