I wanna share a quick personal story with you.
In my early twenties I was traveling alone through Texas and after checking into a cheap motel I decided to take a walk and see if there was nice church in the area I could fellowship at.
Well, I didn’t have to go far because I soon stumbled across a building with a big billboard in front of it.
I approached the billboard to take a closer look and wouldn’t you know it?
It was a church after all and written on the billboard were the times and days of their worship services.
And not only that, it said they were holding a worship service that very evening.
‘I’m in luck!’ I thought to myself and decided to attend that very night.
I went back to my room to get some rest and then returned to the church at the appointed time.
I walked inside and everything was as expected.
Some folks had already arrived and the choir had begun singing worship songs.
I took a seat in the back when all of a sudden a staff member came up to me.
He said he had something to tell me.
A bit startled, I stood up and we went to the corner of the room.
And that’s when he dropped the bomb on me.
“I’m not sure if you’re aware of this but I want to make sure you understand that we’re a gay church” he said.
My jaw dropped.
Actually, it didn’t literally drop.
It more like dropped inside of my mind.
I was in shock and didn’t know how to respond to the guy.
“I just wanted to let you know, so in case you feel uncomfortable about that, you can of course feel free to leave” the man continued.
Well, I’m kind of a shy guy and I was too embarrassed to suddenly pick up and leave in front of everybody.
It would have been like me telling everyone in the congregation “Hey, I’m leaving because all you folks are gay!”
I thanked the gentlemen for letting me know and returned to my seat still in shock.
The choir continued on with their songs while I sat there contemplating what to do.
Finally, something inside of me snapped and I got up and left…embarrassed as all hell.
So what does this story have to do with the Book of Judges we’re currently immersed in?
It has everything to do with the Book of Judges.
Because just as the Israelites were not to substitute unclean offerings for clean offerings and give them to the Lord, so are we not to declare good what God has declared is evil.
And make no bones about it, that’s exactly what this so-called gay church was doing.
Their behavior was the epitome of delusional rebellion.
They really didn’t think they were doing anything wrong.
Heck, they were gays for Jesus for crying out loud.
The Scripture informs us if we persistently lust after things we’ve been told to reject, eventually things will reach a boiling point and God will leave us to our own sinful devices.
The time will come when God will say to us “As you wish” and release us to the ways of the world.
And don’t be thinking this is some Old Testament thing either.
Take a good look at these verses from the Book of Romans.
“This is why God has given them up to degrading passions; so that their women exchange natural sexual relations for unnatural; and likewise the men, giving up natural relations with the opposite sex, burn with passion for one another, men committing shameful acts with other men and receiving in their own persons the penalty appropriate to their perversion.”-Romans 1:26-27
Have any idea why gay marriage has been legally sanctioned in some states in America?
It’s because a good portion of the population insist it’s acceptable and healthy.
But what makes matters worse is that many churches have also decided to jump on this wicked bandwagon.
And now some even perform same-sex marriages.
The Lord has indeed given up these congregations to their degrading passions!
Just as ancient Israel fooled themselves into thinking the Lord preferred peace with their pagan neighbors to war, so have many modern believers today fooled themselves into thinking the Lord prefers tolerance to obedience.
They’d much rather not ruffle any feathers than stand up for what He has clearly established in His Word.
Men guided by their evil inclinations have decided that any kind of peace and any kind of love is acceptable to God.
Boy, them homies are in for a rude awakening.
This situation is so sad. As humans, we are sometimes tempted to become angry at such people as these, who defame the name of our God, but pity and prayer is our duty. This is stressful, and it is a real test of our submission to the Lord.
Book of Judges is the epitome of what this nation’s leaders have done to it. they did just what the priests and elders did to Israel.
Great truth in this article. We CANNOT pretend we belong to God if we’re sitting on that proverbial “fence” with one foot in the holy and the other in the carnal. We CANNOT serve two Masters. There are several passages in both “Testaments” that provide this l warning:
1 Corinthians 6 9 Or don’t you know, that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of Elohim? Make no mistake! Neither sexual sinners, nor idol-worshippers, nor adulterers, nor the corrupt, nor men who lay down with other men, 10. Nor the oppressors, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of Elohim.
Genesis 1:27 So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it…” (CJB)
Deuteronomy 22:5 “A woman is not to wear men’s clothing, and a man is not to put on women’s clothing, for whoever does these things is detestable to ADONAI your God. (CJB)
Now to the growing problem of homosexuality, let’s simply allow Scripture to speak for itself:
Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Romans 1: 22 Claiming to be wise, they have become fools! 23 In fact, they have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for mere images, like a mortal human being, or like birds, animals or reptiles! 24 This is why God has given them up to the vileness of their hearts’ lusts, to the shameful misuse of each other’s bodies. 25 They have exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, by worshiping and serving created things, rather than the Creator – praised be he for ever. Amen. 26 This is why God has given them up to degrading passions; so that their women exchange natural sexual relations for unnatural; 27 and likewise the men, giving up natural relations with the opposite sex, burn with passion for one another, men committing shameful acts with other men and receiving in their own persons the penalty appropriate to their perversion.
28 In other words, since they have not considered God worth knowing, God has given them up to worthless ways of thinking; so that they do improper things. 29 They are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and vice; stuffed with jealousy, murder, quarreling, dishonesty and ill-will; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God; they are insolent, arrogant and boastful; they plan evil schemes; they disobey their parents; 31 they are brainless, faithless, heartless and ruthless. 32 They know well enough God’s righteous decree that people who do such things deserve to die; yet not only do they keep doing them, but they applaud others who do the same.
2 Peter 2: 19. And they promise them liberty while they themselves are the slaves of corruption: for, by whatever thing a man is vanquished, to that is he enslaved. 20. For if, when they have escaped the pollutions of the world by the knowledge of our Master and Redeemer Y’shua the Mashiyach, they become again involved in the same and are vanquished, their latter state is worse than the former. 21. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after having known (it), to turn back from the Set Apart Commandment that was delivered to them. 22. But the true proverb has happened to them: the dog returns to his vomit and the pig that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.
Revelation 22:14 How blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and go through the gates into the city! 15 Outside are the homosexuals, those who misuse drugs in connection with the occult, the sexually immoral, murderers, idol-worshippers, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Amen Carmen…
And thank you for sharing the many great NT references!
Be blessed