Closing out June 2023: you can have freedom in Christ

As we close out the month of June, and especially the “pride” aspect of the month (including the part about the celebration of sin as well), I felt prompted to share one more thing. As I mentioned at the beginning of this month, a significant part of why I stand this staunchly for Biblical marriage (1 man, 1 woman) is traced to the fact that I once stood staunchly pro-gay marriage. When I voted according to liberal causes, I was by no means a single-issue voter, but this was the number one issue I cared about. It was hard for me to switch (and it took some time), primarily because my previous stance was built on people in my life that were important to me then. But as the God of the Bible was working on my heart to get me saved and into His heavenly Kingdom, He showed me that He still loves people who say that they’re gay, and that it is simply a matter of severe deception regarding what they consider their identity.

I get it: identity is personal by nature. Even I myself over the years have struggled with different aspects of my identity: as an American, as a musician, as a composer, as a Christian, as a Caucasian… even as a man. No, I never once gave thought to changing my sex (and I don’t plan to), and I can’t do anything about my heritage (I was born into the race I was born into). But I remember in my young-adult years, college age plus the first few years afterward, being very resistant to the identity as a “Christian man” because, based on what I was immersed in growing up, being either, let alone both, was considered bad. I’ve also experienced in my life diametrically opposing reactions to looking at the American flag, the flag that has stayed the same throughout my lifetime. However, the summation of the shift in my reactions is this: I was first taught to see the American flag as a symbol of freedom, then as a symbol of oppression, and then once again as a symbol of freedom (this is the position I currently hold). The flag never changed. But I did, twice.

The point is, both truth and deception are powerful tools. And so is this: at one point, halfway through my time in college, one evening after being so frustrated at my fear and my hopeless awkwardness and social ineptitude around women, I started deciding in my mind that the only possible reason for this is that I “must” be gay. There were little things here and there (“hooks”) that I picked out to justify my conclusion. I went to bed that night imagining what it would be like to enter a romantic relationship with my childhood best friend (who had “come out of the closet” to me by that point). I was so done with the frustration and failure that I just wanted something to give me peace so that I could move on with my life. Considering that I not only grew up in a world that supported homosexuality, but I also went to a liberal arts college, I knew I wasn’t going to really have to worry about any rejection from my family or friends if I purposed myself to choose this route. It was not only I but all those around me that I cared about: we all were deceived.

I believe that God intervened that night in a dream and nipped this whole thing in the bud. Essentially, I dreamed I was in a large room, seated on the floor, with multiple different women sitting right next to me, all around me. We were just sitting nearby each other. There was nothing sexual, nor sensual, nor even physical about the dream. It’s just that we were in close proximity to one another. When I awoke the next morning, I called it “the straightest dream” I’ve ever had (I still hold this position even today). I took it as a sign to put away this thought of me considering being gay, and I immediately did. I haven’t looked back since.

It wasn’t until years later, well after I had begun therapy in co-ed group settings (and perhaps not until even after I graduated from group therapy), that I finally understood the second layer to this dream. The second layer was a picture, a revelation of what God was going to do to bring healing into this area of my life, considering that I was still afraid of any kind of connection with women even when I first joined a co-ed group. And it was through this group that He brought that healing, which eventually allowed me to be introduced to my sweetie (yes, a woman), with whom I am preparing to marry.

I want to close this post (and this month) with a message of hope. Deception is evil and will lead you astray if you persist in it, but you don’t have to continue believing it. It doesn’t have to be the end of you. Jesus Christ is on a mission, even now, to redeem and restore all who have been deceived, especially those where the deception has led to fear and pain. After all:

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3, NKJV

And:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19, NKJV

And:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16, NKJV

And:

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10, NKJV

God is good, is He not? Let Him free you of all deception, including that of homosexuality as identity, as well as pride of homosexuality as something to celebrate. Pursuing the things of God, including His kingdom and His righteousness, is far more rewarding. (Matthew 6:33, NKJV) And remember, all these verses are as much for me and the issues I wrestle with, as much as they are for you and the issues that you’ve wrestled with.

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32, NKJV

The healing model, part 1: prologue

 There are times when I have some ideas for what I want to jot down, and the ideas themselves I believe would be worthy of a book, or at the minimum, a blog post. However, I have found that I can have a burning idea and even a burning passion for the idea (when it comes). But then I find I'm not able to put it together. This is one of those ideas. So, I'm going to present it this way, as a barebones outline sketch, and maybe just by doing this exercise, something more concrete will come.

When I was in intensive therapy, our clinic used a healing model as a guide to help us 1.) discover our emotions, 2.) manage our emotions, and 3.) build personal strength as we worked through different issues and behavior patterns that were destructive. More of that can be found in this post here. It served me well for a long time; however, I rarely use it today.

Someday I hope to write more in-depth about some issues I started seeing at the clinic (the whole time I was there, it branded itself as a Christian therapy center, but in retrospect, in my opinion it was only really Christian for the first half of the time I was there, based on things I was seeing). But I'm not there right now, and I may not be there for a long time. A combination of gratitude I have for my time there and the respect I still maintain for the counselors who helped me play a role in preventing me from speaking out as such. Also, 1 Timothy 5:1 would apply here, I think.

The model, in short, was based on the three persons of Adult, Child, and Shadow. The Adult is the one that needs to be in charge of the whole person, deliberating and taking action from a place full of wisdom and maturity. The Child is the person that holds all the emotional baggage, primarily from childhood, but also from adulthood, for example if the person was particularly vulnerable at any point in time. The Shadow is the person's inner survivor, and will go to any length, including sin, to stop the pain or fear or any other negative emotion.

This model is quite palatable to secular non-Christians as well as to Christians who are non-legalistic about their faith or about the Word. But to those who truly hold fast to the Bible (and I hesitate to stereotype or brand such persons as legalists, considering that I count myself as one of these, but such persons in our category can certainly include legalists) some of us may hear such words, particularly the term Shadow, as some kind of new-age mumbo-jumbo. I can vouch that these terms are not the such, although I can also understand why some might think this.

I remember a phone call with my former housemate right around the time I had begun my time in therapy, and the reaction I got from him as I was attempting to explain the model was that he didn't think I needed "the Shadow [stuff]. You just need to be a man and grow up." I was not happy with his comment, and I basically brushed him off. That may have been one of the last times we talked, although this conversation didn't end our connection; it just fell into disrepair because we weren't intentional about keeping in touch.

Given that I've been out of formal therapy for over 2 years now, and that my faith more than ever has been providing the structure for my personal growth (still amid setbacks), Adult / Child / Shadow no longer speaks to me like it once did. And that's ok. Primarily through my pastor, I believe that God has given me a new model, which follows thus: Spirit / Soul / Flesh. The comparisons are apt: like with the Adult, the Bible calls us to live in the Spirit. Like with the Child (i.e. the one who holds all the emotional baggage), our Souls similarly hold all of our emotional energy, heart's desires, attitudes, and so on. And like with the Shadow, following what our Flesh wants to do means living a life in sin and leading ourselves down the path which ultimately leads to destruction. (For a Biblical basis on this, please check out Romans 8:5-6.) The reason I hold that the clinic I went to was truly Christian at first can be traced to a fellow man's story at one of his sessions the he had shared with us: the counselor explained to him that operating out of the Adult place is like living in the Spirit, whereas operating out of the Shadow place is like living in the Flesh.

There's a lot more I want to explore and expound here, but this will have to wait awhile longer.

Sermons from Good News: knowing God's heart, part 4: remember that God is good

Preamble: As we continue to go through this month, instead of harping on what the world is trying to turn this into, I'm going to continue speaking faith, hope, and love. Today's post continues the theme of sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and what He promises to all those who surrender control of their lives to Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

Church 5/27/2023

Offertory scripture:

Numbers 6 “the Lord bless you and keep you…”. Receive it. God is a provider. Receive from God what He has for you. You can never stop receiving enough to give to others.

