I have been trying to stay above the whole Chick-Fil-A flap and the ensuing debate over LGBT Christians, even though I have been bombarded with requests for a statement. I made one statement in regards to a Church blaming LGBT teen suicide victims and their parents stating that it was somehow their fault. That statement can be found here:http://devotions4reallife.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/the-victims-fault/ . It was my hope that this would suffice….. However due to some recent events I must now make the statement that follows in the hopes that this will once and for all put this matter to rest……
Pastor Brian
There has been a lot of bickering among Christians lately in regards to Marriage Equality and the question of whether or not a person who is a member of the LGBT community can be a Christian. There is pressure to choose a side, and this issue has the potential to divide the Church even further than it already is….
My friends division within the Church is a tool of the devil plain and simple. If he can divide the body of Christ and make them fight over trivial matters than he has won. Jesus himself told us that “if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand“. the devil knows this and seeks to divide and conquer wherever he can, and is, sadly, doing pretty well at dividing The Lords house.
The most popular Scripture’s that are used to do this come from the book of Leviticus, specifically Leviticus 18:22 & Leviticus 20:13. These people take Scriptures from this book that was given by God as instructions on how Priests were to live prior to the coming of Jesus, outlining the way animal sacrifices were to be done for the atonement of sins, dietary laws, and a host of other things out of context and use them to justify their hatred. Again, these instructions were given prior to the death of Jesus. Leviticus also contains all sorts of rituals that are no longer followed, prohibitions against eating shellfish, cooking a steak on the some stove or grill that has ever cooked a pig, eating bacon, etc, etc….. James in his letter to the 12 tribes had this to say: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). So that person who spends time bashing people for being members of the LGBT community and then goes out and enjoys their ham dinner or their steak and lobster is just as guilty as they think the LGBT person is. Also you wont see anyone going into the Holy Of Holies once a year to atone for the sins of the people. Why? Because Jesus did this for us once and for all time when He died on the cross. When Jesus said “It Is Finished”, that meant that the law was no longer needed. This is further evidenced by the fact that the veil covering the Holy Of Holies was torn in half.
The fact is that people trying to justify themselves and condemn others by using the law is not a new thing. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatian Church: I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21).
We could go on and argue this until The Lord returns, but there would be no point, and I refuse to do it. My response then to all of those who are condemning people with the law and/or judging people is this: Until there is not one hungry person left in the world, until there is not one person that is in need we should not be spending our precious time arguing about this or any other trivial issue. Instead we should be about The Fathers business of providing hope and help to a lost and dying world. Get out from behind your stained glass windows and get out into the street and do something.
Pastor Brian Linebarger, 08/15/2012
Matthew 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
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