Obama Critical of ‘Old Values’ About Homosexuality

President Obama and his family were recently spotted leaving St. John’s Episcopal Church, yet Obama recently delivered the keynote address to the Human Rights Campaign in which he criticized people who hold to “old attitudes” about homosexuality. Obama also praised the passage of the homosexual hate crimes bill in the House last Thursday and said he was preparing to sign the bill in to law once it passes Congress. As followers of Christ, we are to hate the sin and love the sinner, but I have to question Obama’s apparent “buffet-style” belief in God’s word. All scripture is given for inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, according to 2 Timothy 3:16. That’s all scripture, not bits and pieces that are suitable for anyone’s unbiblical beliefs.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09101308.html

How to Live a Holy Life VI: Understanding Truth

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside to myths.”  2 Timothy 4:3-4

I had a conversation with a friend several years ago as I was studying lineage and timelines of the Old Testament, trying to carefully chart out the events as they happened in the book of Genesis.  I believed, and still do, that the ages of individuals and timelines given were without error, but my friend suggested otherwise, insisting that the words in the Bible weren’t really accurate.  I still wonder about folks that believe certain parts of the Bible are correct while others are probably invalid, having the original words lost to the ravages of time or some other nonsense.

Here’s how I see it:  if almighty God created the universe, He can certainly keep His words free from error over the course of a few thousand years.  How else can a Bible-believing Christian take heart that the meaning of the Word is true if the validity of the text is in doubt?  The Bible is either true, or it’s not.

So what is truth?  According to to the gospel of John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.’”  Jesus declared Himself to be the truth.  It doesn’t stop there, however.  John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God,” and continues in verse John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…“ according to 2 Timothy 3:16.  If Jesus is truth, and Jesus is the Word, and the Word is God and all scripture is inspired by God, doesn’t that make all scripture truth?

The times have certainly come when some will not endure sound doctrine, as predicted by Paul in his letter to Timothy.  Many discount the Bible’s truths to be irrelevant to today’s ”progressive“ society, with some countries even going so far as to declare topics preached from the pulpit every Sunday morning to be ”hate speech.“  The Bible is absolutely relevant to today’s society; it’s the people who have changed, seeking justification for their own fleshly lusts and desires rather than adhering to the so-called ”irrelevant“ word of God.

In many Lutheran, Episcopalian and Methodist churches today, truth has been thrown out the window in favor of acceptance and tolerance.  Gone are the days of abiding by the scriptures in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 that describe the attributes of a church leader.  Instead, these denominations have forsaken Biblical instruction in lieu of teachers in accordance to their own desires.  Some congregants have left these apostate churches in protest while others celebrate the new-found ”tolerance.“  What does the Bible tell us about teachers and leaders of churches?

”But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.“  (1 Timothy 2:12)

”An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.  He must be the one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity…and not a new convert…“ (1 Timothy 3:2-6)

”And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church…“ (1 Timothy 3:7)

Truth has become relative to many as they insist on compromise instead of believing in the truth given to them in God’s Word.

I recently posted an entry that contained a short video depicting the ”truth“ according to Oprah Winfrey.  Recorded during one of her weekday television programs, Oprah declared that Jesus couldn’t possibly be the only way (to heaven).  Having grown up in a Christian setting, Ms. Winfrey has forsaken truth to believe a lie – that all individuals, regardless of who or what they call God, will all end up in the same place.  Jesus told us just the opposite.  In fact, in Matthew 7:13-14, the words of Jesus further contradict the lies spewed by Oprah:  ”Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.“  If you believe the Bible to be true, as I do, then you understand that Oprah is spreading a very false and very dangerous doctrine that tickles the ears, again just as Paul prophesied in his letter to Timothy.

How do you know whether a doctrine is based on truth?  Read and study the scriptures so that you’re armed with the word of God.  As Christians, you are commanded to test the spirits:  ”Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out in the world.“  (1 John 4:1)

In the last days mockers will come but we as Christians are not of this world, for our home is in heaven with the Father.  You’re not expected to fit in on Earth and you will go through trials and persecutions for declaring the name of Christ.  But as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17, ”for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.“  Our persecution and trials here on Earth are but ”light afflictions“ and only last for a moment when compared to the exceedingly great glory we’ll receive when we enter heaven to be with our Father for eternity.

