Romans 1:24-32, "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25) who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
27) 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.
28) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
I typically combine all the scriptures together if I'm quoting more than one verse, but because of the seriousness of these verses and what is happening all over the world today, I'm spacing each Scripture out above so as you, my dear readers, can really ponder what is being said! To put it clearly, there is a celebration of sin that has surpassed anything that I've ever witnessed in my years! The WORLD has now become a cesspool of sin, of unadulterated, unapologetic, evil sin! We are all sinners, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God! I know this. The difference between the WORLD and sin and a born again Christ believer Christian and sin is a Christian doesn't, or SHOULDN'T celebrate sin, they repent, they ask for forgiveness and turn from their ways. A Christian doesn't condone the sins in others either! The world, on the other hand, celebrates it, makes it appear good, fun and full of excitement and definitely doesn't show the side of error. Death. Death separated from the Creator God, from Jesus Christ our Savior that died on the cross to pay our sin-debt in full. That is the reality of sin. But the world is now in full celebration, including some Christians.
I've spoken in more than one article about Hollyweird and its influence on culture, albeit an EVIL one. And I'm going to touch on some things again. From the music, to the movies, to fashion, to what is deemed "attractive" to blurring the lines between good and evil and for dictating cultural "tolerance," Hollyweird and the whole of the entertainment industry, has played a huge role in delivering Satan's messages, and being used as Satan's vehicle to do so! Why? Because these "messages" that are being sent start at a VERY young age, through Disney, through "idols", through music that "speaks" to teens and pre-teens. The shows that are "marketed" to the young children and the pre-teens and teens are shockingly inappropriate! But isn't that just like Satan? Yes! It IS like him. He wants to destroy all that God created and wants his own "world" created through evil, evil doers and evil doings! He got one thing.....God gave him this fallen world to rule. And now, more than ever, it appears that the evil is permeating faster than ever before. Maybe that's because the time is closing in and Satan and his minions know their time is quickly running out! Here's a quick list of just some of the sins that are celebrated through Hollyweird that eventually permeates through the "speakers" of evil, you know, the hand-picked puppets of Satan that do his bidding, leading many astray with slick words and a forked tongue.
1. homosexuality
2. bisexuality
3. abortion
4. adultery
5. lying
6. cheating
7. drug use/pushing
8. transsexualism
9. prostitution
10. deception
11. divorce/"modern" families of all kinds
12. disparaging Christian faith
13. tolerance of "all other" ways to God
14. murder/violence/rape/abuse
15. pedophilia
16. sexual perversions/sexual freedoms/inappropriate clothing
17. polygamy
18. death/"ghosts"/demons
19. the sexualization of children/the "adult" clothing/the "adult" themes
20. role reversals
Oh, I could go on, but the gist is pretty clear! This is all what is being thrown down our throats, shoved in our faces and forced tolerance. I started out this article using the 1st chapter of Romans because Romans deals with such aversion and points out why God gave men and women a conscience to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and it's pretty clear that God was not playing around! The marketing of all the evil things is NOT always JUST for profit; it's oftentimes used to sell corruption, push an agenda, condone what's wrong, condition the minds of the weak and willing and for the "kingdom" of Satan. The LOVE of money IS the root of all evil and the devil sure knows how to lure his "followers" in. It may start with the money, but, oh the price one has to pay in order to continue to "love" it and gain all the material things of this life! Is it really worth it? NO! As it is said clearly in Matthew 16:26, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" and again in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Then we are reminded also in Luke 9:25, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" Can't argue with Scripture. It's all there! The answer to the question, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" is an emphatic negative, and is a common form of expressing the strongest denial. I'm going to get a little more technical than I usually get, but bear with me, as it is pertinent to this verse. I'll be brief as possible.
Ok, now, whatever is endless, is also boundless in that direction; (gain the world: lose the soul) and whatever is bounded can never be compared with that which is boundless. So, in this particular case it's the law of CONTRAST, and NOT that of comparison, that applies. You see, loss and gain can be contrasted, but they can never be compared. Yet as the quantity is still ever growing, although at every period of the future it will fall short of being absolutely infinite, still, it has no bounds. So, it's, to all purposes of comparison, infinite; because it's an ever growing quantity, that has no bounds beyond that which it does not pass. With that established, the worth of the world is a FINITE quantity, and therefore, it can be easily measured and estimated. But the worth of the soul is an ever-growing, ever-changing entity and in this sense a boundless, or an infinite quantity, and can never therefore, be estimated. Not by MAN! The world is estimable; while the soul is literally inestimable. No math can, or ever will, compute it. And certainly NO finite mind can, or every will, grasp it. In conclusion, then, we can finally deduce that the value of the world is as nothing against infinity. Then, it would seem that to gain the whole world would be to gain, after all, but it would be a small, little gain. In fact, for a human being to literally possess the entire world, wouldn't be really any good at all to him because it'd only load him down, weighing him down, with an ocean full of cares, anxieties, perplexities, and devastations, of which he could never really reap any solid benefits. It would destroy him. It would prove to him only what it did to Solomon; and Solomon, remember, possessed as much of it as he knew what to do with. And like Solomon, he would find in it the vanity of vanities, and vexation of spirit. So in essence, it'd really be much worse for a man's happiness was concerned, than the most abject poverty.
