Let's just cut to the chase. We as a church have painted a horrible picture of the sin of homosexuality. No wonder gay people don't want to set foot in a church. Someone I met once said to me that so many people have waved the Bible in their face as if it were a loaded gun. Now I don't want to enable anybody, sin is sin, but how do we convey the love of God to a group of people who are convinced, if they believe there is a god, that he hates them? I am sure that God weeps at that question. I am sure that he is broken over the state of the church when it comes to this issue. We here in Buffalo are by no means better than anybody else or any other church but how do you get around this one? How do you undo the doings that have been so ingrained in our society? Lord Jesus please show us! I am pretty worked up about this, well tonight I am and I think I will continue to be as long as their are gay people in my life, and it seems as though their will be since my one of my coworkers is gay, and I work in the gay neighborhood of town. I love gay people. I can sometimes feel the love for them that I think God feels. Okay so it's on a much smaller scale, but I can't describe how it feels. I have a gay christian friend who is struggling so much right now with God and homosexuality and doing the right thing, and I try to tell them frequently that God loves them. I want to grab them by the shoulders and shake it into them. I believe that too, I believe that God loves them. He loves everyone and desires that we would all embrace him and the life he has for us. I think that God desires the sin in our lives to be battled so fiercly that the devil himself could not force it back upon us. I don't think God looks at our sins different from person to person. I don't think that one sin is bigger than the other. I don't think that we are capable from seperating ourselves from the love of God that we have in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).
I think the church has been afraid to tackle the issue of homosexuality. It seems that we are afraid of it, it seems as though we have lashed out in fear. And you know what, it is a scary thing. I am at a loss of how to disciple people through this. That's good because it keeps all of us here on our knees. But Jesus how would you do this? I just think of the story of the leper. He says, "Lord if you are willing you can make me clean" so then Jesus reaches out and touches the leper and says "I am willing" Jesus touched a leper. Leprosy is a deadly disease, a miserable disease, a puss, oozy, yucky, literally rotting-while-still-alive kind of disease. So if Jesus could reach out and touch the leper, then we can reach out and touch gay people? They seem to be the lepers of our day. Lord Jesus change that. Let us not be afraid. What can we do God to reach out to the gay community and to convey your love? Pass out condoms at next years gay pride parade? I know that I am complaining and even bashing at times it seems but if anyone has any thoughts or things they have seen in prayer or actually experienced, please comment and tell us about it. We want to undo the picture that has been painted about homosexuality.
God loves EVERYONE! "For God so loved the WORLD that he gave his only begotten son, that WHOEVER believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." You cannot be disqualified from the kingdom of God based on age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, creed and whatever else that job applications say at the bottom of the page. If anyone has any thoughts on this subject let me know I would love to hear them. This is a tough thing to come against but we as christians need to be able to tackle anything that God brings our way.
6.22.2007
ASK ME WHY YOU ARE GOING TO HELL!
A man stood off to the side, surrounded by a group of 15 or so people crowding in on him, squeezing close, from afar there appeared to be a quiet intensity about that little huddle of people not the least of which included the large sign he carried, bordered with flames...
Across from this group were thousands of oblivious concert-goers. Not knowing, or not caring, to hear what this man had to tell them.
I stood observing him for five or ten minutes. To give him (and those around him) credit, there did not seem to be any shouting or intimidating going on, but there was plenty of tension, plenty of angry tones, plenty of hostility, toward him and his message, as well as from him.
I and a friend drew closer to listen, joining that little crowd of people (this group was gaining and losing people every moment, but there were a few faces who remained the entire time I was there) who were variously trying to argue, trying to belittle, finding something to laugh at, finding something to be angry at, being confused, and being agravated, or just listening...
A few faces stood out to me::
A young gothic teenager and his gothic girlfriend, he seem angry and frustrated; the girl told me she was a Christian when my friend asked her, she was not happy with this man's presence.
