Friday, March 14, 2014

Same Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVBg7_08n0

This particular blog has been on my mind for awhile, but I was a bit skittish about writing it.
The whole argument on homosexuality. The internet and hollywood has been blowing up about it. I used to have fairly firm beliefs on it. Now I don't and I think that was on purpose by my Father.
I'm going to begin by saying that I don't know the answer to that question. I can't read God's mind and he isn't being extremely forthcoming on it to me.
At any case here's my thinking:

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 
1 John 4:7-12

Note: In the Greek ( http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/1jo4.pdf ) Agape means to love unconditionally. That is the type of love used in this passage.



"If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

The above isn't exactly my argument but the foundation. I think we need to know first: God is Agape (unconditional love). The above is a definition of what that means. God expects us to show Agape. It is a verb. It is an action. It takes work. This is how we should view and treat those who see things different than us. This is how we should view and treat others even when it is hard. 

Now for my thought that came from the above song in the link.
Mary Lambert sings these words in both versions:


"And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm [x4]
"


This statement rings completely true in my ears.

The people of the LGBT identify strongly with their sexuality. They consider it to be a part of their identity.

I've heard loads of people say that they struggled for years with addictions, lust, spiriling spiritual whirlpools and it was only God who was able to change them. When someone comes up and says that at the pulpit we all clap. There are tons of sermons out there where pastors say that we can't change without God. That it is God who saves us. We all love to say how we are sinners saved and washed by Christ.

Yet we expect people who identify completely with their sexuality to change.

We either think these people are stronger than all other humans or we got tripped up along the way.

Mary Lambert was right. WE can't change. None of us.
Nor should we expect the LGBT community to change.

Our job is not to point out the fault of others.

"He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.""
Mark 16:15 

Gospel means good news. What is the good news? That Christ died, did all the hard work, and took all our guilt away. 

That the curtain was torn away and we can commune with God. 


That the kingdom of God is with us even now. 

That is what we preach. That God agape's us. Not a single human is exempt because he is agape. He is unconditional love. There is not a single stipulation in that. WE ALL come before him empty handed. Each one of us. 

We preach the gospel: let God handle the rest.







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