So gaining the world is to ruin one's own self! Or more appropriate, DESTROY oneself! In the "worlds" of the rich and famous, the promoters of evil, the leaders of lavishness and the doctors of demons of all that will "cure" a desire, nothing is EVER enough! It's an endless, vicious circle that will never end unless one either dies of excess or accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior and walks away from that darkened lifestyle! Their personal ruins all can easily be seen in the news for all to see. They commit suicide. They end up in many different types of "rehab." They all see psychiatrists who aren't in their best interest. They succumb to the lies of the enemy. They have mental breakdowns, some public, some in silence. They have more than they know what to do with but don't spend much on things that matter in the world. The more one has, the more one wants. The more one wants the more "mad" they become. The more "mad" they become, the greater lengths one will go to in order to get their next "fix." I use that analogy because fame, fortune and all the sinful ways that come with it, is much like a drug. It's an addiction. Eventually, the drug you first got hooked on, isn't enough to get you "high" any more so you do more and more. When that doesn't do the trick, well, you graduate to the next stronger drug. And it goes on and on. But with the sins of excess comes something deeper, darker and much more damaging to the soul! The sins get bigger, darker, deeper, with much more euphoric side effects that it BEGS for the bigger and better. Let it be understood that whenever a man possesses more of the world through any means of excess, than he can usefully use and appropriate for the good of mankind and for the glory of God, then it is he that is contributing to his own misery, and NOT to his own happiness. He is actually loading himself down with cares and anxieties that will eventually crush and ruin him. But many don't see those "cares and anxieties" because the "high" is much greater and has a more blinding effect than the blinders on a race horse! That's why there's so much darkness in the entertainment industry and is SO much darker than what would ever be allowed to surface to the general public by the elites that are in control. What already has surfaced, should be enough to sicken those that know. It's an awful spiral! One in which I am now seeing more and more of in the world, seeping out of the highest of places, influencing more of the "public" than ever before. There's an old saying I grew up with, "If you say something long enough, they will eventually believe it!" Well, that's exactly what is going on in the world around us even as I write this now!
I'm now going to discuss a little of what started this whole thing stirring in my spirit as mentioned above. I'd began to notice an increase in almost every show on broadcast stations, not even the cable stations at this point, showing a member of the LGBT community. First it was an appearance here and there. Then it was a regular. Then that wasn't "racy" and "controversial" enough, they began showing "affection" in prime time. Then the unthinkable took place. They showed "teenagers" (who I'm sure were NOT teenage ACTORS portraying them) in a full on kiss. It was everywhere and growing exponentially. Then, the new rage with the show, which I have NEVER seen, but heard way too much about, "Orange is the New Black." This portrayed an openly "proud and brave" (the promoter's words NOT MINE!) "African American Transgender" in "her" breakout role! Now there's a new show of a "transgender" young boy who is transitioning into a girl, living like a girl, being referred to as a girl. A CHILD! I was appalled at finding out how young this boy was when they, meaning his parents, began assisting him in this transition, including HORMONE THERAPY! This is the world we live in and these kinds of shows only promote the agenda further. Transgenders are not in great numbers but with all the hype and media it's now getting, there will be more confusion and more questions and more experimentation in our youth. Mark my word. It's coming down the pike and there is nothing slowing it down. The hand of God is being lifted from a world that has turned their backs on HIM! The very one that CREATED them!
There are no longer any boundaries that can't be crossed. There are no longer any sacred moments. Nothing is off the table. It's a full on celebration of sin! Soon, media was abuzz with celebrating the sin of homosexuality and the lifestyle of all that's encompassed within it. The whole LGBT community was being celebrated because they were so "brave" for coming "out" and "finally being able to be who they were meant to be." This began to take on a much more sinister appearance because then with the celebration of that sin, came the new laws and regulations that will also eventually sweep across America and well as the world. Then I started seeing more and more of the "transgenders" or "transsexuals" (whichever term is deemed pc, doesn't matter to me) community surfacing. First in the "modeling" arena, NOT being forthright and telling the truth, so heterosexual men were being deceived into believing they were of the female gender. Then in the entertainment industry. No boundaries. No sin. It all becomes "normalized" in the world and is no longer considered sinful. People all over were beginning to "accept" this as being normal. As being "OK." As being of God. People, including Christians, were beginning to celebrate this in ways that shocked me to the core! Christians were in "agreement" of this lifestyle. Sin is sin and we can't pick or choose which one we want to "accept" and make laws about. This sin is NOT about "civil rights" which was beginning to come down the pike, first through the presidency and then through activism, not just from the LGBT community, but everywhere!
