In this modern society of ours, satisfying one’s personal needs often takes priority over the things that really matter. Jesus said in Luke 9:23-25, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for you to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit your very self.” Our Lord expects that we deny ourselves in order to be His disciples. We must be obedient and totally dedicated to serving our Lord in our daily lives. How does one accomplish this daunting task in this modern, self serving world in which one can meet their every desire by the mere touch of a button? Philippians 2:5-8, “have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!” Even though Christ was one with God and fully God Himself, he subjected Himself to serve others in humility. Christ did not use His authority to assume earthly privilege or take any advantage that should be granted to Him as fully God.
When we place Christ first in our lives, we will live our lives to please our Lord and Savior. Earthly desires will no longer hold us hostage. Romans 8:5-8, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” Our selfish desires are the sinful nature described by Paul. Our innermost selfish, sinful being is easily tempted to fulfill our own desires and neglect our Lord. Placing our own needs and desires before our Lord leads to disobedience and resentment and will only serve to make us unacceptable to God.
Which nature is served by the crusade for “full inclusion” and acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle by the ELCA? Is the Spirit leading the ELCA to use their bound conscience to reinterpret Scripture? Romans 8:12-13, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Paul explains that we are obliged to live according to the Spirit and if we surrender to the Spirit, worldly desires will wane in their importance, and we will delight in following God’s law. If we fail to follow the Spirit, we will fall into sin and turn away from our Savior. We gladly submit ourselves to God’s law because we obey out of our love for Him. Simply obeying God’s law will not, in and of itself, bring us to salvation, but God provides us with our moral and ethical boundaries in His law.
This life on this world is not about us, it is all about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When we finally surrender to the Lord and give our lives to Him, only then will we begin to truly live. Our sexual identities, occupations, and all the other worldly things will start to take their proper place in our lives, as secondary to our faith in our Lord, who took our sin and died for us, rose and defeated death so that we may live, forever with our Father in Heaven.
Showing posts with label sexuality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sexuality. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Christ IS the Heart of the Matter
Until late in the middle ages man believed that the earth was the center of the universe. This was a tenet that the Roman Catholic Church enforced, charging those who dared to challenge this notion, as heretics. Many were brought before the inquisition and forced to renounce those beliefs or face judgment. Much of the thought behind this belief was that man was God’s ultimate success and, as such, we were much too important to be relegated to a place other than the heart of the known universe. The church was ultimately proven wrong. 500 years later we see much of the same attitude permeating from the leadership of the ELCA. Enlightened man and his goals for social justice are held in such high esteem that our Lord is relegated to a secondary position in the hierarchy of this misguided denomination.
While a Christian needs to deny oneself and place our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, the ELCA promotes social justice as the primary goal and denies our Lord the proper place in their church. As the ELCA pushes forward with social justice as the central ambition in their ministry, they deny Christ and withhold salvation from those thirsting for Christ’s love and acceptance. All this social justice and good works that the ELCA concentrates so intensely upon certainly appears as if they are answering to a noble calling. But, these good works mean nothing if they are not used give glory to our Lord and as a vehicle to bring people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Especially troubling is the fact that the ELCA delights in tackling the most controversial of social agendas. Sexuality, immigration reform, healthcare, environment, and education are a few of the social justice agenda items listed on the ELCA website. The emphasis on these social statements leads one to believe that the ELCA is a social services agency, not a Lutheran Church Synod.
It appears that the ELCA has successfully removed Christ from the heart of their beliefs and replaced Him with themselves and their fight for social justice. Without Christ as the center of our beliefs, to who then do we turn? How can a church make confession and absolution optional in the worship service and replace it with a celebration of baptism? How does eliminating sin and disregarding Scripture by simply passing resolutions help lead sinners to the Gospel of Christ? The ELCA has lost their way and are adhering to and promoting a false gospel. They place man’s opinion and authority over God’s Word using words that sound so accommodating and pleasant. Their Biblical scholars have found a way around Scripture that coincides with the secular values of this world. We must work to open the spiritual hearts and minds of those falling prey to this bound conscience. If we stand up to the misguided doctrine of the ELCA, we will be fighting the good fight for our Lord and His people.
In order for the ELCA to turn away from their ill-advised secular goals and doctrines that attempt to invalidate scripture, their membership must rise up and tell them so. The time to remain comfortable in our cozy local churches has come to an end. Our indifference in allowing others to take on our responsibilities has given the ELCA the means to disregard Scripture and replace it with their own selfish desires. 2 Timothy 2:25-26, “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” This bound conscience is of man and not Scripturally valid. The first step to eliminating this false gospel is to raise our voices and educate other members about bound conscience. There is a reason that so many congregations are not discussing the actions taken by the national assembly last August. If people are kept in the dark, this false gospel will be allowed to take root, grow, and eventually overwhelm the church, taking its members with it on a path to destruction. As Christians, we simply cannot sit back and allow this false doctrine to overtake the Lord’s Church.
While a Christian needs to deny oneself and place our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, the ELCA promotes social justice as the primary goal and denies our Lord the proper place in their church. As the ELCA pushes forward with social justice as the central ambition in their ministry, they deny Christ and withhold salvation from those thirsting for Christ’s love and acceptance. All this social justice and good works that the ELCA concentrates so intensely upon certainly appears as if they are answering to a noble calling. But, these good works mean nothing if they are not used give glory to our Lord and as a vehicle to bring people to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Especially troubling is the fact that the ELCA delights in tackling the most controversial of social agendas. Sexuality, immigration reform, healthcare, environment, and education are a few of the social justice agenda items listed on the ELCA website. The emphasis on these social statements leads one to believe that the ELCA is a social services agency, not a Lutheran Church Synod.
It appears that the ELCA has successfully removed Christ from the heart of their beliefs and replaced Him with themselves and their fight for social justice. Without Christ as the center of our beliefs, to who then do we turn? How can a church make confession and absolution optional in the worship service and replace it with a celebration of baptism? How does eliminating sin and disregarding Scripture by simply passing resolutions help lead sinners to the Gospel of Christ? The ELCA has lost their way and are adhering to and promoting a false gospel. They place man’s opinion and authority over God’s Word using words that sound so accommodating and pleasant. Their Biblical scholars have found a way around Scripture that coincides with the secular values of this world. We must work to open the spiritual hearts and minds of those falling prey to this bound conscience. If we stand up to the misguided doctrine of the ELCA, we will be fighting the good fight for our Lord and His people.
In order for the ELCA to turn away from their ill-advised secular goals and doctrines that attempt to invalidate scripture, their membership must rise up and tell them so. The time to remain comfortable in our cozy local churches has come to an end. Our indifference in allowing others to take on our responsibilities has given the ELCA the means to disregard Scripture and replace it with their own selfish desires. 2 Timothy 2:25-26, “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” This bound conscience is of man and not Scripturally valid. The first step to eliminating this false gospel is to raise our voices and educate other members about bound conscience. There is a reason that so many congregations are not discussing the actions taken by the national assembly last August. If people are kept in the dark, this false gospel will be allowed to take root, grow, and eventually overwhelm the church, taking its members with it on a path to destruction. As Christians, we simply cannot sit back and allow this false doctrine to overtake the Lord’s Church.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)