Showing posts with label homosexuality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homosexuality. Show all posts

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Franklin Graham Calls on Pastors to Speak Out on Abortion, Homosexuality; Says 'God Hates Cowards'

Franklin Graham Calls on Pastors to Speak Out on Abortion, Homosexuality; Says 'God Hates Cowards'

BY MICHAEL GRYBOSKI , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
May 23, 2014
Franklin Graham(PHOTO: THE CHRISTIAN POST / SONNY HONG)
Rev. Franklin Graham addressing pastors at the Watchmen on the Wall National Briefing, held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Thursday, May 22, 2014.
WASHINGTON – The Rev. Franklin Graham told a large gathering of pastors on Thursday to address controversial issues from the pulpit, declaring that "God hates cowards."
Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, based his remarks on Revelation 21:8, wherein God lists eight groups of people who will be "in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
Of groups like murderers, idolaters, unbelievers, and others, the first group of persons listed were the cowardly. It was this first group that Graham focused on for his speech, titled "Standing Strong on the Controversial Issues," at the Thursday evening session for the 2014 Watchmen on the Wall National Briefing.
"The definition of a coward: a coward will not confront an issue that needs to be confronted due to fear. That is a coward," said Graham.
"God hates cowards. And the cowards that the Lord is referring to are the men and women who know the truth but refuse to speak it."
In his remarks at the dinner session, Graham spoke about the need for churches to speak out against abortion and homosexuality, declaring that "you're not going to shut me up."
"We have a responsibility to speak on the moral issues. Abortion, homosexuality, these are moral issues. This is a free country, you can do what you want to do but I want you to know it's a sin against God. This is a sin," said Graham.
Graham mentioned how he has "friends who are pastors" who say they want to preach the Gospel and not "become targets."
"Well don't you think the Lord Jesus Christ was a target?" asked Graham. "Could we get our heads chopped off? We could, maybe one day. So what? Chop it off!"
Franklin Graham(PHOTO: THE CHRISTIAN POST / SONNY HONG)
Rev. Franklin Graham addressing pastors at the Watchmen on the Wall National Briefing, held at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Thursday, May 22, 2014.
Graham's remarks were part of a multiday conference organized by the Family Research Council. Held from Wednesday to Friday, the Watchmen on the Wall National Briefing was geared toward pastors and encouraging churches to become more involved in politics, social issues, and public policy.
Featured speakers included Pastor Rafael Cruz, the father of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz; Bishop Harry Jackson, author and senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland; Joyce Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries; U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and several others.
For the Thursday evening dinner portion, attendees experienced worship led by contemporary Christian singer Charles Billingsley and were present to see awards given to assorted pastors for their actions on religious liberty.
The last honoree for the evening was Graham. FRC President Tony Perkins commended Graham for his actions in the public sphere.
"Franklin is not the pastor of a church, but in a real sense he is a pastor to America's pastors," said Perkins before presenting Graham with the 2014 Watchman Award.
"And in that role, he has sounded the alarm and raised the righteous standard as have few other leaders in our time."
The son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham, Franklin Graham has garnered controversy in recent years for his remarks on same-sex marriage, Islam, and President Barack Obama.
Some have contrasted his public career with that of his father, arguing that Franklin Graham has taken more overtly political positions than Billy Graham has.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Pastor and Singer Donnie McClurkin Says God Used Music to Free Him From Bondage of Shame


Pastor and Singer Donnie McClurkin

Pastor and Singer Donnie McClurkin Says God Used Music to Free Him From Bondage of Shame