Back in 1973 the Roe vs Wade decision was the first step in the celebration of the sin of abortion. It slowly snowballed into a "woman's right to CHOOSE" and gained ground to the point that people actually believe it's a woman's right to CHOOSE whether or not to keep the living human being growing inside of her or to murder it. I scratch my head and my spirit cries for the millions upon millions of aborted babies that never had a chance! So you see, sin has always BEEN. But it was never so WIDELY accepted and celebrated as it is today! That makes all the difference! The Bible has quite a lot to say when it comes to celebrating the practice of sinful behaviors, as well as using sin to succeed, and in many of the instances of sin, it is a means to success. Albeit the wrong kind, but nevertheless, success. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; v5) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; v6) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;" The Apostle Paul is encouraging the church at Corinth to use love as a way to build one another up, which ultimately brings glory to God and what we do, and should do, is bring glory to God! Unfortunately, what Paul saw were the people of God celebrating the sin of another. Celebrating the sin of another only further damages the person in the original sin, and eventually leads to destruction or division in the church, but worst of all, it defames the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior! Truly loving another means pointing out the wrong they are practicing before they do damage that is irreversible. Before it's too late. And in some instances, the damage has been done and is irreversible. The church and the pastors leading them, need to take a bold stand against all that is transpiring right in front of our faces. Our church leaders need to speak out against sin and point everyone to the Cross, to Jesus Christ! Because the more friendly the church is with sin, the more sin the church will celebrate and embrace. Just a fact. If it's all fluff and feel good words, then the motivation is NOT leading sinners and unbelievers to Christ. Again, another FACT. Celebrating sin with cheap theology isn't the way to go either because then they are nothing more than being worldly, fleshly fallen humans. The sin-friendly models that are invading evangelical churches are clearly New Age and unbiblical.
When the White House made gay marriage legal in all states and then CELEBRATED that decision by lighting the White House in the Gay Pride Rainbow, I knew the hand of God was going to be lifted because with everything else going on, with every nation turning against Israel, with the evil being accepted, with the wars and rumors of wars, with the good being called bad and the bad being called good, well, when a law is made of the land to celebrate, honor and accept a sin and equalize it with the union of the marriage that God CREATED between a man and a woman, it was just a matter of time. The rainbow that is used by the LGBT community and apparently now by the White House, is Satan's way of trying to take God's promise away and use it to his own advantage, to destroy all that God created for good! I never would have thought, in a million years that the White House would light up in celebration of sin. But, then again, it celebrates a dead prophet of the Muslim religion so I guess it shouldn't have surprised me. Romans 1:18-19, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, v19) because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them." Celebrations of sin never end well. Romans 1 is clear about that, too! It seems to me that this generation is the generation of sin-celebrators because everything is cause for celebration! People are celebrating SIN. People are celebrating what is WRONG and what is WICKED. They are celebrating bondage. They’re celebrating DEATH and idolatry. They are celebrating abominations. The world celebrates this, Christians should NOT! Let me remind you what is spoken in James 4:8-10, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. v9) Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. v10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." We should NOT be dancing and celebrating death and sin and bondage. We should NOT be like the world and the Babylon churches who are in this “celebration” mode, who are celebrating what is WICKED. Instead, we need to be vigilant and sober and continue to pray for the world to come to know our Lord and Savior, to repent of their sins and turn from them. To become new creations in Christ! We need to be mourning those who are in the deepest pits of hell, suffering unimaginable pains, pains that only God can understand and HEAL and DELIVER them from!
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul devotes ample space to the discussion of whether Christians should partake in ceremonies they believe to be sinful. And Paul's final answer is a resounding NO. With all the "acceptance" and celebration of all kinds of immoral sins, comes with it the inevitable persecution of the "intolerant" Christian, those who stand boldly and firmly grounding in the Bible, adhering to its' every word! It's already begun but it's about to get worse. Soon everything will be a "free for all" and anyone, and by anyone, I mean the Christians, who are opposed to it, will be persecuted, sued, fired, evicted, rejected, demoted, hated, flagged, killed, and whatever else one can imagine. Christians right now are losing businesses just because serving cake at a homosexual wedding goes against their beliefs. It's not going to stop there. Our children will soon have to share gender "neutral" bathrooms because one or two "gender confused" kids and their parents, doesn't want them using the restroom that they were born to use. There will be PLENTY of "rights" taken away from the Christian population, and all the rights given to sin. Christians beware and more importantly, be prepared. Nowhere in the Bible can you find an affirmation for same-sex marriage or same-sex sexual relations. Nowhere in the Bible can you find affirmation for someone being born one gender but becoming another. And for the record, just because one "feels" like a different gender, they are NOT and WILL NEVER BE a different gender. However complicated this subject is, I won't tackle it in this article. Gender reassignment is the harshest form of "self-mutilation" known to man. And it's NOT of the Lord! What has become clear in this age of sin tolerance is the fact that everyone, everything, every religion is "ordered" to be tolerated EXCEPT for Bible believing, Christ believing Christians and Christianity! How this is being presented is by use of "society." The majority of people in the USA was NOT in favor of the passing of the gay marriage law! I live in a state that vehemently opposed it. It's no longer about the majority, but more so about the minority rule. The powers that be in the "higher" up places of government and hierarchy make decisions without the consensus of the public. Why? Because if they did, they wouldn't be able to bring in their agendas and watch them come to fruition! Just because something is law, or has been MADE law, does NOT mean it is God's law, or good, or ethical, or godly! Law does not always make everything ALRIGHT!
