Wednesday, December 27, 2017

CALLING CHRISTIAN LEADERS TO ACT IN LOVE TO IMPACT THE LGBT COMMUNITY

THE CHURCH’S GANGRENE

Simon Reading
There are demonic strongholds that are dividing the church on many different subjects and levels. The caring for those within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is just one of the many struggles that the Church is confronted with, and they are failing to meet. The Church is failing to meet the spiritual needs of this community because of one dominate spirit that has arrested and taken controlled over the Church – the Spirit of Pride.


The Spirit of Pride is so influential that it is the main source behind most, if not all forms of sin – whether individually or collectively. It is so powerful that it spreads swiftly and is as destructive as gangrene – rotting souls from the inside out – effecting the Church’s primary organ that gives it life. It’s heart, that is, love – the love for things that God loves.


Over time, the Church has allowed their hearts to become harder toward the things that God loves – that God wants to save, to rescue (2 Peter 3:9). Instead of fulfilling the command in which Christ has called us to fulfilled (Matthew 7:12; Mark 12:29-31), the Church has opted for a position of dominance, power, and authority over God’s commandment of love. This has resulted in the Church positioning themselves in direct opposition to God’s purpose, plans and will through many of his servant’s callings and instructions on the earth (Acts 5:35-39). The Church is the main source being used to hinder the movement and blessings of God’s kingdom reaching its climax on the earth. Yes! It is God’s people – their disunity, divisiveness, lying and slanderous behaviors that are infecting the heart of the Church and spreading like poisonous gangrene from one person to the next, until it infiltrates an entire congregation. Pulsating from one congregation to the next. And through its root, the Spirit of Pride, it corrupts a person or congregation’s heart, which ultimately manifests itself in the form of slander, which birth life to the Spirit of Confusion.


WHEN CHURCH LEADERS SLANDER OTHER PEOPLE GROUPS


Kevin Cauley
When a person, like a pastor, slanders another person or people group, like the LGBT community, by making false statements, that person (the pastor) causes other people to have a bad opinion of someone or some group, like the LGBT community. This Spirit of Pride, in harmony with the Spirit of Confusion, creates a concoction within the body of Christ that spills over from one person to the next, causing an entire congregation to form a slanderous image of the LGBT community from indecent jokes, jesters or language spoken from the pulpit or in a small group setting. For example, one well-respected Prophet of God said from the pulpit while addressing the issue of homosexuality, “All a gay man needs is some time with a pretty girl to straighten him right up.” How far from the truth and a slanderous statement that is. What a broken gay man needs, is not a pretty girl who is incapable of healing him from his brokenness. What he needs is an encounter with Christ, and loving support from a strong, healthy, spirit-driven congregation and leaders who are willing to walk with him through his process from brokenness to freedom. He needs from the Church to do the one thing Christ has called the Church to do – LOVE (John 13:34-35).


But, the Church has withheld genuine Christ-like love from anyone who does not meet their preferred standard of living. From anyone who does not fix the appearance or livelihood of how they see themselves. Forsaking that we are to see as God sees and not as a man (Isaiah 55:8-9; 1 Samuel 16:7). Because the Church has masked their judgmental views by labeling it as an act of love, the words at Matthew 15:18-19 are timely. It reads, “the words you speak come from the heart – that’s what defiles you. For from the heart comes evil THOUGHTS, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, LYING, and SLANDER. These are what defiles you….”


