In My Honest Opinion...
...I think that those advocating for a more softer version of Christianity and a new, more tolerant church are like those from the church in Sardis.
Maybe those who advocate that homosexuals can continue to be homsexuals, just saved homosexuals should read with an open heart the words of warning from
Revelation 2:18-29, (NKJV):
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works; Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
If that was a little difficult to completely comprehend, try the Message Bible version of the same text:
"Write this to Thyatira, to the Angel of the church. God’s Son, eyes pouring fire-blaze, standing on feet of furnace-fired bronze, says this: I see everything you’re doing for me. Impressive! The love and the faith, the service and persistence. Yes, very impressive! You get better at it every day. But why do you let that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet mislead my dear servants into Cross-denying, self-indulging religion? I gave her a chance to change her ways, but she has no intention of giving up a career in the god-business. I’m about to lay her low, along with her partners, as they play their sex-and-religion games. The bastard offspring of their idol-whoring I’ll kill. Then every church will know that appearances don’t impress me. I x-ray every motive and make sure you get what’s coming to you. The rest of you Thyatirans, who have nothing to do with this outrage, who scorn this playing around with the Devil that gets paraded as profundity, be assured I’ll not make life any harder for you than it already is. Hold on to the truth you have until I get there. Here’s the reward I have for every conqueror, everyone who keeps at it, refusing to give up: You’ll rule the nations, your Shepherd-King rule as firm as an iron staff, their resistance fragile as clay pots. This was the gift my Father gave me; I pass it along to you—and with it, the Morning Star! Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.”
It is my sincere opinion that many believers and their churches are caught up in the Jezebel spirit. And it is not necessarily by their own doing, but rather by association with it, and then being pulled in with the Jezebel herself! The Jezebel spirit is the one that plays loosely with sexual sin, failing to call it what it is; SIN.
I personally don't care if you want to call a homsexual believer a "Homosexual Christian." For me it is akin to those gays who want to be married. Their desire to be normalized and accepted by the institutions of this society will not end until they are fully accepted by the one institution that should be the one that never accepts their sin as a "business as usual" thing.
The gay agenda is to infiltrate every psrt of society and be accepted. They will more than likely gain entrance int toe sacred and holy ranks fo the married folks, but, they should never be allowed to enter the institution of the church on their own terms.
Yet, there are those who are willing to buy their agenda, believing it will simply be assimiliated into our way of thinking with time, while in fact, I see it far differently. I see the gay culture coming into the church under their own terms, and once they have a foothold, dividing the church like they are dividing the society over the institution of marriage, and there will come a day when gays will be held in high esteem, hold offices of importance, and also continue to live in the sin they claim to have left behind them.
When we do not hold the sinner responsible to change how they view their salvation, a watered down version of faith is given birth, and we have a church that worships along side of those commit vile sins, and claim they are still going to heaven.
They beg our fogiveness and understanding while they work on changing the outside to reflect the inside, but in fact, once they gain acceptance they will wither and die in their desire to change and be rid of the homosexual sins, choosing instead to live out their life with one foot in heaven and one foot in hell.
This is the how the Jezebel spirit begins, and we, as the church, have the repsonsiblity to no let that happen. If it seems strong armed or legalistic, so be it. it is the way of God.
God have no room for halfway believers. Secret Services Saints. Lady Clairol Christians. These are the people who only God knows for sure if they are saved.
It is our responsibility, to some extent, to be able to identify good furit from bad fruit, and not to allow bad fruit to mix with good fruit. Ananias and his wife Sapphira were deceptive and in turn struck down by God and carried out. We, as the church, can't allow a cancerous form of sin to infiltrate our ranks, because if it does, it will weaken us in the days to come.
The Bible tells us in 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15what to do with those who "cling to sin!" -
"
Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. Don't think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister."
Then we read in
1 Corinthians 5:12-13, that He passes this responsibility on to the church family:
"It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, 'You must remove the evil person from among you.'"
Finally, Paul write in
1 Corinthians 5:1-5, (NKJV) -
When Immorality Defiles the Church It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
For a great article on church discipline,
SEE: http://christianity.about.com/od/whatdoesthebiblesay/a/Church-Discipline.htm
