Sodomy Set To Be Promoted in Northern Ireland Politics

With the upsurge of interest in and promotion of Sodomy in Northern Ireland, and by Northern Ireland politicians, the dark clouds are gathering apace in this land that once knew the outpouring of God's Spirit in reviving grace and power.  The wrath of God is hovering, not only over the country at large, but it threatens to drop very close to one particular party, the Ulster Unionist Party.

Reports would suggest that a politician who is supporter of Gay Pride might well have a senior role in political leadership, thus pointing to a bleak future for the province.  The other main unionist party, the DUP, awarded considerable grant aid to the Belfast Gay Pride parade in recent years, and now the other unionist party appears to be going to weigh in heavily in support of such finding being awarded in the future.

When political leadership refuse to be the guardians of decency and morality, those who are being led will but follow suit.  Having been at two Christian protests against this event, I have seen with my own eyes the disgusting presentation that met my eyes. Scantily clad males and females paraded themselves on floats and uttered offensive abuse against those who were seeking to bear witness to the Gospel which alone can show them how they might be saved.  As float after float passed, abuse was hurled at the Christian witness to the Gospel.

It is clear that those who participate in or support such a parade not only have no interest in the Gospel or in the Christian faith; they actually oppose it.  They find it objectionable.  yet the irony is that these same Sodomy supporters, many of them are found in their place of worship week by week.  how can they do it?  Because there is no Gospel ministry in their churches that will highlight these sins against God, therefore the supporters of such specific sinful behaviour can live quite comfortably in these religious organisations. 

Oh, how the wrath of God is waiting to burst forth on such iniquity.  How the anger of the Almighty will break out against these people.  REPENT.  REPENT. REPENT.  REPENT.

"The lostness of the lost."

"The lostness of the lost."  What a phrase, coined by Dr Francis A Schaeffer.  The lostness of the lost!  That all those without Christ are lost is one thing; but that neither they, nor we, realise just how awful that lostness is, is appalling.  Being lost and not knowing it.  Preachers preaching about 'lost sinners' with these dreadful words simply dropping off the end of their tongues, is an indictment on all of us.  Being overly familiar with the terms of the Gospel will condemn us on the last Day.  The lostness of the lost.

Think about what this term entails; reflect on what its implications; allow the momentousness of this reality to grip our souls.  Then go out and preach the Gospel to every creature.

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr  Martyn Lloyd-Jones is the subject of a personal appreciation by the author.  I have been reading his sermons and lectures for some forty years, and have gained great benefit from their content and the passion in which they were delivered.

If you want to discover the lessons the Doctos ministry taught me, then you can 'read all about it' in my new book.  You can get you own copy by clicking here.

MARRIAGE NOT SODOMY - The case for valid sexuality

Opposing the decadent agenda of aggressive liberals, orthodox Bible believing Christians appeal to the authority of the Scriptures in the belief that there are ‘absolutes’. Indeed, the Bible continues to provide
infallible guidance to be applied in today’s circumstances. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments do not simply give us documentary examples of the values of a bygone age for merely historical interest.

Progressive revelation
However, Christians do believe in ‘progressive’ revelation. With the culmination of divine revelation in our Lord Jesus Christ, certain aspects of the Old Testament became redundant. For instance, Israel’s civil and ceremonial codes were not, in all their details - including the stoning of blasphemers and adulterers, to be carried over into the New Testament era. They were not to be binding on Gentile or Hebrew believers. Christ himself refused to allow the stoning of the adulterous woman (see Jn. 8: 1-11). In the New Testament, there are no precedents for blasphemers being stoned. In short, new rules replaced old ones in the atmosphere of international and anti-discriminatory grace.

Law and Grace
However, the principles of the moral law - the Ten Commandments - were not abrogated. In the realm of sexual ethics, homosexuality continues to be regarded as sinful and unacceptable along with adultery and fornication (see Rom. 1: 26-7; 1 Cor. 6: 9). Heterosexual marriage remains the normal relationship for valid sexual activity.  However, in accordance with the gospel of God’s grace, sexual deviance disqualifies no one for Church membership provided it is accompanied by repentance and a change of life-style. Therefore all
sin - including homosexuality - may be forgiven but no unrepentant sinner has any place in the fellowship of the Church of Christ. Within wider society, without prescribing civil penalties, the Church must act as salt and light, promoting by holy and loving example, the acceptance of Christian values.

What is sodomy?
The view that sodomy in the Old Testament was not homosexuality but failure to show hospitality has no justification. Certainly Ezekiel (16: 49-50) blames the ‘iniquitous’ affluent and selfish society of Sodom as the materialistic and indulgent setting for the ‘abominations’ described in Genesis 19: 5-8. Such were clearly sexual rather than social. Indeed, as was also the case with ancient Greece and Rome, these things often go together. Western affluence has also become the occasion for moral decline in general and the growth of
sexual perversion in particular. 

