The Case Against Homosexuality

    In recent news concerning church events, this week it turns out another slow shift makes a move inside the American Evangelical world. In a forum that took place in San Francisco last Sunday, the typically controversial speaker and Evangelical leader Rob Bell has played another controversial card. 

     He now publicly endorsed gay marriage. 

(Take a look for yourself in the below cited articles.) 1

    Attending a forum at Grace Cathedral, the massive Episcopal church located in San Fran, Rob Bell was asked about his stance on the hot moral issue that rages throughout our culture at the moment. With various CPAC speakers, great Hollywood stars, and no small amount of depraved humanity in general, all slowly changing sides, I fear personally that we have reached the climax of the battle inside our own borders: The visible church of America. It is largely a lost battle outside in the secular world. Now it has come to us, the last line of moral defense. 

   When asked by leading dean Dr. Jane Shaw about the issue of gay marriage, (knowing full well her own congregation is admittedly "inclusive,") Rob Bell responded with these words: 

   "Yes, I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think that the church needs to just … this is the world that we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are." 2

     For the moment, I will disregard Bell's previous heresies in regard to universalism, and deal with this issue simply. And I would make two points. 

The first: The Bible is clearly condemning of homosexuality, naming it a sin.

The second: Simply because something sounds good, or pleasant, or wise, doesn't make it true, or right. 

    Among other sins, homosexuality is condemned in Scripture. I will only name a few places where it is discussed in the Holy Scriptures, but I hope a few will make a clear enough case. 

    "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." -1st Cor. 6:9-10


   Paul makes a blatant statement here, and it is not a pleasant of enjoyable one, but no less infallible. He pointedly claims that people who indulge in these types of unrepentant sins, those not repenting of these deeds and putting faith in Christ, will not see the Kingdom of God. Ouch. I fail to see much room for debate here, my friends. 


   In addition;

    "But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals ^[and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,"  -1 Timothy 1:8-10


   Here, Apostle Paul tells Timothy that the Law, the weapon of God made to condemn evil, was aimed for the rebellious, and those still in sin. Then, he goes on to list who exactly such people are. Ouch again. If you see a misinterpretation of such a simple, clear, pointed statement, please, feel free to let me know.

    In addition to these, the Scriptures mention other condemnations of such practices. Look below if you seek more. 3


   Brothers and sisters, what else can I say? Do you have a thought? Can there be much room for misinterpretation, or abuse, of these passages? All of them? I certainly am open to discussion. But until such evidence can be furnished, I must conclude that Scripture heavily condemns homosexuality.

   This also means that Rob Bell, already far gone astray, continues to lead millions more astray with him, in his lies and deceptions, and becomes a high false teacher. Not only that, but I personally fear he has started much worse than a simple ripple this time: He now is on the forefront of the world's assault on the church, raging against us to make us bend to it's will. Now within the church, I fear, in coming months, and years, we will see the battle for homosexuality rage. And just a layer underneath it, the battle of the truth of Scripture and God Almighty. I ask, where do you stand? And, for or against (I make no division), have you made sure yours is grounded on Scripture as much as it can be? This is no longer simply about homosexuals having their way. This is about destroying the Scriptures, and their credibility. 

   I hope to address my second point in a future post, and follow this topic as it progresses. God bless, my friends. 


~Alex
Phil. 4:13



1. a) http://www.christianpost.com/news/rob-bell-supports-same-sex-marriage-says-he-is-for-fidelity-and-love-92064/

    b) http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/kent_county/Rob-Bell-supports-same-sex-marriage

2. http://www.relevantmagazine.com/slices/rob-bell-voices-support-gay-marriage

3.  Romans 1:25-27, Leviticus 20:13

    

Encouragement To The Weak

    In an effort, perhaps, to temper the fiery message of my previous post, I thought I might take a few minutes before work to write some words of encouragement, and hopefully a few biblical thoughts that might aid you through the harder days. 
   In my recent Bible studies, God has revealed a comforting, and humbling, truth to me through one of my truly favorite passages, 1st Corinthians 1:26-29.

    ^"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God." 


