Bishop Eddie Long and Homosexuality?

from I am speaking the truth

It appears as though Eddie Long is doing what many (including his detractors) thought would NEVER happen…bend to the will of the homosexual lobby.

I must admit that I’m saddened by this apparent revelation. Sure, I have theological disagreements with Eddie Long because of his allegiance to the false prosperity gospel, his daft ability to twist scripture like an old pro, and his spawning of clones across the country.

Despite all of this, Eddie still stood firmly on the Word of God in reiterating that homosexuality is a sin that God will not ignore. He even led a march through downtown Atlanta in 2004 in support of heterosexual marriage.

Now, it appears that Eddie is bowing to pressure from the pro-gay lobby, has met the group Soulforce (a “gay christian” organization), and told Soulforce that there are “things about homosexuality that he needs to learn”.

So what is it that Eddie doesn’t “understand” about homosexuality? He’s been preaching against it all of his pastoral life, and he’s questioning scripture’s position regarding the subject now?

Our brother Pastor Foster over at Gay Christian Movement Watch first alerted us of this impending attempt of Soulforce to “dialogue” with Eddie last week (i.e. get him to see their point of view) (click here, here, here, and here for more details), and our brother Independent Conservative posted about it earlier this week as well.

You can see pictures of Soulforce’s visit with Eddie and his staff here, and you can read the article in a pro-gay newspaper that details the visit. Here’s an interesting quote from the article:

The meeting ended with Soulforce members offering to lead workshops at New Birth on human sexuality. Renee said the church is considering its options.

Homosexuality is a sin, and no “workshop on human sexuality” will change that fact. The Soulforce coalition seemed pretty happy to be at Club New Birth, but the CNB staff seemed elated for the opportunity to meet with them.

Unless this meeting was called to preach salvation and repentance from homosexual sin, it should’ve never been held (1 Corinthians 5). These Soulforce members have heard the truth, REJECTED IT, and “tweaked it” to fit THEIR AGENDA.

Let me be CRYSTAL CLEAR – God loves us even in our mess – and in turn, our love for Him and His truth means we must leave our mess behind. We are filthy rags, deserving eternal damnation apart from the redeeming Blood of Jesus Christ and the turning away from our flesh. This is an uncompromisable point. We can’t honestly serve a sinless Savior while holding onto the things that He hates!

I am not a “gay basher”, a homophobe, a “hater” or any other pejorative that will probably be hurled my way. I’m not perfect, nor will I try to reason the varying degrees of “sin”. I understand that many have been hurt through sexual molestation, and confused regarding same-sex attraction, etc. Homosexuality is a sin – and like every other unrepentant sin, it’s consequence is eternal separation from the Father. I stand on the Word of God, specifically:

• Genesis 19:1-13
• Leviticus 18:22
• Romans 1:24-27
• 1 Corinthians 6:9
• And much more…

Is there deliverance from homosexuality? ABSOLUTELY – 1 Corinthians 6:11 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 specifically speaks of deliverance over ANY SIN through salvation and faith in Jesus Christ.

Further, EVERY CHRISTIAN will struggle against sin – including sins of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). What separates us from the world, however, is that we always repent and turn back to God. You can’t be “gay” and call yourself a true Christian if you continue in homosexual sin – remember, 1 Corinthians 6:11 Paul said “you were (fill in the blank)”…meaning before sanctification through the Blood of Jesus.

You’re either “ex-gay” or an “ex-Christian”.

The truth hurts, and it could be considered “offensive” to anyone that it speaks against – BUT THAT DOES NOT NEGATE IT’S MERIT.

The bottom line is this – Eddie Long has just (apparently) lost the firm footing he had on scripture as it relates to this particular sin.

Should he have attempted to evangelize the Gospel truth to sinners? YES! Should he have entertained an audience of unrepentant sinners (and their partners) in an attempt to assuage scripture for their comfort? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

To all of the Eddie Long sympathizers that ignore EVERYTHING else he’s ever done, can you overlook this too?

In accordance to 2 John 1:10-11, I WILL NOTentertain comments from Soulforce sympathizers, anyone who wishes to argue about being “born gay”, or anyone attempting to defend this meeting.

It is what it is – if you disagree, then visit a blog that supports your assertions – I will stand on the uncompromised, immutable, irrefutable Word of God.

Just a nagging question?

