In The Wake Of Legalization of Same-Sex "Marriage" : Advice To Pastors & Churches, Presidential Hopefuls Views, & July Conference On The Bible & Homosexuality

EVENT:  July 10-12
Truth Community Church is planning a conference entitled:
The Bible and Homosexuality: Calling the Church to Courageous Confidence in Christ.
They are planning to live-stream it for those who do not live in the vicinity of Cincinnati.


Presidential Candidates' views on legalized Homosexual "marriage":
Huey Report

John MacArthur's Advice To Pastors
In case some of you missed John MacArthur's open letter to graduates of The Master's Seminary in California in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent ruling, it has some good advice for pastors that is worth reading (even for those of us who are not pastors).
Open Letter To TMS Graduates

Advice To Protect Churches & Christian Ministries
While I want to clearly distance myself from the AFA, I thought the advice for protecting churches and ministries could be helpful:
What Churches Should Do To Protect Themselves (on the issue of marriage)

Supreme Court Rules on "Marriage" - Are We Shocked?

Many a man is shocked and startled at the first sight of wickedness — and yet becomes at last so accustomed to see it, that he views it with comparative unconcern. 
- J.C. Ryle       

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that all 50 states must allow for homosexual "marriage."  The ruling was 5 to 4. 
Those who practice homosexuality will rejoice, but those of us who truly belong to Jesus mourn.

Abraham's nephew Lot lived in a land that was at ease and flaunted immorality.
2 Peter 2:7-8 shows us that before Lot was rescued from the just judgment of God that came on that place, his righteous soul was tormented by their lawless deeds.

The temptation and pressure will come to capitulate and accept sin and twist Scripture to the culture.  Exposure desensitizes us to sin.  Humanism and socialism try to establish new "truths" that really are like the Serpent's words to Eve making her think that she could be like God.

Entertainment bombards us with acceptance of immorality, and public education has done its best to gain acceptance for behavior that is unrighteous.
We as Christians need to be saturated in the Word of God, and to be willing to risk ridicule in showing true love by exposing people to the truth about sin, righteousness and judgment.  Romans 1 is happening, and we must not forget that this is not the first time it has happened.  God promised not to flood the world again, but the fires of hell are ready. 

Christians are Light in the Lord, and we must walk as children of light exhibiting holy behavior and exposing evil and proclaiming truth.  There is only one way to be saved from eternal wrath.  No human court's decision will stop the final Court's decision, but God's love provided a way that wrath could be appeased for all who repent and put their trust in the Savior Jesus Christ who was 100% God and 100% man.
He was born of a virgin - the perfect unblemished Lamb Who appeased the wrath of God by a sacrifice that would offer satisfaction and forgiveness for those who believe. 
He  died taking punishment for sin and rose from the dead for justification (Romans 4:25).  Those who trust in Him will have eternal life, and you will know their faith is real as He changes their desires and produces fruit.

A pastor I had back in California a number of years ago spoke of a time when they might come for him.  Yes, pressure will be put on pastors to capitulate and perform weddings that are blasphemous against God (as marriage is a picture of His relationship and covenant with His bride the church). 
Pastors may have to decide whether to abandon performing weddings eventually.

Justice Kennedy says about same-sex couples & marriage, ".... it would disparage their choices and diminish their personhood to deny them this right."
So, are there any choices that he would deny anybody with that worldview? 
Certainly many choices that people make are harmful to themselves and others. 
Homosexuality harms people, adultery and fornication and any immorality or impurity harm people...not only the individuals themselves, but it has a ripple effect to their health and everyone in their sphere.
What utter nonsense to say that not sanctioning unnatural and harmful and sinful behavior denies personhood.  If you truly love somebody, you don't endorse their delusions.

Professing to be wise, many people become fools.  They want to be gods, and so they prefer to give up absolute truth and create a fantasy world....otherwise they might have to acknowledge their accountability to their Creator.

I'll leave you with the following links with lessons from Sodom:

Remember Lot - He Lingered

A Woman To Be Remembered - Lot's Wife
 

Being a Berean & Unapologetic Truth

Not long ago I got into a small kerfuffle over the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

This book has infiltrated the Christian world under the guise of being a devotional.
I'm sharing the following link and video, and ask that you consider what they say about the book.

Challies Book Review of Jesus Calling




John MacArthur Speaking the Truth Unapologetically

The following video from when John MacArthur was on Larry King's program in the past is the kind of response that we want from Christian leaders in the church today.
Too often we get the wishy-washy let's try to please everybody garbage that often spews from the mouths of so-called Christians.
 Way to go, John MacArthur!
 

Posted by Iglesia Venga Tu Reino on Thursday, August 9, 2012

Response to Charleston Shooting & Ray Comfort Debuts Dramatic Film

What happened in Charleston, SC was horrific, but throwing more gun regulation legislation is not the answer for the core issue. 

Murder comes from the heart and all premeditated and intentional murder is the result of hate.
What this nation needs is not another gun law.  This nation needs to hear the Law & the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Only God can regenerate a hardened heart. 