Now hear me clearly. I am not trying to defile any of my brothers based on false statements or slanderous comments they have made about gay men from God’s pulpit – God’s earthly throne. For instance, the Prophet’s comment I mentioned earlier, I still follow his ministry and would follow him to the ends of the earth, despite this slanderous statement he made. Because I know God is with him. But, he erred in his judgment. He erred in the way he used God’s earthly throne. He sided on the side of error in his comment, which I hope he has repented of. I believe this brother misspoke in his own arrogance and left a negative impression, a false narrative among his congregates. For some members of his congregation, he either reinforced or planted the seed of pride and confusion within their hearts. Which will over time, fester and spread among his members until his entire congregation’s hearts have become harder toward the LGBT community. Resulting in what? Resulting in that congregation inability to effectively help to plant, water, and help grow the hearts of the LGBT community in their respective community toward God and the things of God. His comment(s) instead, shuts the door of the Good News in the spirit and the nature realms from infiltrating and spreading to the people in the LGBT community in his respective territory. Further delaying the coming of God’s Kingdom to its fullest. Remember, it is God’s desire that no one is destroyed (2 Peter 3:9). And yet, comments such as these works against God’s purpose, plans, and will. For example, in another church, a senior pastor stated from the pulpit, when addressing homosexuality, that he was told by a male who supposed to have been freed from homosexuality – that ALL gays have hundreds of sexual partners. It was explained from the pulpit as if this was not an exception to the rule. This was normal behavior within the LGBT community. The number that this pastor gave was 500 partners or more. This half-truth can leave the wrong impression about ALL members within the LGBT community. This statement left some of the pastor’s church members believing that EVERY gay and lesbian live such a wild, irresponsible and uncontrollable lifestyle. Far from the truth for individuals who choose to live this life. Most within the LGBT community is involved in a monogamous relationship – a single sexual partner during a period of time. Some even practices celibacy. However, the impression that this pastor left among his congregates as it relates to members of the LGBT community, caused some of his members to lump ALL LGBT members with other harmful sexual perversive groups.


GOD IS CALLING ALL LEADERS TO ACT IN LOVE



Madison Press
Do you see a pattern here? When leaders do not speak, act, instruct, or teach to its congregates from God’s perspective or position concerning specific groups, our personal opinions and solutions are offered instead, which can cause more harm and work against God’s purpose, plans and will for humanity. We offered our own evil thoughts or judgmental views and cover them with such terms as love, which deepens the wedge of God’s people from people they are called to love, care for and serve. When we offer our own evil thoughts or judgmental views which can mislead God’s people and cause many to focus only on the speck that is in the eyes of members in the LGBT community – their shortcomings, their sins (Matthew 7:1-5). Jesus had a name for this type of behavior and attitude. “Hypocrites!” (Matthew 7:5)


We as Christians are acting hypocritical when it comes to our acts and actions toward the LGBT community. We are so focused on their sins and immediately correcting and converting them, instead of acknowledging that


1. They are just a sinful as we are. Romans 3:23 says everyone EXCEPT Christians…. NO! It says for EVERYONE has sinned. We ALL fall short of God’s glorious standard. But, we present the Good News to the LGBT community as if they are filthy, and we are not.


2. We misrepresent the love of God for this group through our dirty jokes and jesters; our misstatement of statistical facts about people within this community; lies we knowingly or unknowingly, spend about this community, especially about people God has rescued from this lifestyle; and the slanderous words we speak against them.


God wants to put an end to anything that is hindering the forward progress of the climax of his Kingdom coming to its fullness here on earth. Therefore, he wants his leaders to STOP IT! Stop tearing down the LGBT community through our words and actions and build this community up by means of the love of Christ and the Good News of his Kingdom. There is a time and place to address acts that are not of God, but we have to remember, we are called to love. To focus on loving them. Loving them does not require to point out and focus on their sin. Trust me. When you genuinely established a loving and trusting relationship with members within the LGBT community, God will create healthy opportunities for you as his servant to address their sins in the most loving and productive ways.


So, I offer up this challenge and warning to ALL Church leaders, especially anyone who leads a Bible study group, ministry leaders, and God’s prophets, apostles and worship leaders, become an advocate as Christ for the LGBT community. Follow the example Christ set for us as described in James chapters 3, 4, and 5. Apply these principles in our dealings and interactions with the LGBT community and through our conversations about the LGBT community to the congregations and people we influence.


• Keep away from judgmental ways, views, and comments against them


• Avoid boasting our plans or perspective about them and see them as Christ does


• Patiently endure their shortcomings as Christ has yours


• Offer up mountain-like powerful prayers for the LGBT community


• Add value to the Kingdom of God by helping to restore members of the LGBT who have wandered from the Truth


• Help all members of the LGBT community to reconcile with Christ through acts of love that will help to transform their lives


• Use God’s throne, the pulpit, to build them up and give them hope for the promises God has promised them. Yet, when God does calls us to tear down the mindset and heart conditions that directly related to this group, stay away from obscene jokes or comments, name-calling (i.e. dyke, butch, faggot, or other belittling names) avoid misleading facts that you cannot prove or provide accurate evidence for, and don’t share outright lies or half-truths?

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