MINNEAPOLIS - Even though the Rev. Mark Chavez believes the leaders of his church made a decision in direct contradiction of the Bible by lifting a ban on sexually active, monogamous gays and lesbians as clergy, he said he's staying with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
"I'm not leaving," Chavez said Friday night, promising an effort to keep the church moving even further toward what he sees as an embrace of behavior condemned by Scripture.
Chavez, of Landisville, Pa., is director of Lutheran CORE, a conservative group within the ELCA that fought the homosexual clergy policy. The group will hold a convention in Indianapolis in September to review its next steps, but Chavez said he thinks some ELCA clergy, congregations and individual members will walk away from the nation's largest Lutheran denomination.
Rev. Mark Chavez is right. This will only further hurt the already big split in the Lutheran and Episcopal Orthodox Churches/mainline denominations by allowing homosexuals into the clergy of the ministry.
Scripture is clear on this issue:
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
That makes it absolutely clear with certainty.
God working through the apostle Paul, a minister and messenger for Jesus Christ said that for those who reject God's authority and the warnings set forth in His righteous Word that He would turn them over to a reprobate mind. Three times it is written: He gave them up.
Romans 1:24-28 "Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hears to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with mena nd receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done."
This is what happens you see, God puts before us a test to see whether or not we will accept or reject His plan for our life, and when we do not choose to follow His plan for our life, but instead, do things our own way, we have effectually failed the test, God's test and therefore, He rejects us and turns away His loving restraint that He places upon our hearts.
2 Peter also give us some incite into what will be the fate of such wicked desires and practices.
2 Peter 2:4-10 "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under the punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority."
Just a glimpse, but a vivid glimpse at that.
God bless!
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Rev. Mark chavez is right. This will further hurt the already big split in the Luthren/Espicopal Orthodox Churches/mainline denominations by allowing homosexuals into the cleregy of the ministry.
ReplyDeleteI thought that Christanity excuded no one.
RE: I thought that Christanity excuded no one.
ReplyDeleteIf you have sin in your life, you can call yourself a "Christian," but that is as far at it goes. You are a Christian in name only. You are in no way part of Christ's body, the Church. You are effectively a hypocrite.
And as far as the ministry is concerned, we are to exemplify Christ in every way. Homosexuals can't do that, and so, therefore, should not be part of the ministry. As they lead a false example.
We have a duty to show a Christ-like attitude toward the one who suffers with homosexuality, and we can do that by showing them what God's Word says concerning the issue. That love shows them how God feels about their situation, and that it's wrong, and endangers their spirit.