I would love to see the Confederate flag removed from the old South as it stands for racism and disunity, but hate in the heart cannot be removed as easily as a flag.  Prejudice is not only a white issue, as prejudice lies in the hearts of people of every shade of skin.  Sin is in the very nature of humankind since the Fall in the garden of Eden. Stereotyping an entire group of people due to skin color is something that must be battled against.   We are all related through the first couple.  We are all related to each other no matter how distantly. 

Those who belong to Christ know that in Him there is no distinction in the Christian's relationship to God (Romans 10:12; Colossians 3:11; Galatians 3:28).

Only those redeemed by the Lord have a new nature that God has given us when He regenerated us and saved us by His grace.  While we still battle sin, it should not characterize a child of God (1 John 2:9-11). Also, in James 2 I read that we should not show favoritism.  Should this not reach to the idea of not only wealth, but also in physical appearance? 
But still, there will be those in this world who come with evil motives who are by nature children of wrath. 
We may ask God's forgiveness for those who do us evil, but regeneration and repentance come before the washing away of sins that God does.

I believe in the death penalty, and I believe in justice.  I also think it wise for churches to adopt security measures such as the ones found Here.

Here was what John MacArthur had to say about the events of Charleston, SC.

 

Ray Comfort & Living Waters have a new movie Audacity (Love Can't Stay Silent) available for a purchased download on June 24th, 2015, a couple of months before its release on YouTube.

This is a new kind of movie for them as it involves a script with actors, and it deals with homosexuality / homosexuals. 
Dove & Gospel Spam both have good things to say about it.

http://www.audacitymovie.com/


 

Your Social Media Footprint & Persecution

What are you most known for?

What if your social media footprint was all that you left for the world to see? Would it point people to God? Would it honor Him?

Would you be most know for your love of sports, movies, political views, favorite singers or groups, snarky or witty comments, favorite foods, the games you play, or your squabbles with others?

Would your legacy be mostly about how you entertained yourself?
Not all entertainment is bad unless it turns into idolatry or causes you to sin in some other way, but how much time do we spend promoting our hobbies and temporal things and how much time do we spend on what counts for eternity and our spiritual growth?

If you are a Christian, are you known for conforming to the crowd and gaining acceptance over whatever is considered popular?
Do you try to fit in, or do you stand up for an absolute morality that may fly in the face of current trends?
Are you know for advancing God's kingdom, edifying believers and contending for Biblical truth and authority?

If it became illegal to spread the Gospel, would it make a ripple effect of difference for you? 
Would there even be enough evidence to convict you from your past record?

What if it was illegal to meet with other Christians without being regulated by the government?
In some countries it is.
In some countries you will not only risk a loss in popularity or followers online for what you believe, you risk your freedom and even your life.
One such country that has faced this is Uzbekistan.
 

Uzbekistan: Why are evangelicals being persecuted? from The Voice of the Martyrs Canada on Vimeo.

I recently saw the following video clip shared on Facebook, and for all Christians who wonder how we should respond when persecution comes this is a helpful message.

The Almost Things

Today I was trying to remove the wheels on my chair to clean what accumulates and keeps it from rolling as well.  I spent so much time getting nowhere on the back wheels after completing the front ones with much effort.  My back was hurting and my surgery arm  and my hands didn't like it much. 

Finally my Dad came to help, so one of us would twist and the other was to hold tight. Well, we didn't have the best tool for one side at first, so the wrench ended up slipping and pinching my finger.

Later, I was flipping the chair to the other side and BANG!  It clunked down very hard right toward my Dad's feet!  I was frightened that it would hit them, but I'm thankful that he was able to move his feet out of the way fast enough.
It made me start to think of how I would have felt if it had hit to say nothing of how he would have felt! 

How many times in life do we have near misses and disasters?  How many times does God overrule the "could have happened" in our lives?
God's children are immortal until God sovereignly takes us home.  And then we are truly immortal.  Even "accidents" are not accidents to Him, as He can override even our mistakes, sins, and carelessness.  We should not put God to the test, but it should comfort us that we can't thwart His plans for us.
 

Voddie's Move, Free Fathers Day Audiobook, International Resource & International Pastoral Training Centers

Voddie Baucham is moving with his wife and seven of their kids to Zambia. The following video is their explanation of their move:

Fathers Day is this month, and I saw that Tim Challies  shared about this free John MacArthur audiobook about  being a Dad who leads.    So, if you are a father or know a father, this might be something to check out and share (It is only good for June 2015):
Being a Dad Who Leads

Got Questions?  While I  cannot vouch for every single article on the Got Questions site as I haven't read them all, I have found it quite useful for responding to people online about Biblical questions.  Not too long ago I discovered they have it translated into many languages.  I believe it is worth sharing.
Check it out!
Got Questions International

The Master's Academy International:  You are likely familiar with John MacArthur and The Master's Seminary which trains pastors / church leaders in California.  Did you know that there are now schools based in other countries?
 

The Master's Academy training centers are currently in:

Albania
Croatia
Czech Republic
Germany
Honduras
India
Italy
Malawi
Mexico
New Zealand
Philippines
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
Spain
Switzerland
Ukraine
USA - Russian Community
USA - Spanish Community