  Ah, this passage has been a great comfort to one such as me through the years, and as years go by, God reveals more and more truth from it. I find it a double-edged sword: both comfort, to encourage the weak, and humbling, to break down pride. 
   In this passage, Paul essentially says this (and yes, I paraphrase): God uses small creatures. God doesn't call to use the great, or powerful, or mighty ones. He doesn't call geniuses, or men of great power and strength, at least, not very often. And He certainly rarely calls such men to do His great works. God calls the small ones. The weak ones. The foolish ones. Those are the ones He uses to most glorify Himself. 
   Brothers and sisters, I am not a wise man. God knows that to be true, I've made enough mistakes, and not small ones, to earn that title. And those who know me, know I am not a great, or strong, or powerful person. I am a small, weak man who hardly stands out as anything particularly special. If anything, slightly less. 
    But I take great comfort in the fact that in spite of these things, God still chooses to love me, continually. And not only that, but that He called me to do His work. He MADE me this way. Then, He called me to glorify Himself in this way. 
   We do not have to be strong, or wise, as the world deems it, to be the most glorifying, and faithful, servants of God. If anything, God seems to favor using the smallest, weakest vessels He can find, to do His greatest works, to "demonstrate His power through us." So that no one can boast. 
   Friends, we are not great, or strong, or wise. But God uses us to shame the greatest, wisest, and strongest men and women of all the ages, for when He demonstrates His power and glory through such weakling little lambs, they outshine the mightiest of this world's glories, and defeat the greatest of Hell's powers. 
   If you have struggles with self-worth, or not feeling good enough, great enough, or special enough, I offer you this: God prefers to use such as you, to turn the world upside down. God prefers to select the most broken people to do His most glorious works. Because then, it is not your greatness to be seen, but God's greatness through you. 
   Also, bear in mind, as a word of exhortation, that as such, take care in moments of pride, not to think yourself anything great, handsome, powerful or noble. For God humbles these things, with the very weak and foolish things listed above (v. 27). God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Stay foolish. Stay weak. Be the little creature that God will use to do big things. "So that no man be boast before God." 


   "We go out into this world as lambs, with the faces of lions. Our God mocks all the powers of Earth and Hell, through filthy little lambs, because His filthy little lambs defeat the great and raging hosts of wolves." -Paul Washer

Of Weapons and Sinners

  Have you ever forced yourself to observe the destruction that we human beings levy upon ourselves?  I'm not talking about watching a well dressed lady on FOX news musing about terrorists while clips of men dressed in white bathrobes fire RPG's at one another.  I'm talking about looking directly at the heart of the issue.  That is (forgive the intended pun) the heart of man.  Ever since Adam fell and dragged mankind into the relentless slavery of sin, man has sought out destruction wherever he can find it.  From the day when Cain's brutal blows fell upon his brother Abel to the ringing shots in Newton, CT where Adam Lanza mercilessly gunned down helpless children, man has demonstrated his skills as a killer.  Man has become such an efficient killer, that he categorized certain "tools" to aide him in his endeavors.  What are these tools?  Weapons.


Merriam-Webster defines the word "weapon" as:

"Something used to injure, defeat or destroy."


 Weapons are a reality.  They exist in all forms to serve the purposes of destruction.  It is true that weapons can be used both defensively and offensively, but in both cases weapons are used to destroy.  But I am here to tell you about a different weapon, one that has the ability to destroy, but also to rebuild and regenerate.

  My name is Andrew P. Esping and I am living proof of this weapon's strength.  I can tell you that the man you see made transparant through this article is not the man I once was.  I was formerly enslaved to the depravity of my own heart, and being chained to my wicked desires, I had no other desired course but to follow them.  This is indeed a grim story and would be so today if it was not for the intervention of a higher power.  These chains were cut and demolished by the Holy Spirit Himself as he regenerated my heart and gave to me the sword that bears His name, the Sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17).   While most swords only have the power to bring death, this one has the power to bring life.  After all, this Sword is the very Word of God.

  Composed in the form of words on paper, written by men under the influence of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:21), categorized in the Old and New Testament, having in it the power of the Gospel of Grace and given to wicked, mortal man as the second greatest gift ever given.  Once again I repeat, this is the Word of God.  It is the standard weapon carried by all believers in Christ and I am no exception to that rule.

