On 2nd May, our EP co-workers gathered once more to fellowship over lunch and coffee. After lunch, we had a time of worship before continuing a series of biblical sexuality talks organised by our EP Equipping Committee for this year.
We warmly welcomed back the team from Truelove.is and again we are so grateful to the Lord for their faithful ministry. They have been on the frontline in leading and guiding many churches in Singapore and equipping them to understand the views and positions from the LGBTQ community.
In the first segment, one of the speakers sincerely shared with us the LGBTQ’s political developments, especially with the dangers and the challenges that is happening in the West, and now have approached our shores.
In the West, we can see that churches are split, marriages are broken, families are destroyed. All these are happening because we have different understandings of and different positions on sexuality issues. Movements of the ‘emerging church’ or ‘progressive Christianity’ have emerged as a result of these sexuality issues.
The speaker pointed out 3 main differences:
1) Different approach to the Bible
2) Different Jesus and God
3) Different Gospel
The above 3 main differences are enough to divide churches, to break up marriages and to destroy families. Hence the speaker drove home the point that Scripture must be in the front and center of our families, ministries, lives and churches. Scripture must inform, must instruct and must inspire us to live godly lives in according to the teachings of the Living Word of God.
This led us to the second segment. The second speaker shared with us passionately from the Word of God. He spoke about the dangers of the revisionist view - how it twists the words of God, taking them out of context and applying Scripture to suit their lifestyle and theology. It is unfaithful hermeneutics and ungodly applications.
The speaker went straight to the point. He built a strong case for the biblical position on sexuality through the Scripture that: Man is created in the image of God; He created male and female with dignity, yet the differences between the sexes complement each other in their union. Through faithful and accurate handling of Scripture, marriage is only between a man and a woman, sexuality is indeed a gift from God and sex is meant to be within the context of a marriage. Scripture is clear that God condemns pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, homosexual sex, incest, bestiality, and the like. He continued to exhort his listeners to build strong families with the Word of God.
The speaker went through 6 different biblical texts that the revisionists use to support and affirm their sexuality slant. One of the most common biblical examples used is the love between David and Jonathan.
The revisionist has posited this relationship as a homosexual relationship, one of their pinnacle arguments. But this argument can be countered easily through what is written in John 15:13, ESV, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
The speaker sharply pointed out that the love between David and Jonathan is one that is deep in love between the same gender without being sexual or romantic.
In the third and last segment of the talk, the youngest in the team spoke on the challenges that our local universities are facing, especially among the Christian students.
In every corner of the university or through social media, Christian students are facing tons of questions regarding their faith in Christ and regarding their understanding on sexuality. Their own relationships with their LGBTQ+ friends are also challenged with these sexuality issues. What we have heard from our campus students are real, we shouldn’t brush it aside.
The speaker stirred our hearts for the need to teach and equip our younger generations with the Gospel of Christ. Or we may potentially lose one whole generation and many generations after that.
Personal reflections:
It seems like the LGBTQ+ community has intentionally targeted the youths of today to be their future advocates, to be their champions of their lifestyles especially in the realms through the social media platforms.
Likewise, we need to equip our youth with the gospel of Christ, “to be rooted and build up in Christ and establish in the faith” (Colossians 2:7, ESV). In fact, we need to equip the whole church, whether young or old, whether child or parent or even grandparent, all of us need to have biblical understanding of the sexuality issue and practical handles to engage the next generation. We need to be “always prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
The centrality of Scripture is utmost importance to our church and family life.
We need Scripture to be our anchor and our rock in times like these. We need to read the Word of God and begin to disciple our youths in our own homes (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
In so doing, we will be sure and steadfast in our faith, in our walk and in our lives.
We are looking forward to the third talk by Truelove.is in July’s EP Co-Workers Fellowship!
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