Although the passage above in 1 Corinthians 10, may on the surface, appear to be related solely to idolatry and the worship of false gods, it's actually a frank discussion of sin, which requires us to elevate our own desires above those of God. You cannot sin until you have rejected God and replaced His teachings with the false idol of your own judgment. So what, then, does Paul say about whether Christians can, in good conscience and biblical thought, participate in ceremonies that willfully and knowingly, reject God’s commands? The answer is found here, in 1 Corinthians 10:14-15, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. v15) I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say." However, it's not just for our own consciences that Paul instructs us to avoid participating in any and all ceremonies that celebrate sin. He also commands us to abstain as well so that we won't corrupt the consciences of those people who freely partake of the celebratory festivities. Why? We must not partake because of the the other individuals that are in our presence, whether they are a believer or an unbeliever, might possibly think we condone, or are even willing to participate in the sinful ceremony. And then there’s the specific command in Romans to not offer yourself as an instrument of sin found in Romans 6:13, "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." So I think the Bible is pretty clear!! How about you?
The Bible says many, many things about sin, but it never once tells faithful followers of Christ to actively, consciously and knowingly condone sinful behavior. Nor does it say or command them to use their God-given gifts, talents and abilities to knowingly aid or abet sinful behavior. 1 Corinthians 10:31-32, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God," Simply put, it is IMPOSSIBLE to simultaneously condone and celebrate sin and work for the glory of God. It's one or the other. Please remember, Jesus Christ died for ALL of OUR sins.....including the sins of the LGBT community, the murderers, the thieves, the abortionists, the Muslim terrorists. Jesus didn't just die for specific sinners or specific sin. As Christians, we need to love the sinner, point them to Jesus, show them their sin and how to be cleansed of their spots, and pray for their salvation. We are NOT, as Christians, supposed to condone their sin, actions, or lifestyle choices. Ephesians 5:8-11, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light v9) for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, v10) finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. v11) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." If everyone is in agreement with sin, no matter what that sin is, and if everyone is being tolerant of and accepting of sin, then it can't be exposed and that's exactly what Satan wants to happen! Make all of his sin acceptable and lose one's soul as opposed to exposing sin and leading them into Salvation and Eternity with Christ!
The American model, the United States of America and all that it stands for, has flourished and progressed in riches because, historically, the Bible has been its authority, the foundation of its legal system and provided a common code of morality and rightness that Americans embraced without question. Us Americans understood that God was/is the ultimate authority in this world and that honoring Him and His Word brought favor upon the nation. We had favor. We had riches. We had freedom that was abound. However, the parading of abominable acts through our streets, as was the case last Summer and as recent as the celebratory festivals of the passing of the gay marriage act, brings us reproach. And, as politically incorrect as it may be to say it, these actions, the celebration and flaunting of sin, WILL bring judgment of God upon the society that embraces them. It's all in the Bible! As I mentioned, it's MY authority. Isaiah 3:9 says this, "The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves." You see, the lewd behavior reveals much more than just skin; it reveals the heart. It reveals what's IN the heart. The revelers very countenances bear witness against them that they disdain God and his ordinances. Shame over sin is rarely seen any more in this age because it has been replaced with a pride that parades sin in the streets for all to see. Metaphorically speaking and literally in the case of the gay pride events. And here I will point out that humility is what makes a godly man....not pride. Pride goeth before a fall so isn't it ironic that the gay community would be the banner in which they march under? Their actions are a collective snubbing of noses towards God himself. Woe unto their souls! I tremble for them because in their stark and sin-bent blindness they are actively choosing not to hear the warnings of judgment. That also goes for those who celebrate WITH them, condoning the sin nature and accepting the sin itself. Psalm 10:4, "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
The Biblical picture of hope for the sinner to escape sin in this fallen world is indeed, breathtaking! Jesus Christ did not come to make sin acceptable but, quite the opposite, to make it unacceptable. Willful, knowledgeable sin is totally unacceptable in the believer’s life. John’s Gospel said in his first epistle, 1 John 2:1-2, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. v2) And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” This is the perfect Biblical analysis of our Gospel message. We preach against sin, we warn people against sin, but if they sin, we immediately direct them to the merciful Redeemer where there is plenty of forgiveness. The saints of God must never forget how totally dependent they are on His grace and forgiveness. We must never treat sin in a casual, celebratory manner because sin cost the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the most horrible treatment and inexplicably painful death and it's to be hated with the same passion as we treat His pain.
In closing, we shouldn't be celebrating sin in any way. We should be praying for the revelers, the condoners, the ones who are accepting sin as being good, and for all those who are lost! We should be standing firm on our foundation, proclaiming boldly the Gospel! Not celebrating with the world because, we are NOT of the world! There are some ways that we should be living our lives in the days of sin celebration and some things to remember.
1) Don’t lose hope in the future. As part of God’s remnant, we have good reason to hope because no matter what the fate of our nation is, no matter what the fate of the world is, God will always care for His remnant. There IS hope in the Lord!
