Monday, October 01, 2007

Do Not Neglect to Do Well

Part of doing well in our Christian walk is to avoid anything which leads to compromise, sin, error, falsehood, heresy, or apostasy.





Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,


Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,


Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.


Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,


Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.


Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.


Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.



The closer we get to the last days, the Bible warns us that heresies and apostasy would infiltrate the churches. Some heresies are quite noticable, while others may "creep in unawares."

The gay christian movement of today is one such heresy.

When I was growing up, I never would have ever thought that sexually involved homosexuals would be "ordained" in such public ways. These false prophets and teachers are now indoctrinating a new generation of kids into ignoring the biblical prohibitions against homosexual sin.

As we have seen through the homosexual pederast priest scandal in the Catholic Church, some clergy leaders had chosen to ignore the sexual proclivities of those entering the priesthood and thus kept quiet about those who were found out to be molesting teenaged boys. Now, the devastating consequences have been exposed decades later.

How and why did this happen?

I think that the reason is because many leaders did not heed Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians:

[NKJV from the Blue Letter Bible]






2Th 3:1 FINALLY, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you,


2Th 3:2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.


2Th 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.


2Th 3:4 And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you.


2Th 3:5 Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.


2Th 3:6 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he[fn1] received from us.


2Th 3:7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;


2Th 3:8 nor did we eat anyone's bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,


2Th 3:9 not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.


2Th 3:10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.


2Th 3:11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.


2Th 3:12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.


2Th 3:13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.


2Th 3:14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed


2Th 3:15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.


2Th 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.


2Th 3:17 The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is a sign in every epistle; so I write.


2Th 3:18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Footnotes:
3:6 NU-Text and M-Text read they.



There is an excellent blog called gay christian movement watch which exposes the heresy danger that gay activism within various church denominations pose to orthodox, evangelical Christianity.

The site states:





About Us
Why we write this blog:
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Matthew 7:15 NIV

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 Peter 2:1


False prophets and heresies are issues that are not to be ignored by those saved in Jesus Christ. Whatever methods, reasons, causes, or human desires that a heretic or false prophet wants to bring into the Christian church, they are all destructive and must be opposed.

There are many Christian blogs and websites that are not afraid to counter the false gay christian heresy movement that is attempting to infiltrate many Christian denominations at an alarming rate. The following are just a few. [Note to blog friends: if I neglected to include your blog or website, please include a comment about it (or send an email to me) and I will post it here. Including a link to your blogpost, website or article on this subject would be helpful, too.]

Apologetics.com
gay christian movement watch
Chester Street
4 Simpsons - Eternity Matters
Independent Conservative
Christian Online Magazine
Focus on the Family
Stephen Bennett Ministries
Al Mohler's Blog
Active Christian Media,
Abiding Truth Ministries,
Americans for Truth,
Concerned Women for America
Robert A.J. Gagnon

Added blogs and websites:

Desert Stream Ministries
Alliance Defense Fund

Update: October 23, 2007

Total Transformation

Many of these sites are constantly berated by the pro-gay activism crowd. Those who are caught up in the gay christian lie, either choose to ignore, skew, or re-write the Scripture admonitions against such behavior; or, they are just totally ignorant of God's final Word on the issue of homosexual behavior. It is unequivocably exposed as an abomination and sin before our Creator in the Bible. No amount of persuasion or compromise will ever overcome that fact! People may be individually led astray, and gay churches may form, but there will always be that faithful remnant of God's children who will expose and oppose this heresy.

Though we will face opposition from outside the church, it is the opposition that is growing from within the church that should concern us all. People often compromise on this issue in order to be viewed as "tolerant," "progressive," "accepting" and "loving."

But I must ask: Does God want us to embrace the sin? Or, by the Great Commission, are we to help the sinner realize his/her need to repent?


Jamieson, Fausett, and Brown's commentary on portions of the 2 Thessalonians verses tell us why we must fight against allowing such heresy to gain a foothold in the churches:








13. be not weary--The oldest manuscripts read, "Be not cowardly in"; do not be wanting in strenuousness in doing well. EDMUNDS explains it: Do not culpably neglect to do well, namely, with patient industry do your duty in your several callings. In contrast to the "disorderly, not-working busybodies" ( 2Th 3:11 ; compare Gal 6:9 ).