Sermon message:

Thesis: Knowing God’s heart, part 4

In His Word, God says that He loves you. He repeats it. He repeats it because we needs to hear it over and over.

Happy Memorial Day. What does it mean? It was originally a declaration day. Originated after the civil war, to remember the USA soldiers who died fighting for our country. Now we commemorate it for all soldiers who died in every war we’ve fought since.


Part 4 sub-thesis: Remember that God is good.

Remember that He is good. Satan and others will try to get you to forget. But remember.

God sent Jesus the bright morning star to brighten our lives.

Case study: Nahum. Context: 150 years prior, God called Jonah to call for Nineveh to repent. Nineveh obeyed and repented. Now 150 years later, God sent Nahum to Nineveh to give them some correction for God and encouragement.

There can be tranquility even in trouble, peace in the midst of pressure, and comfort in the midst of chaos.

Point #1: God reveals He is good.

Nahum 1:7a - Nahum’s message to Nineveh.

Read through Genesis 1 and note how often it says the word “good.”

Mark 10:18

Point #2: God announces His protection.

Nahum 1:7b

Psalm 46:1

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 91:4-16

John 16:33

Point #3: God explains His knowledge.

Nahum 1:7

God is close to those who trust in Him. He knows where your heart is at. He will draw near to you if you draw near to him. He will protect you and give you peace in times of calamity.

Psalm 23 (all): a statement of faith and trust in God.

Sermons from Good News: knowing God's heart, part 3: motherhood is God's plan

Preamble: As we continue to go through this month, instead of harping on what the world is trying to turn this into, I'm going to continue speaking faith, hope, and love. Today's post continues the theme of sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and what He promises to all those who surrender control of their lives to Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

Church 5/13/2023

Offertory scripture:

Colossians 1:12-14

Sermon message:

Happy Mother’s Day

Series: knowing God’s heart

Tonight: part 3: motherhood is God’s plan

(Along with manhood, womanhood, and fatherhood)

Moms are needed for birthing, nursing, and nurturing.

Moms who love God are very important for their children’s development

Exodus 20:12

The very first miracle in the Bible, at the wedding feast of Cana, Jesus honored His mother by obeying her. She told Him to change the water into wine.

On the cross, Jesus told John to take care of His mother.

For those whose moms didn’t take care of them, there are mothers in the Bible that God can use to get you what you need.

Consider the case of Egypt from Joseph’s day until the time of Moses. Egypt was grateful for the Jews at first. But then the future generations forgot about Joseph and rewrote history and painted the Jews as the problem/evil.

Same thing with Christianity and the United States of America.

Then, when Moses was born, the edict from pharaoh was that every Hebrew boy was to be thrown into the Nile River and killed.

Consider the fortitude of Moses’s mother from Exodus 1.

Exodus 1:21

Point #1: (Moses’s mom) She refused to cooperate with that which is wrong

Exodus 2:1-4

Consider the tender-heartedness of pharaoh’s daughter toward the Jews, who found Moses floating in a boat on the Nile River and took care of him.

Point #2: (Moses’s mom) She placed God’s word into her son’s heart.

Exodus 2:9-10

Point #3: (Moses’s mom) She placed her faith and her son in God’s hands.

Don’t speak unbelief if your child is rebellious. The seed of faith is still there; don’t dig it up.

Hebrews 11:23

Point #4: She changed the world.

Moses is one of the most famous and memorable people in the Bible. He wrote the first 5 books of the Bible. Moses’s mother bore him, nursed him, prayed for him.

Hebrews 11:25-27

Like his mother, Moses refused to do what is wrong when the Israelites made a golden calf to worship.

Like his mother who had done for him, Moses placed God’s word into an entire nation’s heart.

Like his mother had done, Moses put the entire nation of Israel in God’s hands.

Sermons from Good News: knowing God's heart, part 2: His promises from Isaiah 40

Preamble: As we continue to go through this month, instead of harping on what the world is trying to turn this into, I'm going to continue speaking faith, hope, and love. Today's post continues the theme of sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and what He promises to all those who surrender control of their lives to Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

Church 5/6/2023

Offertory scripture:

God is good all the time.

In the New Testament God puts His word in our hearts. We give according what we desire to give, based on what God has led us.

Abraham gave all he had to Melchizedek the high priest. Jesus is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Apostle Paul gave us this principle: give bountifully and therefore be blessed bountifully; give grudgingly and therefore be blessed grudgingly.

Sermon message: knowing God’s heart, part 2

God is good and He is wise. Also He cares about you and loves you.

The Bible = God’s love letter to you and me.

Looking at God’s heart as told in the book of Isaiah.

Point #1: God is everlasting.

Isaiah 40:28(A)

God’s goodness is not temporal; it is everlasting. He doesn’t change.

Point #2: God is the creator.

Isaiah 40:28(B)

Point #3: God never faints or grows weary

Isaiah 40:28(C)

God is always available.

Point #4: God’s wisdom is limitless.

Isaiah 40:28(D)

Point #5: God gives power to the weak.

He gives power to those who get burnt out, to those who get weak.

Isaiah 40:29

When Moses’s hands were lifted up God used it to give the Israelites power during a battle. But when his arms got weak and lowered, the Israelites lost their strength in the battle. To keep Moses’s arms up, two men helped prop his arms up so that God can use him to give the Israelites army power.

Point #6: God gives strength to the committed. (This is very important.)

Don’t give up your commitment to God. Don’t give up your commitment to serving Him, to loving Him, to loving others as He has loved you, etc.

God will give you the strength to persevere and endure when you feel weak and weary.

Isaiah 40:30-31

God will bless you if you keep your commitment to Him.

Sermons from Good News: knowing God's heart, part 1: case study from the Book of Jonah

Preamble: As we continue to go through this month, instead of harping on what the world is trying to turn this into, I'm going to continue speaking faith, hope, and love. Today's post continues the theme of sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and what He promises to all those who surrender control of their lives to Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

Church 4/29/2023

Offertory scripture:

Psalm 91:1-2

Sermon message:

Thesis: Knowing God’s heart, part 1

To be able to have faith in God and to trust Him, we have to know His heart. Knowing His heart is more powerful than just quoting scripture.

Caveat: sometimes we misjudge God. I.e. we are judging God. Saying things about Him that are not true. This is a problem. We start putting ourselves above God. This is also a problem.

He knew humans would sin. But He also sent Jesus Christ to atone for everyone’s sins and give people a chance to repent of their sins, return to Him, and receive His free gift of salvation.

God is more caring and more loving than anyone you will ever know.

If you are loyal to God, He will protect you. Consider Daniel, Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego.

God cares about the whole world, but He also cares about the individual.

Point #1: God loves those who are [have been] in rebellion to Him.

To be clear: God doesn’t love their rebellion. But He cares for them and wants them to repent and return to Him.

While on the cross, Jesus said: “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Jonah 1:1-2

Jonah 1:15-17

Point #2: God gives steps on how to get out of a bad situation.

Jonah prayed when he was in the belly of the large fish.

Jonah 2:1-6

Sometimes when you pray it may at first get worse. Don’t give up because it will eventually get better.

Jonah confessed faith.

Jonah 2:4

Jonah remembered God’s power.

Jonah refused to believe that there was no hope.

Jonah 2:8

He believed in God’s mercy.

If you’ve messed up, believe in God’s mercy.

Jonah gave thanks and recommitted to God.

Recommit to God.

Jonah 2:9

Jonah then popped right out of the big fish.

Jonah 2:10

Just like God was faithful to Daniel, Shadrach, Mesach, and Abednego, He was faithful to Jonah.

Jonah 3:1-2

Jonah 3:3-4

Jonah 3:5-8

Respond to God.

