I have
been thinking a lot recently – as I’m sure MOST Chiristians have been since
last week’s EPIC Supreme Court decision about Same-sex Marriage. The LGBT Community (activists, not
ALL!) KNOW – because they, like EVERYONE, are made in the image of God, through
their natural conscience - that their actions are indefensible rebellion
against God. Because they refuse to humble themselves and repent (agree with God that their actions are sinful
and turn FROM them) - as EVERYONE must
who comes to Christ to accept His gift of Salvation – of ALL sins (not
EXCLUSIVELY homosexuality), they push
away and out of sight the ones who remind them – simply by their presence (with
or without words) of their deep down
unrighteousness requiring judgment and
so they double down with PRIDE (as with parades, which are getting increasingly
rude, crude and lewd) – basically a form of flipping God and His holiness “the bird.”
After years when they felt locked in the proverbial “closet,” ( due largely to widespread Judeo-Christian values), they now feel they have finally been “set free” and “won” due to an UNCONSTITUTIONAL act of the SUPREME COURT crossing over the legal scope of their jurisdiction [their JOB is to explain and work out the details of laws ON the books, NOT to WRITE laws!].
For many, the issue is finally resolved, and they have what they wanted all along. They are willing to “live and let live.” OK. The First Amendment of our Constitution reminds us that we have freedom of Speech and Religion, even though the battles for both are raging around us and we may not have them for much longer, as we already see them disintegrating beneath our increasingly mud-encased feet! We can agree to disagree and let the battle be the Lord’s while we show them God’s “kindness that leads to repentance.” But we can’t force change on anyone; ultimately it has to be each person’s choice. We can love and pray, but are not responsible for their choice or the consequences thereof. Trying to be sets on our shoulders a burden that the Lord never put there. C.S. Lewis spoke, in his book The Great Divorce, about pity, how it was meant to “be a spur that drives joy to help misery.” But then, one of the characters says that it can go wrong, describing it as “blackmail” in order to get one’s way (“I will choose to be miserable until you give in to my demands”). I love the Heavenly response that we should remember – for this and many other situations and people in our lives. The spirit says to the “tragedian” (“actor”-puppet attached to her former husband visiting her from Hell), “Did you think joy was created to live always under that threat? Always defenseless against those who would rather be miserable than have their self-will crossed?...Can you really have thought that love and joy would always be at the mercy of frowns and sighs? Did you not know that they were stronger than their opposites?” (p. 115-116)
For many of the Militant leaders of the LGBT community, the “win” has only begun to whet their
appetite for the ONGOING agenda. Blackmail is one way they ply many. False pity and a seeming appeal to compassion
and “equity.” And if that doesn’t work, there is outright vindictive hatred toward
those they feel they have at last – and in their eyes, justifiably trounced –
the Christians, whom they feel have been their “slave masters,” keeping them
down for so long. Having a limited – in many
cases (and warped) view of Scripture, they run back to their favorites in an
effort to attack on equal footing: “Judge not lest you be judged,” and “Let him who is without sin cast the first
stone,” ignoring the contexts (and forgetting a few verses down from the
latter, in John 8, where Jesus saves the woman caught in adultery from being
stoned to death, He tells her in parting, “Go and sin no more.”)
This is going to be the beginning of a rocky ride for Christians who have grown complacent, and some even “entitled” and “self-righteous.” And many have. For every believer who knows Jesus and seeks to love and be light and salt in our world, unfortunately, there are others who either being well-meaning give the message of condemnation without the hope of grace, or have fallen for the mistaken pity-threat and feel that it is “compassionate” to go along and agree with same-sex marriage based on “equality” or “fairness” over truth, which can come across as cold and hateful. This is WHY we need to stay close to Jesus when we talk or write to people who have fallen under any one of these “spells” of darkness.
To be fair, I’ve seen some “true believers” coming across badly online as well, which saddens me. I even resorted to sarcasm myself once in response to a particularly virulently hateful comment someone leveled at a friend who responded honestly but kindly. For this I am sorry. I had to remove myself from the fray and plan on apologizing for it. It’s easy to let the flesh take control of the conversation and forget that “the battle is the Lord’s” (2 Chron. 20:15) and that “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6: 12).
But in some ways I think that this may also be the beginning of good things to come for the American Church. As with the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis (chapters 37-50), I believe that while Satan means this new experience of persecution for evil for the Body of Christ, Jesus will mean it for our good and growth – and won’t let go. I just hope that WE don’t! Churches WILL be tested – and SHAKEN! Many will lose their tax-exempt status, pastors may be sued for not marrying same-sex couples, Christian individuals have already started losing or being unable to obtain jobs due to their deeply held beliefs, Christian schools, organizations and businesses may be sued or arrested, forced to close or hire people who (as in the case especially of schools that want to hire people who adhere to a particular “Statement of Faith,”) do NOT believe as they do (it’s already happening to Campus Ministry communities around the country!) though other groups are not held to the same requirement. While in one way these developments will be devastating, in another, it may bring about the “revival” that so many have for so long prayed!