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BY NICOLA MENZIE , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER
April 23, 2014
Donnie McClurkin, pastor and recording artist, shares his testimony at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Fla., during an April 12, 2014, performance and recording(PHOTO: YOUTUBE SCREENGRAB)
Donnie McClurkin, pastor and recording artist, shares his testimony at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Fla., during an April 12, 2014, performance and recording.
In a heart-stirring testimony, Pastor Donnie McClurkin credited his God-given musical talents and the prayer of an influential gospel singer in helping him to get free from the shame and sense of inferiority he had been experiencing at just 11 years old.
"I never thought that I would be doing this because people told me what I could not do," said McClurkin. "They didn't tell me who I was, they never told me what I could accomplish, who I could be. They put the shackles on and the limits on."
"But God used music to free me by increments of all the bondage. Until I could move past what people thought of me, until I could move past people's opinion, until I could move past people's nay-saying, until I could see in me what others wouldn't tell me was there."
McClurkin, who pastors Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, N.Y., and is the winner of several Stellar, Grammy, Dove and other awards, gave the brief testimony during a recent performance at the Holy Land Experience in Orlando.
He went on to share how Andrae Crouch, a pastor, a celebrated gospel artist and one of the pioneers of Contemporary Christian Music, encouraged him at the age of 11 with a prayer that God would give to McClurkin what God had given to him.
Watch McClurkin's brief testimony in the video player below:
YouTube/TBN
Donnie McClurkin testifies how God freed him from bondage.
McClurkin has shared publicly the troubles he had as a youth, including the death of a sibling, substance abuse in his family, and being sexually abused by both his great uncle and later his great uncle's son.
The 54-year-old minister and recording artist, born Donald Andrew McClurkin Jr., would go on to confess that as an adult he struggled with same-sex attraction due to his being abused as a child. However, he shared in 2002, that he had been "delivered" from a gay lifestyle.
"I've been through this and have experienced God's power to change my lifestyle. I am delivered and I know God can deliver others, too," McClurkin shared, according to The Washington Post.
McClurkin has faced push-back due to his ex-gay testimony, with a fracas occurring last summer when the Christian singer was allegedly "uninvited" from a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial concert in Washington, D.C., presumably due to his expressed views on homosexuality.
While McClurkin insisted that D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray had bowed to the pressure of gay rights activists, Gray told reporters it was the gospel singer who had decided to drop out of the event. Read more about the story here: Pastor Donnie McClurkin 'Uninvited' From MLK Memorial Concert Over 'Ex-Gay' Testimony?, and learn more about McClurkin's ministry and popular radio show online: http://www.donniemcclurkin.com.


Monday, March 31, 2014

After Chick-Fil-A Success, Mike Huckabee Pushes 'Hobby Lobby Day' - GINA MEEKS, Charisma News

Hobby Lobby

The Family Research Council has organized a 'Hobby Lobby Day,' and Mike Huckabee is urging people to show their support for the company by participating. (Nicholas Eckhart/Flickr/Creative Commons)

After Chick-Fil-A Success, Mike Huckabee Pushes 'Hobby Lobby Day'





When Chick-fil-A came under fire for comments CEO and President Dan Cathy made about homosexuality, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee asked customers to show their support. Now he’s doing the same for Hobby Lobby.
The Supreme Court began hearing arguments this week in the arts-and-crafts retailer’s case opposing the contraception mandate in Obamacare. The Green family will be forced to pay $1.3 million per day in fines or cancel health care coverage for their employees if they lose this case.
According to a poll commissioned by Family Research Council and Alliance Defending Freedom, 59 percent of likely voters disapprove of the HHS mandate (including 54 percent of women ages 18-44).
The Family Research Council is asking Christians across the nation to show their support for Hobby Lobby on Saturday.
An event called “Hobby Lobby Day” on Facebook asks people to change their profile to show support, shop at Hobby Lobby stores or online on Saturday, say thank you with a card, and share a photo of the shopping trip on social media with the #HobbyLobbyDay hashtag.
“If Obamacare forces Hobby Lobby ... to provide abortive drugs, even though the privately run, family-run business opposes it on moral grounds, then the government has decided that you can only believe so much," Huckabee said on his Fox News television show Saturday. "And when there’s a conflict, the individual loses to the government. Now that, my friend, is a loss of liberty. This is a fundamentally outrageous action to anyone, liberal or conservative, who believes the Constitution was created to keep us free, not to keep us from being free.”
Huckabee says Hobby Lobby Day gives people the opportunity to show their support “and to express appreciation for [Hobby Lobby’s] courage in risking the very existence of their business to stand for what should be clear-cut, constitutional rights.”
Huckabee adds, “If religious liberty and freedom of conscience doesn’t exist for Hobby Lobby, how long will it be before it’s taken from you? Enough of government thinking it’s God and trying to act like it. We not only owe it to our children and grandchildren, but we owe it to the founders who meant to guarantee our freedom.”

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Graham on World Vision: Sin Can't Unite Church - CBN NEWS


Church leaders are denouncing a decision by World Vision, one of the country's top Christian charities, to hire applicants in same-sex marriages.
The organization's president, Richard Stearns, announced the new policy in a letter to staff on Monday.
He said the move was not "symbolic not of compromise but of [Christian] unity," adding that the new policy defers to the authority of local churches on the issue.
"This is not an endorsement of same-sex marriage," Newsmax quoted Stearns. "We have decided we are not going to get into that debate. Nor is this a rejection of traditional marriage, which we affirm and support."
But faith leaders like Franklin Graham, president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, dismissed Stearn's claims.
"World Vision maintains their decision is based on unifying the church -- which I find offensive -- as if supporting sin and sinful behavior can unite the Church," Franklin wrote on his Facebook page.
In addition, the Assemblies of God is calling for its members to shift their support to other charities.
Even so, Stearns said the board of the non-profit had been praying about the decision for years, and they hoped the change would keep the focus on their outreach to the poor and avoid controversy.
A fifth of the World Vision funding comes from the federal government.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

The Spirit Is Saying 'Forward'! - Dr. Michael Brown

Michael Brown


The Spirit Is Saying 'Forward'!