2) Don’t lose hope in the power of God’s Word. God, through His Spirit and His Word, can change the hearts of drivers who celebrate the sweetness of sin and people who applaud it. Remember, we were once just like them, once walking among them, celebrating in our own sins with them. We may not have been parading them on the streets, but we were not ashamed and paraded them to a few.
3) Don’t lose hope in the patience of God to save sinners. Remember that God promised Abraham He’d save Sodom if He could find 10 righteous people. God is not changeable and His compassion, longsuffering, and patience dwarf our pale reflections of these amazing and loving virtues.
4) Don’t lose hope in the power of genuine guilt. Genuine guilt points the way for the need of a Savior. It is not just a feeling, but it's a reality. We all stand guilty before a holy God. That’s a fact, not a feeling. Feelings and emotions lie. They are unpredictable and CHANGING. When His light finally graciously reveals our guilt, we can't escape it by "feeling good." Only Jesus Christ’s completed work on the Cross is the only escape there is and ever will be. That work never loses its efficacy and its pursuit of sinners.
Jeremiah 6:15, "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord."
Be certain, a day of reckoning is coming. To him who has ears to hear, let him hear. God will not be mocked. A fearful day of judgement is ahead for the abominable and the society that turns away from God to embrace their actions. God is not slack concerning his promises, both for good and for judgment.
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29) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
I typically combine all the scriptures together if I'm quoting more than one verse, but because of the seriousness of these verses and what is happening all over the world today, I'm spacing each Scripture out above so as you, my dear readers, can really ponder what is being said! To put it clearly, there is a celebration of sin that has surpassed anything that I've ever witnessed in my years! The WORLD has now become a cesspool of sin, of unadulterated, unapologetic, evil sin! We are all sinners, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God! I know this. The difference between the WORLD and sin and a born again Christ believer Christian and sin is a Christian doesn't, or SHOULDN'T celebrate sin, they repent, they ask for forgiveness and turn from their ways. A Christian doesn't condone the sins in others either! The world, on the other hand, celebrates it, makes it appear good, fun and full of excitement and definitely doesn't show the side of error. Death. Death separated from the Creator God, from Jesus Christ our Savior that died on the cross to pay our sin-debt in full. That is the reality of sin. But the world is now in full celebration, including some Christians.
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| Sin No More! |
1. homosexuality
2. bisexuality
3. abortion
4. adultery
5. lying
6. cheating
7. drug use/pushing
8. transsexualism
9. prostitution
10. deception
11. divorce/"modern" families of all kinds
12. disparaging Christian faith
13. tolerance of "all other" ways to God
14. murder/violence/rape/abuse
15. pedophilia
16. sexual perversions/sexual freedoms/inappropriate clothing
17. polygamy
18. death/"ghosts"/demons
19. the sexualization of children/the "adult" clothing/the "adult" themes
20. role reversals
Oh, I could go on, but the gist is pretty clear! This is all what is being thrown down our throats, shoved in our faces and forced tolerance. I started out this article using the 1st chapter of Romans because Romans deals with such aversion and points out why God gave men and women a conscience to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, and it's pretty clear that God was not playing around! The marketing of all the evil things is NOT always JUST for profit; it's oftentimes used to sell corruption, push an agenda, condone what's wrong, condition the minds of the weak and willing and for the "kingdom" of Satan. The LOVE of money IS the root of all evil and the devil sure knows how to lure his "followers" in. It may start with the money, but, oh the price one has to pay in order to continue to "love" it and gain all the material things of this life! Is it really worth it? NO! As it is said clearly in Matthew 16:26, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" and again in Mark 8:36, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Then we are reminded also in Luke 9:25, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" Can't argue with Scripture. It's all there! The answer to the question, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" is an emphatic negative, and is a common form of expressing the strongest denial. I'm going to get a little more technical than I usually get, but bear with me, as it is pertinent to this verse. I'll be brief as possible.
Ok, now, whatever is endless, is also boundless in that direction; (gain the world: lose the soul) and whatever is bounded can never be compared with that which is boundless. So, in this particular case it's the law of CONTRAST, and NOT that of comparison, that applies. You see, loss and gain can be contrasted, but they can never be compared. Yet as the quantity is still ever growing, although at every period of the future it will fall short of being absolutely infinite, still, it has no bounds. So, it's, to all purposes of comparison, infinite; because it's an ever growing quantity, that has no bounds beyond that which it does not pass. With that established, the worth of the world is a FINITE quantity, and therefore, it can be easily measured and estimated. But the worth of the soul is an ever-growing, ever-changing entity and in this sense a boundless, or an infinite quantity, and can never therefore, be estimated. Not by MAN! The world is estimable; while the soul is literally inestimable. No math can, or ever will, compute it. And certainly NO finite mind can, or every will, grasp it. In conclusion, then, we can finally deduce that the value of the world is as nothing against infinity. Then, it would seem that to gain the whole world would be to gain, after all, but it would be a small, little gain. In fact, for a human being to literally possess the entire world, wouldn't be really any good at all to him because it'd only load him down, weighing him down, with an ocean full of cares, anxieties, perplexities, and devastations, of which he could never really reap any solid benefits. It would destroy him. It would prove to him only what it did to Solomon; and Solomon, remember, possessed as much of it as he knew what to do with. And like Solomon, he would find in it the vanity of vanities, and vexation of spirit. So in essence, it'd really be much worse for a man's happiness was concerned, than the most abject poverty.
