July 2015 - Catalyze

As I continue my year-long challenge of reading of the entire Bible, this morning I’m struck by a common theme: The repeating pattern of those who witness and experience God’s miraculous work to take Him for granted and fall away from Him. I’d like to think that I’m different, better than those stupid people…but I’ve walked with the Lord long enough, and fallen into many of the same traps, enough to admit the truth that I am not.

All throughout the history of God’s chosen people in the Old Testament, the Hebrews seemed to go through endless pendulum swings of rebellion, consequences, repentance, forgiveness, blessing, apathy, and back to rebellion. God’s stubborn love, and His dedication to His covenant promises, stands out like a beacon of hope throughout history…in spite of the peoples’ repeated inability to hold onto it. I’m so thankful for the forgiveness we have in Jesus, which over and over covers my inadequacies and rebellions….and gives me new opportunities to walk with Him.

His call to us to continue steadfastly in Him remains today:

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said:

‘Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.’”

(Hebrews 3:12-15)

I thought it would be good to record some of my Facebook posts from right after the US Supreme Court ruled to overturn gay marriage bans in American states. This has become a very hot topic, and here’s where I land on it. The comments were abundant, and all over the map.

June 27

Here’s why I’m supportive of the Supreme Court decision to overturn gay marriage bans…

As a follower of Jesus in our world today, it is my responsibility and joy to do my best to imitate Him, to love what He loved, and condemn what He condemned. I consider myself to be a decent student of the whole counsel of God’s Word, and I see Jesus’ descriptions, teachings, and reputation consistent with someone who was wildly supportive of all kinds of people who were condemned and marginalized. I also see that His enemies were the ones who were so eager to keep all God’s rules that they sat in judgment against those same people. At the end of my life, I would rather err on the side of GRACE than JUDGEMENT…because mercy triumphs over judgment.

The reason I’m supportive of this has nothing to do with whether or not I agree with gay marriage, but has everything to do with my responsibility to love my neighbor regardless of who they are, what they believe, what they do, etc. My role is not to force anything on anyone….my role is to love.

love wins.

June 28

My post yesterday in support of the supreme court decision outlawing gay marriage bans induced a lot of reaction! I thought it would be good to do a followup to clear up a few aspects of how I, as a follower of Jesus, approach this sensitive & divisive issue.

Several have accused me of embracing and condoning sinfulness by my view. I want to set that record straight. It is abundantly clear that God’s acceptance of us as part of His family is not based upon our moral views or conduct, but solely upon sincere belief in God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ the Savior. We are saved by grace, not works. However, it is also clear that after any person decides to follow Jesus, he/she enters into a lifelong journey to put that faith into practice, becoming more & more like Him everyday. A lot of this has to do with saying “no” to sinful temptations that work against our relationship with God. The word “Sin” in scripture literally means “missing the mark”…and God is the person who decides what that “mark” is. Homosexuality is one of many sins listed listed in scripture…it “misses the mark” of God’s design. My role as a follower of Jesus is to avoid sin. However, as a follower of Jesus in post-modern, post-christian America, it is not my role to put up blockades that will make it illegal for people to sin. I do not believe it is the christian’s right or responsibility to impose Biblical moral beliefs on those who do not believe…but to love & serve & model Jesus.

Now I may have detractors from both ends of the spectrum.