Point #3: God’s heart is better than man’s heart.

Jonah was angry that Nineveh repented.

Jonah 4:1-3

God uses a plant to teach Jonah a lesson.

Jonah 4:10-11

God’s heart: he loves you and he loves even those who are rebellious. He wants them to repent and return to Him.

Isaiah 55:7-9

God’s ways are higher than our ways.

Sermons from Good News: God is our confidence

Preamble: As we continue to go through this month, instead of harping on what the world is trying to turn this into, I'm going to continue speaking faith, hope, and love. Today's post continues the theme of sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and what He promises to all those who surrender control of their lives to Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

Church 4/1/2023

Thesis: God is our confidence

Focus passage: Psalm 91

Psalm 91:1-2

God is our place of safety.
God is our protector.
God is our confidence.

Point #1: God rescues those who love Him.

Psalm 91:14

Point #2: God protects those who trust in His name.

Psalm 91:14

Point #3: God answers those who pray.

Psalm 91:15

Point #4: God is with us in trouble.

Psalm 91:15

Point #5: God honors those who love, trust, and pray to Him.

Instead of complaining, we can love God, trust Him, and pray to Him.

Side note: What God thinks is more important than the world thinks. This point was made in context with Christians and Christianity being disrespected around the world.

Point #6: God rewards those who love Him with long (full, abundant) life.

Psalm 91:16

Point #7: God gives salvation to those who love Him.

Psalm 91:16

John 3:16

Sermon coda: Palm Sunday

Matthew 21:2-11

Luke 19:38-40

A plug for YouTube's Grace For Purpose

Today's post is going to be notes from a powerful devotional I am currently reflecting on. There is a great devotional channel on YouTube called "Grace for Purpose," which has been one of the key channels ministering to me over the last couple years. Below are the meat and potatoes of a section from today's devotional, titled "Seek God and Speak His Word Over Your Life: A Blessed Morning Prayer To Begin Your Day":

Scriptural passages:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13, NIV

 

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3, NIV

 

1 Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5, NIV

I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. Psalm 119:147, NIV

When we speak the word of God, when we declare it and confess it over our lives, we are saying "Lord, I am placing my faith in You." We are trusting and believing in Your precious Word. Prayer that is based in God's Word is a powerful prayer. 

As a personal confession, I am not writing this post to show how spiritual I am, or how successful I am at doing this. Rather, it's because I've strayed once again in my heart from faith, and sharing the contents of this post is a reflection of how much I need this. This is a reflection of how much I really need God, every hour of every day, as well as a realization as to how easily it is for me to slip. You'll notice that I have been once again posting sermon notes from my church. I've been posting them because these were the sermon messages I began hearing in the subsequent weeks after repenting on March 12th from having forgotten God for a whole year.

What has been happening is I've been wallowing lately in discouragement regarding different things, but primarily centered around waiting on God to answer some deep desires in my life. I'm aware that the older I've gotten (relatively speaking), the harder it has gotten to hold out that hope. But, as I'm continuing to learn in my prayer life, God can do anything and He is not constrained by our timelines. This devotional, appropriately titled, "A Blessed Morning Prayer To Begin Your Day" came up in my YouTube feed, as I was waking up this morning. (Another confession: I had been watching other YouTube videos, primarily around the themes of politics, sports, and other current events.)

One thing I am noting, though, is that, as much as I was struggling (or wallowing) in discouragement the last couple weeks, today I got in touch with that hunger and yearning to say "yes" not only to Jesus, but also to taking the step of speaking His Word and His victory over my life. Once upon a time, part of my pattern was to stay in the broken place because feeling angry about it somehow felt good, like I would somehow be vindicated for doing so. I even was able to articulate in a massive fictional story project I wrote (I was probably around 14 years of age when I wrote the below excerpt):

Then my imagination’s noises came back as I started to get full. Or, at least I think it was just my imagination. [The] noise got louder. Even louder. Sounded kind of like an “oo” (as in “food”) sound. My guess was I kept on hearing “boos”.

            Then my mind kept on jumping from one subject to another. My mind started with the “boo” word, then went to the game, where everyone was going against me, making me know how badly they wanted me to lose. Everyone was now against me. First of all, the Swords were against me, but that was because they and the Secrets are (“born-to-be”) rivals. Bitter rivals. Anyone can understand that. Secondly, no one would understand why my former teammates were against me, just because I “fired” [a couple teammates, who I allowed to leave at their request].  Thirdly, [my best friend] started becoming against me right before he left my club center to warn me about my former “teammates” going over to play with the Swords instead of against them. Then, all the cats somehow followed [my best friend]’s example by rooting for the Swords and being arch-rival fans against me. I could tell because there was no [cat-calling at the Swords] heard at the game.

            Now, another set of people were against me. The three friends I met in NYC who had come to my club mansion shortly after my teammate friends [quit] on me ... were now against me. They became sick of my one-man team to save us from losing and went away to trade for Swords jerseys. Apparently they were more against me that I lied to them about my other friends were going on vacation to cover up for them not knowing that I had just become the “dunce” “top-ranker”. While they were changing jerseys, my former teammates revealed the truth to them that they left me to “club” for myself.

            Now, I am, sure, EVERYONE, I mean, ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY is against me. Feeling unwanted, I decided that I could only make one choice. ONE choice. Just one. I had to leave Centropolis.

I'm not going to try to explain the context around this; it's too detailed and complicated to do a deep dive. The point is, even though I was church-going and knew about Jesus, I wasn't saved. Not only so, but even at that age, I had a lot of pain and negative thinking that had accumulated over the years that some of the ways I responded (primarily by withdrawing on every level imaginable, including in behavior and in outlook). I took solace in negative thinking, because at least it didn't hurt as badly as what I had already experienced prior to withdrawing. As a result, not only did I not have a personal relationship with Jesus, but I also didn't truly know about God's power to speak light and healing to the broken parts of my life, let alone tapping into it to speak His light into every area of my life. Instead of running to the light and receiving what God had freely available for me that whole time, I demurred, preferring to stay in my own personal darkness because it at least kept me safe enough from what I had already previously endured.

But because I know of His power now, it is on me to receive what God still makes available to me. And as you are reading this, I want to encourage you also to receive what God makes available to you as well. As such, I would like to invite you to pray the following prayers with me, to speak light and truth over your life, as I choose to do over mine:

First, a prayer based in scripture to address the negative blurb above I had written when I was 14:

31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39, NIV

Now, prayers from Grace For Purpose's devotional:

The God of hope fills me with all joy and peace because I trust in Him, and I declare that my life overflows with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

I am of a steadfast mind. God keeps me in perfect peace because I trust in Him. (Isaiah 26:3)

I will praise the lord with all my soul. I will not forget the many benefits I experience because of his love. God forgives all of my sins. he heals all diseases. he is my redeemer. Jesus Christ has crowned me with love and compassion. god almighty Jehovah Jireh satisfies my desires with good things. (Psalm 103:1-5)

And finally, I would like to invite you to pray the below prayer with me:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your precious Word, Your Word that comforts, Your Word that brings hope and joy. I choose to meditate on Your Word day and night. So that my mind may be infiltrated by thoughts that are true, thoughts that are noble and just, thoughts that are pure, lovely, and of a good report. (ref. Philippians 4:8, NIV) I pray that Your Word would begin to change me from the inside out. May I grow in knowledge of scripture. May I be strong spiritually as my relationship with You is strengthened. Help me, Lord Jesus so that my faith will not be choked out by the worries, pleasures, or duties of this world. Help me to set my mind on things above. 

