Writings on the Wall Part 4
9Be strong, be brave, be fearless, you are never alone. (Joshus 1:9)
Good morning y’all! Last night, I relaunched a weekly Men’s Bible Study in my neighborhood. I invited several of the Soldiers I deployed with, but only one was able to make the meeting. He is a mighty man of God, an active member of his local church, and an unapologetic born-again Christian. He has an incredible testimony and is always willing to share it with anyone who has ears willing to listen. He shared his testimony to our group last night, which marked about the third time I have heard it, and every time I hear his words of brokenness and rebirth, I am reminded of the love and grace Jesus provides all of us broken sinners.
Launching a Bible Study takes strength, bravery, and a sense of fearlessness. It is the mission of Jesus’ church, and Mrs. Z and I are modeling our mission after the early Christian Church: opening our home up for meetings with fellow Christian hearts to grow and strengthen the Kingdom. Mrs. Z is in the process of organizing and launching her first women’s Bible Study. I know it will be amazing, just like all the content she releases on her amazing blog, Goodness GravyBoats! If you have never read her incredible writings, click the hyperlink in the previous sentence and spend some time soaking in her divine wisdom.
Last night we had some incredible discussion, but there came a point when one of my neighbors brought up homosexuality and how one of his soldiers was gay and an incredible person, soldier, and leader. I took this opportunity to tell the group my beliefs on homosexuality in the Christian faith. It was a brave move, because what I believe clashes with what I see being preached in most Christian Churches. My opinion is one that could easily turn people away from my ministry, but it is what I believe, and I will share it with you below.
The first fact I pointed out, was that if homosexuality was such a huge sin, then Jesus would have spoken against it. Jesus NEVER ONCE speaks a word against homosexuality. He points out many other sins, the greatest that angered and frustrated Him the most was hypocrisy within the church. I see this every day when church leaders preach that we are to be loving and accepting of all people, yet the Christian church shows so much disdain to our homosexual neighbors. The second fact that I pointed out was that I could not fathom my loving, Creator, Father, God creating men and women, giving them a natural attraction to the same sex, and then expecting them to change the love that comes naturally to them to be God’s people. It just does not make sense, and I am all about common sense. I also pointed out that when God came down and delivered the ten most crucial rules for His people to follow, the Ten Commandments, homosexuality was not one of them. And while we overlook those original Ten Commandments, like adultery and honoring our father and mother, the Christian church seems to want homosexuality to be the hill they will die on, instead of holding people accountable for much graver sins. We are either called to love all people, or we are not. There is no in-between. I open my arms to everyone, regardless of their sexuality, sin, religion, or anything else the devil has designed to turn us against one another when we are called to be united in our faith, worship, and stewardship to God.
Common Sense Reborn 