Excitement hit the streets of St. Paul and Minneapolis this evening creating an atmosphere much like
those when the Twins won the World Series. Except this was not the excitement of a sports championship. This was not the excitement of an outstanding guest visiting our communities. This was not even the excitement of an ethnic or cultural celebration. No, this was excitement over the signing of the Marriage Freedom Act by Governor Dayton. Friends, Minnesota is now the 12th state in the country to fully legalize marriage between people of the same sex. For many of us this will be remembered as the day when Minnesota turned its back upon a definition of marriage that had withstood the tests of time, cultures, and civilizations since the very beginning - the Garden of Eden.
God's very first command to man was stated very simply - "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." As I shared with a group of men this morning, God's first command to Adam and Eve involved sex - sex for the purpose of procreation. And God has so ordained that the only way this could happen involved a man and a woman. Friends, I don't care what they tell you, it is biologically impossible for either two men or two women to produce a child. Simply can't happen, and that is by God's design. So, with this Marriage Freedom Act we have violated one of the foundational principles of mankind. But then God states something else about the relationship between a man and a woman, for in Genesis 2:24 He states, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." The phrase "one flesh" implies an intimacy in a relationship. It seems that God is now saying that the sexual expression between one man and one woman presents the opportunity for an intimacy that the rest of the created world knows nothing about. Dogs have sex to produce puppies. Cats have sex to produce kittens. And so on through all the orders of the animal kingdom. But there is no expression of love. That only occurs with men and women.
Now, I have to admit that it is this ability to give expression of love to another that has driven the whole Gay Marriage agenda. Why can't a man enter into a love relationship with another man, or a woman with another woman? What is so wrong with that? But, let's go back to the text. God is not speaking to two men or to two women in the text in Genesis. He is speaking to one man, called the husband, and to one woman, called the wife. The expression of love is to be between these two individuals and this will be known as marriage.
But, it was not long after the Fall that Satan began to attack that foundational principle of marriage. By the time we get to Genesis 4, just a few generations after the Garden, we read about a man named Lamech who married two women (Genesis 4:19). The Bible even gives us the names of his two wives. Lamech was one of these men who lived on the edge - the wild side, if you will. Continuing in Genesis 4 we read, "Lamech said to his wives, 'Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.'" (Genesis 4:23-24). Lamech boasts of his sins - polygamy and murder and dares God to do something about it. And, by the time we get to Genesis 19, we are introduced to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah whose sin of homosexuality caused God to totally wipe those cities off the face of the earth - there is no evidence of their existence today, although many have looked for their ruins.
So, what am I trying to state? Simply this: Marriage was defined by God since the time of the creation to be an intimate relationship between one man and one woman producing the possibilities of children. Man has perverted the concept of marriage through polygamy down through the years, but the definition has never been changed. But now we have. Marriage is now simply defined as a relationship of love. Friends, Pandora's Box has been opened now and we will soon see the myriad of uglies that have crawled out. Already there are those who want to have polygamy legalized, for if a man can marry another man because he loves him, why can't a man marry two or three women because he loves them? There is nothing that can stop that from happening - because marriage is now defined as a relationship of love. Why couldn't a woman marry her favorite dog? Why couldn't a brother marry his sister or a sister her brother? I know you are saying, "Max, that simply won't happen!" I hope you are right, but twenty years ago I never thought I would be hearing of the legalization of homosexual marriage. I would have said it was impossible. Friends, once you begin sliding down the slippery slope of immorality, there is only a gigantic cesspool at its base. That is where we are headed.
So, for many of us, today was not a day of celebration, but a day of mourning. Another biblical principle has been erased. Another foundational truth for families has been abolished. Now children can have two mommies or two daddies and we will be left wondering why children are so messed up.
I don't think God is celebrating. In fact, I think He is getting angry. I just wonder when His anger will be expressed. It won't be pretty when it happens. Just ask those residents of Sodom and Gomorrah.
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8 comments:
Isn't there a verse in the bible. Thst mentions something about a marriage only being valid if the woman is a virgin. I believe its in deut. So if your going to follow the bible follow all of it. Just don't follow the parts that push YOUR personal agenda. Its people like you that ruin this world not gays. So please don't use the bible as your backing if there are parts of it your not following in your life.
I think you need to retake all the classes related to your biology degree... Evolution is real = no god.
3 Things to Remember, Max:
1. God is in control. We forget this too often and panic. We think the world is going to hell in a handbasket and the truth that nothing happens apart from the will of God is lost to us too often. But God is in control. God is not taken by surprise. God is not in the dark, wondering what will happen next. God remains God, and he does as he pleases. We have to be willing to admit, like it or not, that God has chosen, in His providence and sovereignty, to allow/ordain all events in the world around us. The need to wrestle with that and come to grips with that truth is incredibly important for our spiritual maturity and growth.