Father, Your Word tells me that You are a stronghold in the day of trouble. And even though the enemy has declared war against me, I know that the angels of the Lord encamp around me. Even though the devil and his army may rise up against me, the Word of God says that the power of life and death are wielded by my tongue. (ref. Proverbs 18:21, NIV) I declare victory in the name of Jesus. I declare health, protection, and preservation over my family in the name of Jesus. You, my God, are a god of order, and so I speak order over every area of my life. I confess that my life is balanced and that the enemy cannot disrupt or disturb any area of my life, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, Your Word is a great comfort, and it is a source of peace for me, because it tells me in Psalm 34:19, that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (NKJV) That means I may face troubles. I may be placed in situations or scenarios that I cannot solve on my own. But You, my Lord, You will have all the answers. You will have a solution for all of my troubles. And so, Lord, I claim Psalm 34:19 over my life. And I say, "My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will deliver me from all afflictions, all troubles, and all tough situations." Father, it's because You are both so powerful and so loving, that I need Your grace daily.

Lord, I pray that You perform a good work within me. Your Word in Colossians 3:5 states: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (NIV) I pray, King Jesus, that You purify me of these things. Let me be peaceful, with no anger. Give me more of You so that the sinful nature within me is completely removed, and I may walk in a way pleasing to You. I need Your mercy daily, Lord. I need Your protection daily. I'm grateful that You are forever faithful. You are everlasting in Your love. (ref. Jeremiah 31:3, NIV) 

You are divine in your nature. And above all, You are holy. Revelation 4:8 says: Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (NIV) Father, may I have a heart of worship, a heart so full of thanksgiving and love for You, that I may not be at ease during my day if I don't find time to find time to simply praise and worship You. The Bible says You are worthy, Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. No one else holds such power but You.

You are my hiding place, Father. You are my safe dwelling. May I be found to be abiding in Your shadow, in Your presence. And Lord, I ask that my family may be covered by Your hand. I pray that Your presence may be rich in our lives. May it be abundant in our homes and found to dwell in our hearts. For I know that all I could ever want can be found in You. Lord, I confess and I believe in Your Word that says A thousand may fall at your side, [and] ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. (Psalm 91:7, NIV) meaning that no bad thing will come near me. No weapon formed against me or my family will prosper. (ref. Isaiah 54:17, NIV) When the devil tries to attack, then You, my God, will raise up a standard. I declare the Word of the Lord that I will live and not die, but instead I will declare the works of the Lord, and I will speak of His goodness. (ref. Psalm 118:17, NIV)

I will speak of the goodness of the Lord, as I declare that He has been faithful to me. He has been merciful to me. I declare that brand-new doors of opportunity are opening in my life. The windows of heaven are open for me and my family. I declare that I am blessed in the morning and that I am blessed in the evening. I am blessed in my going out and in my coming in. (ref. Deuteronomy 28:6, NIV) I decree and declare that surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. (ref. Psalm 23:7, NIV) I thank You for making me a recipient of your unmerited favor. May You be glorified forever and ever. I'm so thankful, God, that You have heard my prayer. And it is in the mighty name of Jesus Christ that I pray and I believe. Amen.

Sermons from Good News: God is our protection

Preamble: As we continue to go through this month, instead of harping on what the world is trying to turn this into, I'm going to continue speaking faith, hope, and love. Today's post continues the theme of sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and what He promises to all those who surrender control of their lives to Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

Church 3/25/2023

Offertory scripture:

Malachi 3:8-11

Sermon message:

Thesis: God is our protection

Part 2 of 3 of sermon series “speak faith”

Focus: Psalm 91

God is your protection.
God is my protection.
God is our protection.

Moses wrote Psalm 91 (and Psalm 90)

He wrote these psalms during a season of unexpected times. Not unlike today which is also a season of unexpected times.

Moses made mistakes. Tried to do things on his own strength, and paid the price for it.

He learned that we should listen to God.
Before we react and/or act, we should listen to God.

Matthew 11:15

We should act on what God says; when He says it, do it.

Moses did act on what God told him to do. Because of it 3 million Hebrews were saved from Egypt.

Build your house on rock vs on sand. Jesus talked about this.

What you speak is important. Moses found this out as well. Words can encourage or tear down.

Consider the case when Moses, Joshua, Caleb, and 10 others brought back a report of the promised land before it was theirs. The other 10 discouraged the rest and therefore they didn’t go over.

Mark 11:23

Psalm 138:2

Psalm 91:1-2

God doesn’t run out of power. He is Almighty. He is Most High. He is eternal.

Point #1: God will rescue me/you/us from every trap.

Psalm 91:3

1 Peter 5:8

Other people may try to set traps against you. But the real enemy and the one who really set traps against you (and influences people to do) is Satan.

Ephesians 6:11: put on the full armor of God.

God will rescue you from every trap.

Point #2: God will cover me/you/us from attacks.

Psalm 91:4-6 God will cover you all day and all night.

Psalm 91:7-8

What you believe and say are important.

Point #3: God will not allow any evil to conquer me/you/us.

Psalm 91:9-10

“No evil will conquer me.” Speak faith. This is God’s word.

Point #4: God sends His angels to protect me/you/us.

Psalm 91:10-11

Point #5: God rescues, protects, answers and honors those who love Him.

Psalm 91:14-15

Sermons from Good News: God is our place of safety

Preamble: As we continue to go through this month, instead of harping on what the world is trying to turn this into, I'm going to continue speaking faith, hope, and love. Today's post continues the theme of sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and what He promises to all those who surrender control of their lives to Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

3/18/2023 church

Offertory scripture:

Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need.

The Lord shepherds; feeds and protects us.

Further, I will never be in need, because the Lord is my shepherd.

Sermon message:

Thesis: God is our place of safety

Psalm 91:2

Tonight is Part 1 of a 3 week series about speaking faith, as we focus on Psalm 91.

Consider Abraham the father of faith. He gave glory to God and thus his faith increased.

Psalm 91:1-2

Speaking faith is huge. What you say is important. Say it in agreement with what you pray.

Psalm 124:8

Names are important. God had many names and they are who He really is.

Psalm 91:14 God is speaking His promise.

Proverbs 18:10

As you understand God’s names, it will build your faith.

Point #1: God is the Most High

Psalm 91:1

God is higher than every problem, than all demons, than Satan, than financial challenges, than inflation.

Point #2: God is Almighty.

He is powerful and He is personal. He will overcome what trials that are in your life.

Genesis 17:1-2 God is Almighty.

Romans 4:20-21

Luke 1:37

Psalm 91:1

Don’t try to do it on your own strength. Let God do it on His strength. Speak faith.

Psalm 91:2

Point #3: God is eternal.

God will always be there.

God always keeps His promises.

He is an eternal safe place and refuge.

Point #4: God is the creator.

He will make a way where there needs to be a way. Amen.

Psalm 91:2

Genesis 1:1 in the beginning, God… (and the Bible states what He did)

Sermons from Good News: God offers real riches

Preamble: As we continue to go through this month, instead of harping on what the world is trying to turn this into, I'm going to continue speaking faith, hope, and love. Today's post continues the theme of sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ and what He promises to all those who surrender control of their lives to Him and follow Him as Lord and Savior.

Church 4/22/2023

Offertory scripture:

Proverbs 3:9-10

Sermon message:

Thesis: God offers real riches

Point #1: God’s kingdom is not made up of worldly goods

Romans 14:17

“The kingdom of God is not meat or drink…”

Point #2: God does care about your daily needs

Reference: the Lord’s Prayer: “give us this day our daily bread…”

When you’re always seeking things or too busy vs seeking God, these could be signs that your priorities are out of whack.

Matthew 6:33

Psalm 37:4

Point #3: Right priorities are important to God.

Seek God first. Praise, prayer, time with Him, scripture study, time in church, etc.

Tithing = the first 10 percent of your income

Righteousness = right standing with God

You have peace and joy. This is very important.

Point #4: Our righteousness is not based on what WE do; it is based on what JESUS did

(That said, don’t continue in sin….)