Another gothic man, perhaps my age, wearing a set of handcuffs, a red tee-shirt, and a shaved head. His face more than any other stands out in my mind's eye. The entire time I was there (20 minutes?) he never said anything, he had a very meek demeanor with folded hands, as though he didn't want to provoke, and he wore (what seemed to me) a pained expression on his face. I did not speak to him, but it seemed to me as though he wanted to listen, to understand why he was destined for hell, as though he wanted to hear what this man said, almost out of self-loathing...
...I want to speak to him.
Other faces, mocking and jeering, arguing and confronting; I am sure that my own was somewhat twisted with anguish...
======================
Earlier I had watched the movie with Denzel Washington, Man on Fire. Now, you are going to have to grant me some leeway here, which I think is warranted by Jesus own way of speaking; the Parable of the Unjust Judge is an example of Jesus speaking of God in a way that gets at a truth, even though it speaks of God in other ways that aren't necessarily true; so bear with me here.
In this movie Denzel Washington plays a broken man, a drunk haunted by evil things he has done, it is hinted at that he was involved in covert military operations. He sporadically reads the Scriptures and at one point he asks, "Can God forgive us for what we have done?" He lands a job as a body guard for an elite and wealthy family in Latin America. His primary role is to protect their young daughter from kidnapping. At first he presents the young girl with a gruff exterior, but her love for him wins him over, he comes to love her. When she is kidnapped, and then killed, he unleashes upon her killers with vengeance.
He is relentless, and goes to any lengths to rescue her, and then avenge her, without concern for the risk or cost to himself. He will not be dissuaded from his course of action, he has found the one thing in life that has made it okay for him to live, and now she has been harmed.
Perhaps it was simply the plot itself and the acting of Mr. Washington, and yet, I know that it was aided by the portrayal of the young girl by a blond-haired, blue-eyed little girl, similar to my own beautiful daughter Zoe; for whatever reason, this film touched me. I couldn't help but cry at several points in the film, and even afterward... and I felt that God was saying to me, "Steve, my heart loves like this, my heart hurts like this; tell them that I love them like this!"
===============
...and so, when I saw these people listening to this man explaining to them why God wants to torture them for eternity, I was moved... I don't know how to respond. I didn't really respond then in any way other than to listen, and be sad. It demands a response. People have to know, they need to know that God desperately loves them, He yearns to be with them.
Isn't that the point of the Parable of the Lost coin, the Lost Sheep, and the Lost Son? Isn't that what we hear whispered in the name of Jesus? Isn't that what we see when we look to the cross? At the anguish of God, desparate to recover to himself, his dear children?
Across from this group were thousands of oblivious concert-goers. Not knowing, or not caring, to hear what this man had to tell them.
I stood observing him for five or ten minutes. To give him (and those around him) credit, there did not seem to be any shouting or intimidating going on, but there was plenty of tension, plenty of angry tones, plenty of hostility, toward him and his message, as well as from him.
I and a friend drew closer to listen, joining that little crowd of people (this group was gaining and losing people every moment, but there were a few faces who remained the entire time I was there) who were variously trying to argue, trying to belittle, finding something to laugh at, finding something to be angry at, being confused, and being agravated, or just listening...
A few faces stood out to me::
A young gothic teenager and his gothic girlfriend, he seem angry and frustrated; the girl told me she was a Christian when my friend asked her, she was not happy with this man's presence.
Another gothic man, perhaps my age, wearing a set of handcuffs, a red tee-shirt, and a shaved head. His face more than any other stands out in my mind's eye. The entire time I was there (20 minutes?) he never said anything, he had a very meek demeanor with folded hands, as though he didn't want to provoke, and he wore (what seemed to me) a pained expression on his face. I did not speak to him, but it seemed to me as though he wanted to listen, to understand why he was destined for hell, as though he wanted to hear what this man said, almost out of self-loathing...
...I want to speak to him.
Other faces, mocking and jeering, arguing and confronting; I am sure that my own was somewhat twisted with anguish...
======================
Earlier I had watched the movie with Denzel Washington, Man on Fire. Now, you are going to have to grant me some leeway here, which I think is warranted by Jesus own way of speaking; the Parable of the Unjust Judge is an example of Jesus speaking of God in a way that gets at a truth, even though it speaks of God in other ways that aren't necessarily true; so bear with me here.