While reflecting on a powerful quote from the lips of Catherine Booth, I was struck by the fact that the latest strategies of the American church, strategies to avoid conflict with the world, are not only wrongheaded. They are actually diametrically opposed to the strategies we should be following.
Let me explain what I mean.
Catherine Booth was the co-founder of the Salvation Army, along with her husband, William Booth, and for decades the Salvationists were known for their fearless, uncompromising preaching of the gospel, their sacrificial living and their compassionate care for the hurting and the poor.
Catherine was the more fiery preacher of the two, and in her sermon “Aggressive Christianity,” she exclaimed, “Opposition! It is a bad sign for the Christianity of this day that it provokes so little opposition. If there were no other evidence of it being wrong, I should know from that. When the church and the world can jog along together comfortably, you may be sure there is something wrong. The world has not altered. Its spirit is exactly the same as it ever was, and if Christians were equally faithful and devoted to the Lord and separated from the world, living so that their lives were a reproof to all ungodliness, the world would hate them as much as it ever did. It is thechurch that has altered, not the world.”
I had quoted these words almost 25 years ago in my book How Saved Are We?—not to mention many times since—but last week, when I posted them on my Facebook page, something hit me between the eyes.
On the one hand, Catherine's words are more relevant now than when she uttered them in England in the 1800s, since in so many ways the church of America and the world do “jog along together comfortably” today.
As I wrote in 1993 in The End of the American Gospel Enterprise, “Like Sardis, we have become the ‘perfect model of inoffensive Christianity’ (G. B. Caird), ‘having a reputation of being alive, yet being dead’ (Rev. 3:1). Like Sardis, we have so come to terms with our pagan environment that we provoke almost no opposition and make virtually no impact. And like Sardis, situated high on a mountain rock, we have felt safe and secure in this world.”
And that was written back in 1993. Just think of how much more compromised and inoffensive we have become since then!
But as I reflected on Catherine Booth’s piercing words, I said to myself, “Yet in many other ways, the church of America and the world are absolutely not jogging along together comfortably. We find ourselves in conflict, and there is often hostility, anger, legal persecution and, occasionally, even violence directed against us.”
Yes, the truth be told, on some important fronts, we are experiencing real opposition from the world, and some of it is vicious and angry.
Where exactly are we experiencing fierce opposition? And what are these important fronts?
I can answer those questions in two words: abortion and homosexuality.
Yet these are the very fronts from which many Christian leaders are urging us to retreat, telling us that we need to stop provoking so much controversy and that we need to quit standing up for these vital social issues if we want to win to Jesus those on the other side.
Now, I totally agree that we must be full of compassion and grace when we stand for righteousness and that we must overcome evil with good and hatred with love. And to the extent we get in the flesh and become mean-spirited and nasty, we are already defeated and we have brought reproach to the Lord, not to mention driven away those He died for.
And I absolutely affirm that the first and greatest priority is winning the lost and making disciples.
But didn’t Jesus say that those who were “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” were truly happy and blessed (Matt. 5:10, ESV)? And didn’t He say that this is how the prophets before us were persecuted (vv. 11-12)? And weren’t the prophets persecuted for calling their nation to repentance and for rebuking social evils?
Why should it be different with us?
When Paul spoke to Felix about “faith in Christ Jesus,” didn’t he also speak to him “about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment,” and isn’t this why Felix became alarmed (Acts 24:24-25)? (Felix was basically living in adultery with his wife, based on the laws and customs of the day.)
But today, when it is clear that we have hit a nerve when we stand up for the life of the unborn, to the point that peaceful pro-life activists have been attacked by police, some are telling us that we need to adopt a softer, more gentle tone.
Isn’t this simply a matter of compromise and appeasement?
And today, when it is clear that we have hit another major nerve when we oppose homosexual activism—while welcoming every lost person into our churches to hear the gospel and receive God’s love—we are told that if we will only drop this divisive issue, then we will see many more gays and lesbians saved and helped.
Again, I do agree that we have become too politicized on these issues—they are really gospel issues first and foremost and political issues second—but in reality, unless we affirm homosexuality as God-blessed and God-given, we will still be viewed as Bible-bashing homophobes. And we will soon learn the truth of Winston Churchill’s remark that “an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last.”
Pastors, leaders, parents and all concerned believers, hear me clearly today: When and if same-sex marriage is codified as law throughout America, gay activists will not simply say, “We have finally achieved our goal!” To the contrary, all of us who do not affirm and endorse homosexuality (and bisexuality and transgenderism) will be singled out as intolerant bigots, and our freedoms of conscience, speech and religion will be the next things to go.
In fact, they are already on their way out, unless we take a stand for righteousness today.
What then do we do?
First, we repent of all known sin in our own lives, purging ourselves of hypocrisy, with God’s supernatural help.
Second, we ask God for a broken heart of compassion for those who oppose His standards.
And third, we ask the Lord for courage to stand, refusing to compromise or back down regardless of cost or consequence, prepared to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake and counting that persecution a true joy, always lifting up the name of Jesus in spirit and word and deed.
Where are we experiencing opposition today? That is where we need to take our stand.
As Martin Luther said, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”
I hear the Spirit of God saying, “Forward!” I do not hear Him saying, “Retreat!”
Michael Brown is author of Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message and host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire on the Salem Radio Network. He is also president of FIRE School of Ministry and director of the Coalition of Conscience. Follow him at AskDrBrown on Facebook or at @drmichaellbrown on Twitter.
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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Deliverance from Sexual Sins - Jim Croft