2 Corinthians 5:21

Our job is to accept Jesus Christ and to believe that He is who the Bible says He is. And that He did what the Bible says He did.

1 John 6:28

Romans 3:22-24

What you do will not change who you are; but who you are will eventually change what you do. Real transformation is from the inside out. When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you also receive His righteousness. And that is what transforms your fruit to being the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Declare: “I have been made righteous in Jesus Christ.”

Point #5: Understanding righteousness brings peace.

Psalm 85:10

Isaiah 32:17-18

Matthew 5:9

Peace = maturity

Wisdom pursued peace.

Psalm 34:14

Point #6: The result of righteousness and peace is joy

John 17:13

Philippians 4:7

Joy of the Lord is my strength

Sermons from Good News: Love never fails

Preamble: I want to catch myself and make sure that as I share the truth of God's word on this page, especially in light of what the month of June has become in our country, that I try in some way to balance it with love. After all:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1

that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:14-16

In other words, love is important. One final note, to rebut any arguments claiming "love is love" as a defense for homosexual "marriage":

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

True love is Jesus sacrificing His life to the fullness of God's wrath in our place, which, due to our human nature, is what we deserve, but through His love we can be free from having to face. This is what love is. Now, onto this post's message:

Church 5/20/2023

Offertory scripture:

Deuteronomy 8:18

Remember God, for He gives you the power to get wealth, that He may establish His convenient which He had sworn to your forefathers…

Sermon message:

On Wednesday pastor preached about the importance of not failing to love.

Tonight is to follow up on it.

Thesis: Love never fails.

Focus chapter: 1 Corinthians 13

Starting with 1 Corinthians 12 (Paul talking about great spiritual gifts, prophecy, healing, teaching, etc)

To set up chapter 13: 1 Corinthians 12:31
“I will show you a more excellent way”

1 Corinthians 13 is like Christianity 101.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
“If I don’t have love, I am nothing”
“If I sacrifice but I don’t do it out of love, it means nothing.”

So then, what is love?

Answer: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

John 13:35

Others will know us Christians by our love.

We will never rise higher than the level of our love-walk. God can use us more when we walk in love. But God cannot use us beyond the amount in which we let love in our hearts and live out that love that He has called us to. We need to bring down any and all walls that we’ve put up that have kept us from receiving God’s love.

Maturity in God (and our faith) is walking in love.

The enemy of love is offense.

Luke 17:1

Offenses will come. But what you do and how you respond matters. You can choose to take offense, or you can look past it.

If Satan can cause stumbling blocks to trip you up to offend you or cause you to have strife. Strife can destroy relationships, families, and nations. It’s demonic and ungodly.

How do we get past this? Walk in love and forgive those who have hurt you and wronged you.

Faith works by love.

Offense and stumbling blocks can turn into unforgiveness, and then into hatred and bitterness and hard-heartedness, really quickly. Be careful.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

Strife and contention are a snare of the devil. A spirit of lawlessness.

Exhortation: this is Satan’s easy button. Don’t let this be his easy button against you. Don’t let Satan win at pressing your buttons.

Keep your heart soft. Recognize this weakness in you (if it’s there), repent and let God minister to you in the area of your buttons.

Don’t hold offense in your heart. It leads to destruction.

Faith works by love.

Why I harp on the Bible so much

Preamble: I also wrote this post around a year-and-a-half ago, around the same time as two of the posts from the recent blog series on Biblical sexuality. With so-called "pride" month upon us, it is imperative to be using the Bible to speak truth to people who desperately need it, which I will in fact delve into further in this post. So, here we go:

One question I am anticipating is the question of why I sometimes harp on the Bible as much as I do in my posts. Here are my responses:

1. Being Christian -- a Bible-believing, God-loving, Jesus-following individual who does often fail but continues to try again and has to rely on God's grace to help me -- is a key part of my identity. Therefore, the Bible is also a key part of my identity.

2. At one point, I was myself resistant to the Bible. I often looked at Christians (or "Christians") and thought: "they're just hiding behind the Bible."

3. Short of a plumb line or a universal standard that is outside and above ourselves, everything that happens in our world is subjective. A common phrase I've heard along this idea: "that may be your truth, but it's not my truth!" And so on.

Most of these ought to be self-explanatory. For more on bullet point #1, go to this post here. For more on bullet point #3, go to this post here.

As for bullet point #2, I wish to write more. I find myself these days using the Bible for a lot of my arguments. I use it to defend certain points, and I use it to argue other points. As such, for one who does not know the Bible, it may appear as if I'm hiding behind it or using it as a weapon.

First thing you should know: I don't consider myself an expert on it; there are many things in Scripture I don't know! Oftentimes when I am making a case for the Bible, Jesus, or the Christian faith, I still have to look things up, to find answers that I know somewhat about (because I have heard it) but don't know where to look to have it for sure.

As for using the Bible as a weapon, I think it is critical to clarify why it is a weapon, and what it is a weapon against. (To give you the full context, please refer to Ephesians 6:10-18.) First, according to Ephesians 6:17, the Bible (aka the word of God) is also the sword of the Holy Spirit. So it is definitely meant to be a weapon. Along with the rest of the armor, the sword of the Holy Spirit (aka the Bible) is used to stand against our enemy. So who is our enemy? This leads to the second point: what the Bible is a weapon against. In Ephesians 6:12, the Bible explains that our enemy is not flesh and blood (aka other human beings), but rather the spirits and powers that are rampant all around the world, including inside some human beings, and of course, the one who is behind that, is Satan. We hate him because he hates our God. (And before you go off on how all hatred is bad and wrong, please know that even God hates. It's just that what God hates, is evil. Don't believe me? Please refer to Proverbs 6:16-19, and then stop and think about it.)

Another point of clarification is that Jesus, who many (namely unsaved church-goers) seem to like, used the Bible as a weapon against our enemy, Satan. On three occasions in the Bible is this recorded: in Matthew 4:1-11, in Mark 1:12-13, and in Luke 4:1-13. It's important to note that Jesus just went to the wilderness to fast before He was to begin ministering to people. He didn't go with the express purpose of trying to lure Satan out there; Satan chose to visit Him!

As for my other point: I do not hide behind the Bible. I position my mind, heart, and soul so as to stand where I know I will have backup. If I obey God, then one promise I have in Him (among many) is that when I do speak, if I speak what He wants, He will back me up. Similarly, when I made the choice to adjust my philosophy and worldview, one of the perks was that I knew I would have backup, even if others disagreed with me. Having backup goes a long way toward giving someone boldness to speak!

When I was working on writing the two four posts I recently posted on sexuality, I spent a lot of time editing them. The primary reason for doing so was that I wanted to be sure that it lined up with what I felt God wanted. There were a few key points I had to change, because my first draft, as a stream-of-consciousness draft, there were times where I was shooting words out my butt and it didn't line up with Scripture! So as I went back and compared my points with what the Bible says, I had to edit a few things. Yes, I wanted to please God while making my points, but also because by pleasing Him I knew I would have backup even if and when pushback came!

I believe, therefore, that when I harp on the Bible, I don't hide behind it, but rather that I stand in front of it, and then it backs me up. Back to the passage from Ephesians 6:10-18, however, to explain one other key thing: I must put on the armor of God. (It's spiritual armor, mind you.) It includes a helmet, a belt, a breastplate, shoes, a sword (which we've already covered), and yes, a shield! Not just any shield, but the shield of faith! Being behind a shield probably gives a non-believer the idea that I'm hiding behind something, when I put on that shield of faith. But truly, I only "hide" behind the shield of faith in the same way that a soldier back before guns were used in battle "hid" behind his very real metal shield! If we wanted to be really extreme with this idea of Christians hiding behind the Bible, we might as well say that even Jesus "hid" behind the Bible when Satan was tempting Him!

