January 15, 2013

Should Preaching About Homosexuality Be a Priority?

Louie Giglio, pastor of the Passion City Church in Atlanta, was invited to deliver the benediction during the President’s inauguration. He has since withdrawn from participating in the event after some “gay-rights” advocates protested. The following quote was included in the article linked above. It is from a sermon of Giglio’s from the 1990’s and was the cause of the opposition against his participation in the inauguration.

“If you look at the counsel of the word of God, Old Testament, New Testament, you come quickly to the conclusion that homosexuality is not an alternative lifestyle… homosexuality is not just a sexual preference, homosexuality is not gay, but homosexuality is sin. It is sin in the eyes of God, and it is sin according to the word of God. You come to only one conclusion: homosexuality is less than God’s best for his creation.”

I know nothing about anything else Giglio teaches or has taught, but his remarks above about homosexuality being a sin are exactly correct. In every dispensation, homosexuality has been an abomination in the eyes of God. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were utterly destroyed for this sin (Genesis 19:4-13; Jude 7). The Law of Moses clearly condemned the practice: “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22; cf. 20:13). Even in the New Testament, homosexuality is said to be “unnatural,” “indecent,” and “contrary to sound teaching” (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Timothy 1:10). Paul told the brethren in Corinth that the sin of homosexuality, if not repented of and abandoned, would prevent one from inheriting the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9).
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November 7, 2012

Did God Put Barack Obama in the White House?

Many Christians are disappointed in the outcome of the recent Presidential election in which Barack Obama was reelected for another four year term. But despite their disappointment, many have concluded that it must have been God’s will for the President to be reelected. They believe that the Lord must have some plan and a reason why He put Barack Obama back in the White House. The passage often cited by those who speak this way is in Daniel.

“This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel 4:17, NKJV).

However, it is important to note that the time in which Daniel prophesied was different than the time in which we live. While God had a direct hand in raising rulers and overthrowing governments in the time of Daniel, we should not immediately conclude that He is working in the same way today. I wrote about this in a previous article. For the sake of time, I will quote from a portion of that article here:
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April 11, 2012

Why Satan Is More Successful than the Atheists

It seems that atheists have become more militant of late in trying to persuade others to join them in their non-belief of God. While some might be convinced to convert to the atheists’ faith (atheism is most certainly a faith because it is rooted in the belief, not the provable fact, that there is no God), most will reject their teaching. If the goal is to get people to forfeit their chance at salvation, Satan is far more successful than the atheists are.

Why is Satan more successful? He has a more appealing offer than the atheists have. Case in point: I recently read an article about the Atheist Agenda group at a college in Texas. The group set up a table on campus and promised to give free pornography for anyone willing to give up a Bible in exchange. The article noted that this event which started in 2008, attracting lots of attention early on, has barely been noticed this year. The reason is simple: Very few people will surrender their Bibles and embrace atheism (or at least consider it), in exchange for free pornography.

The atheists offer an either/or proposition. You can either have the Bible or you can have pornography You can either believe in God or reject God. Satan is more successful because he does not offer an either/or proposition; he offers a both/and proposition.
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March 22, 2012

Contraceptives, Abortion, and Infanticide

Birth Control Pills

Abortion has long been a hot topic in our society. Recently, contraceptives and infanticide have joined it. The issue over contraceptives started getting a lot of attention after a Georgetown law student testified before a Congressional committee to argue that others should pay for her contraceptives. Regarding infanticide, a pair of “ethicists” have argued recently that “after-birth abortions” are reasonable and acceptable in certain cases. What these three topics have in common – contraceptives, abortion, and infanticide – is that they all have to do with human reproduction.

When addressing these issues, it is important that we do so from a Biblical perspective. Below are two verses that are good to keep in mind as we begin to consider these things:

“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6).

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:3-5).

Man is made in the image of God. This certainly applied to the first man – Adam (Genesis 1:27) – but the verse above makes it clear that it applies to every individual that descended from Adam as well. The second passage reminds us of the fact that children are a blessing from God. Though many in our culture view children as a burden or a necessary evil, Christians are to have a different perspective and cherish each child.
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May 23, 2011

Why the Interest in Judgment Day Predictions?

According to Harold Camping, May 21, 2011 was supposed to be the Judgment day. Here we are, a couple days later, and we are still waiting for the Judgment. This was not the first time for Camping to make such a prediction. He is also not the only one who has presumed to announce the date of this event. Despite all of the failed prophecies, there are still many people willing to believe that someone like Camping has figured out the date of the final Judgment. They ignore the Scriptures that say, “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matthew 24:36), and “the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:10). But why?
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April 6, 2011

The Religion of Peace

The adherents of Islam and their sympathizers spend a lot of effort trying to paint Islam as a “religion of peace.” The well-documented history of terrorist attacks carried out in the name of Allah make it difficult to defend this position. An examination of the Quran does not help either, as it calls for Muslims to “fight and slay the infidel wherever you find them” (Quran 9:5).

The latest black mark against this “religion of peace” comes in the response to Terry Jones burning a copy of the Quran. This man is a relative nobody in a tiny church in Florida. His actions in burning a copy of the Quran are so insignificant that it is an embarrassment that the media actually reported on it. Yet they did and word has spread far and wide about this event. Since then, Muslims on the other side of the globe in Afghanistan have responded by rioting and murdering dozens of people who are connected to Terry Jones only in that they are non-Muslims (infidels).
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March 14, 2011

Reminders from the Tragedy in Japan

An elderly man looks for his house through the rubble in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan.It is truly sad to read news reports and see pictures and videos of the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunami that occurred in northern Japan. While our hearts go out to the victims and our prayers are for all those affected, it is also important to remember some important lessons that this tragedy teaches us.

Riches are uncertain — Paul told Timothy, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us will all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). The material possessions we currently have are not guaranteed to remain in the future. While we may use and enjoy the things of this life, we must remember that they are not of lasting significance. Jesus said, “not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Therefore, He says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
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