Teachers

Teachers

Homosexuality

Homosexuality

Apr 2014 - May 2014
Sermons in this series
Sunday, 04 May 2014
Duration: 1 hr 43 mins
In this age of secularism, immortality, and gross wickedness, God is calling upon His people to teach, preach, and live the principles of present-truth that are clearly laid out in His Word, just as He used the prophet Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus, and even the Protestant Reformers during the Dark Ages.  Unfortunately, just as in the aforementioned types, the messages of present-truth were not welcomed or tolerated, neither in the world nor in the churches.  We have come to a point in history wherein individuals are prohibited from publicly upholding God's standard of marriage and disapproving of homosexuality without facing criticism and pressure from the LGBT community and its supporters.  However, this is not the persecution that should alarm God's people; what else can be expected from the world?  But when individuals' voices within the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination are being silenced because of their presenting and standing for Biblical principles of present-truth, this should be all the more disturbing.  This denial of religious liberty in the churches calling themselves Seventh-day Adventist is a sure sign that God's people are being and will continue to be driven into the wilderness.   "We have far more to fear from within that from without.  The hindrances to strength and success are far greater from the church itself than from the world." (1SM 122.3). The very church that was once a beacon of religious liberty is now stifling the liberties of those who choose to stand for the pillars and foundation of our message, and call sin by its right name while holding those in leadership positions accountable.  But although in the wilderness, God's people will be nourished with both spiritual and literal bread and water.  Will you choose to worship God in the wilderness or remain in the popular, fashionable, nominal churches and inevitably call evil good and good evil, while ostracizing  God's servants? Choose ye this day who ye will serve!
Monday, 28 April 2014
Duration: 43 mins
Recent developments within Seventh-day Adventist institutions indicate that God's once peculiar people have conformed not only to the practices but also to the ideologies of the world as it relates to confronting the issue of homosexuality. The Netherlands Union Conference officially stated that a homosexual lifestyle simply falls short of God's ideal, and that's perfectly fine, because all of us do; implying that there need be no change of such a lifestyle. While at Andrews University, a conference was held between the school's faculty (including its president) and LGBTI students and supporters. The conclusion of the meeting was that individuals within the LGBTI community should not be encouraged to convert from their lifestyle, but rather should find a "safe environment" in SDA churches wherein they should be allowed to have and retain their membership; which goes against General Conference President Ted Wilson's guidelines of how to deal with members in this community. It is evident that the church is facing a crisis. The question is, how will the worldwide church deal with such issues, especially when discrimination lawsuits are brought against them. Will John 11:48-53 be repeated, wherein church leaders proposed (and later carried out) the execution of Christ? Will church leadership sacrifice the truth in order to preserve their reputation, status, and position? one only has to look at the previous track record concerning past issues and controversies to conjecture what may be the sad conclusion. Let us watch and pray and also examine ourselves that we on a personal level do not compromise one iota of truth to find favor with the world.