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| Don't Lose YOUR Soul for the World! |
I'm now going to discuss a little of what started this whole thing stirring in my spirit as mentioned above. I'd began to notice an increase in almost every show on broadcast stations, not even the cable stations at this point, showing a member of the LGBT community. First it was an appearance here and there. Then it was a regular. Then that wasn't "racy" and "controversial" enough, they began showing "affection" in prime time. Then the unthinkable took place. They showed "teenagers" (who I'm sure were NOT teenage ACTORS portraying them) in a full on kiss. It was everywhere and growing exponentially. Then, the new rage with the show, which I have NEVER seen, but heard way too much about, "Orange is the New Black." This portrayed an openly "proud and brave" (the promoter's words NOT MINE!) "African American Transgender" in "her" breakout role! Now there's a new show of a "transgender" young boy who is transitioning into a girl, living like a girl, being referred to as a girl. A CHILD! I was appalled at finding out how young this boy was when they, meaning his parents, began assisting him in this transition, including HORMONE THERAPY! This is the world we live in and these kinds of shows only promote the agenda further. Transgenders are not in great numbers but with all the hype and media it's now getting, there will be more confusion and more questions and more experimentation in our youth. Mark my word. It's coming down the pike and there is nothing slowing it down. The hand of God is being lifted from a world that has turned their backs on HIM! The very one that CREATED them!
There are no longer any boundaries that can't be crossed. There are no longer any sacred moments. Nothing is off the table. It's a full on celebration of sin! Soon, media was abuzz with celebrating the sin of homosexuality and the lifestyle of all that's encompassed within it. The whole LGBT community was being celebrated because they were so "brave" for coming "out" and "finally being able to be who they were meant to be." This began to take on a much more sinister appearance because then with the celebration of that sin, came the new laws and regulations that will also eventually sweep across America and well as the world. Then I started seeing more and more of the "transgenders" or "transsexuals" (whichever term is deemed pc, doesn't matter to me) community surfacing. First in the "modeling" arena, NOT being forthright and telling the truth, so heterosexual men were being deceived into believing they were of the female gender. Then in the entertainment industry. No boundaries. No sin. It all becomes "normalized" in the world and is no longer considered sinful. People all over were beginning to "accept" this as being normal. As being "OK." As being of God. People, including Christians, were beginning to celebrate this in ways that shocked me to the core! Christians were in "agreement" of this lifestyle. Sin is sin and we can't pick or choose which one we want to "accept" and make laws about. This sin is NOT about "civil rights" which was beginning to come down the pike, first through the presidency and then through activism, not just from the LGBT community, but everywhere!
Back in 1973 the Roe vs Wade decision was the first step in the celebration of the sin of abortion. It slowly snowballed into a "woman's right to CHOOSE" and gained ground to the point that people actually believe it's a woman's right to CHOOSE whether or not to keep the living human being growing inside of her or to murder it. I scratch my head and my spirit cries for the millions upon millions of aborted babies that never had a chance! So you see, sin has always BEEN. But it was never so WIDELY accepted and celebrated as it is today! That makes all the difference! The Bible has quite a lot to say when it comes to celebrating the practice of sinful behaviors, as well as using sin to succeed, and in many of the instances of sin, it is a means to success. Albeit the wrong kind, but nevertheless, success. 1 Corinthians 13:4-6, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; v5) does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; v6) does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;" The Apostle Paul is encouraging the church at Corinth to use love as a way to build one another up, which ultimately brings glory to God and what we do, and should do, is bring glory to God! Unfortunately, what Paul saw were the people of God celebrating the sin of another. Celebrating the sin of another only further damages the person in the original sin, and eventually leads to destruction or division in the church, but worst of all, it defames the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior! Truly loving another means pointing out the wrong they are practicing before they do damage that is irreversible. Before it's too late. And in some instances, the damage has been done and is irreversible. The church and the pastors leading them, need to take a bold stand against all that is transpiring right in front of our faces. Our church leaders need to speak out against sin and point everyone to the Cross, to Jesus Christ! Because the more friendly the church is with sin, the more sin the church will celebrate and embrace. Just a fact. If it's all fluff and feel good words, then the motivation is NOT leading sinners and unbelievers to Christ. Again, another FACT. Celebrating sin with cheap theology isn't the way to go either because then they are nothing more than being worldly, fleshly fallen humans. The sin-friendly models that are invading evangelical churches are clearly New Age and unbiblical.