Who was Paul of the New Testament?

Who was Paul? We know that he wrote many of the books of the New Testament in the Christian Bible, but who was he? Paul refers to himself in the New Testament letters to various cities as an “apostle” and a “bond-servant” of Jesus Christ. In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul tells Timothy that he is the chief of sinners and that he was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent aggressor.

Paul was indeed a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Once known as Saul of Tarsus, the Bible says in Acts 8:1 that he was in “hearty agreement” with the stoning of Stephen, one of the seven chosen by the apostles in Acts 6 to help serve food to widows. The witnesses to Stephen’s stoning even laid their robes at the feet of Saul in Acts 7:58. It was after Stephen’s stoning that the Bible tells us in Acts 8:1 that a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem. And it appears from the Biblical texts that Saul led the way. Acts 8:3 says, “But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.”

Acts 9:1-2 tells that Saul continued in his wicked persecution of the early church: “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” Saul was expanding his “outreach” to include those outside of Jerusalem, namely Damascus.

And then it all changed.

Acts 9 tells us that Saul was on the road to Damascus to bind up the church and bring them back to Jerusalem, presumably for prison or death, when suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. Jesus then spoke to Saul, asking him why he was persecuting Him, and told him to go to the city to understand what he must do. Saul was also blinded in the encounter with Jesus, although his traveling companions were not.

In Damascus, the Lord spoke to a disciple named Ananias, and told him to go to the house of Judas on Straight street and locate a praying man named Saul and to lay hands on him and restore his sight. Jesus also told Ananias that Saul was the chosen instrument and that he would be used to bear His name before Jews and Gentiles, and that he would suffer for His name’s sake. (Acts 9:15-16) I do wonder if Saul had any idea how much he would suffer physically, verbally and emotionally during his years of service to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ananias obeyed the Lord and located Saul and, after laying hands on him, something like scales fell from his eyes and his sight was restored. Saul ate food for strength and was baptized. (Acts 9:17-18)

Saul then began proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God in the synagogues (Acts 9:20) but many Jews and even the disciples feared him for they knew of his reputation as a persecutor. Some Hellenistic Jews even tried to put him to death, but his brethren helped him escape to Tarsus.

Saul and Barnabas traveled to Antioch where they preached the gospel for a year and it was there the disciples of Christ were first called Christians.

After being led by the Holy Spirit, Barnabas and Saul, who shortly there after is referred to as Paul, for Acts 13:9 reads, “…Saul, who was also known as Paul…”, took a missionary journey to Pisidian Antioch where they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews, many of whom summarily rejected the message and instigated a persecution against them. (Acts 13:50) Paul and Barnabas then began sharing the gospel message with the Gentiles who then rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord. (Acts 13:48)

After leaving Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas traveled to Iconium and Lystra, where Paul was stoned by the crowds won over by the Jews and he was dragged out of the city and left for dead. As the disciples stood around him, Paul rose to his feet and entered the city.

Over the course of his missionary work, Paul traveled to many cities, towns and countries, such as Ephesus, Thessalonica, Syria, Athens and Corinth. During his journeys, Paul and the other disciples were imprisoned, seized and escaped threats of death. At the end of Acts, the Bible tells us that Paul resided in Rome for two years. He went on to write many books of the New Testament, including Romans, both letters to the Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, Galatians, Philippians and others, sometimes to reprimand them for living unholy lives and other times to offer them words of encouragement. Regardless of the number of letters written to individuals and entire cities, Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and, 2000 years later, his powerful words of righteous living before God are still with us.

So who was Paul of the New Testament? The self-described chief of sinners who persecuted the church then later suffered persecution himself, but always maintained extraordinary faith in Jesus. What have you done in your life that makes you feel unworthy of accepting Christ’s free gift of salvation? If that gift can be given to the chief of sinners, don’t you think the Lord can give it to you. Seek Him, and you shall find Him.