Today I had the privelage of hearing Sy Rogers, the best speaker I have ever heard! Sy's testimony was all about sexual healing and his testimony from being helped through his homosexual / transvestite lifestyle. He talked about his life and his abandonment by Christians and those around him because of his sexuality. Some amazing points were made about Christian's view on this topic of homosexuality.
Snobby Christians had driven him to believe, beacuse of his mannerisms (which he learned from being raised by women and a dad that sexually molested him) he was gay. But he made very valid points to which I feel the Church should be practicing.
1. Homosexuals know the views that Christians have on the issue. To continue to beat this dead horse is only a waste of breath.
Why are we trying to win an argument instead of winning a heart?
2. Often times we put the cart before the horse. Thinking we should make them "heterosexual" before Christian. But the fact is, heterosexuals go to hell. Jesus did not say "be heterosexual as I am heterosexual." He said "be Holy as I am Holy." The Savior must access the sexuality as a result of growing in God. This is NOT our place. Our place is to love as Christ loved.
3. It IS possible to have homosexual tendencies and still be a Christian and go to Heaven. EVERYONE deals with their own sins. But just becuase we have these does not mean we are going to hell. Sy has a constant struggle with his homosexuality but he believes that God takes the guilt, not the human vulnerability, and gives us a new way to deal.
4. There is not a cure-all for homosexuals or any sin in general. All of us my TRAIN to become better people, it does not happen instantaneously.
5. God will use anyone who will obey him. Even if it means using non Christians. Sy attended a gay church because his church rebuked him as a sinner. But aren't we all? But there, he found God. Eventually he found a church that loved him and nurtured him into the man of God he is today. After the church that rebuked him, he decided to become a woman. He was not convinced he was supposed to be a woman but the Church and society had made him feel like a failure as a man and therefore left him no other choice.
How blessed are we who can love unconditionally as Christ loved us. Faults and all. How blessed are we who can learn from different cultures, religions, and ways of thinking to add to our own knowledge. This in fact, is the test of a true Christian.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
discussions with God
talking to my boyfriend this weekend, he told me something that i always knew, but really didnt hit me until he said it. i have been deciding about transfering schools or staying in Missouri and finally he told me that i need to be talking WITH God instead of waiting to hear FROM God. God wants to converse with me. I need to have an open and clear heart before God so WE can CONVERSE and find out His best plan for my life. When I have my priorities straight, he said, God will show himself to me.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Something Beautiful
Acts 3
2Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.
I was reading this passage the other day and it this verse began to stick out to me. I re-read it and began to think about this crippled man being in front of a beautiful gate. This man had no shame and was not embarassed to be a poor cripple, probably homeless, and sat outside of Beautiful. He knew that in order to recieve the best thing he could hope for, he would need to put himself next to something beautiful. I began to think that this is a practice I need to start applying to my life. Sometimes when I feel down or that I am not doing well in my devotional life, I do the mediocre or don't expect to get much out of a service because I feel unworthy. However, I know that in order to receive the blessing of God, I need to put myself next to something beautiful and wait on God to meet me there. And I know that He will.
2Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.
I was reading this passage the other day and it this verse began to stick out to me. I re-read it and began to think about this crippled man being in front of a beautiful gate. This man had no shame and was not embarassed to be a poor cripple, probably homeless, and sat outside of Beautiful. He knew that in order to recieve the best thing he could hope for, he would need to put himself next to something beautiful. I began to think that this is a practice I need to start applying to my life. Sometimes when I feel down or that I am not doing well in my devotional life, I do the mediocre or don't expect to get much out of a service because I feel unworthy. However, I know that in order to receive the blessing of God, I need to put myself next to something beautiful and wait on God to meet me there. And I know that He will.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Forgiveness and Reformation - my thoughts
A theme of forgiveness and reformation has been flodding Evangel this first semester. It has been about confessing bitterness, living with joy and reforming our Christian walks with Christ. A thought struck me though, after reading a chapter from "Blue Like Jazz." What if the church, or we as Christians, owe the biggest appoligy?