What did evolutionists think was going to happen to society when they took the Bible and God out of it. Did they honestly think they were going to create a better society? Did they really think that this brave new world they envisioned would be a morally pure one? Did they even take into consideration the empact of leaving the Ten Commandments out would make men good?

The end of the road is now clearly in site of where we stand. Certainly God does have much to say about what we are doing today, but the real question is do we really care?

If you do not want to believe in God and be a through going athiest, then evolution is exactly what you want. It takes God completely out of the equation the net result is a Godless society with no real meaningful rules. No one to tell us we should not be acting this way or not. I am not alone in saying that you asked for a society with no moral rules, except those you like, this is exactly what you earned. No rules mean school shootings, skyrocketing crime rates, divorce at an all time high rate and of course then there is always the question of the moral morase brought to us by excepting homosexuals as just a different life style as opposed to being an abomination to God. These things have brought us to a cross roads of sorts, will we keep going down this road or can we change directions before it is eternally to late. You should have listened to one of your own prophets and taken a moment to meditate before you took this step.

PROFESSOR ADUOUS HUXLEY
“I have always been strongly in favor of secular education without theology, but I must confess that I have been no less seriously perplexed to know by what practical measures the religious feeling, which is the essential basis of moral conduct, is to be kept up in the present utterly chaotic state of opinion on these matters without the use of the Bible.”

There is Only One Faith and Doctrine

There is this persistent teaching today, that says Christians ought to open armed and acceptible to other religions. After all they say we really worship the same God and are brothers. Is this really true? There is also a practice of religion without Biblical authority. What this means is we no longer have to resort to scripture to tell us what to believe and how to live, just have faith in something and that is enough. Many seem to have little or no knowledge of the Bible the infallible book by which Christians in times long past have resorted to for a rule of life. Does the bible say that we can believe anything we want to and that God will accept it? Or is God a little bit more specific then that:

“Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. “

Our Lord said, that those who follow Him will find himself in disagreement with their own family. This is the beginning point of division becoming a believer a real believer in Christ it makes you a member of God’s family and sets you at variance not only with your own family, but humanity as a whole. The Bible is very specific as opposed to being very open minded about who has the right belief.

“(Mat 7:14) Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

The way to heaven is actually very narrow anything that suggests another way of making it to heaven is completely absent. If there had been more then one way to make it to heaven then the bible would have said something about it.

(Act 4:10) Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

(Act 4:11) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

(Act 4:12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

(Act 4:13) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

In the scriptures instead of finding a very subjective man made faith we find just the opposite a very objective faith, based on a very select set of doctrine. The religious authorities of the Lord Jesus day put Him to death, because he preached a doctrine that was not the one they wanted to hear. That teaching was that men must believe in Jesus Christ or face judgement in front of God’s judgement seat in the future. There is no salvation and, that is what’s important, anywhere else but at the foot of the cross and the open tomb. Christianity is a propositional faith, based on the doctrine of scripture. The road that leaves from the cross is a very narrow one, with a very set faith in God’s inspired Word.

The testimony of the New Testament was that believers were marked as having been with Jesus. Once you have confessed Christ there is nothing else you need and you find that you must tell others about Him.

If this is devisive then so be it. If it is dangerous, then so be it. If it leads to martyrdom then so be it. I have known Him for better then 49 years and have never known Him to desert me. I will not back down on this.

What has brought me to this is the so called interfaith movement of Tony Blair. He has in effect called all true believers in Jesus Christ as being dangerous. That makes me dangerous, watch out maybe God will make you a believer, then you will also be dangerous. This is not the first time that it was dangerous to become a Christian, in fact it has always been dangerous, it demands a changed life and atitude.

Read

Psychology is Evolutions answer to confessing to God

“…..The Church needs to wake up too and stop integrating
and mixing the Gospel with the Religion of Psychology in its programs too!
You can not serve two masters! Choose today whom you will follow — the
Mighty Counselor and Intercessor, or your flawed psychotherapist as your
counselor! Psychology is based on myths while Paul in his Second Epistle to
Timothy said to turn aside from myths!” True Discernment

The psychologist has nothing to offer man, but the same old dead theories. It is still basically the humanists answer to church. The evolutionist theory is that man evolved from chemicals to higher life forms over eons of time. Since all man is is a bag of genes, then something must be done to keep the bag of genes from killing itself. They have no concept of sin and no concept of confessing your sins to God. In fact, they have no God, unless you call Darwin a god? Problem is that Darwin is answering to God for his own sin problem. Until man stops long enough to face God and admit that he is a sinner there is no hope. All hope is found in the person of Jesus Christ. What about you have you found hope? All you need to do is come to Christ He not only offers hope He is Hope.

