WHAT is Missing from the United Methodist's Out-Reach of LOVE to the LGBTQ Community ?

This past week the Christian world was treated to front-row seats to watch the NICEST, most MANNERLY group debate that could possibly be, during the division of an UN-unified Methodist Church. 

As a world-wide General Conference held in St. Louis, Missouri, it was broadcast live-stream on the internet on Monday and Tuesday, February 25-26. One report said 35,000 persons had tuned into the live-stream broadcast to watch the debates and voting. 

COMMENTARY BY BRO. BRENDON PATRICK ~ 

During the Conference, one pleasant, Moderating Bishop continually called each speaker, “Friend,” and profusely apologized and asked for forgiveness when accused of not performing his duty as moderator.  

He graciously accepted blame instead of requesting PROOF that “some speaker at some time” had taken the microphone and insulted the LGBTQ-ers at that General Conference ! 

 [ No name, no time, and no topic being discussed were offered as proof, when on Tuesday afternoon the young woman eloquently brought this supposed insult to the attention of the Moderator.]  

However, it was astounding how the MAIN  problem  of the division was avoided during the two days of wrangling and debates.

The missing element

in bringing LGBTQ-ers into the Flock of GOD

is one Biblical word:

REPENTANCE.

Lots of “LOVE” words were included during the debating, especially regarding GOD’S LOVE towards LGBTQ-ers. 

Without a doubt, the United Methodists have been exemplary in convincing the wide-spread variety of homosexuals that GOD does LOVE them.  And, this LOVE of GOD is written throughout the New Testament.

“For GOD so LOVED the world . . .”  

and that includes both me and you,

regardless of our state of SIN

before Repentance.

UNFORTUNATELY, though, the United Methodists in general 

·  do NOT preach what SIN is

· do NOT preach that anyone has sin ( including the LGBTQ-ers ) or is a sinner

·   do NOT require Repentance BEFORE Holy Baptism

·   do NOT require Repentance and a RENOUNCING of  all sins before joining a church.

Hence, there is a CHURCH full of Un-repentant “believers” who have a sincere, heart-felt, and mental belief in CHRIST, but no power for HOLY living, no conviction of sin upon themselves when they transgress the Word of GOD. 

Entire congregations devolve into kindly, pleasant, secular humanists.

Neither Pastors nor Deacons nor congregation members have any discernment which would ENABLE them to lead sinners unto Repentance . . . because their own Repentance is incomplete. Psalm 51:10-13.

Create in me a clean heart, O GOD;

and renew a right spirit within me. 

Cast me not away from Thy Presence+;

and take not Thy HOLY SPIRIT from me. 

Restore unto me the joy of Thy+ Salvation;

and uphold me with Thy+  Free SPIRIT. 

Then will I teach transgressors Thy+ Ways;

and sinners shall be converted unto THEE+.

Like drug and alcohol addicts, many LGBTQ-ers feel they are “powerless” to stop the pull towards their various homosexual behaviors.

And, they are RIGHT:

once “it” is invited in,

“it” controls them.

The ONLY WAY OUT of the control of SIN is REPENTANCE.

We all --- each and every one of us --- must repent before The LORD for going against His+ Word. That is when SIN no longer has power over us, to make us do “its” will. 

Likewise, LGBTQ-ers must REPENT of their sin, acknowledging homosexuality as SIN, acknowledging that they are transgressing the WORD+ of GOD. They MUST renounce it with their whole heart.

Then . . . LGBTQ-ers must call upon The LORD JESUS CHRIST to deliver them . . . and their mind-set  . . . and their value systems . . . from that homosexual spirit, that homosexual LIE. LIES work to keep them in bondage.

The LORD JESUS said, “You shall know the TRUTH,

and The TRUTH shall make you free.”

John 8:32

All these premises are LIES which keep LGBTQ-ers in bondage to their sin. 

·   The first BIG LIE is that homosexuality is not sin.

·  The second big LIE is that The LORD “accepts” their homosexual life-style.

·   If The LORD rejects their homosexuality, then that means that HE+ does not love the LGBTQ-ers. . . the third big LIE.

In CONTRAST, the Truth is this: 

·        Homosexuality IS sin, in both Old and New Testaments.

·        The LORD accepts ONLY Repentant sinners into HIS+ Kingdom 

·        HE+ continues to INVITE the LGBTQ-ers to come to HIM+ for Deliverance  . . . because HE+ loves them and is willing to make them Whole and Clean.

They must whole-heartedly call upon The LORD JESUS CHRIST to deliver their bodies and cleanse them  from that sin and those sinful urges.

The LORD JESUS CHRIST has the Living Power to Deliver.

BUT . . . remember this: 

HE+ will not deliver anyone from sins

unless that person asks, 

until that person WANTS to be delivered.

The United Methodists, in their zeal to proclaim HIS+ LOVE, have neglected to teach HIS+ TRUTH to LGBTQ-ers.

Thus, none are delivered, none are healed,  and the United Methodist Churches as a group are accountable before THE LORD

for allowing UN-repentant sinners

to remain . . . UN-repentant , practicing sin.

Yes, most assuredly --- and most sadly --- un-Repentant sinners will die in their sins, but their blood will be upon the hands of the United Methodist churches which gave them false assurances.