Sodomy and slavery
It is fallacious to set aside the New Testament prohibition of homosexuality on the grounds that Paul once acquiesced in now discredited slavery. When we realise that the spiritual and moral challenge of the Christian Faith did not involve a wholesale assault on the political and social culture of the Roman world, it is easy to see why Paul did not attack slavery as such. However, he did encourage slaves to seek their freedom (see 1 Cor. 7: 21). Such teaching, coupled with the Biblical law of loving one’s neighbour, contained the seed for
the ultimate overthrow of slavery. However, there is no evidence to suggest that we may take a lenient and less rigorous view of the evil of homosexuality. It remains an abomination in the sight of God, besides being held in abhorrence by most human beings.

Gay gene?
It is simply not proven that homosexual orientation is determined at birth. No genetic explanation is forthcoming in this respect. However, there is much evidence that a soft and luxurious social environment
promotes homosexual tendencies. Besides, if a ‘gay gene’ could be identified, the same might be true for adultery, murder and stealing.  Such activities might conceivably be decriminalised on such grounds, to the utter ruin of civilised society as we have known it!

Body abuse
Loving sexual relationships are to be confined to marriage, which must be heterosexual by definition. From a strictly physiological and anatomical standpoint, the human body is not constructed for anal intercourse. Such a common sense conclusion hardly requires a medical expert to validate it. Thus sodomy is nothing less than ‘body abuse’. It is rightly regarded as a moral perversion. Fidelity within marriage is also the ultimate antidote to AIDS and other STI.

Homophobia
It remains true that homophobia should not be encouraged any more than any other phobia. However, it is inconsistent to permit homosexuality and yet warn young people of its dangers. Medical, social and emotional consequences militate against the legalisation of homosexuality at any age.

Transforming Grace
From the standpoint of the Christian Gospel, it is true that the love of God is available to homosexuals. Yes, it is true that God calls everyone into His everlasting love but we must repent of our sins, trusting alone
in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Like adulterers and murderers, homosexuals must repent of their particular sin if they wish to be part of Christ's Church and be saved. As there is no limit to the transforming power of God’s grace and Holy Spirit, so those with homosexual tendencies may be delivered from them. Such grace includes the power to repent. Such repentance is necessary. This is the judgement of God's Word, the Bible. We must not reject those whom God accepts but neither must we change His rules according to some ‘PC’ agenda. What the Lord Jesus said to the adulterous woman applies equally to penitent homosexuals: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8: 11). The Bible must be taken as a whole without us changing or diluting parts we find hard to accept.

Dr Alan C. Clifford
NORWICH REFORMED CHURCH
www.nrchurch.co.nr

The Pilgrim Fathers

In 1620, one hundred Puritans boarded the ‘Mayflower’ bound for the New World.  These Puritans were also know as the Pilgrim Fathers. These godly men saw little possibility of England becoming a country in which they wished to live and viewed the country as ungodly and moving rapidly from bad to worse. The Pilgrim Fathers believed that a new start in the New World was their only chance.

They faced and overcame many trials and tribulations about where they should sail to, the journey across the Atlantic to the New World and the initial problems experienced by the Pilgrim Fathers.  These are contained in a diary written by William Bradford.

On November 9^th, 1620, the ‘Mayflower’ sighted what is now Cape Cod. Despite seeing land, the crew of the ‘Mayflower’ searched for another month to find somewhere to land. Where they eventually landed was called New Plymouth. On December 25^th, after finding a place where the ‘Mayflower’ could be safely anchored, the Pilgrim Fathers began to build the first house for common use. Bradford described in his diary how the “foulness” of winter affected all and that many became sick. By February 1621, Bradford claimed that 50% of the Pilgrim Fathers had died as a result of the cold weather and the inadequate housing that they had built for themselves.

A Native American called Squanto helped those Pilgrim Fathers who survived the harsh winter. He showed them how to sow maize and how to cultivate the crop. Bradford claimed that seeds brought from England were of little use in their new environment. By the summer of 1621, the Pilgrim Fathers had built houses for themselves and had gathered up a small harvest.

However, not all Native Americans were friendly. As a result, a wooden fence with watchtowers surrounded the homes that had been built and the gates in the fence were locked at night. By 1622 the Pilgrim Fathers had built a fort to protect themselves. It also served as a meeting place to discuss issues of government within the new colony. Over the next few years, as life for Puritans became more uncomfortable in England, more and more made the journey across the Atlantic. By 1630, their numbers were such that the Puritans were able to establish the Massachusetts Bay Company and establish Boston, which was to grow as a major port. Despite the privations of 1620, the Puritans founded colonies that thrived and their success depended on fishing, shipbuilding, trade and farming.