Deliverance from Sexual Sins 
- Adapted from sermon on Omega Man Internet Radio Show 11/19/13

Jim Croft


This article is designed to give Christians a biblical perspective about sexual practice and orientation. It is presented to answer questions that Christians frequently asks about sex practices. The word definitions offered can be verified by Strong’s Concordance; the footnotes and lexicon of Zodhiates’ KJV Study Bible; Dake’s Bible; and English language dictionaries. 

Please be forewarned that the explanations given require vividness beyond the comfort zones of routine Christian reading. As you read, it would be beneficial to keep a scriptural proverb and a spiritual principle in mind. The scriptural proverb: "I am not my own. The members of my body are for the Lord. I have been bought with a price: The precious blood of Jesus." 

The spiritual principle 

Without discipline, there cannot be any lasting enjoyment of life’s pleasures. 

Target Audience 

This piece is not intended to be overlaid on the unconverted of American society. It is not a demand that they see the matters at issue from a Christian perspective. Those who have not experienced the light of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ are not automatically predisposed to sense a need to distinguish right from wrong in regard to sexual activity and sexual orientation. 

There are believers who claim that our society’s preoccupation with sex and acceptance of aberrant sexual practice is a primary cause for national woes. The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community are often named as a major focus of blame. The attitudes displayed by many toward those of homosexual orientation are un-Christian, unbiblical and un-American. 

 It is inappropriate to suggest that they should be barred from public employment based upon private sexual practice. The Bible admonishes Christians to be at peace with all men and to honor all people. (Heb 12:14; 1Pet 2:17) Cordial respect for people in the thoroughfares of life does not carry innuendo that every aspect of lifestyle is condoned. The Corinthian believers were guilty of grievous sexual sins. Nevertheless, the opening remarks of Paul’s first letter gave them credit for where credit was due. (1Cor 1:4-7) He made honorable mention of the many areas of spirituality where they excelled. (1Cor 1:5-7) 

Lesbians and Gays tend to have reputations for dedication to vocational excellence and to pleasing business clients. Christians called to exemplify the peace of God should be willing to honor LGBT people for the contributions they make to daily life without making an issue of their chosen sexual orientation. 

Some pulpits assert that the reason that there has not been widespread national revival is because of its decadence. This position does not have biblical support. It is a deception directly from Satan’s playbook. This can be seen by considering the evangelistic success of the First Century Church and by examining the writings of the Apostle Paul. 

The Gentile cultures of his day had been steeped in every form of deviate sexual practice for centuries. It was en vogue for the wealthy to have mistresses. Male and female temple prostitutes were available for idolatrous heterosexual and homosexual rituals. Pedophilia was a point of pride and bestiality was not uncommon. 

The intensity of their societal decadence far surpasses that of present American culture. Nevertheless, the cultural preoccupation with sex did not hinder evangelism. Churches had numerous people who had once been adulterers; promiscuous libertines; and those of (LGBT) orientation. Overall, the adversarial environment to which some Christians have contributed by not minding their own business has not enhanced the world’s view of the Body of Christ. (1Pet 4:15) 

Our Business & God's Business 

Even though Paul commended the Corinthians in his opening remarks, he later reprimanded them for the various forms of sexual immorality that were common among them. He made special emphasis about a man guilty of incest with his stepmother. Paul compared sexual sins to yeast that spoiled the purity of the loaf of Christian fellowship. He called for cleansing repentance from sexual sin’s yeast. (1Cor 5) 

Paul insisted that believers were not to keep company with professing Christians who persisted in sexual immorality. He specified that he was not speaking of the necessary interaction that believers must have with the unconverted in this life. Restrictions that broad would require removal from the planet. (1Cor 5:9- 10) The world’s attitude about what it means to be Christian would tend to be more favorable if believers would abide by New Testament principles. The Word does not commission Christians to judge and condemn the people of the world for any sins, sexual or otherwise. 