2. The early church faced much bigger problems than we are facing today and FLOURISHED. Let us consider their ways and figure out how to have a better impact on the world around us. Early Christians were burned at the stake, eaten by wild animals in the view of thousands of cheering fans in the Rome Colosseum, and used as human torches to illuminate the night. And what was the result of their faithfulness and commitment to God? Gigantic church growth. In the face of intense persecution the church flourished because the world looked at them and saw what they were willing to endure for the sake of God and was forced to ask, "Why? Why would anyone go through that for something that was just 'made up' or had no evidence to support?"
3. How we respond will dictate the effectiveness of our witness. Do we want to be taken seriously as Christians? We have to fight against the Westboro Baptist image of Christianity portrayed in the media. Too many people believe that Westboro Baptist and other "Christian" hate groups are proclaiming that which all other Christians believe. We must be prepared to love all the more, be kind and gracious all the more, seek to foster close and genuiune relationships with those of the homosexual community, and be respectful in our disagreements. We must overcome the stereotypes created about who Christians are, what Christianity is, and who the God we love and serve is.
Remember: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4:8
Hi Pastor Max,
First, I want to say that I am a teacher and I get notes from upset parents all the time. So, my hope and prayer here is that the comments posted here are helpful for the "building up of the body of Christ." Secondly, I want to say that I agree with you about the morality of homosexuality.
However, I have a few questions about the church's response to recent events. My question begins with the understanding that the church is the bride of Christ. With that in mind, I know that Christ often attracted those who were “sinners” in the mind of the religious Pharisee’s of the day, moreover, the Pharisees actually viewed these sinners as repulsive/unclean. Christ went countercultural to these actions and reached out to them, but also made the highly religious very uncomfortable in his presence. However, the “sinners” seemed very comfortable in his presence.
Now I must admit that those who were comfortable were also repentant and adhered to the idea that their only hope was in Christ. I say this because my present concern is not the morality of a law that legalizes homosexual marriage, but rather the response of the bride of Christ. As Christ’s bride I want to be close to Him and cherish every moment. These people who voted this law into existence are loved madly by Him, and his work might very well (or even certainly) lead us to them. In fact, I often wonder if this particular law that was recently voted upon is an opportunity for us to show that love to Him (and homosexuals) even more, and engage with Him in the work that He is already doing within the homosexual community.
Whatever the case, I know this law has been a “wake-up call” to the bride of Christ. I see it all over facebook everyday. What saddens me is the concern with being on the side that is “right” or “winning.” As I read the scripture, I don’t recall any times when Christ was concerned with such things, rather, I see Him concerned with doing the work of the Father—which drove Him to the cross for us…sinners. John 13: 34-35 puts it this way: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Right after that in Chapter 14 he references Jewish marriage in going away to prepare a place for us.
Now in no way am I implying that grace is cheap and we should all just go on sinning. In fact, later in the passage I referenced Jesus talks about how the world will hate His disciples (John 15: 18-25). What I am saying is that I am concerned about the love in the church’s response. I think we would agree that a victim of rape who first steps into a church probably should be greeted with love and acceptance just like anyone else-not condemned because she/he had sex outside of marriage. I use this dramatic overstatement because I don’t believe that every person who believes they are homosexual knows why or how they became that way, or if it was their choice at all.
Therefore, the church MUST be sensitive to those things picking a side on a political battle may not produce the fruit that glorifies Christ. I think of another example with divorce. It was not God’s original intent to have marriages end, but Matthew 5:32 says, “But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.” One of my theology professors at Bethel mentioned that this verse is referring to couples who are engaged, but either way…it was not His original intent. What I mean to say is that this (an I don’t think I have my head wrapped around this yet), what if this law brings order to promiscuous lifestyles and really challenges homosexuals to think about marriage the way that heterosexual couples hopefully do (as we are no shining example).
Lastly, Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit…they called it a Wild Goose. I thought of this the other day when I realized that a female mallard duck was nesting in the bush in our front yard. (Tangent) Which led me to think about how animals have been forced to do such things as this because of the developments of man, and how I drive a car to work which runs on gasoline that is most likely imported from some other nation probably causing all kinds of issues like I witnessed when I studied abroad in Ecuador where they pipe the oil right through the rainforest and pay lay workers $100,000 a year to move oil around, cause deforestation, and look the other way. I am so guilty…
My point being, we are in need of forgiveness, we are in need of love, and we need to return Christ’s great love with the same affection as His Bride. I hope we do that. I love you Max, as your brother in Christ, and I am praying for you and all the work that you do as you try to discern truth and lead the flock.
(Sorry my comments are too long to fit in one post...hope I didn't put anyone to sleep ;)
I will proudly reveal my name rather than remaining anonymous. My name is Amy Lee Peterson. And while I believe that Max needs no defense representative, I will voice my thoughts here.
If you need to question whether or not I am qualified to speak on Biblical truth and fact, then feel free to do so.
However, Max's blog should not be questioned for Biblical truth and fact. There are few men on this earth who have studied and taught the One True Word. Max is on this esteemed list. I have spent hundreds of hours in classes taught and sermons preached by Max and I have been blessed by his knowledge.
