Revoice and the Bible

Yesterday, the issue of the "Revoice" movement came up in conversation. Many in the evangelical arena do not know what "Revoice" is. A recent conference advertised it as "supporting,encouraging, and empowering gay, lesbian, same-sex attracted, and other LGBT Christians so they can flourish while observing the historic, Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality."

It is not my intent to judge any category of sin here.  For the simple truth is that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Neither is there a hierarchy of sin.  Every sin stands on equal ground. I will also say that I have both family members and friends who have opted for a gay lifestyle.  I love them no less. But neither do I deny what the Bible has to say about the lifestyle. Rather I just love and pray.  When I am asked I am honest. To me the obedience, to God alone is the fruit.

It seems to me that a much greater issue, and the much more consuming abomination to God is the "rewriting" of the Word of God to fit in with our carnal and selfish desires.  Sincerely, I grieve over the way that the Church itself has wandered far from God. Filled with idols of their own making, church leaders have adapted, cut and pasted what is pleasing to their own doctrines, and dismissed or attempted to rewrite the Word to fit their own images of what it should say.

I am not without sin.  I sin. Almost every day, I have to come before my Father God in repentance for something.  My heart desires so to walk in the faithful reflection of Christ, but I am human and I blow it.  But I pray I am always quick to repent, to dust off my britches, and to keep walking toward my Lord.  My sins aren't what they used to be, but neither have I conquered my flesh.  My mouth is my worst enemy. I will always be striving to work out my salvation in the arena of the tongue. I am a work in process day by day. 

John wrote in 1 John 2 on the issue of truly knowing Christ, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world."  

John goes on to say ...
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

So then, the issue becomes to truly know God, we must be willing to surrender.  That work of becoming Christ like -- once taught as sanctification -- is a life-long process.  But Holy Spirit is a gentle faithful transformer who will convict us of sin and then give us the choice of whether or not to obey.  I once heard a Bible teacher say, "The maturity of a Christian is determined by how quick they are to obey what Holy Spirit is speaking to them". The word repentance really means to "Turn away from our sin and to follow God".

We hold tightly to the God of unconditional love, while pushing the God of holiness and righteousness and justice to the background.  We either accept Him for who He says He is, or the God we worship is only an idol, i.e. a God of our own making.

OK. So what has that got to do with Revoice????  Everything. Like a full load of false teachings within the body of Christ today, it just doesn't stand the test of scripture. God has not changed. He is the same today as He was yesterday and shall be tomorrow.

I couldn't say anything on the issue better than Albert Mohler says in his article "Torn Between Two Cultures: LGBTQ+ Identity and Bible Christianity. Surely, the issues here are much bigger than sexuality! See https://albertmohler.com/2018/08/02/torn-two-cultures-revoice-lgbt-identity-biblical-christianity/

And if I could just offer some encouragement, it would be this.

1. Remember that our battles are not with flesh and blood but principalities (the highest ranking in Satan's army), powers (demons, the lowest rank of satanic authority), and rulers of darkness (kosmokrateros and is a compound of the words kosmos and kratos. The word kosmos denotes order or arrangement, whereas the word kratos has to do with raw power. Thus, the compounded word kosmokrateros depicts raw power that has been harnessed and put into some kind of order). To deny the cosmic battle that is to soon culminate in the return of our Lord is to not understand the Bible.
2. Love those who are in sin (any kind of sin) without ever compromising the Word of God. If your motivation is not love, and you are not being lead by the Spirit of God -- stay silent. You could do much more harm than good.
3. Remember to be very careful how you judge.  Examine yourself.  Ask the Lord to show you your own sin. Deal with that first. 
4. Pray for those who are in captivity to the enemies lies.  That also encompasses an area far beyond sexuality.
5. Devote time to the study of the Word of God and to prayer. Don't depend on your pastors for truth.  Far too many pastors have wandered far from the Word. But that's for another post!
6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths!

Some day, we shall all stand before the Lord and give an account. No excuses.  Hearts laid bare.  Motivations clear. Pray for each other and pray for our church leaders and pray for our nation. Judgment begins in the House of the Lord.