Asking for prayers this Sunday

[sdcoyote]

I read these forums nearly every day but rarely post. I am making an exception today. I am the Pastor of a small church (75 attendees on Sunday Morning - less on Sunday night and Wed night). We are a Bible-based, Southern Baptist Church that attempts to show the love that Christ expressed while He walked this planet. We are also quite socially conservative. As I believe Christians should be. We believe in God's Grace, but, as Paul teaches, Grace is not a license to sin.

Anyway, I have been told by the parents of one half of a gay couple that her "partner" is going to come forward this Sunday and asked to be Baptized and become a member of the Church. I will act according to the Bible and ask if she has repented of her sin and is willing to leave her lifestyle. (I would ask the same question of a straight couple who was living together).I have a very large suspicion that she is looking for legal action which is the last thing I want. But will endure if it goes that far.

Long story short- if anyone has been in a church that has faced this issue, I would appreciate advice. I would also ask for everyone's prayers.

Pastor Terry

 

[Reynolds]

I read these forums nearly every day but rarely post. I am making an exception today. I am the Pastor of a small church (75 attendees on Sunday Morning - less on Sunday night and Wed night). We are a Bible-based, Southern Baptist Church that attempts to show the love that Christ expressed while He walked this planet. We are also quite socially conservative. As I believe Christians should be. We believe in God's Grace, but, as Paul teaches, Grace is not a license to sin.

Anyway, I have been told by the parents of one half of a gay couple that her "partner" is going to come forward this Sunday and asked to be Baptized and become a member of the Church. I will act according to the Bible and ask if she has repented of her sin and is willing to leave her lifestyle. (I would ask the same question of a straight couple who was living together).I have a very large suspicion that she is looking for legal action which is the last thing I want. But will endure if it goes that far.

Long story short- if anyone has been in a church that has faced this issue, I would appreciate advice. I would also ask for everyone's prayers.

Pastor Terry

It kind of happened several years ago. We kicked a transvestite out. Nothing came of it except all the church members thanking us for doing it.

 

[Baptist Believer]

I will act according to the Bible and ask if she has repented of her sin and is willing to leave her lifestyle. (I would ask the same question of a straight couple who was living together)

Jesus uniformly calls everyone to repent of their sin and leave their lifestyle.

Luke 9:23-24
Then Jesus said to all of them, "If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.…​

The vivid picture of taking up the cross is about dying to self. Everything in one's "lifestyle" (however we define it), must be available for Jesus to change. Like you, me, Reynolds, and this woman, we all need deep transformation that we cannot imagine at the time we first decide to come to Jesus in faith. So isolating the particular sin of engaging in sexual relationships outside of marriage or with someone of the same gender, is underselling the call of the gospel. It is also inadvertently sending the signal that the only thing "wrong" with the woman is her sexual activities. If you care for this woman's spiritual needs, you need to be extremely careful how you approach this. You don't want to give the impression that she has to stop sinning to come to Jesus, but that she needs to throw herself on the mercy and grace of Jesus for transformation in ALL areas of her life. The path of discipleship is usually where real transformation takes place.

The question of "church membership" in our modern American context makes this situation quite messy. If your church is simply a place where sinners meet together to assist each other in following Jesus, then this woman's sexual proclivities and activities are simply just another sinful habit where the church body and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit helps her find a place in God's grace to be celibate or perhaps find a way to find sexual desire and satisfaction (somewhere along the spectrum) with a man. But if your church is a place where members are expected to be models of propriety (only religiously acceptable hetero-normative sins allowed), then your church does not have any good news for her.

I have a very large suspicion that she is looking for legal action which is the last thing I want. But will endure if it goes that far.

I checked your information page and you state you are in South Dakota. The First Amendment allows churches to discriminate, for any reason, in terms of church membership. She would have no basis for legal action, especially since you are affiliated with Southern Baptists. The 2000 BF&M clearly states a conviction against all forms of homosexuality. It would be considered a doctrinal position laid out more than two decades before she requested membership.

I don't know if you have already committed to a biblical text for this Sunday, but you may want to preach on the passage in Luke (or similar passages in Matthew and Mark) to make things quite clear well before the invitation. Don't preach at her, but preach to all about the need to die to oneself and submit yourself to Christ and the faith community for transformation.