(Of course, almost no one will say that! Because it's preposterous! And because it is also utterly untrue.)

I harp on the Bible as much as I do because Truth must be spoken. Nine months Two-and-a-half years after my post about the dire need for a Truth revival, it is even more needed now than it was even then. Under national (and state) leadership that is hell-bent on leading us to all kinds of destruction, and even more so with what seems to be the majority either vehemently supporting it or at the very least going along with it, I must respond as well.

I harp on the Bible, and I'm not going to stop. People need to know the Truth, both that there is a God who made them and loves them (so much so that He sacrificed His son Jesus as a blood sacrifice for them), but also that not knowing the Truth, and not receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior means death, destruction, and hell for them. Hosea 4:6 states this truth explicitly: lack of knowledge means lack of backup, and lack of backup means destruction. But receiving God's offer of salvation (and a ticket to heaven once a person dies) by receiving Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, and by receiving a relationship with Him as Savior and as Lord, means a person gets to bypass that destruction. Life here on earth is for a short while; eternity is forever. It is much better to spend eternity with God in heaven.

Biblical sexuality, continued: Part 4 of 4: a new insight regarding my first-ever friend circle

As I begin the final post of this current series on Biblical sexuality, I need to begin with a confession: I hesitated to post this series for a couple reasons. First, I already posted a similar series back in 2020 which examines in granular detail what the Bible says about all sexuality. And because blogging is a written medium, repeating myself or repeating certain topics comes across much differently (to me, anyway) compared with if I were preaching sermons from a pulpit or giving TED Talks. For some reason it's ok (and not only ok, but encouraged) to repeat oneself when the communication is verbal or audio. But generally speaking, it's a bit different when the communication is written.

The second reason I hesitated is that, once I became aware of the loss of my connection with my childhood best friend, I wrote what would become Parts 2 and 3 of this series (see the posts from the last 2 days) while I was grieved, distraught, and confused, among other typical human reactions. I didn't want to post these writings unless I heard back from him first (I had sent him a Christmas card to test the waters). I also staunchly believed that, because he was the one to walk away, the ball was in his court to reach out to me if he felt he needed to. At the same time, because I was busy, between a career change, school, a serious relationship, and a hospitalization, more than 2/3 of a calendar year went by before I noticed anything was amiss. That, and I had realized that, despite my emotions on the matter, my priorities were elsewhere. So it was up to me to find an alternate method to processing and praying through my emotions while I waited for any semblance of closure to appear.

While I waited to hear back from him, and then when I realized I wasn't going to hear back from him, I was grieved over this loss for quite a while. Even now, as of the posting of these posts, he has still not reached out to me. I did send him Christmas cards online the last couple years, but I have otherwise left him alone. I know that he has not opened either of them (perhaps he blocked my emails?) because the website through which I send these cards always notifies me when a recipient has viewed what I sent. I never received any notification indicating that my childhood best friend has opened either card.

It took me a while to move on, in large part because, once I suspected what the issue was that led him to move on, I was so worked up over arguing with him (in my head) about it. It took writing a story to flesh out my thoughts and put them on paper for me to finally let it go. To let him go meant letting go of the arguments first. But I still missed the guy, and while I likely have the answer as to why he chose to move on (and not tell me), there's always a certain level of doubt due to the fact that he and I still have not had the conversation over it. In short, I think I know why we don't talk anymore, but for the entire time of praying and processing through this I hadn't gotten any confirmation of it.

Well, now I think I do finally have some of that confirmation. Ever since I started working on prioritizing my relationship with God again (and began spending time with Him), He started giving me wisdom about all sorts of different things, including this former friend, by connecting a few dots in my mind. A couple of the dots were not hard for me to connect (I probably would've connected them sooner if I had tried), but there was another angle to my whole friendship with him that I had not even considered. This new angle had me looking back to when we first met, all the way back when we were both in the first grade.

One final note before I jump into the backstory: I hesitated on sharing this series for the reasons I've given above, but I'm also now choosing to go ahead and share. I'm sharing because, while it is a reflection of some elements in my past life that were broken, it is nonetheless a testimony not only to what God has done for me, but what He can do for anyone out there reading this who's gone through something similar and feels hopeless (or maybe feels hopeful but hasn't seen any miracles in their lives just yet). Everyone needs to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyone needs to hear not only the Good News but also why it is indeed Good News (this implies that there is Bad News, and there is). Furthermore, not only does everyone need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ (the Good News) as well as why they need Him, but everyone also needs to choose to receive Him as their Lord and Savior and surrender their will and their lives to Him. This is the only way to heaven. Unfortunately, not everyone will make it, and the summary of the backstory is that, in addition to my childhood best friend, the two mutual friends we had are all walking in utter darkness right now. And they don't even know it.

Now to the story: my childhood best friend and I initially met in the first grade and had another friend that we hung out with (and eventually yet another friend joined us). As far as I'm concerned, this was the first "friend group" I ever had. My childhood best friend and the first other friend were already friends, and when they both were assigned to my homeroom for the lunch period, we sat at the same table and became fast friends. During that time, much fun was had. Before I changed schools at the end of the following summer, a fourth friend started hanging out with us as well.

I dropped out of contact with all of them when I changed schools. As for the other two friends, our last real visit was at the beginning of second grade. I did see both of them together once more a few years later, and the fourth friend came to two of my birthday parties later on, but those were more of a "hey, haven't seen you in awhile. How's it going? Let's catch up" sort of thing. And that was it for them and me for a very long time. I later looked them up on Facebook when I was in college, and looked up one of them on LinkedIn just a few years ago, but I chose not to reach out.

As for my childhood best friend, we did fall out of touch when I changed schools right before second grade was to begin. However, a few years later, I called his home phone number one day late summer between fifth and sixth grades. He picked up, we scheduled a visit, and we became fast friends again. We ended up hanging out regularly for the next 23 years.

Sometimes though, in the end a person removes himself or herself from my life because God allowed it. And sometimes God allows these things to happen because such a person was in fact a bad influence on me and especially in regards to my relationship with Jesus. After all, the Bible says this:

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

When I looked up the other two friends on Facebook back in 2007, I saw a few things: first, they both continued their love for comics and drawing into their (at the time) young-adulthood; second, however, they both appeared to be walking in darkness in the way they lived their lives. The fourth friend, who was also the younger brother of the third friend, also appeared to be gay (his Facebook profile showed him as "interested in men"). Unlike with my childhood best friend, I never suspected it. Then again, I didn't hang out with him long enough to have the opportunity to discern that. Also, I saw signs on his profile that he might have had some major anger issues (for example, his profile picture showed him looking angry while smiling). I do want to be careful and not slander the dude, so I could be wrong about projecting him to have "anger issues;" it's just that what I did see led me to conclude this as a serious possibility.

The third friend was an even darker story. His Facebook profile (back in 2007) appeared to reveal all sorts of red flags: first, he appeared to be heavily involved in alcohol and drugs; second, he appeared to be part of some kind of death metal band; third, going by photos of him and other content he shared on his profile, it was quite clear that not only did he tend to hang out with shady persons (at least some of whom were in his death metal band), it appeared, based on everything else I saw (and described) that he himself was also such a shady character; and fourth, I did see one photo of him celebrating one of his birthdays (early-twenties). It looked like "no one was home upstairs" in that photo of him.

