REMINDER: Check out this week's "Truth That Transforms" broadcast (Cen. FL - Sun., 5 pm, ch. 55.1; Mon., 7 pm, ch. 52.2, and at www.truthinaction.org).This week’s program is Part 2 of a special program entitled “One Nation Under God” that looks at the Christian roots of America. Incredible program; Don’t miss it!
URGENT PRAYERS/PETITIONS:
ATTENTION: TODAY is the 6th day of the 30 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (see link below for resource material you can download.) Please join me in focusing your prayers EVERY DAY for these over one billion people who need to hear the gospel of Jesus.[NOTE: 1) You can download a page of helpful basic information about Islam and Ramadan at: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/downloads/pdf-downloads/Islam_reference_guide-1.pdf ; and 2) The following is from a 30-day prayer guide you can download at: http://www.opendoorsusa.org/downloads/pdf-downloads/2013-ramadan-prayer-calendar-1.pdf (The following is from that prayer guide.) July 14 -Month of Ramadan Day #6 - CORNERSTONE (Turkey) “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone …” (Psalm 118:22) Turkey’s landscape is dotted with battlegrounds, ruined castles and palaces of great empires. It is where Achilles battled the Trojans; Ottomans built empires and Constantine established the center of Roman government and the emerging Christian church. Today, Turkey is a bridge between nations in the Middle East, Central Asia and the West. Once a hope of the Christian world, it is now 99.6% Muslim. Pray today for the name of Jesus, the Cornerstone of His Church, to be reestablished, and glorified in Turkey.
"Egypt Facing Civil War? "Some Fear Civil War As Violence Spreads In Egypt," http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1605 -- PRAY for the nation of Egypt, as it faces a crucial moment, that the recent events would result in its becoming a true democracy and NOT an Islamic state. PRAY esp. that the peoples' freedoms, in particular the religious freedom of its minorities (specifically its oppressed Christians) would be protected.PRAY also: 1) For peace and stability in Egypt after the government overthrow, 2) That the U.S. will effectively reach out to the new government, and 3) For safety for Americans living in Egypt
"Angry Islamists Turn Wrath on Egypt's Christians," By George Thomas, CBN News Sr. Reporter http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/July/Angry-Islamists-Turn-Wrath-on-Egypts-Christians/ Friday, July 12, 201 - "Egyptian Christians are facing growing retaliation by angry Islamists for opposing ousted President Moham3med Morsi. His supporters say Christian leaders were behind his removal from office....On Thursday, the body of a Christian merchant was found decapitated in a cemetery. Last Saturday, a Coptic Christian priest was shot by gunmen in an outdoor market. Also, days after the military coup that removed Morsi from office, Muslim extremists in southern Egypt burned dozens of Christian homes and stabbed four believers to death. "It's part of the Brotherhood's mobilization that they are targeting Christians, that they are renouncing them as behind this. If the Brotherhood is able to portray what happened as a Christian-dominated or Christian-driven protest, then they get to gain massive support in the streets," Tadros explained.
Sat. July 13th -" Texas GOP Passes Abortion Bill, Dems Vow Fight," By Chris Tomlinson, Associated Press, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2013/July/Texas-GOP-Passes-Abortion-Bill-Dems-Vow-Fight/ PRAISE GOD for the final passage of the bill that will, among other things, make illegal abortions before the 20th week (when babies are discovered to first feel pain) and which will regulate abortion clinics just as any other medical facilities are required . And praise God that Gov. Perry will sign the bill. PRAY that 1) the bill survive ALL court challenges, and 2) that the passage of this law will spur other such laws throughout the country and eventually be made into a federal law.
American Pastor Saeed Held Prisoner in Iran - June 5th Update - "Saeed's Wife Uses UN Speech to 'Plant Gospel'," by George Thomas, CBN News Sr. Reporter, June 05, 2013, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/June/Saeeds-Wife-Uses-UN-Speech-to-Plant-Gospel/?cpid=EU_CBNNEWSPM_2013_156"Prayers from Prison: American Pastor Held in Iran Releases Letter," May 22, 2013; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=1458"...Abedini has been held at the brutal prison for 238 days, enduring long stints in solitary confinement, and, according to his supporters, beatings and torture at the hands of his jailers and fellow inmates. For months, he has been suffering from serious injuries, including internal bleeding from beatings with no proper medical attention, according to his family and attorneys."(Sources: Fox News, Assemblies of God website) Please PRAY:1) For the imprisoned Pastor Abedini, and for those Iranians who tend to his needs in prison to treat him more humanely. 2) For his family in Boise, Idaho. and their efforts to involve the U.S. State Department in securing Pastor Abedini’s release. And 3) For the impact of his witness upon believers and non-believers, in America and across the world. And if you have not yet, join the over 600,000 worldwide who have signed the petition asking for his release at www.SaveSaeed.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Speak Truth, Show Compassion - Christians and Sexuality," - by: Eric Metaxas| Breakpoint.org: June 11, 2013 http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-archive/entry/13/22451?spMailingID=6323259&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=75634233&spReportId=NzU2MzQyMzMS1
Can you truly
love the sinner if you ignore the sin? It’s an old question, but in today’s
culture it’s more important than ever that we get the right answer.