The apostle Paul stated emphatically that it was not his place or ours to condemn deviate behavior among the unconverted. (1Cor 5:9–13) We are, however, charged to gently approach fellow believers when we sense that they are snared by aberrant behavior. It is our business to judge ourselves to prevent God’s judgment from falling on any of us. It is God's business to convict the unconverted about the danger of judgment for sin, including sexual impropriety. (1Cor 5:9-13)

Perverse Sex Insults God’s Holiness 

After God created Adam and Eve, He commended His handiwork by saying it was very good. The goodness God spoke of included their capacity to enjoy sexual relations. The bond of physical intimacy between a husband and wife typifies the relational non-sexual intimacy that the redeemed are to have with the Godhead through the Holy Spirit. (Eph 5:30–32) 

Husbands and wives are one flesh. Those who are joined to the Lord are one in spirit and body with Him. Salvation’s mystical union unites believers with the Trinitarian oneness of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 

Satan and his evil spirits have never been offered an intimate familial relationship with the Godhead. The devil and his minions, therefore, are insanely jealous of the quality of trust that sexual intimacy between married couples of the opposite sex represents in the eternal realm of the Spirit. Satan and evil spirits are incapable of attacking God directly. 

This is why demons throughout human history have concentrated so much effort on polluting sexual intimacy. The unholy and unnatural defilements that mankind invents at the urging of evil spirits are designed to insult God. 

Origins of Perversity 

Romans 1:18–32 outlines how sex perversions evolved. Subsequent to the fall of Adam, mankind began a downward spiral. The motivating factor was pride. It caused mankind to suppress the truth that God’s invisible attributes and the path to godliness can be clearly understood by observing creation. There are many facets of life that are designed to reflect God’s glory. 

The devil enticed humans to become preoccupied with self-centeredness that led to idolatry. His first subsequent step was the perversion of sex. According to the Bible, the natural sexual functions of men and women were exchanged for unclean acts that were unnatural. The progressions within the verses seem to indicate that women led the way in craving unclean sex acts that were against nature. 

We need to examine the implications of terms used in Rom 1:24-27. The basic meaning in Greek for “unclean” can be physical or moral, or can infer both simultaneously. The Old Testament was given to enlighten us about godly principles. This has relevance to what falls under the term, unclean.

God walked among the tents of the Israelites in the Wilderness and their camp was to be kept holy. When pressed to have bowel movements, which are routinely accompanied by urination, they were instructed to go out of the camp. The refuse was to be buried with a digging implement. The instruction’s purpose was to prevent God from seeing the uncleanness and removing his protective hand from his people. (Deut 23:12-14)

The concept that refuse and urine polluted the camp and was repulsive to God can have a message for Christians. It might be considered strong suggestion that oral and anal sex is unclean. Those acts bring the partner performing the act directly into contact with the residue of the fecal material or the urine residue of the recipient. Some might complain that they are under grace and not the Law. 

In the context of sex the apostle Paul disagrees. He said that the Law was specifically for those who committed unlawful acts that were against sound doctrine. Fornication and sodomy were in the list. (1Tim 1:8-10) Later in this article, you will see that sodomy’s definition includes oral and anal copulation. The word translated as “lusts” in Rom 1:24 is the longing for that which is forbidden. The definition for “against nature” in Rom 1:26, is “against germination.” 

Here is the gist of what is conveyed in Rom 1:24-27: Perhaps to avoid unwanted pregnancy and surely with ungodly craving, men and women engaged in forbidden immoral sex acts that were unnatural and physically unclean. Eventually, the sex acts expanded to use among same sex partners. In other words, the corruption of sexual relations began with heterosexuals and subsequently homosexuality evolved as a deeper unnatural corruption. 

By definition, activities designed to implant seed emitted from the reproductive organs of one sex into that of the opposite sex for fertilization are natural. Emissions with those of the same sex are unnatural. The same might be said of emissions into body cavities that do not lead directly to fertilization. 

This puts heterosexual oral and anal sex at question to the same extent as homosexual practice. Rebellion by committing unnatural sex acts led to other sins such as greed, deceit, strife, unforgiveness, and hatred for God. Mankind was permitted to go its own way. All the while the voice of conscience warned that those who sow such acts chance reaping self-inflicted judgments. (Rom 2:1-16) 

Further Definitions 

Newer translations of the Bible do not give the clarity of the KJV in relation to terminology related to sexual practice and compulsions. The definitions become more understandable by Greek Lexicon and English language dictionary searches. I will provide some definitions and will make remarks that you can weigh with your conscience to evaluate what might be applicable to you. 

Sexual immorality 

According to Webster’s Dictionary the word immoral is defined as not conforming to accepted patterns of what is considered right and wrong behavior in a culture. This is problematic for Christians because the societal understanding of what is acceptable sexual practice has changed over the past generation. Many converts that have come into our churches in recent decades have a concept of sexual morality that is far more permissive than that of previous generations. 

