"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.' " (Matthew 28:18-20)
I read an interesting blog the other day that questioned the placement of the "gay marriage issue" at the top of the list of priorities of GLBT activists in the US. The writer questioned whether there aren't more significant and life-threatening issues facing this community here and abroad which deserve greater attention than whether it should be legal for same-sex couples to wed.
As I pondered his thoughts, I began to wonder the same thing thing about the American "church" and those vocal opponents to "gay marriage" who are running around like Chicken Little proclaiming that the sky is falling, certain that same-sex marriage will usher in the utter destruction of our civilization as we know it.
Seriously.
I have been a student of the Word of God for the better part of my life, and have read the entire Bible from cover to cover dozens of times. I have yet to find the passages where Jesus instructed His followers to go out and ensure that their communities and nations only pass laws that conform society to their very narrow, constricted world view. Throughout Scripture, God admonishes His people to care for the outcasts and oppressed of society - characterized by widows, orphans and aliens - and to administer justice. Nowhere does He suggest the church should devote massive amounts of money and energy to make sure that people don't legally form relationships and families that don't look like theirs.
Any casual observer would think that the most pressing issue of the "church" today is the imminent threat of annihilation by gay and lesbian couples who want to have the same recognition of their marriages as their heterosexual counterparts. If the "church" is so adamant about preserving the sanctity of marriage, perhaps they should devote more money and energy toward eliminating divorce instead of trying to keep people from getting married.
The fact is, Jesus only gave one set of instructions to the Church: go out and make disciples and teach them to obey His commandments (i.e., love God, love your neighbor). Sadly, the "church" is too busy doing everything else except that one rather simple task. It's no wonder that we've been waiting for two thousand years for Him to come back; He's waiting for us to finish the job He gave us to do.
Meanwhile, countless thousands of "well-meaning Christians" are devoted to doing everything they can to oppose the civil liberties of the GLBT community, while countless millions (billions?) of people around the world are starving for a message of hope and deliverance, and are dying without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I'm fairly certain the God must look at all of this and just shake His head in total amazement at how far off track His people have gone.
May God have mercy on His Church, for they know not what they do.
Have a blessed week!
Pastor David