Finally, I got to see it (and him) first-hand at a party we were both at back in 2010. I knew he was in attendance because he was a confirmed "yes" on the party's Facebook event page. A friend of mine from the Vineyard hosted a bunch of parties over the summer of 2010, many of which I attended. Most were reasonably low-key and never even came close to getting out of hand. There was one party, however, where it included not only people from the Vineyard but also non-Christian folks from his and his housemates' other circles. The first half of this party was low-key enough, but a death-metal band (a different band from the one the "third friend" played in) was the main attraction for the second half. You know the kind: lights out in the main room except for a few neon lights in the stage area, booming bass so loud that you felt it louder than you heard it, upwards of 50 people cramming into the living room, and alcohol flowing quite freely. The Vineyard folks who were there, myself included, got out of Dodge probably within a half-hour once the music started. But about 10-15 minutes before the music started, I saw a group of around 5 men come in through the front door who looked stoned and/or were carrying small brown paper bags, about the size of a beer bottle. I don't recall if I was able to pinpoint which man the aforementioned "third friend" was, but I knew that he was in that group.

As a child, I was disappointed to lose touch with the two brothers (the third and fourth friends). I had reached out one time via phone to ask if they were free to talk or hang out. The third friend had picked up the phone and responded that they both had homework. That was that for me. Over time, however, I believe that God gradually revealed to me the paths that these two guys were on were not good paths, culminating in that party in 2010. Still, it wasn't until my childhood best friend (the "second friend" from this group) had quietly decided to move on that more of the puzzle pieces began to come together.

While I do have some lingering questions (chiefly, could the origin of my childhood best friend deciding he was gay have come from spending time with friends #3 and #4, especially since friend #4 also claimed to identify as gay?), God does make it clear also that for us to move forward, we do truly have to let go of the past in our hearts. As a naturally loyal person, this has been hard for me to do. But, as the Bible says,

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

It's not wrong for me to continue to pray for my childhood best friend, or for friends #3 and #4, but, I've made many new and better friends over the years since I last kept up with them. And, as I'm continuing to pursue the path God has for me and for my life, due to it running divergent from all three of these friends, I do have to say no to distraction, which is what any lingering thoughts of them have become (outside of praying for them).

It is through this revelation that has finally allowed me to move on. I'm grateful for the 23-24 years of friendship that I had with my childhood best friend. Because he is an adult, he is indeed free to live how he chooses. Even with other topics where I did try to gently challenge him (this occurred on our last-ever conversation), he made it known that he was not open to considering my suggestions, and offered his own rebuttals. I already know that if we ever were to talk about homosexuality and gay "marriage," he would stand his ground. That said, if he still happens to read this blog in June 2023, he knows not only where I stand, but I also hope that everything I've posted on here to date would be enough to make him begin to think about what his eternity (after death) would be like if he didn't change his mind.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

As for the other two friends, because I don't have the same history with them, I've moved on.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; Romans 1:26-28

Still, God is merciful, and neither are they beyond His reach. Just like my childhood best friend.

although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. 1 Timothy 1:13-16

Biblical sexuality, continued: Part 3 of 4: stumping for Jesus for all, including my friend, to receive Him

Creating this post arose out of originally wanting to wrap up the previous post nicely and neatly, only for me to realize that that was impossible. I hate to end posts with bad news, because as important as awareness of the Bad News is, it is also very important to know the Good News, and just as importantly, why it is good news.

In the previous post I felt moved to write and post about a friend that I believe God has put on my heart. It’s tricky, because even now two-and-a-half years later, he still hasn’t reached out since we last talked, but I don’t believe that the ball is in my court. The short version is that the way our friendship has been structured over the last decade of it has limited our connection time. Even with it, there was a rhythm that we found that worked, and even when COVID hit, we agreed on regular video chats to keep our sanity and morale up, and to keep connected.

I have a suspicion as to the reason he chose not to reach out. There were various events over the last few years I’ve been able to piece together. I detailed most of them in the previous post. One aspect I didn’t address, however, was that I didn’t notice right away that our connection had dropped. A big part of it is that most of 2021 I’ve been crazy busy, and it’s only been recently that I’ve had time to rest and catch up on other things.

I did notice it a few months in. But, between work, school, applying for (and getting) another job in a completely different field, a wonderful relationship, getting really sick, and ending up in the hospital, this situation was pushed to the back burner. And now that I have a suspicion as to what the reason for the drop in our connection might be, I realize that he and I both not only stand oppositely on this topic but also staunchly on our respective stances. If you read the last couple paragraphs of the previous post, you’ll understand at least my side of it. I cannot budge or back down. And normally I wouldn’t harp on this – after all, when I was pro-gay marriage, one of the things that angered me the most was precisely that it felt like Christians were harping on this topic too much! – but I’ve seen in more recent years that, no, actually it’s the worldly pro-gay humanists that have been doing most of the harping. We believers respond because we must stand up for our faith, for our God. We must speak hard truth at times!

I closed last post doing precisely that. That said, I also want to emphasize that it is not only possible but mandatory to speak hard truth, while loving the person. The first truth I will speak is that sexuality is not identity. (Here are things that the Bible says IS identity.) The second truth I will speak is that the person who thinks he or she is gay has been deceived about himself or herself, about who he or she really is. I’m not saying same-sex attraction isn’t real; it is. But because there is a God who made the universe (a universe that didn’t “evolve”), what He declares about us, laid clearly in the Bible, is true. Anything to contrary is therefore untrue.

The third truth I will speak is that there is definitely a choice. Because homosexuality is defined in Scripture as the act of sex between two members of the same sex (and not feelings of romantic attraction for another member of the same sex), when I say it is a choice, what I am saying is that any act of sex, homosexuality, heterosexuality, bestiality, is a choice. It may not be a choice to feel feelings of attraction for another member of the same sex. But it is absolutely a choice whether or not a person acts on it sexually. It is also certainly a choice whether a person marries another person or not (1 Corinthians 7:8-9, 1 Corinthians 7:27), regardless of what sex the other person is. I’m sorry, but these things I’ve just stated, they aren’t my truth. These are God’s truths, among many others which I am now about to share. Thankfully, these will be much happier truths.

The fourth truth is that in addition to making the universe (Genesis 1:1-5), God made every person (Genesis 2:7). That means you – and I mean, YOU – are fearfully and wonderfully made, in His image, and He Himself formed our inward parts, covering us in the mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-15). That means that He was making us before we were born.

The fifth truth is that, because God made us, He loves us. (John 3:16-17, John 16:27) I will come back to this a bit later, because it’s too important not to mention now, and it’s too important not to go into greater depth later.

The sixth truth is that the world is screwed up because Satan deceived Adam and Eve, and he has attempted to deceive everyone who has ever lived, ever since. He is still trying to deceive people now. (1 Peter 5:8-9) It was never God’s fault for the world being so messed up. My point being, when Adam and Eve gave into the temptation and became deceived, that led to their spiritual death. (Genesis 3:4-5) No, they didn’t die physically, as the serpent (aka Satan) only sort-of correctly said. But where God was right and Satan was wrong was that they died spiritually. (Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:7-8, Genesis 3:19) Prior to their choice to touch (let alone eat) of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, Adam and Eve enjoyed constant closeness and fellowship with God. But when they disobeyed God when He had said to not touch it, they broke an aspect of the trust-relationship with Him. And one of the effects of that event is that every human being who’s ever been born since then, was born from that spiritually broken place.

Unfortunately, the seventh truth is that it’s not ok to do nothing and stay in that spiritually broken place, separated from the God who made heaven and earth. (Romans 6:23) Unfortunately, the end result of doing nothing to make right one’s relationship with God is death, destruction, and one day, being thrown into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:15) Someone might retort and say that this sounds like nothing more than kissing God’s butt, but I will retort back and reiterate that because God made the universe, He also gets to make up the rules. He’s in charge; you are not. (Psalm 93:1, Psalm 135:6-7)

I will also reiterate the fifth truth, which is that God loves you. If you believe God, if you give your life to Him and follow His ways, He will reward you. (Hebrews 11:6) This isn't about kissing God's butt; this is about a God who wants a relationship with you, one where you choose out of your own free will to receive such a one with Him. (1 Timothy 2:3-4) Within the organic construct of such a relationship, there are rewards for obeying His commands, and discipline for disobeying His commands, just like a parent rewards – or disciplines – his or her children for the same parallel reasons. (Hebrews 12:6-7)

The fifth truth, continued: God realized that even though He made laws for people to follow, time and time again humanity proved that they could not. Their own efforts, no matter the generation, could never measure up to God’s holy standards. (Psalm 95:7-11, Hebrews 3:7-11) After all, Moses, a leader that so many people of the Jewish faith today look up to, a man who obeyed God so many times and took step of faith after step of faith after incredibly bold step of faith (Hebrews 11:24-28), was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land, even though God had originally promised it. Why? Because of a lack of faith which developed over time, Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it, which God had commanded. (Numbers 20:7-12) When he disbelieved and therefore disobeyed Him, that was it. No more Promised Land for him!

