The reason the church can’t condone homosexual behavior

Angy Calvert made a public post on Facebook, which means it is openly shared with the world, just a my blog is.   It is also her personal view, just as my blog is my personal view.  She addressed the situation of a United Methodist Pastor being placed on an involuntary leave for admitting she was a “practicing homosexual”, which is seen as “incompatible with Christian teaching” by the UMC.  You can read that story here. But Angy Calvert’s well thought out and Biblical explanation expresses my thoughts and I believe, the teachings of the Bible.  Here are Angy Calvert’s words:

I feel led to speak because I’ve been there. I’ve lived the life, I’ve felt the feelings and I’ve had the attractions…I’ve been prey to this deception and mindset so this is coming from first hand knowledge and sincere love and understanding.

Her (the pastor’s) statement was this: “Even as I agree to this resolution, I assert that it is not just and furthers the harm inflicted, not just on me, but on all LGBTQ persons in the church. Again we are told, ‘you aren’t equal; you aren’t good enough; you aren’t of enough sacred worth to serve as an ordained leader in your church.'”

To her I say:

I’m here to tell you it’s not about your worth where God’s concerned because we’re all equally worthless. It’s about your willingness to submit your life and your sin to Him so he can change it… by HIS power you can be freed from this and any other sin that keeps you from being in good standing and fellowship with him, so we are ALL without excuse if we choose to continue in rebellion instead of submitting to him…there is no “poor, pitiful me for having this sin I never asked for”, there is only “God is offering to cleanse me of it, but I’m still rebelling.”

Playing on peoples own vulnerability and emotions by asserting that your feelings are hurt because they made you feel that “you aren’t equal” and “you aren’t good enough or worth enough” because of your sexual preference in effort to get them to accept your immoral behavior as blessed by God is a scheme of Satan….
This is emotional manipulation and it is absolutely infiltrating the world and the churches.
The enemy wants you to concentrate on what you feel instead of what God’s truth actually is..
he wants you to “follow your heart”, but God says ” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9
In other words, DON’T follow your heart, feelings or emotions! They will lead you astray and away from God’s Truth!

These days it’s all about inclusion in the church and making people feel like they’re right when they’re terribly wrong in the name of “love and tolerance”, but what does God say about this?

“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother (calls him/herself Christian) if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
1 Corinthians 5:11, 13

He doesn’t say accept and tolerate these people in the church so that their feelings aren’t hurt and they feel they have worth, He says “get them out of there!” A few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch…however, it is the goal of the church to restore anyone who repents and turns from the offending behavior, whatever it may be, and wishes to return to fellowship…

He also warns the churches of these things in the book of Revelation:

“But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the [deep things of Satan], to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.”
Revelation 2:20-22, 24

Notice he is speaking against those who tolerate the teaching and behavior (if your not teaching against it you’re agreeing with it) …The people in the church who commit adultery with her, meaning going along with what she does and teaches, will be thrown into great tribulation…

“But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.”
Revelation 2:14, 16

Furthermore, even if churches do disregard what God says and include and accept every vile thing into fellowship, will it save anyone? Of course not, only Jesus can save so what’s the point of getting churches to tolerate?

So I’m telling the Church right now, DON’T FALL FOR THIS!

Remember, This is coming from the perspective of someone who used to be a lesbian!

I do realize that there are other sinful behaviors within the church that we need to concentrate on equally, not just homosexuality, but that’s what this article was about so if you want to hash out some of the others I’ll be glad to do so on a different post…

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