In this movie Denzel Washington plays a broken man, a drunk haunted by evil things he has done, it is hinted at that he was involved in covert military operations. He sporadically reads the Scriptures and at one point he asks, "Can God forgive us for what we have done?" He lands a job as a body guard for an elite and wealthy family in Latin America. His primary role is to protect their young daughter from kidnapping. At first he presents the young girl with a gruff exterior, but her love for him wins him over, he comes to love her. When she is kidnapped, and then killed, he unleashes upon her killers with vengeance.
He is relentless, and goes to any lengths to rescue her, and then avenge her, without concern for the risk or cost to himself. He will not be dissuaded from his course of action, he has found the one thing in life that has made it okay for him to live, and now she has been harmed.
Perhaps it was simply the plot itself and the acting of Mr. Washington, and yet, I know that it was aided by the portrayal of the young girl by a blond-haired, blue-eyed little girl, similar to my own beautiful daughter Zoe; for whatever reason, this film touched me. I couldn't help but cry at several points in the film, and even afterward... and I felt that God was saying to me, "Steve, my heart loves like this, my heart hurts like this; tell them that I love them like this!"
===============
...and so, when I saw these people listening to this man explaining to them why God wants to torture them for eternity, I was moved... I don't know how to respond. I didn't really respond then in any way other than to listen, and be sad. It demands a response. People have to know, they need to know that God desperately loves them, He yearns to be with them.
Isn't that the point of the Parable of the Lost coin, the Lost Sheep, and the Lost Son? Isn't that what we hear whispered in the name of Jesus? Isn't that what we see when we look to the cross? At the anguish of God, desparate to recover to himself, his dear children?
6.14.2007
Who is my Neighbor?
Luke 10:25-37 (New International Version)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
6.12.2007
6.11.2007
Money
Money is an intrinsic aspect of daily life. (Even in a hypothetical and romanticized agrarian, utopian barter economy there is this same reality...) This is not something we can simply ignore if we are to deal with the lives of everyday people. Jesus, does exactly that, deal with the lives of everyday people, and so, must be seen as having something to say about the way we spend, earn, use, save, and view, our money.
In fact, as we peruse the gospels with this thought in mind, we find that Jesus is constantly refering to finances, as metaphor for larger spiritual realities, in parable to to refer to the financial issues of His listeners, and even directly refering to the way specific individuals act in regards to money. It would be hard to think that Jesus was not very interested in teaching us how to live properly with money.
Here are some thoughts from our small group discussion last Wednesday on this topic:
We read and discussed the following passages:
Matthew 6:25-34
Matthew 23:23-26
Luke 10:25-37
We came to some conclusions...
1) as people who have decided to learn how to live from Jesus, our approach to money should be secondary, peripheral, indirect. Jesus essentially said, "don't worry about money, seek out what God is doing in the world, and align yourself with that; then your financial situation will take care of itself." We shouldn't spend time fretting about clothes and food, cars and houses. This is not an excuse to be lazy. This is about our attitude and our focus.
2) money is not given to people to bless them, but rather given to people so that they can use it to bless others. Jesus always had hard words for people of privilege who viewed their privilege as a sign of their superiority. This is because, throughout the entire recorded history of God's interaction with people, He has always chosen to bless people, in order that those people could be a blessing to the world around them.
(As a side note, visit this website to get a view for how much money you 'really' make!)
3) Finally we decided that we have a responsibility to those around us. We cannot ignore the suffering and need that goes on in our world and pretend that we are moral people simply because we don't hurt people. Being a 'good person' consists in more than simply not hurting others; it requires that we are actively pursuing the well-being of other people. (We learn this in the parable of the 'Good Samaritan' in the above passage.)
We concluded our talk with a few points of application:
1) Recognize that this is a heart issue. How you spend (and earn) your money, is an indicator of where your heart is at.
2) Instead of spending time with people who have more than you, spend time with people who have less. This will keep you from trying to 'keep up,' and will help you focus on 'helping out.'
