Perverted Biblical Love

 

I’m not one to be controversial, but silence in the presence of perverted Biblical love, a cancerous growth destroying Godly morality, is no longer an option. God help us.

Reported in The TEXAN, April 26, 2023, by Cameron Abrams: New Braunfels Church to Host ‘Family-Friendly’ Drag Show - Texas continues to see "family-friendly" drag shows at churches, but lawmakers are taking steps to restrict children's attendance at such events. A local Texas church is set to host a “family friendly” drag show on May 6 that is open to children. Faith Church in New Braunfels has received from the United Church of Christ a designation as an Open and Affirming church, which denotes their “welcome into their full life and ministry to persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.” “As an open and affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, we actively seek to express Jesus’ inclusive embrace of all people,” reads Faith Church’s website. On its Facebook page for the event, the church affirmed that children are welcome to be in attendance. The history of the United Church of Christ includes ordaining the first women and openly gay pastors. Faith Church further emphasizes “inclusive love” and performed same-sex unions decades before the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that made same-sex marriages legal throughout the country, saying that “the church voted to publicly proclaim what we had been practicing for a while.” They have openly encouraged a variety of other LGBT events, including promoting a college scholarship fund exclusively for applicants who identify as LGBT and an “interfaith pride worship service.” Churches and community centers in Texas that host “family-friendly” drag events have become a frequent point of contention. A drag show bingo event in North Texas garnered national attention when a video of the event showed children collecting money from drag performers. Drag show events have been a continued topic of conversation across the country, and Texas legislators have filed multiple bills in response to the pervasive incidents in which children have been present at sexually explicit drag events. The Senate recently passed Sen. Bryan Hughes’ (R-Mineola) Senate Bill (SB) 12 that would restrict “certain sexually oriented performances on public property, on the premises of a commercial enterprise, or in the presence of a child,” punishing them as Class A misdemeanors. His SB 1601 also passed, which aims to ban “Drag Queen Story Hour” events by restricting public funds from municipal libraries that host such events. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has made banning children’s exposure to drag shows a priority for this legislative session. After the Senate passed SB 12, Patrick took to social media to celebrate: “Someone must fight back against the radical Left’s degradation of our society and values.”

[1 John 2:15-18] The churches of Christ are devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity. It is not our mission to be another denomination, but rather to urge all religious people to return to God’s simple plan. It is our conviction that this is the solution to the problems that confront a divided “Christendom.” We desire that ultimately the church for which Christ died may supersede all the movements of men, and that His people may be one in every sense of the Word. May His church shine again in all its beauty. No book but the Bible; No creed but the Christ; No name but the divine; No plea but the gospel; No aim but to save; In Christ – unity; In opinions – liberty; In all things charity (love). Churches of Christ of the Bible are in no way affiliated with the United Church of Christ of the world! Rest assured I am devoted only to Biblical principles.

Lay Your Burdens Down

 

Three burly fellows on motorcycles pulled up to a highway café where a truck driver, just a little guy, was perched on a lunch-counter stool quietly eating. As the three fellows came into the eatery, they spotted him, grabbed his food away from him and laughed in his face. The truck driver said nothing. He got up, paid for his food, and walked out. One of the three cyclists, unhappy that he hadn’t succeeded in provoking the little guy into a fight, commented to the waitress, “Boy, he sure isn’t much of a man, is he?” The waitress replied, “Well, I guess not.” Then, looking out the front window she added, “I guess he’s not much of a truck driver either. He just ran over three motorcycles in the parking lot.”

One day a visiting farmer leaned on the fence surrounding a farm while he watched an older farmer plowing his field with a mule. After a while, the visitor said, “I don’t like to tell people how to run their business, but you could save yourself a lot of work by saying ‘Gee’ and ‘Haw’ to the mule instead of just tugging on those lines.” The old farmer pulled a big handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. Then he said, “Reckon you’re right, but that mule kicked me five years ago and I ain’t spoke to him since.”

Two monks on a pilgrimage came to the ford of a river. There they saw a girl dressed in all her finery, obviously not knowing what to do since the river was high and she did not want to spoil her clothes. Without second thought, one of the monks took the young lady upon his back, carried her across the river and placed her on dry ground. Then the monks continued on their journey. After an hour had passed the other monk began to complain, “Surely it was not right to touch that woman; it is against the commandments for us to have close contact with a woman. How could you go against the rules for the conduct of monks?” The monk who carried the girl across the river continued to walk along silently, but finally remarked, “I set her down by the river over an hour ago. Why are you still carrying her?”