 

[TurtleSox]

I read these forums nearly every day but rarely post. I am making an exception today. I am the Pastor of a small church (75 attendees on Sunday Morning - less on Sunday night and Wed night). We are a Bible-based, Southern Baptist Church that attempts to show the love that Christ expressed while He walked this planet. We are also quite socially conservative. As I believe Christians should be. We believe in God's Grace, but, as Paul teaches, Grace is not a license to sin.

Anyway, I have been told by the parents of one half of a gay couple that her "partner" is going to come forward this Sunday and asked to be Baptized and become a member of the Church. I will act according to the Bible and ask if she has repented of her sin and is willing to leave her lifestyle. (I would ask the same question of a straight couple who was living together).I have a very large suspicion that she is looking for legal action which is the last thing I want. But will endure if it goes that far.

Long story short- if anyone has been in a church that has faced this issue, I would appreciate advice. I would also ask for everyone's prayers.

Pastor Terry

Were it me, I'd get in touch with the Lesbian before Sunday for a pastoral meeting. Or whatever you'd prefer to call it. And before Sunday.

The Oregon baker that made news years ago refusing to create a wedding cake for agay couples under attack again. He's refused to make a Trans a cake clebrating their "transitioning".

Everyone knows that Baker's faith and politics in Oregon. And here is another member of that fallen community trying him again on a different issue. Knowing the Supreme Court found in his favor already about the wedding cake issue.

This isn't about marriage. It's about attacking the Christian idea of marriage. As a militant Lesbian admitted years ago.

If a pastor Baptizes a sexually active gay person, what's next? Asking to be married in the church?

They're making war against the one faith that calls them sinner.
Notice we don't read of them challenging Muslims in mosques?

The alphabet community of the unrepentant damned scream for tolerance while militantly refusing to demonstrate tolerance for the Christian community.

I'd say you're right to be wary. Who comes to a Baptist church for the first time just to be Baptized there?

Be aware too if she does show up on Sunday that you'll likely see a while lot of other people who have never been to your church before show up as well.

Which is why , if possible, I'd suggest you contact her asap for a one on one. Well, not the two of you only in the meeting. You want witnesses.
Record it if possible.

This way you can inform her of the question and scriptural support for it, as pertains to her renouncing her sinful lifestyle.

If you wait till Sunday before the congregation there will likely be a scene.

This is how you know that's very likely the plan.

Because the parents of her Lesbian partner approached you about her Baptism.

Therefore, you already have the answer to your question about renouncing her lifestyle; No.
It's a set up.
Where is the Lesbian herself? If she's serious why isn't she personally asking you this?

While on Sunday be assured the event , should you wait till then, will be caught by smartphone and either uploaded later, or live streamed as it happens.

You're a small church. That makes for an easy target for a militant population of millions.

Don't feed the Devil whose parents warned you she's coming.

Holding you in prayer.

 

[TurtleSox]

2013: Homosexual activist says gay ‘marriage’ isn’t about equality, it’s about destroying marriage


If they're about destroying marriage, us it impossible they're now about destroying the church?

There's a "gay bible", now. The Queen James Bible.

This is that war we were warned about in Ephesians 6.

 

[Salty]

It may be too late for this individual - but even though the BFM 2000 addresses the issue - it should also be in your constitution.

Also, please consider being more involved in BB - as you have brought up a very important issue.

 

[kyredneck]

I would also ask for everyone's prayers.

That you have brother.

 

[rlvaughn]

You are in my prayers.

 

[Iconoclast]

Just move forward with the biblical truth as you are planning to.
Any sexual activity outside of a lawful marriage of one man and one woman is fornication.
Fornicators cannot be part of the church...1cor5.....1cor6.

 

[xlsdraw]

Christian Law Association

Dr. David Gibbs, Jr

Look up their website

Call the Emergency 888 number

 

[Scarlett O.]

You need to preach a sermon on what baptism is for. You said that her parents said that she is coming to be baptized and to join the church. Baptism is not for "joining the church.". It's not a membership ritual.

Baptism is for those who have turned away from sin and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, their Lord, and their head. Teach the difference between John's baptism [turning away from sin] and believer's baptism [turning away from sin and dying to self, being buried with Christ, and rising to a new life.]

Preaching on that should prevent you from having to explain that AFTER she has walked down the aisle.

 

[Reynolds]

Along the lines of what Scarlet O. said, preach a sermon about homosexuality and Sexual Abomination tomorrow. I question how a queer could actually be comfortable enough to attend a fundamental, Bible preaching Church. I recently heard a Pastor say Church should be so uncomfortable for the dinner that they quickly get saved or leave.