When the White House made gay marriage legal in all states and then CELEBRATED that decision by lighting the White House in the Gay Pride Rainbow, I knew the hand of God was going to be lifted because with everything else going on, with every nation turning against Israel, with the evil being accepted, with the wars and rumors of wars, with the good being called bad and the bad being called good, well, when a law is made of the land to celebrate, honor and accept a sin and equalize it with the union of the marriage that God CREATED between a man and a woman, it was just a matter of time. The rainbow that is used by the LGBT community and apparently now by the White House, is Satan's way of trying to take God's promise away and use it to his own advantage, to destroy all that God created for good! I never would have thought, in a million years that the White House would light up in celebration of sin. But, then again, it celebrates a dead prophet of the Muslim religion so I guess it shouldn't have surprised me. Romans 1:18-19, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, v19) because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them." Celebrations of sin never end well. Romans 1 is clear about that, too! It seems to me that this generation is the generation of sin-celebrators because everything is cause for celebration! People are celebrating SIN. People are celebrating what is WRONG and what is WICKED. They are celebrating bondage. They’re celebrating DEATH and idolatry. They are celebrating abominations. The world celebrates this, Christians should NOT! Let me remind you what is spoken in James 4:8-10, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. v9) Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. v10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." We should NOT be dancing and celebrating death and sin and bondage. We should NOT be like the world and the Babylon churches who are in this “celebration” mode, who are celebrating what is WICKED. Instead, we need to be vigilant and sober and continue to pray for the world to come to know our Lord and Savior, to repent of their sins and turn from them. To become new creations in Christ! We need to be mourning those who are in the deepest pits of hell, suffering unimaginable pains, pains that only God can understand and HEAL and DELIVER them from!
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul devotes ample space to the discussion of whether Christians should partake in ceremonies they believe to be sinful. And Paul's final answer is a resounding NO. With all the "acceptance" and celebration of all kinds of immoral sins, comes with it the inevitable persecution of the "intolerant" Christian, those who stand boldly and firmly grounding in the Bible, adhering to its' every word! It's already begun but it's about to get worse. Soon everything will be a "free for all" and anyone, and by anyone, I mean the Christians, who are opposed to it, will be persecuted, sued, fired, evicted, rejected, demoted, hated, flagged, killed, and whatever else one can imagine. Christians right now are losing businesses just because serving cake at a homosexual wedding goes against their beliefs. It's not going to stop there. Our children will soon have to share gender "neutral" bathrooms because one or two "gender confused" kids and their parents, doesn't want them using the restroom that they were born to use. There will be PLENTY of "rights" taken away from the Christian population, and all the rights given to sin. Christians beware and more importantly, be prepared. Nowhere in the Bible can you find an affirmation for same-sex marriage or same-sex sexual relations. Nowhere in the Bible can you find affirmation for someone being born one gender but becoming another. And for the record, just because one "feels" like a different gender, they are NOT and WILL NEVER BE a different gender. However complicated this subject is, I won't tackle it in this article. Gender reassignment is the harshest form of "self-mutilation" known to man. And it's NOT of the Lord! What has become clear in this age of sin tolerance is the fact that everyone, everything, every religion is "ordered" to be tolerated EXCEPT for Bible believing, Christ believing Christians and Christianity! How this is being presented is by use of "society." The majority of people in the USA was NOT in favor of the passing of the gay marriage law! I live in a state that vehemently opposed it. It's no longer about the majority, but more so about the minority rule. The powers that be in the "higher" up places of government and hierarchy make decisions without the consensus of the public. Why? Because if they did, they wouldn't be able to bring in their agendas and watch them come to fruition! Just because something is law, or has been MADE law, does NOT mean it is God's law, or good, or ethical, or godly! Law does not always make everything ALRIGHT!
Although the passage above in 1 Corinthians 10, may on the surface, appear to be related solely to idolatry and the worship of false gods, it's actually a frank discussion of sin, which requires us to elevate our own desires above those of God. You cannot sin until you have rejected God and replaced His teachings with the false idol of your own judgment. So what, then, does Paul say about whether Christians can, in good conscience and biblical thought, participate in ceremonies that willfully and knowingly, reject God’s commands? The answer is found here, in 1 Corinthians 10:14-15, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. v15) I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say." However, it's not just for our own consciences that Paul instructs us to avoid participating in any and all ceremonies that celebrate sin. He also commands us to abstain as well so that we won't corrupt the consciences of those people who freely partake of the celebratory festivities. Why? We must not partake because of the the other individuals that are in our presence, whether they are a believer or an unbeliever, might possibly think we condone, or are even willing to participate in the sinful ceremony. And then there’s the specific command in Romans to not offer yourself as an instrument of sin found in Romans 6:13, "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." So I think the Bible is pretty clear!! How about you?