Much of what they practice and think is morally OK is actually sexual immorality. At this point newer translations of the Bible are not helpful. Sexual immorality is often used as a generic term that blurs the meaning of distinct objectionable sex acts. 

One of the words often blanketed is fornication. Throughout the Bible, fornication denotes most every unlawful sex act that is against sound doctrine. Its use in the KJV includes promiscuity among the unmarried, adultery and incest. (Matt 5:32; 1Cor 5:1, 6:9) 

In Heb 13:4, avoiding adultery and fornication are mentioned in relation to the sanctity of the marriage bed. This leads me to believe that fornication might also apply to some sex acts within marriage by which many are polluting the marriage bed without knowing it. 

Many relatively recent converts do not understand that the mindset they brought into the salvation about sexual morality might not meet authentic biblical standards. 

I once had a conversation with a minister who had a broad ministry with Christian singles. As he traveled from church to church, he frequently asked for a show of hands from those who were sexually active. He said the norm was well over 80%. 

Sodomite (1Cor 6:9 NKJV) – Sodomy defines the sexual practices of LGBT people and of many heterosexual teens, adult singles, and married couples. The dictionary definition of sodomy gives reason for concern. It is anal or oral copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex; and it is also copulation with animals. 

For the sake of decency, I cannot go into details about how the bestiality happens. However, it is not unusual for ER workers to be called upon to extract declawed rodents from the body cavities of homosexuals. 

Oral sex is extremely common in Christian circles. Girls as young as eleven are giving oral sex to lines of waiting boys. It is touted in some areas as “the new goodnight kiss.” 

Twenty years ago, I frequently ministered at the 3rd largest Pentecostal assembly in a faraway State. The music team of young singles trusted me as a spiritual confidant. They once asked if I thought it was OK for them to service one another to relieve stress. I asked what servicing meant. They said it was giving oral sex to team members of the opposite sex who were chosen at random. 

The answer that I gently gave them was nothing akin to what they had hoped. Anal sex is less common, but there are Christians who have no pang of conscience about engaging in it as a substitute for vaginal intercourse and as sexual foreplay. Like oral sex, it is at times employed with dating couples who plead monogamy as they intend to marry. 

Most would concede that marriage plans do not always work out. Even if they did, the concern of believers should be to do all things as unto the Lord. 

Harlotry

A harlot is a woman who sells a variety of sex acts. The Old Testament expands harlotry to “playing the harlot.” This was reference to young women having premarital sex. The penalty was death by stoning. (Deut 22:20-21) 

We can all be grateful that the death penalty does not apply under the New Covenant. But, we cannot assume that God has dismissed his objections to single women playing the harlot. And, for sure men are not given a free pass in the matter. 

This is made evident in 1Cor 6:15-20. Whether male or female the bodily parts of a Christian’s body are joined to the Lord. Entrance into the body of another and conversely being entered, whether vaginal, oral or anal; in affect unites the Lord and the two committing the sinful act together as one. 

Our temples of the Holy Spirit are not to be used to drag the Lord through sinful mires. 

Masturbation

There are Christians who say there are not any explicit admonitions in the Bible against masturbation. Jesus stated that any man, who looks on a woman with lust, has committed adultery in his heart. (Mt 5:28) 

During masturbation, normally speaking, another person is envisioned as a participant. Does it not stand to reason that the fantasies imagined while bringing about orgasmic release intensifies the sinfulness? Those who are lenient with themselves about masturbation risk giving invitation to depraved sex spirits.  
I once dealt with a seminary student who confessed addiction to necrophilia. He masturbated with dead fur-bearing animals. God set him free of that hideous demon. There are those who claim that masturbation can be enacted mechanically without thinking about another person. The Book of Jude speaks about those who are sensually minded and are not exhibiting the Spirit of God. A sensual person has excessive devotion to fulfilling bodily appetites. 

Jude compared the sensually minded to the people of Sodom who were only interested in self gratification. He stated that the wayward believers were acting like brute beast. (Jude 1:4, 7-8, 10, 16, 18-19) Beasts seek sexual release without reasoning about anything beyond the drive to fulfill a bestial urge. Can it possibly be righteous for a Christian to release an urge in a non-thinking manner that was intended to foreshadow eternal intimacy with God? I think not. 

We are new creations in Christ and we must not be reduced to acting like brute beasts. 

Homosexuality 

Most anyone who counsels churched people has encountered closet homosexuals and bisexuals. In the context of Christianity and the born-again experience, the argument about whether homosexuality is genetic or acquired is rendered moot. Even the rare instances in which a person is born with homosexual desires or tendencies do not provide a free pass to engage in a sodomistic homosexual lifestyle. 

It is just as ungodly to live out the tendency toward homosexuality as it would be to live out an inborn tendency to be a drunkard. 