One of the hardest things we must do is to let go of something from the past. Someone does us wrong and seeks forgiveness, but we want to keep carrying the memory. When rationally observed, a grudge is harder on the one holding it than the one it is being held against. Or maybe we made a mistake, and we can’t seem to stop beating ourselves up, despite the fact that we have done what God says to do to be forgiven. We don’t want to keep carrying the memory (and the guilt), but we do. In fact, it seems more difficult to forgive ourselves than to forgive others. “A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty, but a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them” (Proverbs 27:3).

[Colossians 3:13] The apostle Paul declared, “…bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you must do.” If God through His mercy will forgive you your sins – surely, we can forgive those who have offended us. Paul also said, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul had to forget his past achievements, as an esteemed Jewish leader. He also had to forget his past failures, which included his persecution of the Lord’s church, and the imprisonment and killing of the Lord’s people. Are you still carrying today what you should have set down a long time ago? Take your burden to Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30).

No Technicalities

 

In the world we live in, a person can be found guilty or innocent despite the truth. Prosecutors look for any angle to convict while defense attorneys look for any loophole to help their clients “get off”. Many times, only the victim, the accused and God know what the real truth is. Where does that leave the bystanders and the jurors? They must look at all the facts and evidence presented by both sides and try to draw an honest and reasonable conclusion for their own conscience’s sake. I’ve seen the time that the bystander and the juror never felt 100% certain about the outcome of trial.

[1 Corinthians 4:5] “…judge nothing before he appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”  That will never happen on the Day of Judgment. Everyone will know the good and the bad as there will be nothing hidden. “Nothing is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). There are many other Scriptures that show that there will be full disclosure and a fair hearing on the Day of Judgment. Does that mean that we aren’t to assess our life from time to time? No. We do the best we can in an honest and fair fashion. “Test everything. Hold on to the good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Think about what the Lord said in Revelation 2:2, “I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance. I know you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them false.” The Lord commended the brethren who tested people and their actions and words. That isn’t un-Christian. It is just prudent behavior. We must always be fair in our assessments. Sometimes they must be made. Nevertheless, no matter what conclusions we reach, we can take comfort that one day the Most Righteous Judge will mete out justice. There will be no slick defense attorney or unfair prosecutor. The guilty will be prosecuted. The faithful will be rewarded. Which side of judgment do you stand on this day?

Captain John Callender of the Massachusetts Militia was found guilty of cowardice at the Battle of Bunker Hill. George Washington had to order his court martial. Callender re-enlisted in the Army as a private, and at the Battle of Long Island exhibited such conspicuous courage that Washington publicly revoked the previous sentence and restored his captaincy. It’s the same way in the Lord’s army. We can start over. We may feel that our actions and deeds are such that seeking to live for Jesus is useless. We try, and then stumble. We try, and then do something that seems to blot out that effort and we want to simply quit. But it’s never too late to start over while breath is still in us.

[1 John 1:9] “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Peter was one who went to sleep when the Lord needed him, denied the Lord, and followed him from a distance. Yet in the beginning of the church, who preached the first sermon? Who was the strong leader among the disciples in the early history of the church? It was Peter! For many of us who have failed Jesus as often as Peter did, we would have said we can’t start again, But Peter demonstrated that we can try again and succeed. Each new day is an opportunity to start over. The sight of the rising sun is a beautiful reminder that we have a new and marvelous beginning ahead of us. It is an opportunity to overcome the mistakes and wrong doings of yesterday. Don’t get discouraged when you do not live up to the goals you set for yourself. It's not too late to set new goals with the salvation of Christ in mind – and start over.

You Could Change The World

 

The book “The Kid Who Changed The World” by Andy Andrews is based on the Butterfly Effect. The idea is that every time something happens, something else happens. When a butterfly flaps its wings, it moves tiny pieces of air, which then moves other tiny pieces of air. Essentially, every little thing you do has some type of impact on the world around you. What you did yesterday, today, and what you will do tomorrow matters. Norman Borlaug is the kid who changed the world, because he decided as a child, growing up on a farm, that all the corn they had could be used to feed the hungry people of the world. Norman learned all he could about plants throughout his school years. Then he was hired by a man named Henry Wallace to develop special seeds which would grow into super plants to help feed the hungry. He did, and two billion people were fed! But Henry Wallace was actually the kid who changed the world, because as a child, he learned all he could about plants from a man named George. Henry learned so much he became the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, George was actually the kid who changed the world, because while at Iowa State on the weekends, George would take his professor’s son, Henry Wallace, around campus teaching him all about plants. But really, Susan Carver was the one who profoundly changed the world, because she and her husband Moses rescued a child who they eventually adopted. His name was George Washington Carver. No matter how old or young we are, we impact the world around us. May our impact be like Lois, Eunice, and Timothy! (2 Timothy 1:3-7).

