In my previous blog post, I asked the question, “Why
is the genre of sexual sin the only category targeted for acceptance in society
and the church?” In this post, I attempt to answer that question, with the
prayer that my remarks will be made in a redemptive way, directed by the Holy
Spirit. It seems at every turn, Christians are judged as “intolerant,
judgmental, and hateful” if one dares raise a timid voice in objection to those
who proclaim they are “enlightened and progressive” about sexual freedom. Why?
Why is the world so prickly and protective about unholy sex—especially about
unnatural, homosexual behavior?
I wonder how many Christians have heard their pastors
speak out against fornication and adultery? Sure, Christians are supposed to
have a love for the truth, a close fellowship with the Lord, and stir
themselves up daily in seeking the Lord and reading His Word. But I suspect the
sad fact is that many don’t. And if the parents aren’t teaching their children at home about
the God-given sacredness of sex, where are they going to hear it, if not
at church? Certainly not in the public schools! On the contrary, schools now
give kids permission to have sex, telling them to use a condom. Public schools
also now promote the LGBT agenda.
It used to be shocking for a girl to be pregnant out of
wedlock. It used to be a shocking for a couple to live together and not be
married. It used to be a shocking for a girl to get an abortion. Not anymore.
Is there a ‘blush’ anywhere? Why? Could one reason be that Christian pastors
have stopped speaking of these things from the pulpit? (I mean, you gotta keep
those members happy—don’t upset ‘em, or you’ll lose donations for the building
fund, right?)
So my 1st answer is this: I lay the blame
squarely at the feet of pastors and the church of Jesus Christ. A spirit of
political correctness [antichrist] has invaded the church, and many are afraid
to call sin, sin. We have not been the salt and light as we needed to be. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the
salt loses its flavor, how shall it [the world] be seasoned? It [the church] is
then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” [Brackets mine] Isn’t that what has
happened? The world has trampled the church. I heard one fellow on a newscast
brag that “The Church has no influence in our culture, so we don’t need to
worry about them.” I wish I had made note of who said it.
We have compromised the truth because of the fear of
man. “Do not be afraid of their faces.
For I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1:8) “And you, son
of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers
and thorns are with you and you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of
their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”
Ezekiel 2:6 Yes, church people who don’t want to love the truth are like
briers and thorns and can sting like scorpions. But the truth will deliver you,
dear pastor. Be bold and courageous; speak the truth in love. You only need to
please your “Boss”—the Lord Jesus Christ. That goes for the flock, as well!
In Revelation 2:18-23, Jesus tells the pastor of the
church at Thyatira that He knows their works, love, service, faith, and
patience, but Jesus had one thing against the pastor: he allowed “that woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a
prophetess, to teach and seduce My people to commit sexual immorality and eat
things sacrificed to idols.” Jesus goes on to say what He will do to her
and her followers if they don’t repent. Not pretty!
(The next two paragraphs were added just before
publication.)
Just today, after I’d finished writing this blog post
(but hadn’t published it yet) I heard evangelist Perry Stone tell a young
minister’s account of how, after preaching in an un-named church on a Sunday
evening, the pastor of the church said, “You may not want to participate in the
after-hour activities this evening.” The young minister noticed that a number
of couples were heading downstairs, and asked the pastor what he meant by that
comment. The pastor replied, “Well, we have such liberty in Christ, that after
service Sunday evenings, we go downstairs to watch X-rated movies and
wife-swap.” The young minister told Perry another incident: “The next Sunday, I preached in another
church, and while we were sitting on the platform, the pastor said to me, ‘See
that woman in the second row? I’m going to divorce my wife and marry her,
because she’s more profitable to the ministry.” Still not finished, the young
minister told Perry yet another story: “The following Sunday evening, I spoke
in a church, and while on the platform, the pastor nudged me and said, ‘See all
those girls on the front row? I can arrange to have any one of them sent to
your hotel room later.”
Dear God in heaven!!! I was flabbergasted to hear such
a shocking report! And to think that Jesus has to see and hear all such goings on
in His church!! These stories illustrate all too well what I wrote about
Revelation 2:18-23. This is serious, folks. I pray those ministers and churches will repent! How in Sam Hill can
we expect the world to stop sex trafficking, abortion, homosexuality,
pedophilia, or any number of sexual sins and perversions when the church is
besmirched with it? See what Jesus means by worthless salt? I have a righteous
anger boiling inside me! These things must not be! I agree with Perry, who later
commented, “If you can sin and not feel any conviction, then you are a “bastard.”
