Sunday, September 7, 2008

Prayer never expires.

Ever felt like your prayers have gone unanswered. Perhaps you have been praying for something for a while yet feel you are no where near a solution than when you fist started.

Maybe you feel that this kind of attitude is disrespectfull. After all, the Bible clearly teaches that God answers prayer. What we do not know is the when. Maybe you have even prayed about something then forgotten about it. Leaving it in Gods hands.

You cling to verses like 1Th 5:17  “Pray without ceasing.”, and Jas 5:16  “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”, and Mt 21:22  “And all things, whatever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.”

But when you feel that you do not have an answer, does it mean that God is not interested, that He has forgotten. The answer is a unequivocal No. God, who transcends time, will not forget. Our prayers do not fall on deaf ears, they do not go unanswered. They do not expire.

The difference is that we need to understand that all things are done in Gods timing. His will is not ours. God answers prayer according to His sovereign will and plan.

The other thing that we cannot grasp is that God is everlasting. He is not bound by time or space. So it stands to reason that our prayers will never have an expiry date on it. Because there is not time, there can be no expiry.

We prayed for a baby for 8 years. Finally our prayer was answered. We were blessed with a baby girl. Did God forget. No, our baby cam at the appointed time. Remember Hannah, 1Sa 1:27  “For this child I prayed; and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him:”.

So be encouraged, if you have prayed for something many years ago, remember that prayer does not expire. God will answer that prayer. He know the right time to do so.

Isa 59:1 “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:”

Saturday, September 6, 2008

May God save us from the religionists.

Rather (save us from man's imperfection) religious or not, its men who get this stuff all
whacky, it is nothing to do with religion whatsoever. Man is and always has been flawed and or imperfect. Christ made it clear in scripture, the 12 apostles he chose to build his church sinned, we are to follow Jesus to the best of our ability, but we can never lead Christ, His apostle Peter tried it once and Jesus (with love) said, get behind me Satan. (there is more to that verse then that but...).

So, for you guessing at the core beliefs of any church is unfair to the church or religion and yourself. Example:

The Catholic Church goes by the following principles:

It is the "action" of a person with "same sex attraction" and or a (homosexual) that God will judge, not the very temptation or the nature of a person.

For example, if a girl is attracted to girls but she restrains herself from the actual behaviour that goes with that desire, then she is as pure as any heterosexual who refrains from fornication.


"Hetero"-sexuals that commit adultery and or fornicate are most likely every bit as sinful as someone who has sex with the same sex (there can be other impacts on this to deep for this discussion).

As Christians we can not judge nor can we think we know the greater of two serious sins and how they measures up to one another, i.e. masturbation verses homosexual acts? One might think, for sure homosexual acts are a greater sin, but we don't know this for sure and it is flawed to think we know. My religion teaches against this type of judgement.

With that said, anyone who is truly remorseful for a sin and ask sincerely
for forgiveness, will be forgiven, something we can thank Jesus and His awesome sacrifice He did for us.

As I say, the Catholic Church does not discriminate against people with "same sex attraction" or if you prefer the term "heterosexual" more or less than, lets say a person who steals something from the supermarket, BUT, it does consider the act of stealing or "sex with the same sex" a sin and would encourage the sinner to reconcile with God.

Greg Hill

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Is God discriminating against gays?

The authority of God, religious freedom, morality and the separation of church and state was seriously questioned when a Dutch Reformed church was ordered by the court to pay damages to a gay musician after the church fired him based on his sexual orientation.

The NG Church in Moreleta Park wanted their gay music teacher to "free himself" from his "sin" and live a life without impure thoughts about men, but Johan Strydom, 31, said that God had made him gay. So the church fired him.

The next thing you know, is the courts will seek to have churches pay damages for pedophiles who are excommunicated from churches and taken off church membership. What is this world coming too?

Many have sought to prove that homosexuality is genetic. But unequivocal evidence is still forthcoming. The best that can be determined is that any genetic involvement in homosexuality is as a result of mutated genes, in a bad sense. Similar to the study of genetics and criminals.

Now we know that sin is genetic and hereditary. The Bible says:
Ro 5:19  “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

Yes, homosexuality is hereditary, but then again according to the bible so is murder, lieing, adultery, theft, cheating etc. Do we live in fear if we discriminate against sin.

Does God discriminate? Well of course he does. With regards to homosexuality, read what the Bible says:

Rom 5:18  “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. “

Is the state then going to sue God? Can our constitution hold God accountable for his actions against man whom he he obviously discriminates against. But let me qualify that. God does not discriminate against man, He discriminates against sin. God hates sin. Man has a choice to obey or disobey. If man decides to disobey God, he must accept the responsibility.

Man is continually seeking to justify his own sin. Whether is be lieing, stealing adultery, homosexuality, murder, bestiality or what ever. We do not want to admit that we are sinners so we invent laws and regulations that condone our sin. Our conscience is seared. We become passive.

Jud 17:6  In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Pr 12:15  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that listens to counsel is wise.
Pr 21:2  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD ponders the hearts.

The question that this man posed was, did God made him homosexual. Well the first and obvious point is that if God did make him homosexual, why then would God seek to punish him for something that that he did not do. Why then would God  prohibit homosexuality if He made people this way. No I’m afraid there is no verse in the bible that condones homosexuality or even suggest that God created man this way. No I’m afraid that God made them “Adam and Eve” and not “Adam and Steve”

Ge 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

God is a just God and hates sin.This is proven by his great deed of sacrifice, love and grace.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 15:13  Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Homosexuality is condemned throughout the Bible. Sodomy is one of the sins that cries to heaven for vengeance, and God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this very sin.

Jude 1:7 -“Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

Leviticus 18:22, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

Leviticus 20:13, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

Deuteronomy 23:17, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel."

1 Kings 14:24, "And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel."

1 Kings 15:11-12, "And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father. And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made."

For God, sin is sin. Wether it is a simple white lie or a heinous murder, rape or a high-jacking, adultery or homosexuality. God says that if you are guilty in one part you are guilty of all. So in reality we are all guilty. Homosexuality is no different than cheating, lieing, murder, disobeying the speed limit. Ultimately it is disobedience to God.

Jas 2:10  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Ro 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Ro 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

But there is a way out. God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us all. That includes the homosexual, the murderer and me. By His Grace, God has made us righteous if we but accept Christ's death burial and resurrection. Nicodemus ask, what shall I do to be saved. The answer, He must be Born again. Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

God said: Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, said the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.