We have just concluded our 2 week focus on over sea's missions in our 6pm services. Our next series is called: NO! Its all about saying no to the good so that we can say yes to the best.
Did you know that every 'no' that we say contains a 'yes' to something else? We can often find it hard to say 'no' when we really know that we should... and this jeopardizes the very thing that we should be giving our 'yes' to!
Anyways... more of this in the coming weeks.
I have started going to gym again this past week. After not having done any exercise for the past 1 1/2 years... I felt PAIN... and it was so good! I already feel motivated to eat healthier and to snack less. So if you see my T's ripping as I flex ... you know why (just kidding) : )
I found a thought provoking article on weather or not the church should baptise an openly homosexual man. Click HERE to read it.
Although we have finnished with the communication posts for the next while... I really thought that the Pastors one on one communication with the homosexual man was brilliant. We can all learn from his wisdom.
By the way, I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions on this topic.
Until next time...
Godspeed & Kaizan
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2 comments:
That's a tricky question. We don't have to be perfect before we get baptised ... or no-one would qualify. Looking at the example of the early church, they baptised on request when someone believed - as soon as a body of water could be found! I'm sure many of them had changes to be made in their lives, maybe quite drastic ones, but they were baptised on the basis they believed and accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
On the other hand, baptism as a public declaration that one has accepted Christ would seem to go hand in hand with having made the necessary changes in our lives because we want to live according to what God ordains as right. It would seem the lifestyle of a person getting baptised shouldn't contradict the word of God. But if someone hasn't yet made those changes and they desire baptism are we to be judge of where they are in their journey, which is the role of God, and deny them?
I'd be quite interested to see how different churches have handled this (bearing mind a number of denominations now ordain openly homosexual ministers).
This is a topic that is too big for this kind of forum and would require a thesis to properly consider but one thing I do know ...
homosexuals are people, they are precious to God, we need to show them love and treat them with respect and welcome them in our churches as ordinary visitors. To show contempt may alienate them. What would Jesus do? I believe we can love them without compromising ourselves.
As far as the baptism decision, I think either way is going to be controversial in the church.
Interesting and complex, reading through the comments posted on this article left me even more unsure :) I would be praying hard for one and asking for some HS guidance.
I think though it's alright for us to be able to admit that we don't know the answer as he said, “Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not God..."
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