After you and I have sung the songs and worshipped at Christmas, and after we have thought again of the true meaning of Christmas, is it possible that we can go back with indifference to life not changed at all? Or will this Christmas possibly burn a new fire and a new hope into our hearts and spirits?
Today, the need for solid, trustworthy Christian leaders has never been greater. Leaders who are willing to take the narrow way that confronts in love and willing to take the risk of being misunderstood and rejected. Today, the Church is in need of leaders whose goal is God’s will rather than man’s and leaders willing to stand in the gap in this troubled age.
Many are rejecting the God of the Bible, calling everything biblical a myth and leading people away from the truth and authority of Scripture while believing they are doing a good thing. Church history clearly dictates the Church has always been challenged to respond to issues of its time. I am convinced God is calling His Church to recommit to biblical standards of holiness.
The silence, disregard and the compromise of the Holy Scriptures with regard to homosexual practice has and is placing God’s Church in a place of abdicating our moral authority to speak to this issue.
Once…
You told me I needed to surrender my life to Christ Jesus and be born-again. I surrendered.
You told me I needed to forsake and repent of homosexual practice. I repented. I turned away.
You told me my mind needed renewing and I needed a life transformation. I willing died to self.
You told me I needed to forsake the gay community and embrace the Church as my new family. I did so by faith.
You regularly encouraged me to share my testimony. I gladly did so to honor Christ Jesus.
You continue to remind me the Church is God’s vehicle to reach the wounded and hurting. I agree.
You told me the Bible is the textbook for life in all matters of faith and practice. I embraced this truth.
You reminded me over and over again, “Jesus remains the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). Indeed and Amen.
The Gospel must be the priority, for the homosexual – just as it must be for us all.
But now, some of you are saying, “Well, maybe homosexuality isn’t so bad after all.” Many of you have lapsed fully into the silent-mode with regard to homosexuality which in and of itself is sending an equally loud message of acceptance and approval.
Parents of the Christ child, Mary, and Joseph, had a tremendous privilege and an awesome responsibility. They had to help Jesus to grow up to understand the importance of God and of doing His will. At least in part, Christmas took hold of Jesus because Joseph and Mary took the significance of Christmas and lived it out before Him.
If Christmas truly means anything to us, our greatest desire should be that those we care about and love in His Name will know, love, and serve Him according to the Holy Scriptures.
The Church must call homosexual practice sin, and that will remain offensive to many. It is the clarity of the Holy Scriptures that should compel each and every faithful follower of Christ Jesus to be a light where there is darkness, rather than hiding the truth and our witness.
It is impossible to validate homosexual practice, in any form and to any degree, from Scripture.
Today, I remain a completely different person so much so I can barely recall what I was like when I surrendered my life to Christ Jesus. It is an undeniable truth that much of what has occurred and changed in my life I attribute to Christians sharing and holding me to The Truth. Today, however, the world and far too much of the Church is abandoning the moral foundation of Scripture and replacing it with complacency, neglect, and lies.
You told me I was not born gay. I embraced this truth.
You told me change is possible. I changed.
You told me my true identity is in Christ Jesus – not my sexuality. True.
You told me to not allow my past to dictate who I am in Christ today. Agreed.
You told me homosexuals are redeemable with God’s grace and power more than sufficient to transform a life. Amen.
You told me sharing the Gospel is not an option for a Christian but rather obedience to a command. Absolutely.
You told me the only way out of homosexuality was through a deep, personal, intimate relationship with Christ Jesus. And, rightfully so because every spiritual problem requires a spiritual solution.
There is no doubt in my mind Mary and Joseph needed to remember Bethlehem often because there were moments in their lives when their faith was tested and tried. I even imagine there were extremely hard and difficult times in their lives when they wondered, “God, where are you?”
Had God really forgotten Joseph and Mary? No. Mary, in particular, would remember that there at Bethlehem, God had not forgotten “anyone” and that He was at work in the world in ways that no one could really see.
Soon enough all of the Christmas decorations will be gone and the Christmas season will once again come to an end. That’s exactly when you and I will need to remember Christmas. We will need to remember that Christmas tells us that where He is, is where we are also. We are not forgotten. We are not alone. In the middle of difficult and life-trying moments, we will need to remember Bethlehem and that God has come. We must never, ever give up on that – we must never lose hold of that.
We must hold on to it with every ounce of faith we have in us because that is what will keep us going on and on.
It was Christians, speaking both truth and grace into my life, that made the difference. I would not be here today without them. My particular sin and brokenness were not overlooked but rather talked about openly and in conjunction with many, many other sins, and for the first time in my life I began to be who God created me to be.
If this world is to understand all that Christmas truly means and represents, they are going to learn it from you and me.
This Christmas, lift Christmas up to God as an offering and carry Christmas into life.
Christians did that for me and I shall forever remain eternally grateful.
“…whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Pastor Phillip Lee
Executive Director
His Way Out Ministries
His Way Out has been faithfully ministering to men and women seeking a way out of sexually broken lifestyles since 1994. We could not do it without the support of Christians like you. Every dollar that you give to His Way Out Ministries helps to further this vital ministry. Won’t you take a minute to prayerfully consider a monthly donation to His Way Out? Please consider making a one-time donation or set up a secure monthly PayPal contribution on our donation page at https://www.hiswayout.com/donate/. Thank you, Pastor Phillip Lee