14. note that man--mark him in your own mind as one to be avoided ( 2Th 3:6 ).
that he may be ashamed--Greek, "made to turn and look into himself, and so be put to shame." Feeling himself shunned by godly brethren, he may become ashamed of his course.

15. admonish him as a brother--not yet excommunicated (compare Lev 19:17 ). Do not shun him in contemptuous silence, but tell him why he is so avoided ( Mat 18:15 1Th 5:14 ).

Psa 101:3
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; [it] shall not cleave to me.


We are not to compromise what is clearly taught in Scripture on this issue.

I commend all the people at the links above who are involved in posting warnings on this very important subject. They are unafraid of the inevitable name-calling that happens when they, (or anyone, for that matter) refuse to compromise on the sin of homosexuality.

Just remember this. When the gay activists come along and call you a "bigot," you can actually thank them for the label. Why? Because for the born-again, Bible-believing Christ-following, striving-for-holiness-and-righteousness believers who choose to be uncompromising truth bearers, the term BIGOT means:

Bible
Is
Gods'
Only
Truth

Psa 101:6 Mine eyes [shall be] upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

4 comments:

Christinewjc said...

Talk about timing! Right after I completed this blogpost, I received the following email from Desert Stream Ministries leader, Andy Comiskey:

Dear Friends,

This is the first of a monthly blast updating you on the 'homosexualization' of our culture and prayerful efforts to the contrary.



The question of whether other states like Massachusetts will legalize gay marriage has yet to be answered in several states, including those states that define marriage as solely between a man and woman.
In California, Connecticut, and Maryland, decisions on the constitutionality of gay marriage will be determined by their Supreme Courts in the near future.

All it takes is a renegade judge to get the ball rolling. Last month, a judge in Iowa threw out his state's ban on gay marriage and began to permit gays to marry. Because his actions were against state law, the door to gay marriage closed quickly. But the judge, declaring that his states ban was unconstitutional, will appeal the ban to a higher court. Gay marriage could become law in Iowa if the state's Supreme Court agrees with the judge.


Pray for true justice to prevail in these cases. Pray that judges would uphold the law of the land whether they agree with it or not. Pray that the USA would not capitulate to gay marriage-it signals a complete loss of moral reality, and casts a shadow of darkness over generations to come.


Pray for the Episcopalian Church as homosexuality continues to fracture the denomination. After a week of talks last week in New Orleans, Episcopal bishops rejected demands by leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion to cease performing rites for same-sex unions and to agree to not ordain any more gay bishops. The Anglican Communion also forbade the practice of conservative congregations who have placed themselves under foreign bishops.

That leaves few options for Episcopalians holding a biblical view of homosexuality. Pray for them as they consider what to do next. Many are good friends of Desert Stream Ministries and awesome expressions of true justice and compassion for same-sex strugglers. May they discover strategies of change that please the Lord.


On a positive note, pray for spreading the good (if not exuberant) news reported by Jones and Yarhouse in their detailed study on ex-gays: "Ex-gays? A Continuing Study on Religiously Mediated Change in Exodus Participants"(IVP). Their efforts seemed similar in intent to past studies but more thorough. Jones and Yarhouse conclude that real change did occur for many participants, though not all, and that the effect of seeking change through Jesus did not cause psychological distress. As popular opposition to our efforts asserts that we inflict distress and provoke no change, Jones and Yarhouse do us a favor.


Will such findings change minds? Not many, I think. But for thoughtful strugglers whom God is wooing, the efforts of Jones and Yarhouse may quicken their process of genuine conversion.

Andy C.
Desert Stream Ministries

John J. Kaiser said...

I am sad to see I didn't make your list of Christian bloggers. :-(

http://totaltransformation.wordpress.com

Christinewjc said...

Adding you right now John! :-)

John J. Kaiser said...

Thanks for adding me.

http://totaltransformation.wordpress.com