AN ARTICLE IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY DESCRIBES HOW CHURCHES AFFILIATED WITH UNITARIAN/UNIVERSALIST AND EPISCOPAL DENOMINATIONS HAVE EMBRACED SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS. BUT THE EMBRACE ISN’T LIMITED TO LIBERAL CHURCHES. FOR MANY YOUNGER EVANGELICALS, “YOU CAN BELIEVE HOMOSEXUALITY IS A SIN AND STILL BELIEVE THAT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SHOULD BE LEGAL.” OTHERS TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER AND SAY THINGS LIKE “IS HOMOSEXUALITY A SIN? I. DO. NOT. CARE.”
As Erick Erickson of Red State.org put it, younger evangelicals “want the world to like them and to think them a part of the world.” For them, remaining silent about these issues is part of what it means to love your neighbor. Well, Al Mohler begs to differ. (Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. serves as president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary - the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world.)
In a recent piece on his website, Mohler asked “can we count on evangelicals to remain steadfastly biblical on [the issue of homosexuality?” His reply: “Not hardly.” He noted survey data showing “a significant loss of conviction among youth and young adults” on the issue.
It’s hard not to understand what’s behind the loss of conviction. Outside of the church, the cultural signals all point in the same direction. Whether it’s schools, mass media or peers, the message is the same: “homosexuality [is] a fully valid lifestyle,” and anyone who insists otherwise is a bigot and not entitled to respectful consideration of their views. Thus, says Mohler, it is imperative that churches “teach the basics of biblical morality to Christians who will otherwise never know that the Bible prescribes a model for sexual relationships.”
Doing this requires the courage to swim against a very strong and unjust cultural tide. As Mohler writes, “Christian leaders must set an agenda for biblical confrontation, and not shrink from dealing with the full range of issues related to homosexuality.” I agree. Of course, doing this will almost certainly result in being called out for lack of compassion. But as Mohler rightly points out, “true compassion demands speaking the truth in love.”
The problem is that just as those seeking to be compassionate often lack the courage to speak the truth, those willing to speak the truth often lack compassion. According to Mohler, we must reach out to [gay people] with “a sincerity that makes that love tangible.” Well, what would such a sincerity look like? For starters, it would make it clear that same-sex attraction itself is not a sin—acting on that attraction is what is sin. By and large, we cannot help to whom we’re attracted, but we can help what we do about the attraction.
Which raises another point: We need to embrace, in both word and deed, the truth that all Christians, regardless of sexual orientation and regardless of marital status, are called to practice chastity.
Chastity is not the renunciation of sexuality but “the right or reasonable use of it.” It is just as possible for married people to be unchaste as for unmarried people. Think about divorce and remarriage, which Jesus called adultery, or about flirtatious behavior, or the use of pornography. While our persistent failure with regard to chastity doesn’t give us license to ignore the issues of same-sex marriage and homosexuality, it helps explain why people think we’re motivated by something besides a love for the truth.
Of course, presenting the whole truth about unchastity, heterosexual or homosexual, requires even more courage than merely speaking out about homosexual behavior. But both are sins and we should care.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Speak Truth, Show Compassion: Christians and Sexuality - Next Steps - Discussing homosexuality in modern culture can be a risky venture. Don’t back away from the challenge: Speak the truth regarding homosexuality with grace and in love. Don’t let the tone of your words block the message you are trying to communicate.
Continue to ask God, “How can I love the gay people in my life so I can help them know the truth and support them in overcoming temptation?” If you are having difficulty answering that question or just need further guidance about this issue, check out Al Mohler’s article on how speaking truth cannot be separated from loving others and vice versa.
No comments:
Post a Comment