  I believe that the Bible is the Word of God and as such I believe it contains God's truth.  And in light of the Bible's description of man as a fallen and corrupted creature who hates God's truth, I know that man will try to malign it.  That is the reason for my writing this blog.  As my brother Alex pointed out in his introduction, the epistle of Jude commands christians to "contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."  It is our job as followers of Christ to contend for God's truth in this fallen world.  This is a huge task, one that we cannot complete on our own; but God has not left us empty handed.  We have been given the Sword of the Spirit with which to do battle against opposing teachers, worldviews, and doctrines.

  It is this weapon that I now take in my hands with the hopes of using it to build up my brothers and sisters in Christ and tear down the works of human depravity.  I know that in end God's truth will prevail not due to anything that I add to it, but simply because it is the Word of the Lord. But still, I am honored to serve as a servant of the King and to proclaim His word to everyone who will listen.  I am a Knight in the order of Solus Christus.  Formerly a servant to darkness, but now made to stand by the power of God and given His Word with which to do battle.  Although I am weak in the flesh, I am strong in Christ, and I have been made, and am being made ready to stand and fight for truth.


  I leave you with one simple question.

  In this fight which encompasses all of humanity, which side will you fight on?  The side that opposes or wields the Blade of Truth?

Alex - My Introduction

   “To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” - Book of Jude 1:2-4

    My dear friends, for lack of a better manner of introducing myself, my name is Alex Reese. And the above statement is my life.

    As I begin yet another attempt at blogging (yes, yes, for those who know me, like the sixth time), and in the middle of a highly busy season of my life, I stopped to think seriously about the purpose behind my writing here. If I were to take on this project. Why? For what reason? And is it worth taking time away from other projects to do so?

   I decided, obviously, that it was, for the above reason.

   In this passage of Scripture, Jude states almost immediately within the first few lines of his letter, his urgent call to the churches to “contend zealously for the faith.” He deems it so urgent, that the entirety of this book is dedicated to the purpose of discerning these false teachers, and combating them. This is the divine and absolute Word of God, my friends. This is not an academic doctrine, or some theological quote. This is the absolute command of God Almighty, written in His Word, and those who disregard it, disregard at their own high peril.

   Ladies and gentlemen, it is around this statement that I seek to build my life and calling. I believe that the nation around us is slowly beginning to die and decay in front of us simply because our many thousands of churches have all, one by one, stopped preaching and teaching sound, biblical doctrine and Scripture to the many who go to hear them. Brothers, our government, our homosexuality, or abortion, our gangs and drugs, our divorce rates and failing economy, I would argue, can all be traced to the simple root problem of a lack of biblical truth in our churches.

   Thus, based on this problem, and the above statement, I am a reformer.

   My friends, Jude commands us to defend the one and only faith handed us in Christ Jesus, and defend it zealously, urgently, and with passion and skill. Around us we see the results of a nation failing to do so. I do not know your situation. Your background, your faith, what you believe to be right or wrong, or true. And God forbid that I seek to elevate myself by saying these words. God knows I am by far the worse sinful creature alive. But I, for one, see this need, and will obey this Scripture.

   I am a reformer of the church, a hunter of heresy and false teachings, and a defender of one and only Christian faith. I seek to preach, teach, and proclaim God's truth, and combat these lies that have corrupted our pulpits and pastors. Whether I will be very successful or not, I do not know. I may accomplish nothing. I hope that is not the case…but it may still be. But at least, if it is, I will have died doing all I could to defend my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as His most humble slave.

    You will see my posts, and my words, directed mostly towards current church issues, commentary on social and ecclesiastical issues, discernment of true and false doctrine preached, defense against attacks from false teachers, as well as, God willing, teaching of the true Word of God, exegetical studies, church history, and encouragement.

   My words will seem to many to be angry, overly judgmental, hateful, perhaps even evil. I am sorry if that is the case, this is not what I hope to portray. Indeed, I pray to present my words in the most humble way possible. God knows I am far from infallible, and open to correction (incentive to comment below!).

   But as long as I still proclaim in accordance with, and not against, the Scriptures of God, I say to those who would have my stop:

   "You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say." -Martin Luther

   God bless you all! May grace and peace be with you.
   ~Alex
   Phil. 4:13