Jude 1:17-23, “But,
beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of
our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told
you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their
own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual,
having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most
holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God,
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of
some have compassion, making a difference: And
others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment
spotted by the flesh.”
I
think this is a wonderful passage of Scripture to address the homosexual
problem in America, because we see GOD'S CONDEMNATION OF THE SIN, coupled
with GOD'S LOVE FOR THE SINNER. I realize that some people don't consider
homosexuality “a
problem,” but for every
God-fearing child of God, we definitely see sin a problem. Sin is always a
problem. Those who would dare say that homosexuality is not a sin are
deceived by the Devil. The Holy Bible teaches that God destroyed the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah, as an EXAMPLE of what He is going to do to all the
wicked in Hell forever:
Jude 1:7-8, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.”
I do not believe in bashing homosexuals. I do not do
that. I love everyone unconditionally. From my personal experience in
meeting homosexuals in public (and they're everywhere nowadays), some of the
time they do not respect the convictions of God-fearing Christians. I had a
homosexual hit up on me a few years ago, even after I told him I am a
Christian, and that I did not agree with that type of sinful behavior. I got
angry at him, because he was being a pervert. When you tell a flirtatious
homosexual that you are not gay, and that LGBTQ individual persists to flirt
with you, they are abusing you. He literally told me he was looking for a
male or a female to have sex with. That is sick! I was nice to him at first,
seeing him as a broken sinner who needs God's salvation, but when he came
back 5 minutes later and said, “Hey handsome,” I
raised my voice in anger and said, “You want
respect from others, but you don't respect people! Shame on you!” I was a
bit emotionally shaken, because I am not a contentious person by nature, so
I took my guitar and went home!
I read in the news today that lesbian singer Melissa Etheridge's 21 year old son Beckett died of a drug overdose from opiates. That caught my attention because I take 80 mg (20 mg x 4) per day of prescription Oxycontin, and at present one pill of prescription Percocet 10/325 a day for my chronic neck pain. The Oxycontin really helps alleviate my pain, and is gentle on my body. I thank God for the Oxycontin, despite all the public criticism of the drug. The difference between an addict and a pain patient is very very simple—for an addict, a pill makes their life worse; but for a pain patient it makes their life better, it gives them a life! I've been taking a high dosage of pain medications since 2007.
So it caught my attention today that
Melissa Etheridge's son died from an opiate overdose. I am sorry for her
loss. I became curious about Miss Etheridge's personal life, and was
dismayed at what
I read on Wikipedia. Please understand that I do not judge people. If I
met Miss Etheridge in public, I would befriend her with God's love and be
very nice toward her. As Christian we must never accept the sin with the
sinner, nor reject the sinner with the sin. People need to be loved,
regardless of who they are, or the sinful choices they make. Jude
1:22, “And of some have compassion, making a difference: And
others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment
spotted by the flesh.” When
a Bible-preacher becomes so hateful of sin that he starts hating sinners, he
is not right with God, and is doing more harm than good for the cause of
Jesus Christ. There is a balance that must be maintained between hating sin,
and loving people, at all times.
I was disgusted reading about Miss Etheridge's multiple
lesbian “partners” over
the decades. She came out in 1993 that she is a homosexual. Since lesbians
cannot conceive children together (which is proof that God did not make
them “that way,” because
God doesn't make mistakes), Melissa had the sperm of singer and musician
David Crosby artificially inseminated into her.
She conceived two children by him. It was one of those dear children that
died of a drug overdose, and I am truly sad about that. I don't like to read
about anyone dying before their time, especially a young person. It is truly
tragic. But this shows the dire problem of drug abuse in our country. I
speak cautiously, because I take a high dosage of prescription pain
medications, but I don't drink alcohol, and I always follow the doctor's
directions on taking my medications. Nearly everyone who dies from opiates
abused them somehow!
Miss Etheridge broke up with her partner in 2000. She was sadly diagnosed with breast cancer at age 43 in 2004. I don't care how wicked a person may be, God loves that person. The Bible makes this very clear in Romans 5:6-8, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY!!! That means you and me friend!
The biggest problem I see today is unbalanced
Christians! Either believers hate sin so much that they become hateful
like notorious late Calvinist Pastor Fred Phelps (1929-2014). Or else they
become so compromised under the masquerade of love, that they totally
embrace the homosexual community, as
does apostate Pastor J.D. Greear, chairman of the Southern Baptist
Convention. Again, we must never accept the sin with the sinner (which is
what Pastor J.D. Greear is doing), or reject the sinner with the sin (which
is what Pastor Fred Phelps did). We must unconditionally love people, while
taking an uncompromising stand against the sin of homosexuality in our
communities.
As I read more about the dysfunctional bizarre life of Melissa Etheridge and her lesbian lovers, I felt like I was reading an episode of The Outer Limits. She found another lesbian partner in 2002, had a commitment ceremony in 2003. Since homosexuals cannot conceive, Etheridge's partner was artificiality inseminated by an anonymous man, which conceived twins. The lesbian couple broke up in 2010, which ended in a prolonged child-support battle that ended in 2012. Melissa found her next lesbian partner and married in 2014. You couldn't make this twisted and bizarre stuff up! I am not judging, God knows my heart, but folks, THIS IS CONFUSION! The Holy Bible says:
Leviticus 20:11-15, “And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you. And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.”
Sexual immorality is confusion! God has made a natural order of things. God instituted marriage, between one male and one female, which conceives children. That is God's plan (1st Timothy 5:14-15). We are living in a very confused society in America today, where people don't even know what gender they are anymore. We call this confused generation today, the “gender-bending” generation, and it is wickedness in the sight of almighty God! I feel sorry for the loss of Beckett, Melissa's 21 year old son. I feel sorry for Melissa's cancer, truly. I love people, God knows my heart. But I look at her life, from a Christian point of view, and my heart breaks. Children deserve a father, not two mommies for parents to raise them. In my humble opinion, the ultimate child abuse is to place a precious, helpless and impressionable little child into the hands of two homosexuals to be raised! What is wrong with our government? What is wrong with society? What is wrong with people today? I'll tell you, we are a Godless nation, who has turned our backs against the only living holy God.
God loves Melissa Etheridge, and so do I with God's unconditional love. I do not judge her, that is not my place. Even Jesus said He didn't come into the world to condemn sinners (John 3:17), but to save them that are lost (Luke 19:10).
