You know Satan (Lucifer at the time) convinced a third of heaven of how unfair he saw Jesus. Lucifer went forth with mysterious secrecy and for a time concealing his real purpose under an appearance of reverence for God. He worked tirelessly for the mind of angels, and as the bible says, “there was war in heaven” (Rev. 12:7-9).
Satan endeavors to excite dissatisfaction concerning the law of God that governs; and intimates that they impose an unnecessary restraint. As he urged the heavenly host, at one time, he continues in his rebellion urging humanity that we should obey the dictates of our own will and to love and trust self above all else. Every person has to determine whether they will follow the knowledge of self rather than the knowledge that God has provided in His word.
The questions that must be asked, ‘Can you trust Jesus?…Can you trust your heart?” Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” When we have been met with compromise in life, we are to be reminded that the heart cannot be trusted. Sometimes our flesh doesn’t realize how confused and willing we are to believe our feelings and our heart as opposed to the love and the truth of Jesus Christ. We are to put Him first above all else and he will change the heart to love others (even our enemies) and to abhor any element of evil. It is ALWAYS important to go back to the word of God and make sure that everything you hear or read is in agreement with scripture.
Our identity is shaped by who we have given our hearts to. So, who owns your heart? To establish clarity, let’s start with a few questions:
- Does the Bible tell you that your are heterosexual?
- Does the Bible tell you that your are gay?
- Does the Bible say that you are LGBT+?
- Does the Bible provide a compass or a menu for various desires of sexual intimacy”? In other words, ‘sexual orientation’.
- If you have given your heart to Jesus, living for Jesus, ‘Who does He say that you are?’
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” When did our emphasis change from being oriented to God to being oriented towards sexual desire?
Did you know, the term sexual orientation did not surface until a man by the name of Alfred Kinsey came about. When we look across history, that’s not that long ago for this was in the 1950’s, he was a self-proclaimed sex researcher. Kinsey abused infants and had sex with his same-sex colleagues to finally say that he coined the phrase that we are sexual from birth. This is coming from a man with human expert experimentation supposedly. This idea does not come out of scripture. According to scripture, we are to be oriented to Jesus Christ.
We generally do not hear about sexual desires from the pulpit as it relates to sexual purity. Satan has really got a hold on the church. Satan is very cleaver and deceptive since his fall.
What do we, as a church, have available for those with unwanted same-sex attraction? What do we have that confirms their same-sex attraction, to promote the idea that they are LGBT+, and Christian? We have the gospel! We can introduce the gospel as help for it defines the brokenness of the human heart, it clearly identifies what is sin, and at the very same time it identifies us as His. The gospel offers a redemptive, restorative perspective to all challenges as well as those who are challenged with sexual desires such as homosexuality, transgender, adultery, porn addiction, masturbation…etc. People need to know why they have the feelings that they have. These things can be explained from a biblical standpoint. If one is not interested in Jesus…he or she can do whatever they want; but if a person is interested in Jesus then there are answers and solutions for the damage that has been done to us as a result of sin.
God’s trusted Word has for everyone, as it relates to healing our identity in Jesus Christ, the truth and the solution. For some on the outside of Christianity, they say that the Bible is full of hate speech and there is a movement that want it to be criminal to speak about these things from behind a pulpit or for a pastor to say that homosexuality is sin. We recognize that the LGBT+ people fought long and hard to have a voice. LGBT+ has a voice today, so is it fair to take another’s voice from them and impinge upon religious freedom if you don’t like to hear what Jesus has to offer? Why make a fuss, simply don’t listen to what Jesus has to say about love and compassion without compromise? Here is the point of contention, there are those who want to dictate how one should respond such as: “Unless you approve of my behavior you don’t love me, care or are discriminatory, or even worse hateful towards the LGBT+ community”. Romans 5:8 says that Jesus loves us very, very much and He died for us while we were yet sinners; but he does not want to leave us the way he found us. If one is not crazy about Jesus, He accepts that decision, but at the same time it should be accepted for those who are. It is important to ensure freedom for all, so one should not be force or coerced to reshape the gospel because they don’t like with what He (Jesus) stands for.
In Pastor Mark Finley’s video, he answers the questions on: “How do we navigate the complexities of faith, sexuality, and gender identity with the Bible?” You are invite to journey with us as we explore seven crucial insights drawn directly from the Bible.
• Scriptural Foundations of Sexuality and Gender: Explore God’s original design for human relationships and identity as seen in Genesis 1:27 and how it sets the foundation for understanding sexuality and gender.
• Understanding Societal Influence: Discussing the influence of societal changes, especially the rising LGBTQ+ narratives in media and culture, on our understanding of sexuality and the Church’s response to these changes.
• Homosexuality in the Light of Scripture: Delve into key biblical passages, such as Leviticus 18, that discuss homosexuality and how they should be interpreted in a modern context.
• Orientation vs. Actions: Addressing the critical distinction between having LGBTQ+ orientations and participating in behaviors contrary to biblical teachings, and what Scripture says about both.
• The Power of Gospel Transformation: Explore how the Gospel’s transformative power can bring hope and change, especially for individuals struggling with sexual identity issues.
• The Adventist Perspective: Discuss the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s biblical stance on homosexuality and transgenderism, and how it informs our approach to these issues.
• Approaching the Topic with Love, Truth, and Compassion: Learn how to navigate these sensitive conversations with kindness, respect, and honesty, upholding the truth of God’s Word without causing harm or judgment.
This video focus’ on how the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a global community observing the Sabbath and awaiting Jesus Christ’s second advent, strives to create open dialogues and bridges gaps between contemporary issues and Scripture. To understand more about the official Seventh-day Adventist Church’s stance on these issues, please refer to: Homosexuality: https://www.adventist.org/official-st… Transgenderism: https://www.adventist.org/official-st… The goal is to inspire understanding, empathy, and unity, showing that every individual, regardless of sexual orientation, is loved by God and treated with compassion within the SDA community. Remember, we are God’s family, united in Christ’s love. By seeking His truth, we can foster a community of respect, love, and divine understanding.
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2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”