3) Recognize that people need you to get involved more than they need your money. There is a middle option between saying 'no' and handing someone a $20. Find out who they are and how you can truly help them.
4) Build a discipline of giving into your life. Make it a habit to tip at least 50%, once a month give away your favorite article of
clothing, regularly give anonymous donations to people in need.
In fact, as we peruse the gospels with this thought in mind, we find that Jesus is constantly refering to finances, as metaphor for larger spiritual realities, in parable to to refer to the financial issues of His listeners, and even directly refering to the way specific individuals act in regards to money. It would be hard to think that Jesus was not very interested in teaching us how to live properly with money.
Here are some thoughts from our small group discussion last Wednesday on this topic:
We read and discussed the following passages:
Matthew 6:25-34
Matthew 23:23-26
Luke 10:25-37
We came to some conclusions...
1) as people who have decided to learn how to live from Jesus, our approach to money should be secondary, peripheral, indirect. Jesus essentially said, "don't worry about money, seek out what God is doing in the world, and align yourself with that; then your financial situation will take care of itself." We shouldn't spend time fretting about clothes and food, cars and houses. This is not an excuse to be lazy. This is about our attitude and our focus.
2) money is not given to people to bless them, but rather given to people so that they can use it to bless others. Jesus always had hard words for people of privilege who viewed their privilege as a sign of their superiority. This is because, throughout the entire recorded history of God's interaction with people, He has always chosen to bless people, in order that those people could be a blessing to the world around them.
(As a side note, visit this website to get a view for how much money you 'really' make!)
3) Finally we decided that we have a responsibility to those around us. We cannot ignore the suffering and need that goes on in our world and pretend that we are moral people simply because we don't hurt people. Being a 'good person' consists in more than simply not hurting others; it requires that we are actively pursuing the well-being of other people. (We learn this in the parable of the 'Good Samaritan' in the above passage.)
We concluded our talk with a few points of application:
1) Recognize that this is a heart issue. How you spend (and earn) your money, is an indicator of where your heart is at.
2) Instead of spending time with people who have more than you, spend time with people who have less. This will keep you from trying to 'keep up,' and will help you focus on 'helping out.'
3) Recognize that people need you to get involved more than they need your money. There is a middle option between saying 'no' and handing someone a $20. Find out who they are and how you can truly help them.
4) Build a discipline of giving into your life. Make it a habit to tip at least 50%, once a month give away your favorite article of
clothing, regularly give anonymous donations to people in need.
6.06.2007
The Party Line...
Don't make the mistake of thinking that Jesus is honored, simply because Buddha is mocked...
Honoring Jesus is more than words, it is deep work, requiring alterations in our very character...
Truly honoring God requires the Spirit of the resurrected Christ at work in us. Not simply saying 'He is great' and 'everything else is junk.'
There are no short cuts to holiness. We do not get a pass on being good, by simply spouting the party line. God is not interested in people who want the outer trappings of godliness, but lack the desire to become godly.
I must confess, it is easier for me to see myself in good standing with God simply because I do 'Christian' things... this however, does not fool God. I cannot confuse God with political spin. I may be able to fool others into thinking my lack of drinking and swearing makes me a pious person, but God sees the way my heart responds to the customers that I deal with at work. He is not fooled by my knowledge of the Bible into thinking that I actually live out the message the Bible contains.
Honoring Jesus is more than words, it is deep work, requiring alterations in our very character...
Truly honoring God requires the Spirit of the resurrected Christ at work in us. Not simply saying 'He is great' and 'everything else is junk.'
There are no short cuts to holiness. We do not get a pass on being good, by simply spouting the party line. God is not interested in people who want the outer trappings of godliness, but lack the desire to become godly.
I must confess, it is easier for me to see myself in good standing with God simply because I do 'Christian' things... this however, does not fool God. I cannot confuse God with political spin. I may be able to fool others into thinking my lack of drinking and swearing makes me a pious person, but God sees the way my heart responds to the customers that I deal with at work. He is not fooled by my knowledge of the Bible into thinking that I actually live out the message the Bible contains.
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