June 24, 2014
Why is it that we humans learn nothing
from history? ... Referring to the title, we look to the city of Sodom and
Gomorrah as just one example of a society that 'fell to the depths' concerning
their moral behavior. .. Blatant sexual
perversion and immorality was the order of the day for most all who
lived there. ... And what happened? ... God's judgement fell upon them and destroyed
them. (see Genesis 19) ... We've also
seen this same result in most every other society of the past that followed the
same pattern - Rome being a classic example. ...
With this in mind, let's look at what
happened just this week in America. ... To start, the Pew Research Center had
this story on June 19th ..."Where Christian Churches, other religions
stand on 'Gay' Marriage." .. The opening paragraph said this ... "The
Presbyterian Church (USA) plans to hold a historic vote on same-sex marriage
this week that could reverberate beyond the church's nearly 2 million
members. Church leaders gathering in
detroit are expected to decide as early as today whether to allow 'gay'
marriage or to continue to prohibit it, a move some Christian leaders believe
could influence other centrist and liberal mainline protestant churches as they
grapple with the issue." ...... The next day we saw this headline from the
Associated Press ... "Presbyterian Assembly: 'Gay' Marriage is Christian." ..... I'll
share some final thoughts as to my take on this in a bit ....
Did any of us ever expect to see this
kind of thing happening in this land, or in our churches? ... Well sadly, it is
quickly becoming the norm across the entire spectrum of America's moral
landscape. .. Let me for a moment share with you a few other stories that have
taken place in just these past few days concerning this issue ...
*June 12th - World Net Daily - "U.S. Ambassador flies 'Gay' flag in
Tel Aviv"
*June 14th - Huffington Post - "Hallmark releases 'Gay' Father's
Day E-card"
*June 15th - The Daily Caller - "Public Universities around the
country allow 'specific tributes' to 'gay' graduates"
*June 16th - Newsmax - "Obama to sign order barring federal
discrimination against 'gays' "
*June 17th - World Net Daily - "5-year-olds taught to celebrate
'Queer Pride' in Oakland, California"
*June 18th - World Net Daily - "Judicial appointments of
homosexuals surge"
.... And this is just in the past few
days! .... It is becoming the accepted 'way of life' in America's society, and
its churches as well. ... Sadly, the comment in the Presbyterian Church'
article is true concerning the centrist and liberal church bodies as to
succumbing to this blatant acceptance of sinful lifestyles entering into their
midst. ... I have Christian friends and acquaintances whose churches are
considering the same issues. ... For those who have a solid basic knowledge of
Bible teaching, they absolutely know this stuff is wrong ... but here is the
huge problem! ... The majority of Americans in today's churches don't have that
knowledge and therefore willingly accept the very things that will ultimately
not only bring their churches to their knees, but also will destroy the land
they live in!
Let me next give you some 'ammunition' to
use to combat this sinful onslaught .... Bible verses you can use to share with
those that really don't know and are searching ... I will only share one
complete one, but will list the rest for you to look up on your own. ... 1
Corinthians 6:9-10 says this ... "Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immortal
nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor
thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit
the kingdom of God." ...... Additional verses are Genesis 19:1-29 (Sodom
and Gomorrah) - Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 - Matthew 15:19 - Acts 15:20, 29 - Acts
21:25 - Romans 1:24-29 - Romans 13:13 - 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 - 1 Corinthians
6:9-10, 13, 18-20 - 1 Corinthians 10:8 - Galatians 5:19 - Ephesians 5:3 -
Colossians 3:5 - 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 - 1 Timothy 1:8-11 - 2 Timothy 3:1-5 -
Jude 4, 7 - Hebrews 12:16, 13:4 - Revelation 2:14, 20 - Revelation 9:21 -
Revelation 21:8 - Revelation 22:12-16. .... I know this is a lot of verses, but
isn't it our job to know these things so that we can combat the evil that is
creeping into both our nation and our churches? ... Take your time ... learn
them, and then use them. .... It just may save someone from the fires of hell!
Because this issue is affecting both our
nation and our churches, let me share a couple of pieces that clearly spell out
the truth of all of this. ... The first is from the year 2007 ... "When
Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate,
everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this was what they heard ...
'Heavenly Father, we come before you
today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. .. We
know Your Word says 'Woe to those who call evil good' but that is exactly what
we have done. .. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our
values. .. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. .. We have
rewarded laziness and called it welfare. .. We have killed our unborn and
called it choice. .. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. .. We
have neglected to discipline our children and called it 'building self-esteem.'
.. We have abused power and called it politics. .. We have coveted our
neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. .. We have polluted the air with
profanity and pornography and called it freedom of speech and expression. .. We
have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
... Search us, oh God, and know our hearts today ... cleanse us from every sin
and set us free .... Amen.' "
And then the church ...
"A certain minister had a reputation
for being eccentric. .. One Sunday morning, he told his congregation that he
believed his church was dead. ... You can imagine the murmurings from the pews
when he said, 'Come back tonight, I'm
going to preach the funeral service of the church.' .... The members were
shocked: The attendance for the evening
service was larger than it had been in years. ....
"In front of the pews was a casket
and as the people sat in stunned silence, the pastor delivered the message. ..
After the last 'amen' the pastor said,
'Some of you may not agree with me that this church is dead. .. So that
you may be convinced, I am going to ask you to view the remains. .. I want you
to file by the casket, one by one, and see who is dead.' .. In preparation for
this unorthodox presentation, the minister had placed a mirror in the bottom of
the casket. .. It is obvious who everyone saw when he came to view the
deceased."
I know I've used these two pieces before,
but I can find nothing that says it more clearly than they do. ... They are
simple and to the point ... just like I like it ... and the simple truth is
this ... as long as we allow all this sin into our society and churches, you
can be sure that the wrath of God will fall on both! ... Sadly, the country may
have already passed the point of no return, and the churches must repent .. and
quickly .. for there to be any hope for them
... but we must remember this ... it is NEVER too late for a person to turn
his or her face to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. ... Remember, there is no sin so deep that His
love isn't deeper .. no life so hopeless
.. no soul so far away .. and no darkness so so dark that His love isn't
greater still .. God is salvation .. God is deliverance .. protection .. rescue
.. freedom .. refuge .. and safety. .... It just begins with receiving .. with
the opening of one's heart .. with the turning away from darkness and to the
light .. with the giving of oneself .. the committing of one's life .. a prayer
.. a decision .. a total and unconditional YES!
...... I love you all and am praying for
you .... and God knows exactly who you are ........
Until next time,
Red