The 2020s: The Dividing Line & Where the Church in America Must Stand
I’ve been saying this offline in multiple conversations for the last 2 months since the “BLM org” was trending heavy do to the protests. Decided I needed to share this online now.
The Church in America during the 2020s is going to be sifted apart over views of sexuality (i.e. moral subjectivism/relativism) and the Bible, because for Christians the Bible is our standard for truth and life.
Where We Are Today (2020)
Let’s think about the dichotomies already at play.
1a: People in the church feel comfortable publicly expressing their homosexuality/LGBTQ views and are applauded for it.
1b: People in the same church feel like they can’t speak in disagreement about homosexuality based on what the Bible says for fear/concern of being publicly railed (or new term “canceled”) for not agreeing with those views.
2a: People in the church feel comfortable publicly expressing their disapproval of homosexuality/LGBTQ views using the Bible and are applauded for it.
2b: People in the same church feel like they can’t share about their sexuality and personal internal experiences/struggles for fear/concern of being Bible bullied and not understood.
3a: Some denominations, churches, and people in the church rightly understand and teach the biblical view of sexuality—(i)God created 2 human sexes = male & female; (ii)God ordained marriage as between a man & woman only; (iii)God declares sex outside of His ordained marriage (i.e. fornication) is sin; (iv)because every human is born dead in sin, some humans can be born with the inclination/proclivity toward the same sex (just like other humans are born with inclinations toward particular sins over others), but once they’re redeemed they’re to submit their sexual desires to their Savior and live as He desires & prescribes (just like heterosexuals have to submit theirs).
3b: Some denominations, churches, and people in the same church do interpretive gymnastics to defend/justify a different view of sexuality or just disregard the Bible’s explanation of sexuality and do/believe what they want regarding sexuality. In doing so, they undermine the authority of Scripture—which is the ultimate underlying issue the Enemy is working overtime for. (And I called it “interpretive gymnastics” not to insult but because there is not a single verse in the Bible in favor of homosexuality/LGBTQ, so therefore you have to jump through hoops to make the Bible approve something it never speaks or implies as morally acceptable according to God).
These are the dichotomies already at play TODAY. This is the reality of churches right now all across America. Some of them you will be going to/viewing on Sunday where this war is being played out quietly or openly. And this is but one of the battles your pastors/elders are up against if they hold to the biblical view of sexuality.
So how worse do you think this is going to get in years to come?
Oh, and these 2020s will also include the governmental pressure and demands on churches regarding teaching against “the sexuality” the State approves.
Wake Up or be swept away
Gear up, Church. The coronavirus will be the least of the Church’s problems as this decade continues on. Know what you stand on and don’t compromise. And we must walk in love and grace toward all, but especially toward those who profess Christ that disagree with the biblical view of sexuality. We want to win them to biblical truth because Christ is better than our fleshly desires. So be courageous and live the life of martyrs in our hostile times. God has guaranteed that not only will the true Church prevail, but also His sheep will be found and led by their Shepherd.
And if you’re wondering, “When did Chris start speaking out on this?” Uhh, you must not listen to my sermons, follow my social media posts, read my blogs, or have ever had a convo with me about this topic. This ain’t new for me (which is one of the reasons why I didn’t add any bible verses in this post, because I’ve biblically addressed this several times before):
And please don’t read any insensitivity into my post here. I completely understand that many of us (myself included) have family and/or friends who are gay and may also profess to be Christian. Therefore people feel like they’re in a position to have to choose: their family/friend’s sexuality or the Bible’s teaching on sexuality. And whichever they choose supposedly so goes the other one. But that’s the false dichotomy that got us in this mess in the first place. You can hold to the biblical view of sexuality and still accept your family/friend who identifies as gay without compromising the biblical view of sexuality. Accepting and embracing the person is one thing, and an appropriate gospel response. Approving and endorsing their unbiblical views is a separate thing, and an inappropriate gospel response. As Christians, under the authority of the God & Savior who emphatically declares that His followers submit to His word/teaching/truth, you can and must do the former (accept & embrace the person) and not the latter (approve & endorse the unbiblical views).
For those Christians who say/think, “But the gay community won’t feel accepted if we preach/teach against their lifestyle as sinful.” Guess what? No sinner feels accepted when their sin is being addressed as the cause for their separation from God and rejection of God. That’s why we preach the gospel, that’s why we preach the truth of God so that sinners may see their need to be saved by the God that sent the Son to die for His enemies. No bad news ever feels good. But the good news can’t be seen as “good” unless the bad news is explained clearly and repeatedly to highlight why the good news is sooo good. The Church isn’t here to make friends of the unbelieving communities (though that oftentimes is a by-product of the mission). The Church remains on this planet to help dead people come alive in Christ. If we lose sight of our mission and undermine the authority and truth of God’s Word in the process, then we’ve returned back to the vomit of life before Christ and have become a deadly pawn of the Enemy’s agenda, and God will not be mocked without responding (please read 2Peter ch2).
Where Do You Stand?
Church in America, a line is being drawn for the truth and our heart in these 2020s, and we need to be crystal clear which side we stand on. The God of the Bible and His truth clearly revealed in the Bible IS WHERE I STAND, and where I wholeheartedly believe true born-again believers will stand as well. If my stance causes me to be reviled and crucified like that of my Savior, then so let it be. My life has already been crucified with Christ and is hidden in Christ. Jesus has already declared that as the world hated Him it will hate His disciples too. The ex-denier himself, Peter, writes that if I suffer as a Christian I need not be ashamed but are to praise God that I even get to bear that name (1Pet. 4:12-19).
Taking our stand with the God of the Bible and His truth clearly revealed in the Bible should be seen as one of the greatest honors we as Christians have and not something to be ashamed of or surrender because of cultural pressure and persecution. I stand with Christ, His gospel, & His truth revealed in His Scripture, and I will die for these as well.
Where do you stand, Church in America? This decade and it’s pressing views of sexuality will force us all to choose one or the other.