Homosexuality…
This Sunday past JD preached on “alien liasons”
His purpose in preaching was to approach the subject of gay marriage and the recent gay pride parade in Belfast. And I must say I think he did so with great tact and consideration when you consider his (assumed, but probable) inexperience with the subject.
He approached it from the point of view of seeing what the bible says regarding sexual relationships in general. He didn’t just point a finger at homosexuals and shout about evil etc. Rather he took an approach that laid out several categories of sexual sin into one which I would say pretty much every person in the congregation would fall into. All the way from adultery (I was including Jesus’ extended definition when he spoke of this), through co-habitation and fornication to homosexual relationships.
Now it’s worth mentioning that a while back there was a Nolan Live show about homosexuality and the gay pride parade and stuff and since then it has bugged me that no one takes the time to listen to the pastor/minister they get on the show, or that they always pick some real plank who they know will stir up controversy. They always get as far as the Bible condemning homosexulaity and stop there. They get as far as an accusation of homosexuals as being evil and go no further. They don’t go as far as to explain that we are all evil but for the blood of Christ! The only reason the minister/pastor sitting there has any claim on heaven is because of Christ’s blood. He is no better than any of those walking down Royal Avenue and neither am I, I have sinned plenty in my life and deserve no less than anyone else the condemnation that it brings. But thanks to Christ I have been given a ticket out of that fate. The only difference between me and those people walking that day in God’s eyes is that when He looks at me He sees Christ in my place, and that is all thanks to what Christ has done. And it can be the same for each of the gay pride marchers, for any person on this planet, if they choose to follow Christ.
Basically, this is what JD was preaching about. He was saying homosexuality is wrong, but to give us a proper view of it he made us each aware of our own plight and salvation from it by God’s grace alone. He reminded us that we are no better than anyone else and our boasting should be of Christ alone.
I dunno if that made much sense, but I thought I’d share it anyways.