[Isaiah 59:1-2] From the time of the first sin (Genesis 3) when Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit, people have separated themselves from God by transgressing His Law. God is Holy (1 Peter 1:16), that is, He is separate from sin, so when I defile myself by committing sin, I create a barrier between God and myself. Sin severs my relationship with God. Each person who has the ability to understand right from wrong at some point chooses to sin, thus creating this barrier (Romans 3:23; 7:7-12). The amazing thing about God’s love for us is that even though we are responsible for severing the oneness we once had with Him, He is the one who acted first to restore the relationship (John 3:16; 1 John 4:19). Atonement is when God takes actions to restore His relationship with us. “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws on their minds and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I shall be merciful to their righteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:10-12). The actions that God took for atonement involved the sending of His Son, Jesus the Christ, who knew no sin, to shed His blood for us on the cross, paying our debt for sin (Romans 5:6-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Revelation 5:10). Upon those acts of atonement, the new covenant has been established. Aren’t you thankful that God took the necessary steps to make it possible for you to be at one with Him again? That He is willing to be merciful toward your unrighteousness and no longer remember your iniquities? Are you willing to respond to God’s atoning through Jesus by obeying the Gospel? They asked Peter, “…what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent, …be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:37-38). Have you clothed yourself with Christ? (Galatians 3:27). With His laws in your heart and on your mind, your life could change the world.

Is Our Savior Sleeping?

 

A grandmother and a little girl, whose face was sprinkled with bright red freckles, spent the day at the zoo. Children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws. As they approached a boy in line cried out, “You’ve got so many freckles, there’s no place to paint on your cheek!” Embarrassed the little girl dropped her head. Her grandmother knelt down next to her, “I love your freckles,” she said. “Not me,” the girl replied. “Well, when I was a little girl, I always wanted freckles,” she said tracing her finger across the child’s cheek. “Freckles are beautiful!” The little girl looked up, “Really?” “Of course,” said the grandmother. “Just name me one thing that’s prettier than freckles.” The little girl peered into the old woman’s smiling face and answered softly, “Wrinkles.” How wonderful it is when those who are filled with wisdom, stoop down and spill over. How wonderful it is when those just learning to spread their wings can see the beauty in those who have flown so long.

[John 14:27-28] At times fear can be so convincing that one truly believes that the worst-case scenario is somehow inevitable. Think about a specific event or experience where you were afraid of something that never came to fruition. The grip of anxiety can be debilitating as you wait for your medical test results to come in. You agonize over the poor quality of life you might have if there is ever an unexpected economic collapse. You’re robbed of sleep as you imagine the potential horrible outcomes that may never happen. These things may never happen because the Lord could come. They may never happen because whatever you’re afraid of - it’s simply worse in your own mind. It may never happen because God has proven Himself to be one who calms the storm instead of letting you perish. I believe we would all benefit from recalling those occasions in our past where fear proved unnecessary, and we worked ourselves up for nothing!

If the fear in your life has a big appetite and it’s devouring all your time and peace, maybe it’s time to feed something else. Sitting Bull once said, “Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil and the other is good. They fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins, I answer, ‘the one I feed the most.’” How vividly this illustrates a daily struggle for so many. Fear and faith will scrap with one another until we decide which one will win.

Do you think our faith would emerge victorious every day if we could physically witness God’s power, but in a miraculous way? If my own eyes could witness Jesus bring the dead back from the grave, cast out a demon, or walk on stormy waters, then I would never worry again. Or would I? Seeing Jesus perform miracles never made anyone perfect. His disciples were far from perfect, and they stood feet from the Savior while He did things only God could do. On one occasion Jesus calms the storm after being abruptly awakened by His terrified followers (Mark 4:35-41). There are some details about this account that will help us feed our faith when fear threatens to win the day. * First, our cries to God, even in the desperate times, are heard. The disciples exclaim, “Don’t you care that we’re about to die?” Following this fearful plea, Jesus demonstrates a fraction of His awesome power. After all, what is calming a stormy sea to the One who spoke every drop of water into existence? * Second, excessive fear of anything in this world is a foolish mistake. God is bigger and greater than our worries. * Third, God is not asleep. It may seem like He is when we don’t feel optimistic about the future, but it’s when we recognize that He’s the only answer to our peace - then He will calm our storm. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks… (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).