For years we have put physical "boundary markers" on ourselves, others and the church. Why do we try to change people and THEN save them? What are we condeming before loving? Didn't Jesus love Zachius before he ever brought up the issues of sin and repentance? We as Christians are playing God in our judgement. Is it more important that a man finds Christ at a church where he feels welcomed and accepted or must he stop smoking before we can even consider him saved? Should a troubled teen with a foul mouth be condemed by the church or should she be embraced as a child of God first? We need to do the loving and leave the rest up to God.
I am beginning to fear that the church has lost touch with culture and has recently been turning more people away than drawing them in. The lable that has been put on us as Christians is far less than a positive one. Completely disregarding the feelings of those who are bound by sin gives the world only evidence to back up what they accuse.
Furthermore, the church has become actively involved in "community outreaches" to grow their church; make it more sucessful. But shouldn't church be about growing others? The effectiveness of a church is not based on size but on the weekly growth of its members.
The church is in need of a major reformation. You see, each person has a unique calling on their life. Why is it that the only celebrated callings are those of "church work?" Growing up I remember wanting to be a pastor or missionary becuase thats what I was "supposed to be". That was the "special" calling. All others were simply "secular" callings. During the time of Martin Luther, the church underwent a huge reformation. This reformation, however, would not have been nearly as sucessful if the artists, writers, and teachers were not involved. The church did amazing things but it reached the people through those who had so-called "secular" careers.
But what does this word, secular, really mean? Dallas Willard says "[T]hat is why the division of the legitimate roles and functions of human life into the sacred and secular does incalcuable damage to [us...] Holy people must stop going into 'church work' as their natural couse of action and take up holy orders in farming, inustry, law, education, banking, and journalism with the same zeal [and support] previously given to evangelism or pastoral and missionary work." He also says that recovering this "reformation doctrine may well open the way for contemporary Christians to influence their cultures once again."
just something to think about.
For years we have put physical "boundary markers" on ourselves, others and the church. Why do we try to change people and THEN save them? What are we condeming before loving? Didn't Jesus love Zachius before he ever brought up the issues of sin and repentance? We as Christians are playing God in our judgement. Is it more important that a man finds Christ at a church where he feels welcomed and accepted or must he stop smoking before we can even consider him saved? Should a troubled teen with a foul mouth be condemed by the church or should she be embraced as a child of God first? We need to do the loving and leave the rest up to God.
I am beginning to fear that the church has lost touch with culture and has recently been turning more people away than drawing them in. The lable that has been put on us as Christians is far less than a positive one. Completely disregarding the feelings of those who are bound by sin gives the world only evidence to back up what they accuse.
Furthermore, the church has become actively involved in "community outreaches" to grow their church; make it more sucessful. But shouldn't church be about growing others? The effectiveness of a church is not based on size but on the weekly growth of its members.
The church is in need of a major reformation. You see, each person has a unique calling on their life. Why is it that the only celebrated callings are those of "church work?" Growing up I remember wanting to be a pastor or missionary becuase thats what I was "supposed to be". That was the "special" calling. All others were simply "secular" callings. During the time of Martin Luther, the church underwent a huge reformation. This reformation, however, would not have been nearly as sucessful if the artists, writers, and teachers were not involved. The church did amazing things but it reached the people through those who had so-called "secular" careers.
But what does this word, secular, really mean? Dallas Willard says "[T]hat is why the division of the legitimate roles and functions of human life into the sacred and secular does incalcuable damage to [us...] Holy people must stop going into 'church work' as their natural couse of action and take up holy orders in farming, inustry, law, education, banking, and journalism with the same zeal [and support] previously given to evangelism or pastoral and missionary work." He also says that recovering this "reformation doctrine may well open the way for contemporary Christians to influence their cultures once again."
just something to think about.
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