Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Sexual Ethics”
Our Bible verse for today: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “We must take actions to protect ourselves and our churches.”
It’s a tough world out there and so Jesus instructed His followers to be smart and to protect themselves. We are to be pure and holy, innocent of wrong doing and wrong motives, but we are not to be doormats or punching bags, allowing culture and society to unload on us or to take unfair advantage of us. Even the apostle Paul used the protections available to him as a result of being a Roman citizen (Acts 25:11)
As the moral revolution of sexual ethics continues to unfold in our nation, Christians and churches will likely find themselves increasingly at odds with society; and we will perhaps find ourselves facing the necessity of engaging in civil disobedience for the sake of Biblical principles. Dr. Jim Garlow, a well-known pastor and author recently wrote,
“A time is coming when the government will demand that churches accept and promote an understanding of sexuality and gender that directly opposes God’s Word.”
That time is here. It is already happening. Yesterday I mentioned the case where pastors in Houston were ordered to turn over their sermons, Bible studies, and private communications with church members. Here’s another example. Chai Feldblum serves as a Commissioner on the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He was recently quoted as saying,
“There can be a conflict between religious liberty and sexual liberty, but in almost all cases sexual liberty should win …”
That comes from a high ranking Federal official who has great influence over what happens in workplaces all across this country. We are already seeing the impact that kind of thinking is having on Christian businesses and ministries. Soon attempts will probably be made to apply it to churches as well.
We have all heard much talk in recent years about the Constitutional guarantee of the “separation of church and state”. We commonly think of it as a guarantee that the church has a right to function in the public sector, outside the walls of the church building. That is true, but the original intent of the provision was actually more focused on keeping the state out of the church. It’s about preventing the state from getting inside and intruding into church affairs. We have now come to the point in this country where churches must erect strong walls of separation to keep the state out of the church. There are still legal protections that exist which we must ensure we are taking full advantage of.
“The Alliance Defending Freedom” is a Christian legal association which assists individual Christians, Christian business owners, and churches in defending religious freedoms. They provide guidance, resources, and legal representation. Recently they published a very helpful guidebook entitled “Protecting Your Ministry from Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Lawsuits.” The book addresses everything from Church Constitutions and By-laws, to statements of faith, to marriage and wedding contracts, to facilities use agreements, and much more. Every church should have a copy of this book and should modify their existing governing documents to ensure the church is fully protected under existing law.
Tomorrow we will conclude our study of sexual ethics with the story of a high-profile Christian whose name you will probably recognize. This person found himself immersed in a national scandal as a result of defending Biblical principles and he handled it very well.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 