Some complain that homosexuality is natural because some same sex animals ride one another sexually. They did not do so at creation. God referred to them as good and blessed them with the good ability to be fruitful in producing after like kind. (Gen 1:21-25) 

The fall of Adam corrupted the entirety of creation. For this reason creation groans, waiting for redemption from the ugly futilities of the fall of Adam (Rom 8:20-22) 

It is not life-threatening to say no to the forbidden behavior for the sake of Christ. One can go to heaven with unfulfilled sexual compulsions. No one can see God unless he or she has reckoned those unlawful passions as dead in the active pursuit of holiness. (Col 3:5; Heb 12:14) 

The claim of Satan’s propaganda machine is that that sexual abnormalities do not succumb to reparative therapy. That is not what the Bible teaches. In 1 Corinthians 6:9–13, there is a list of unrighteous individuals who will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, drunkards and revilers are mentioned specifically. 

The passage proclaims boldly, however, that these ones can be changed by salvation. I have added italics to verse eleven to emphasize that after being born again, those who previously sinned in that way were no longer ensnared in those sins: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 

Without question, those who want to continue homosexuality after experiencing the new birth often exhibit a double standard. Let us imagine a professing Christian homosexual couple has one partner who is a thief and is given to abusive speech. It is highly probable that the law-abiding, verbally abused partner would press the offending partner to stop stealing and to control his tongue. Furthermore, he would expect him to succeed at doing so. 

Biblically, thievery and abusive speech appear in the same list as fornication and homosexuality. Remember the phrase that such were some of you in 1 Corinthians 6:11: Is there any biblical reason why it applies to thieves and revilers and not to homosexuals? There is no difference. Sin is sin. 

Christ within empowers believers to put all sinful inclinations into the past tense. 

Testimony 

There is a need for the churched to confess and to receive deliverance from homosexual temptation. When I was 9 years old, my father invited a member of our church to have Sunday lunch with us. While my parents were preparing the table, the man watched television with me.  He began to fondle my privates through my clothing. 

It was very frightening and after a few minutes I jumped up and ran to tell my father. He expelled the man from our home. However, the man continued attending our church and no one was warned about his predatory homosexual pedophilia. 

Several years later it was discovered that the church's minister of music was a ravenous bisexual. I never gave the incident another thought until after my salvation at age 24. I had no interests in homosexuality and in fact had no idea about what they did to one another. 

However, shortly after I accepted Christ I began to have weird compulsions and fears. At times, I wondered what it would be like to dress like a woman. This gave me the tormenting fear that I might be a latent homosexual. I never gave in to the compulsions nor did I ever experiment with what I feared. Where did this plague come from?

Fear trauma had gripped me as that man briefly fondled me at age 9. This gave entrance to evil spirits that fueled the compulsion and my unreasonable fears. The light of Christ and the rain of the Holy Spirit that came with my baptism in the Holy Spirit exposed the evil spirits and caused them to surface with fury. (Eph 5:8-14; Heb 6:7-8) 

I praise God that I had the Christian discipline to resist the cross dressing compulsion. I learned about deliverance from evil spirits. Through self- deliverance, I expelled the effeminate demon and the demon of the fear of latent homosexuality from myself. I have been completely free since that time. Through deliverance ministry, Satan’s plans to destroy my marriage and my ministry were spoiled. 

Marriage 

With married couples, the voice of God within is a trustworthy gauge to help discern what is appropriate and what is not. Certainly within the bonds of married love, there is room for variety in sexual positions and so forth. 

If, however, the “so forth” experimentation makes either partner uncomfortable, the uneasiness is likely justified. It is sinful to coerce a spouse to engage in a sexual activity that they cannot perform in good conscience. Anyone who continually ignores godly inhibitions is at risk of opening up to spirits of perversion. 

Further enticements for more intense types of experimentation are likely to follow. Astonishingly, for example, there are sophisticated people who are addicted to pain during sex. Two of the bizarre practices are choking and fisting. Both were surely spawned by demons. 

With choking, the female’s breath is cutoff when she signals nearing orgasm. This supposedly heightens intensity of orgasm. Fisting is used in masturbation. The operative partner puts direct finger pressure on a male recipient’s prostate to bring about excessive ejaculation. Or, the operative partner yanks on a male or female recipient’s lower bowel when told orgasm is beginning. 

It is not unusual for hospitalization to be requited for the severely injured. Satan’s objective is to inundate the marriage bed with activities that cause couples to cast aside all thoughts of holy union. In such instances, many would testify that any momentary gratification they might experience carries a heavy price tag of emptiness of soul the morning after. 

Motives 

I realize that this reading has provoked varying reactions. Some are relieved for clarity about practices about which they have had doubts. Others wish I would keep my opinions to myself. It would be appropriate for the latter to weigh their motives. 

