But you, dear friends, remember the words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the end time scoffers will come living according to their own ungodly desires.” These people create divisions. Since they don’t have the Spirit, they are worldly. But you, dear friends: build each other up on the foundation of your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep each other in the love of God, wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will give you eternal life. Have mercy on those who doubt. Save some by snatching them from the fire. Fearing God, have mercy on some, hating even the clothing contaminated by their sinful urges. To the one who is able to protect you from falling, and to present you blameless and rejoicing before his glorious presence, to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, belong glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, now and forever. Amen. (Jude 17-25, CEB)
Last week I was on the campus of Texas A&M University with Treehouse Ministries passing out popsicles and we had a nice young man come up and ask us about the Reconciled in Christ logo on our sign and we got into a discussion about how LTBTQIA+ people are living in sin, and I told the young man that this statement is not in the Bible and that the word homosexual was written into those passages and the original language does not say that. And our discussion continued and we were not changing each others minds and he said he hopes that we would find the Holy Spirit so we would know the leading of God. I tell you all of that to say as I read this part of Jude above, I wondered what it means to be worldly. Is it following after what conservative Christianity would say is preventing the gospel and saying God created LGBTQIA+ people as they are and it isn’t a choice. Or is worldly saying that God doesn’t change us and our faith needs to be the faith of those who wrote the scriptures down.
As for me and my house and the ministry I serve, I believe the Bible is clear that all people are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God as God intended them to be. LGBTQIA+ people are not making a choice, but are being who God created them to be and to say otherwise is worldly. It is not allow God’s will to be done and is against what God intended and is something we should steer clear of.
So love unconditionally and know that when the Bible says worldly it may not mean what we think it means.
Loving People. Loving God.
aSacredRebel 