Man’s basic problem is a sin problem. The answer to the sin question lies in the shed blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin. When a person comes to Christ he or she is given a clean forgiven position in front of God, I should add that it is also permanent, that is it can not be lost. God’s answer in other words to mans sin problem is to offer salvation based on Christs, death, burial and resurrection. Have you believed in the Gospel of Christ and received Him as your personal Savior? This is where the confession comes into it:

“(Rom 10:9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
(Rom 10:10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Faith has to come both from the heart and the intellect. Confession, means to agree or to say the same thing. In this case confess means to agree with God’s estimate in Christ dying for your sins. The mouth is the vocal part of salvation, it is the part that echoes agreement with God. Faith has to come from the heart, which is in agreement with the Resurrection of Christ. The righteousness spoken of here is Christ’s righteousness which has been credited to your account before a Just and Holy God. What will it be, will you now acknowledge Him as your only Savior? Or do you want to keep going the way you are going? The broad road leads to death and judgement, then an eternity in hell. Remember Psychology does not have the answer, it only creates more questions and an empty heart, which is in rebellion against God.

Filled seats, but empty hearts and souls

Church is not about how many seats are full on any given Sunday morning. It is not how many you can claim filled the seats. Numbers are not the ultimate test, by which we test our ministries. In fact empty hearts and souls is a far more important concern. A congregation of 1,000, but 200 saved is not as good as a congregation of 200 with 175 saved.  Notice I have not said 200 with 200 saved, because not every one who is a member of our churches is really saved. There are those out there who do not realize they are not saved, but belong to Bible believing churches. There are also those out there who know they are not believers, but lie in wait to snatch up new believers.  Not just how many are saved, but how is their walk with Christ.

Is your pastor preparing you in a biblical and scriptural manner to face the world week by week? Is he faithfully preaching the text of scripture? We call this the exposition of scripture, not reading into it what you want it to say, but preaching what it says even if you do not like what it says. We use to say is the preacher stepping on your toes? If he is not doing this then he is not doing what he is supposed to do. Or are you going to church for the entertainment value, but if it is entertainment you want there are better places to go.

Church is for believers and the building them up in spiritual faith and practice. A pastor is in away kind of working himself out of a job, because he is an example to his flock, both in word and deed. This example should be creating a strong, sufficient and sustaining walk with God. Much like a parent does with a child you teach them to crawl, walk, stand and then run, plus somewhere in there you give them tools that make them better able to discern danger.

However, before you can be built up as a believer, first you must be a believer in Christ. Not just that he existed, but that He died for you, was buried in a tomb and was resurrected on the third day. If you believe this then right now as you read this tell God that you now believe that Jesus died for you and that you accept Him as your savior. Then go and find a church that will help you grow as a believer. If you need help in finding a church, please post a comment and I will help you.

Active Obedience

The Lord Jesus confronted the Pharisee’s and when He did they had this question to ask Him, in hopes that they could trip him.

“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matt 22:36–40)

First where did Jesus get this from: ” And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”Deuteronomy 6:4-6

“Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 10:18-20
What has gotten my attention is how simple this is and yet so profound. How easy it is, yet how so very hard it is. It is easy to love God, but is it? I don’t know about you, but with me the harder I try the more illusive it becomes. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit can’t bring this about in our lives, but that it is a daily exercise. To me the hard part is not the first of these, even as difficult as that can some times be knowing that we are prone to wander. The hard part is the second commandment. How do I love my neighbor when I do not even know my neighbor? How do I love my neighbor on the other side of the world, who I might even say I hate? There are those in this world who are almost impossible to love. Impossible or not we are still commanded to love our neighbor even if our neighbor happens to be an enemy. The commandment in Galatians 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” This is what got to me how do I love my enemies when they are not very lovely? How do I love the Muslim, when they say and do so many terrible things? I found that our Lord was very specific with the Pharisee in that he corrected their error. They said to love their neighbor, but hate their enemy. Jesus said yes love your neighbor, but also love your enemy. Jesus took time to answer the serious, real questions of a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus. You know this can actually be life changing. This is called active obedience to Christ and cannot be accomplished without the work of the Holy Spirit.