Those who speak defiantly and with such unkind words know they have the right to speak their opinion. However, please respect that this is Max's blog and he has the freedom to share his thoughts.
My own blog is filled with "feeling" and "sensitive thoughts" easily detected and deemed "female" ... yet, I respect and enjoy Max's blogs because they give me insight and direction on worldly issues that I may not have been able to decipher using my own head.
Amen, Pastor Max! And THANK YOU once again for sharing truth.... rather than fiction.
Your humble (yet vocal) student of The Word,
Amy
May I just say to Anonymous when the verse in John 13: 34-35 is quoted as Jesus saying: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” These verses are spoken by Jesus To his Disciples, NOT to sinners outside the church. If you go back up to John 13:18-20, Jesus says (again to his disciples), "I am NOT including all of you In this. I know precisely whom I've selected, so as not to interfere with the fulfillment of this Scripture." By this verse he was excluding Judas, who was going to sin gravely and betray his Teacher. Then Jesus goes on to quote the verse prophesied in the Old Testament about the one who would betray him. In John 13:34-35 he is still talking to his disciples.
We cannot just pull verses out of context and apply them to a broad population. I am not at all implying that Jesus does not love all of mankind, including the sinners. Of course he does. He gave his live Entirely for them. And as His Disciples we are messengers of that love. BUT he interacted and spoke differently to sinners than he did his disciples. In one passage he was dealing with a woman in sin & said, "I do not condemn you, go and SIN NO MORE." To the woman at the well he told her, you speak the truth, you are not married and have had 5 husbands in fact & the man you are living with is not your husband. (He named her sin there and did not ignore it). And then he went on to speak to her of God's way of salvation. On another occasion he healed a man and then on encountering him later he told him to Stop Sinning or something worse would happen to him. So he didn't Ignore Sin.
God is Righteous and cannot tolerate Sin at all, in any shape or form. That is why Christ died on the Cross. As the propitiation for our sins. God is the initiator of those who are called to spread this message. And before there is grace, there must be REPENTANCE... a sorely missing part of the Gospel message in our day. With the Protestant Reformation we eliminated the need to go before a human priest to be absolved of our sin. BUT that does not negate the fact we need to go before our Heavenly Priest, Christ, for forgiveness. The Bible states in James (to believers), "Confess your Sins one to another." In the introduction to the Book of James in The Message it says this about the church: "When Christian believers gather in churches, everything that can go wrong sooner or later does.Outsiders, on observing this, conclude that there is nothing to the religion business except, perhaps, business as usual and dishonest business at that. Insiders see it differently. Just as a hospital collects the sick under one roof and labels them such, the church collects sinners. Many of the people outside the hospital are every bit as sick as the ones inside, but their illnesses are either undiagnosed or disguised. It's similar with sinners outside the church. So Christian churches are not, as a rule, model communities of good behavior. They are, rather, placed where human misbehavior is brought out in the open, faced and dealt with. The letter of James shows one of the church's early pastors skillfully going about his work of confronting, diagnosing, and dealing with areas of misbelief and misbehavior that had turned up in congregations committed to his care."
We are called to be Salt and Light to the World and to come apart and be ye separate. By the way we interact with one another (believers) in love (which can include confrontation/exhortation.They put some out of the church if they did not repent), we will witness to sinners, the outside world, and they in turn will be drawn to the Love of Our Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ.
To the comment "God is in control", I would like to comment. I don't dispute the truth of that statement, but I disagree with the way it is used so often and ends up being a cop out of sorts...permission to sit on our hands, keep our mouths shut, and not engage in changing the culture. God was in control during the Holocaust too. And 80 percent of Americans (mostly Christians) did not want to get involved in that blood bath. No. It was easier to say "God is in control" and lets not engage or risk our lives or offend anyone. Thank God America did finally engage and help to stop the carnage.
The question that runs through my head is what if Jesus had determined He didn't want to get involved, didn't want to die on the Cross? He had a choice...Where would we be if he had chosen differently? We would be eternally damned that's where.
I don't believe the Cross of Christ represents tolerance. It comes with a price and it costs to follow Jesus. We are in a battle against the powers and principalities of the spirit world. This is real stuff. Christ started his ministry with many followers. Before his death he had a mere handful left. The 3 he asked to attend him in the Garden couldn't stay awake for even 1 hour to pray. One of those 3 further went on to deny knowing Him to save his own skin. Thankfully through grace Peter is the cornerstone of the New Testament church! But again I would reiterate not taking verses out of context. The verse quoted in 1 Peter 4:8 was spoken by Peter to the early church, believers in Christ. If there was a homosexual in the church of believers, according to teachings of Paul, he/she would need to be restored to fellowship by repenting of the sin. Repentance means not only confessing sin BUT to turn from, to change one's mind. Then restoration can happen. We need accountability to each other to keep from falling into sinful ways.
The enemy used Scripture when he tempted Christ. He will do the same to us as believers today. We must stay in the Word so we aren't deceived, learn from excellent teachers (like Pastor Max and Monty Sholund who was one of my teachers) and keep fighting the Good Fight as Paul said.
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