All of the ways of a man are right in his own eyes, but God weighs the motives. (Prov 16:2) What is driving your resistance? Are you sure that the Holy Spirit within your conscience is giving you liberty to do whatever you like in sexual practice? Or, could it be that what you long for is actually your carnal mind warring against the truth in your spirit? (Rom 8:5-9; 1Pet 2:11; Gal 5:17) 

Believers are to set their affections on complying with God’s Spirit. We are to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive unto righteous behavior. Our bodies are to be considered dead to the fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affections and evil concupiscence that we once walked in that provoke the anger of God. (Col 3:1-7) 

Some practices and attitudes are physically filthy and morally defiling. The footnotes and lexicon of Zodhiates’ KJV Study Bible bring clarity to those found in the Col 3 passage. Zodhiates defines fornication as the sexual sins of the unmarried and married, including adultery, homosexuality, and incest. 

The Greek for inordinate affections is pathos epithumia. Pathos is to have a diseased condition of soul. Epithumia is the lusts that are spawned by a diseased soul. Evil concupiscence is a longing, especially for that which is forbidden or constitutionally bad, evil. Older translations of the Bible make reference to lasciviousness in 2Cor 12:21 and Gal 5:19. 

Biblically it means to stir-up lusts in others that cannot be legitimately fulfilled in holiness. Isa 3:16-25 gives a flaming indictment against the daughters of Zion who walked in haughty flirtatious. Christian women and men are of Zion and there are those who dress and behave in a sexually provocative manner to draw attention. (Heb 12:22) 

It must be remembered that the scriptures warn that those who do not repent shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. I do not know the full implications of inherit. I imagine that at best it means that such individuals will be granted entrance into heaven, but will not ever have right to wield authority in the eternal Kingdom. I shudder even to think about the far worse alternative consequence for rebellion. 

Christians are in a race to win God’s crown of approval at the Judgment Seat of Christ. We are to keep our bodies under subjection lest we reject conscience and make shipwreck of our faith. Those who do so risks shrinking back in shame at the Lord’s coming. 

We are to be able to face the Lord in full expectation of the highest afterlife rewards. (1Cor 9:24-27; 1Tim 1:19; 1Jn 2:28-30; Philip 3:13; 2Tim 4:6-8) 

Deliverance 

The first step toward liberation from all forms of sexual sins is to genuinely want deliverance. It is unproductive to submit to deliverance just to please parents or to comply with the wishes of a spouse or to ease momentary guilt pangs. The primary motive must be the Spirit-inspired conviction that the act at issue insults the holiness of God. 

All sins are primarily of the flesh and any can be exacerbated by evil spirits. For this reason, it is appropriate to employ deliverance as well as repenting of the particular sin when it has not previously responded to routine Christian discipline. Going after a possible demon can completely eradicate some problems and can lower the intensity of others so that you can effectively resist temptations. (Gal 5:19-21) 

You must be absolutely committed to the reality that the old carnal nature was crucified with Christ at Calvary. That entity is dead and was buried in the waters of baptism. With those factors established, the specific demon of perversity must be expelled. 

If you are seeking help in this area, treat that demon with utter hatred over the despicable acts it has compelled you to perform. Homosexuals who have flaunted gayness in spiteful arrogance should repent of glorying in that which is shameful. (1Cor 5:1–2, 6; Eph 5:11–12) 

When I minister to those given to sex perversions and to sex addicts, I ask them to lay their hands on their erogenous zones, one by one. As they do so, I command the particular evil spirit to leave each location in Jesus’ name. 

In addition, sex addicts I have counseled have described what I define as an erotic demonic energy resident in them. It causes their flesh to tingle with desire for erotic flesh on flesh contact internally as well as externally. I have them repeat the laying-on-of-hands procedure and ask them to personally command that demonic energy to leave them. They often report that they felt the energy draining from them. I have seen the siphoning sensation weaken some to the extent that they physically collapsed. Have confidence that the Lord has given you authority to minister self-deliverance. 

This article has covered some sensitive core issues. It is fitting to spend some time seeking God as to whether or not areas in your life need adjustment. I suggest that you remember this article’s introductory scriptural proverb and repeat it several times. "I am not my own. The members of my body are for the Lord. I have been bought with a price: The precious blood of Jesus." 

If you sense deliverance from evil spirits is needed, confess the introduction’s spiritual principle with this add on before ministering self-deliverance: “Without discipline, there cannot be any lasting enjoyment of life’s pleasures. I will exercise discipline in all bodily appetites. By the power of the blood of Jesus, I will keep my body under subjection to the Cross of Christ. I command every sexual demonic spirit to leave my mind and soul now. The power of the strips of Jesus now heals my soul of its pathos diseased condition. My soul is healthy in righteousness and no defiling lusts will spring from it again. In Jesus’ name Amen.”

Jim Croft