You are not a child of God—you need to get born again.”
To pastors, I quote Paul in his second letter to
Timothy, chapter four, verses two through five: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince,
rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because
they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they
will turn away from the truth and be turned aside to fables [fiction]. But you
be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill
your ministry.” [Brackets mine]
A fearful, politically-correct Church plays right into
the hand of the devil’s agenda. Driving this clamor for acceptance of sexual
sin is the devil with his chant of “Death to the human race!” Since he hates life
and the Giver of life, the devil sows seeds of destruction to thwart God’s plan
for the earth to be filled with His glory. “So
God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and
female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be
fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. . .” Genesis 1:27-28
My 2nd answer as to why our current “progressive
culture” fights for acceptance of sexual sins in our nation is that people are
choosing to do the will of their father, the devil. God gave everyone a
conscience; knowledge of Him (Romans 1:19) was given to all. But people chose,
just like Eve, to ignore Him and go their own way. Not even halfway through the
first book of the Bible, we read of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 and 19,
and how those cities were filled with homosexuality, and the destruction it
brought upon them. The Lord couldn’t even find 10 righteous people in those
cities, or He would have spared its destruction, per his friend Abraham’s
request. LBGT behavior is unholy, unnatural, deviates from God’s design, cannot
produce children, and is an abomination to God.
“Therefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor
their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and
worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
forever, Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. For even
their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise,
also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for
one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in
themselves the penalty of their error which was due. . .” Romans 1:24-27
Unholy and deviant sexual behavior suits the devil’s
plan perfectly. What better way for the devil to hurt the heart of God than by
appearing as an angel of light, and whisper to people the words, “Did God
really say?” and see them choose his way of thinking? (It’s the same question
he asked Eve in the Garden of Eden. Eve had it all: a rent-free home, a perfect
climate, organic non-GMO food, joy, peace, beauty, a loving husband, etc. But Eve
took the bait because she thought God was holding out on her. She wanted more. Satan
snickered, and called it progress.) The devil knows full well that embracing
doubt and then believing the lie will end in destruction.
“Men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:18) “And
even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over
to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being fill with
all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things,
disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,
unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice
such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of
those who practice them.” (Romans 1:28-32, Emphasis mine)
One can see the enemy’s work as society kicks God out
of the public square, bullies Christians in an attempt to shut them up,
punishes them for daring to stand up for the truth for conscience sake, and mocks
God’s Word. We have been given the power of choice by our Creator, and it’s so
desperately sad that many men and women have closed the door on truth. Choices
carry consequences.
The
penalty [fruit] of sin is always within the sin itself, and sin, when it is
conceived, gives birth to death. (James 1:15) [Brackets mine] Just
as an apple seed produces an apple tree and fruit if it’s planted, watered, and
nourished, everything reproduces the same way, just as our Sovereign God designed.
This principle of reproduction works with our words, actions, plants, insects,
animals—things seen or unseen. Likewise, the human race is propagated when a
man’s seed is planted into the womb of the woman.
Make no mistake: even though Jesus legally defeated
him, and will one day banish him forever, the devil still works his “death by
deception” by convincing them to disdain what God says. I wonder how many
Christians truly read the Word of God with an open, honest heart.
Dear fellow Christian, please hear me: stand firm on
the Word of God and honor Him, no matter the cost! Don’t fall away from the truth.
Love righteousness and hate evil! May God give us courage to expose Satan’s lies and help set people free from
deviant sexual behavior—not protect it. “Have
no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
(Ephesians 5:11) It’s not pleasant to be hated and persecuted, but we need
to stand against the roiling torrents of political correctness that threaten to
obliterate the truth.
My desire is to show the love of Jesus all, and
endeavor to help any who truly want help. I want to see them come into freedom
and wholeness. God dearly loves all caught in the web of sin; sent Jesus to die
and take their punishment upon Himself, so they could escape the devil’s web. Outside
of Jesus’ salvation, “There is none
righteous, no not one.” (Romans 3:10)
I am praying God will set His church in divine order,
and fill us with love for Him above all else. I am praying for the Spirit of
holiness to grip all of God’s people that we may always want to love the truth.
May His Kingdom come, and His will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven! Amen.
Note: all Scriptures are from the NKJ Version of the Bible,
unless otherwise noted.
Copyright
© 2016 Elaine Beachy