In the United Methodist churches, as a whole, LGBTQ-ers are not cleansed from their sins. They are not healed and made whole again. 

They have not repented for going CONTRARY to the HOLY WORD+ of GOD. They have not acknowledged that they are fighting against His+ WORD+. 

And the United Methodists, as a group, have neglected to perform the FIRST Commission of the BODY of CHRIST:

To bring SINNERS out of SIN

and to lead them 

into the soul-cleansing Waters of HOLY BAPTISM

( immersion ).

No, the United Methodist church baptizes Believers to become  MEMBERS of their congregations !  

They neglect to read that Scripture says those sinners who repent and are cleansed from sin ARE JOINED ( passive tense ) to the Church. They ARE ADDED to the Church. Acts 2:31.

Man cannot do this; episcopal committees cannot do this; pastors cannot do this; sinners cannot do this.

WHO does the ADDING of the Repentant Sinners to the Holy Church of GOD ?  The LORD HIMSELF+ .

Repentant Sinners are ADDED to the Church by The LORD through The HOLY SPIRIT  when those ex-sinners are washed in the WATERS of HOLY BAPTISM and receive the Gift of the HOLY SPIRIT.

The Sinner’s part is TO REPENT, to convert to Following CHRIST JESUS as LORD instead of Self,  and to enter the Sanctified WATERS of HOLY BAPTISM.  

The LORD’S part is to wash the Repentant sinner’s SOUL and SPIRIT by HIS+ Blood in those WATERS of Holy Baptism and to BRING New Birth to the Cleansed Sinner via the Gift of the HOLY SPIRIT.

That is the point in time when HE+ makes the ex-sinner a NEW CREATURE in CHRIST . That is WHEN the ex-sinner, the newly-converted person, is ADDED TO THE CHURCH . . .  by the HOLY SPIRIT.

REPENT and be baptized

(GK: immersed)

every one of you 

in the Name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST

for the Remission of sins

( Gk: sending away of sins ) 

and ye shall receive the GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT.

Acts 2:38

In so doing, the Repentant Ex-LGBTQ-er receives the GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT living inside him now, to do battle when the tempter comes to pull him back into his sinful ways. 

Without this GIFT of the HOLY SPIRIT, the Believer has NO POWER to fight against his own sinful nature which by default is the enemy of GOD.

This is TRUE for all sinners,

not simply the LGBTQ-ers.

Without the HOLY SPIRIT, a Believer has just a mental faith; it is not FAITH in the living reality of, a personal experience with the Living LORD JESUS Who+ alone has power to change sinners into ex-sinners. 

Without being made that New Creature in CHRIST, the LGBTQ-ers must resort to constant  human “affirmations” that they are loved by GOD.  

If they had the HOLY SPIRIT, they would KNOW the LOVE of GOD which is given to every person who submits to Repentance and Cleansing by The LORD. 

As a whole, the United Methodist Churches do not preach what SIN is, thus, they do not preach there is a need for REPENTANCE before entering into the Church Family. 

Hence, we are witnessing the great deformity of Churches receiving UN-Repentant sinners as members into the Body of CHRIST, a thing which NEVER  should have occurred.

 If the New Birth, if being made into that New Creature in CHRIST, had been maintained as THE pre-requisite for church membership . . . NONE of these current troubles would be afflicting the United Methodist churches.

 

In Truth, the United Methodist churches, in general, have done a GREAT DIS-SERVICE to the LGBTQ-ers. They have hindered them from entering into the Kingdom of GOD. 

Indeed, regardless of all human “affirmations” and false assurances, un-Repentant Sinners CANNOT enter into the LOVE that GOD has awaiting them. Un-Repentant Sinners CANNOT enter into the pure BODY of CHRIST. 

Un-Repentant sinners will die in their sins, regardless of what those sins ARE, regardless of church membership, and regardless of doctrines changing sins into “life-style” or “orientation” or “ a sickness.”

Thus, the FAULT lies squarely . . .

upon those Bishops, Pastors, and Church Conferences which have IGNORED The WORD+ of GOD and its teaching of what comprises SIN.

Homosexuality is labeled as sin in both Old Testament and New Testament.  The Old Testament mandated death for such. The New Testament, though acknowledging homosexuality as SIN, does NOT mandate death; that will come soon enough. 

Instead , the New Testament invites LGBTQ-ers to be DELIVERED, CLEANSED, and made WHOLE, by The BLOOD+ of the LAMB+ of GOD Who+ taketh away the SIN of the world. 

 The LOVE Gospel is NOT LOVE if it neglects Repentance from Sin in its message.

 The LOVE Gospel is NOT the GOSPEL of Our LORD JESUS CHRIST if it neglects Repentance from Sin it its message.

There is simply NO LIFE from GOD if there is NO REPENTANCE from Sin.  

What exactly, then, is the United Methodist Church preaching in its out-reach to LGBTQ-ers and other sinners ?  

   

And . . . WHY ?

The Bishops, pastors, conferences, committees ,  and training seminaries ALL HAVE the written WORD+ of GOD and know it quite well.  

What spirit of this world has blinded their eyes ?

There is a LOT of Repentance to do, in order to bring the United Methodist Church back in line with The WORD+ of GOD. And, it is not only the LGBTQ-ers that stand in need of serious and deep Repentance before CHRIST. 

HE who has an ear, let him hear.