Some people might ask, wasn't that harsh on God's part? Especially for such a great leader like Moses? The thing is, that's not for me to decide. I use this event to first illustrate how holy and high God is, as well as the standards of right living that He has decided for us. (Leviticus 11:45, Isaiah 6:2-3, Isaiah 43:15, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 15:4) We are also supposed to act in faith based on what He tells us to do, no matter what, which Moses didn't do. Now consider King David, generations later. Like Moses, David acted in faith, took on giants that others feared (1 Samuel 17:26-51), led Israel, was often on the run for his life, including from son Absalom and King Saul, and still maintained close fellowship with God through it all. (Psalm 77:10)

But then again, David lusted after a hot young woman who happened to bathe – naked – in a pool within the king’s view. (2 Samuel 11:2-5) I have heard through different radio sermons that he was in a low spot mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc. Nonetheless, the following questions pertain: did David go get help? Did he seek counsel or encouragement from a man that he trusts to share his innermost secrets with? Did he even talk to God? No. He went after her, went in to her, then had her husband killed (and covered it up) so he could have her. (2 Samuel 11:14-17)

By that logic, because of God’s holiness, shouldn’t He have killed David on the spot? It’s not for me to decide. Point is, David repented, because he immediately realized that he was 100% in the wrong, and God gave him mercy and grace. (2 Samuel 12:13) Even though he committed adultery, committed murder, and then covered up a murder, he got a second shot at life. He got the woman he wanted, as well as having children with her. God allowed him to continue reigning as king of Israel. I use this to illustrate an example of God’s incredible, ridiculous grace, even though at the same time He is incredibly holy. (By the way, there wasn’t a lack of hard truth for David!) (2 Samuel 12:7-12)

The point being, one aspect of Biblical history is that it’s a history of humans – of humanity – being hopelessly unable to be holy, which God has required of each and every one of us. Enter Jesus, the Messiah, the real life equivalent (and then some) of Moses’ “snake on a stick” which was used as an opportunity for the Israelites to gaze into it and live. (Numbers 21:8-9) Like those Israelites, we are all sick. Because of Adam and Eve’s disobeying God leading to spiritual death, we are all born spiritually dead. (Romans 5:12, Romans 5:18, Ephesians 2:2-3) Because of God’s holiness and our hopeless lack of ability to be holy, we all deserve immediate destruction. (Romans 6:23) But because of His mercy and grace and willingness to forgive, by way of sacrificing His one and only son, Jesus the Messiah, to be arrested (Matthew 26:47-50), brutally tortured (Matthew 27:26), mocked (Matthew 27:27-31), and ultimately abandoned on a Roman crucifix. (Matthew 27:35) And yes, Jesus died, passed away out of the flesh, on that cross. (Matthew 27:45-50, Mark 15:33-37, Luke 23:44-46, John 19:30)

Neither Jesus, nor God the Father who made the universe, nor the Holy Spirit, willingly did this act of sacrifice out his “acceptance” of us, nor His “tolerance” of us. No; God the Father sacrificed His one and only son Jesus out of His incredibly abundant love for all of us, including people who say they’re gay. (John 3:16) God loves gay people too much to not tell them that continuing in their unholy sexual acts (Leviticus 18:22) and unholy marriages (Matthew 19:3-9, Mark 10:2-9) leads to death and destruction (Matthew 7:13), just like He loves everyone else guilty of different wrong acts to not tell them the same. “Acceptance” and “tolerance” are not love; in fact, they are forms of apathy, which is what God is not.

[For those astute enough to realize I used some of the same exact Bible verses as from last post, and angry enough to complain about it, reusing the same verse over and over doesn’t weaken the truth that God speaks through it. If I reuse a verse, it means it’s too important not to repeat. After all, the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, the plumb line that determines how far off from right living that person is living. After all, all scripture is useful for teaching, for correction, and to equip every believer for every assignment that God might have for us while on earth. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)]

I forgot the most important thing in the Bible: after dying, Jesus came back from the dead to life (Matthew 28:1-8). He resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). That is why we have churches and Christians and crosses and everything. It’s why, 2,000 years later, even after many, many, many attempts to shut down the church, the church is still here. Something must have sustained us this long. Take nations, empires, and dynasties. No nation lasts forever. Unless an entity has God’s divine blessing and protection, it crumbles and perishes. But Jesus conquered death. (1 Corinthians 15:57) Therefore, it is God, through the Holy Spirit, that has sustained His church all this time. Therefore, death can be beaten. Yes, you read this right: death itself can be beaten. (1 Corinthians 15:51-57) No, we will likely still pass away out of the flesh when it’s time. But spiritually, spiritually, we don’t have to give in to death. (2 Corinthians 5:17) We can choose to fight, to fight for ourselves, our freedoms, and especially our freedom to worship the God of the Bible in ways that please Him.

Therefore, when I fight, using my words, in this example I’m not fighting gay people. (Ephesians 6:12) I’m fighting the lies and the deception that has gay people ensnared, trapped, and so overwhelmed by what they’ve been led to believe about their identity. To clarify further, I’m not even fighting a gay person’s identity. I’m not fighting the identity of my childhood best friend, nor the identity my choir director from my childhood, nor that of even my family members. As far as I’m concerned, their identities can be in Jesus Christ, if they want it to be. But they have to understand and agree that once they do, their lives are on God’s terms, and not their own. (Galatians 2:20) And part of agreeing to living their lives on God’s terms will mean saying goodbye to any prospects of a same-sex partner, same-sex sexual experiences, and any same-sex unions, in order to then be able to receive the promises that God, even the God of the Bible, has for them.

Regardless, this is all their choice. All I can do is speak. And I know I said this last post, but it bears repeating: to my childhood best friend, if he’s been reading this and has made it even this far, and he wants to talk to me about it, the door is indeed open. I do expect to be busy, but I also plan to make myself available when I can. As for the question of, “well, why don’t you reach out to him?” my answer is simply this: I don’t really have the desire or energy to get into an argument with him over this. I want him to reach out to me only when he’s ready, if it is indeed true that he has chosen not to communicate with me on account of “the post” that I’ve referenced a few times now. If he’s reading this sentence right now, he knows where I stand and that I’m not going to budge. But I hope he also knows that I still love him like a brother and want good for him.* I want him to know Jesus and to finally decide to receive Him as his personal Lord and Savior. I don’t even want to have to say a word to him about homosexuality. I would rather let the God of the Bible gently and lovingly talk to him about that. Because that’s what God did for me.

[*Update: I felt it necessary to put a footnote here. As with yesterday's post, I originally sketched this in 2021, when my emotions were more raw. Like I also mentioned yesterday, my emotions about this friend has shifted, with more time having passed. It's not that I don't love him or care about him; I still do. But, as you'll see in tomorrow's post, I've moved on from expecting or hoping that the friendship can be revived. Any conversation between us now would look a lot different compared with what it might have a year-and-a-half ago. I'm still open to it if he does want to talk, but it's no longer a priority. I have other more important things in my life going on now, and my focus is on those things.]