1 Timothy 1:1-20
2 Timothy 4:1-5
2 Timothy 3:16-17
2 Timothy 4:3-5
1 Timothy 1:18-19
2 Timothy 4:7-8
Lucado, the teaching minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas and the author of books that have sold more than 120 million copies, penned a Feb. 11 apologetic letter to the Washington National Cathedral in which he said his 2004 sermon “wounded people.”
“In 2004 I preached a sermon on the topic of same-sex marriage. I now see that, in that sermon, I was disrespectful,” he says in the letter. “I was hurtful. I wounded people in ways that were devastating,” he said in the letter. “I should have done better. It grieves me that my words have hurt or been used to hurt the LGBTQ community. I apologize to you and I ask forgiveness of Christ.”
Lucado, in the letter, does not specify which parts of the sermon trouble him.
“Faithful people may disagree about what the Bible says about homosexuality, but we agree that God’s holy Word must never be used as a weapon to wound others,” he said in the letter. “To be clear, I believe in the traditional biblical understanding of marriage, but I also believe in a God of unbounded grace and love. LGBTQ individuals and LGBTQ families must be respected and treated with love. They are beloved children of God because, they are made in the image and likeness of God.
“Over centuries, the church has harmed LGBTQ people and their families, just as the church has harmed people on issues of race, gender, divorce, addiction, and so many other things. We must do better to serve and love one another,” he wrote in conclusion. “I share the Cathedral’s commitment to building bridges and learning how to listen – to really listen – to those with whom we disagree. That work is difficult, it is hard, it is messy, and it can be uncomfortable. But we need it now more than ever.”
Published in www.Christianheadlines.com
PROCLAIMING THE AUTHORITY OF GOD’S WORD WITHOUT APOLOGY.
This brings me to an especially important point. The Apostle Paul knew that Timothy was CALLED into the ministry. What does that mean?
C.H. Spurgeon published “LECTURES TO MY STUDENTS”
“Lectures II: The Call to Ministry” Spurgeon writes:
“Do not enter the ministry if you can help it.
If any student in this room could be content to be a newspaper editor, or a grocer, or a farmer, of a doctor, or a lawyer, or a senator, or even a king, in the name of heaven and earth, let him go his way. For a man so filled with God, would utterly weary of any pursuit, but that for which his inmost soul pants.”
Chuck Swindoll in his commentary on 2 Timothy makes this observation:
“The call of God includes a sense of destiny combined with an all-absorbing passion to work for the Lord. When complete and confirmed, the call of God manifests itself as an undeniable, unavoidable assurance that one should do nothing else.
A divine call to ministry is God’s leading an individual AWAY from other worthy pursuits to devote himself or herself to vocational ministry. This call also blends giftedness with diligence and responsibility, resulting in benefit to others. If the gift is teaching, others are taught. If the gift is preaching, congregations are challenged.”
Eric Pollard is the founder of ACT-UP (a militant homosexual group). Janet Folger in her book “The Criminalization of Christianity” quotes Eric Pollard who openly admitted that Hitler’s MEIN KAMPF was the model used for the group’s strategy.
Eric Pollard quoted from MEIN KAMPF:
“The magnitude of a lie always contains a certain factor of credibility, since the great masses of the people in the very bottom of their hearts tend to be corrupted rather than consciously and purposely evil, and that, therefore, in view of the primitive simplicity of their minds, they more easily fall a victim to a big lie than to a little one, since they themselves lie in little things, but would be ashamed of lies that were too big.
By clever and persevering use of propaganda even heaven can be represented as hell to the people, and conversely the most wretched life as paradise.”
Erwin Lutzer in his book «When a Nation Forgets God” writes:
“Hitler, you will recall, said that it was necessary to go beneath rational arguments, and tap into the emotions of an audience. Thus the gay movements’ strategy is to “portray gays as victims, not aggressive challengers.” They use the language of victimhood, to appeal to American’s basic sense of fairness and liberal guilt about anyone who claims to have been oppressed. Thus, they have created an atmosphere in which they portray themselves as a victimized class in need of special protections. Of course the buzzwords are TOLERANCE and FAIRNESS and LOVE. And portraying themselves as a persecuted minority, they have gained the sympathy of Americans. But as one former homosexual put it: “It’s an amazing thing to watch a group that said they were oppressed become the oppressors.
Remember that the emotions are more powerful than rational arguments. In short, simply demonize the opposition!”
In a post on Facebook, Grace Pointe Church in Nashville Tennessee posted a recap of a message titled “The Bible | What Is Progressive Christianity?” from lead pastor Joshua Scott’s Feb. 7 sermon.
“As Progressive Christians, we’re open to the tensions and inconsistencies in the Bible”, the church wrote in the caption. “We know that it can’t live up to impossible, modern standards. We strive to more clearly articulate what Scripture is and isn’t,” the church noted before further expanding on what the church believes the Bible is and is not.
Grace Pointe Church added that the Bible “isn’t: the Word of God, self-interpreting, a science book, an answer/rule book, inerrant or infallible.”
Instead, the church argued, the Bible is “a product of community, a library of texts, multi-vocal, a human response to God, living and dynamic.”
“It carries the idea of replacing incorrect ideas with correct ideas. As it relates to sin, this is a command to help others understand the truth regarding their sinfulness. The pastor cannot hedge or hold back. Sin needs to be exposed. Otherwise, the people have no hope but to remain trapped in a cycle of ignorant wrongdoing.” Chuck Swindoll
The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) recently announced that they have revoked their ordination of late apologist Ravi Zacharias after an independent investigation revealed that he engaged in sexual abuse.
After findings were released by Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) last week, the C&MA published a statement expressing “great sorrow” concerning the fact that Zacharias, who had served with the C&MA as a licensed evangelist for 46 years, had engaged in a “pattern of predatory behavior”.
“Mr. Zacharias’ actions were in direct violation of his obligation to demonstrate his commitment to serve Christ and His people through his devotion, character, lifestyle, and values,” the statement reads. “In recognition of this gross violation and its painful consequences to the victims and others who were impacted, the C&MA posthumously expels Mr. Zacharias from licensed ministry in our denomination. This comes with the automatic revocation of his ordination.”
In pushing for increased accountability, the denomination announced that itinerant ministers will now report to a district office instead of being licensed nationally.