The Bible says many, many things about sin, but it never once tells faithful followers of Christ to actively, consciously and knowingly condone sinful behavior. Nor does it say or command them to use their God-given gifts, talents and abilities to knowingly aid or abet sinful behavior. 1 Corinthians 10:31-32, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God," Simply put, it is IMPOSSIBLE to simultaneously condone and celebrate sin and work for the glory of God. It's one or the other. Please remember, Jesus Christ died for ALL of OUR sins.....including the sins of the LGBT community, the murderers, the thieves, the abortionists, the Muslim terrorists. Jesus didn't just die for specific sinners or specific sin. As Christians, we need to love the sinner, point them to Jesus, show them their sin and how to be cleansed of their spots, and pray for their salvation. We are NOT, as Christians, supposed to condone their sin, actions, or lifestyle choices. Ephesians 5:8-11, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light v9) for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, v10) finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. v11) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them." If everyone is in agreement with sin, no matter what that sin is, and if everyone is being tolerant of and accepting of sin, then it can't be exposed and that's exactly what Satan wants to happen! Make all of his sin acceptable and lose one's soul as opposed to exposing sin and leading them into Salvation and Eternity with Christ!
The American model, the United States of America and all that it stands for, has flourished and progressed in riches because, historically, the Bible has been its authority, the foundation of its legal system and provided a common code of morality and rightness that Americans embraced without question. Us Americans understood that God was/is the ultimate authority in this world and that honoring Him and His Word brought favor upon the nation. We had favor. We had riches. We had freedom that was abound. However, the parading of abominable acts through our streets, as was the case last Summer and as recent as the celebratory festivals of the passing of the gay marriage act, brings us reproach. And, as politically incorrect as it may be to say it, these actions, the celebration and flaunting of sin, WILL bring judgment of God upon the society that embraces them. It's all in the Bible! As I mentioned, it's MY authority. Isaiah 3:9 says this, "The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves." You see, the lewd behavior reveals much more than just skin; it reveals the heart. It reveals what's IN the heart. The revelers very countenances bear witness against them that they disdain God and his ordinances. Shame over sin is rarely seen any more in this age because it has been replaced with a pride that parades sin in the streets for all to see. Metaphorically speaking and literally in the case of the gay pride events. And here I will point out that humility is what makes a godly man....not pride. Pride goeth before a fall so isn't it ironic that the gay community would be the banner in which they march under? Their actions are a collective snubbing of noses towards God himself. Woe unto their souls! I tremble for them because in their stark and sin-bent blindness they are actively choosing not to hear the warnings of judgment. That also goes for those who celebrate WITH them, condoning the sin nature and accepting the sin itself. Psalm 10:4, "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.”
The Biblical picture of hope for the sinner to escape sin in this fallen world is indeed, breathtaking! Jesus Christ did not come to make sin acceptable but, quite the opposite, to make it unacceptable. Willful, knowledgeable sin is totally unacceptable in the believer’s life. John’s Gospel said in his first epistle, 1 John 2:1-2, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. v2) And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” This is the perfect Biblical analysis of our Gospel message. We preach against sin, we warn people against sin, but if they sin, we immediately direct them to the merciful Redeemer where there is plenty of forgiveness. The saints of God must never forget how totally dependent they are on His grace and forgiveness. We must never treat sin in a casual, celebratory manner because sin cost the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the most horrible treatment and inexplicably painful death and it's to be hated with the same passion as we treat His pain.
In closing, we shouldn't be celebrating sin in any way. We should be praying for the revelers, the condoners, the ones who are accepting sin as being good, and for all those who are lost! We should be standing firm on our foundation, proclaiming boldly the Gospel! Not celebrating with the world because, we are NOT of the world! There are some ways that we should be living our lives in the days of sin celebration and some things to remember.
1) Don’t lose hope in the future. As part of God’s remnant, we have good reason to hope because no matter what the fate of our nation is, no matter what the fate of the world is, God will always care for His remnant. There IS hope in the Lord!
2) Don’t lose hope in the power of God’s Word. God, through His Spirit and His Word, can change the hearts of drivers who celebrate the sweetness of sin and people who applaud it. Remember, we were once just like them, once walking among them, celebrating in our own sins with them. We may not have been parading them on the streets, but we were not ashamed and paraded them to a few.
3) Don’t lose hope in the patience of God to save sinners. Remember that God promised Abraham He’d save Sodom if He could find 10 righteous people. God is not changeable and His compassion, longsuffering, and patience dwarf our pale reflections of these amazing and loving virtues.
4) Don’t lose hope in the power of genuine guilt. Genuine guilt points the way for the need of a Savior. It is not just a feeling, but it's a reality. We all stand guilty before a holy God. That’s a fact, not a feeling. Feelings and emotions lie. They are unpredictable and CHANGING. When His light finally graciously reveals our guilt, we can't escape it by "feeling good." Only Jesus Christ’s completed work on the Cross is the only escape there is and ever will be. That work never loses its efficacy and its pursuit of sinners.
Jeremiah 6:15, "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord."
Be certain, a day of reckoning is coming. To him who has ears to hear, let him hear. God will not be mocked. A fearful day of judgement is ahead for the abominable and the society that turns away from God to embrace their actions. God is not slack concerning his promises, both for good and for judgment.
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I'm curious as to why you did not include Romans 1:24-27?
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous and thank you for stopping by my blog. I wrote that article 5 years ago and I'm unsure why I didn't include those prefacing verses, but if you notice, I have updated it to include them! Thank you for inquiring as I, too, believe those verses you mentioned are imperative to the rest! May God Bless You in His Perfect Will!
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