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” is an old saying. Now, while this is not an “ISIS-in-the-Middle-East” kind of persecution (another post for a different time and most surely on the way) and I don’t anticipate actual shedding of blood – I hope – as a result of this new, stepped up persecution, I think it COULD result (if we draw near to Jesus rather than pulling away out of fear or fleshly self-reliance!) in a number of POSITIVE outcomes for the church. Among them some of the following I hope will see:
1) Christians being drawn closer to the Lord and to His Word. This IS a battle – not against flesh and blood but in the Spiritual realm, and we will NEVER SURVIVE spiritually if we are in “the flesh.” But as we draw closer to God, we WILL be strengthened and even GROW in grace, mercy and peace, and learn to “love our enemy,” which we will NEED to learn for greater battles ahead!
2) Christians realizing our need of each OTHER and gathering together for greater maturity through teaching, comfort and encouragement of fellowship, assistance in difficult times, and UNITY. Basically, returning to what the New Testament Church did in the book of Acts (2:42-47)! [Washington State currently has a dismal regular church attendance rate of 24% - neither the lowest (Vermont at 17%) nor the highest (Utah at 51%), but low nonetheless!]
3) As we start to be who we were called to
being, more people will see our increasing love and ask questions, leading to
more conversions than we have known in many years or even generations! The Spirit WILL once again grow HIS Church in
the BEST way: REVIVAL!
4) The “Sleeping Giant” of the Church will awaken at last as many are awakened from their spiritual slumber and see the needs around them and begin to meet them in Jesus’ Name!
5) As faith begins to arise in believers, we will begin to see what Jesus foretold: that we would do GREATER things than He even did! Miracles of healing – body, mind and spirit – happening, people set free – literally and from drugs and other substances.
6) While there WILL continue to be division as Jesus promised, there will also be, I believe, a spirit of reconciliation like we may never have seen in our day! Families coming back together: parents and children, couples, siblings: all reuniting as a result of first reconciling to God in Christ!
7) God only knows what ELSE might happen as a
result of OUR – the Church as a WHOLE - repentance and reconciliation in His Love! What is impossible in the flesh is possible
in the Holy Spirit with God through Christ!
Those are not predictions or prophesies, but possibilities! With God, ALL
things are possible!
In the meantime, brothers and
sisters, let us remember these words from the book of James (maybe ESPECIALLY
when online or with unbelieving or homosexual family or co-workers): “Everyone
should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s
anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (James 1: 19-20). We can and maybe SHOULD expect that some will hurl
vile epitaphs our way when we stand for what is right. Peter said (1 Peter4: 12 – 16) speaking to the
church experiencing SEVERE persecution that I hope we NEVER see but expect we
probably WILL before too long. Still, it
could have been spoken to us today: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the
painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to
you. But rejoice that you participate in
the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is
revealed. If you are insulted because of
the name of Christ, you are blessed, for
the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind
of criminal, or even a meddler. However,
if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear
that name.” And Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice
and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mt. 5:11 – 12) Prophets in the Old Testament were not known
for political correctness. They were
given a message – often of impending judgment due to outrageously sinful
behavior that God put up with long enough and was letting people know that SOON He would
TOLERATE sin no longer and there would be wrath. I imagine that the people reacted in not too
different ways than those today – the men of Sodom called out for the angels
who came to Lot’s house (to bring destruction for the sinfulness of the city,
unbeknownst to them at the time) to come out, “so that we can have sex with them.”
Maybe things haven’t changed as much as we thought over the past few
thousand years?
Much as we believe this world is more evil than ever before – and it certainly may be heading that way – in the darkest night the stars shine brightest. Stay close to Jesus – and I’m talking to myself first here). If you are going to “do battle,” make sure it is Christ who calls you there, and that you are there as HIS ambassador of love and reconciliation, where possible – at least from YOUR side. If and when provoked, PRAY and respond in love. If you can’t, get OFF the field, for BOTH your sakes, but especially so that you don’t say anything you may later regret. And if you DO stumble, repent and ask forgiveness. It may not be accepted, and may even result in a nasty response, but we’re only responsible for doing the right thing, NOT for the response TO it.
As Atlanta Pastor Charles Stanley always says, “Obey God and leave the consequences to Him.” I think that’s a pretty good way to live in general and in this case specifically!
