Jump Start # 999

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

  The forces of evil never quit. They never give up. They push and push until they get their way. The latest victim is Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty fame. He has been suspended from the show because of comments he made against homosexuality in an interview for GQ magazine. I feel that he was set up. There are certain topics that are sure to get the wrath of the godless society and intolerance of homosexuality is near the top of that list. I am a huge Duck fan. I like how every show ends with the family praying. I’m certain the forces of darkness hate that. A & E, the station that televises Duck Dynasty are in a tough spot. They are liberal toward the homosexual community however the Duck show is the # 1 cable show. It’s a huge cash cow for them.

It will be interesting to see if stores drop the Duck merchandise because of Phil’s comments. Have you noticed how much Duck Dynasty items are available? Think of just about anything and you will find a Duck Dynasty version of it. Grocery stores, hardware stores, Walmart, and up scale stores all sell Duck stuff. Right before Christmas, how interesting and what a dilemma this puts stores in. Paula Deen was dropped immediately because of racial remarks. What will they do with the Duck man?

All of this hoopla gives us a few things to talk about.

First, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. It’s time folks on God’s side woke up and realized this. Things are not getting better, they are getting worse. More and more people are intolerant of what God says. They will tolerate sin. They will tolerate judging from their side of the street, but they sure can’t accept it from the other side. These high profile stories will trickle down to people not being hired because of their views against homosexuality. The courts will continue to force the acceptance of homosexuality. Gay couples will push churches to accept them, have their weddings there and become silent about what they do. This is a battle. All wars are ugly, costly and good people get hurt. It’s time to put your helmet on, take up your sword and stand up, stand up for Jesus.

Second, Yeah to Phil Robertson for sticking with his beliefs and stating that homosexuality is sinful. His words were graphic and blunt, but that’s Phil. We need more to do the same. Don’t water down what God says. Don’t apologize for what God says. Believe. Stand up. Speak out. The world wants to change God and the Bible. God wants the world to change. God will win. Let us not be ashamed. Now, in doing this, don’t be a jerk. Don’t be rude or ugly. Don’t be mean. Don’t be hateful. God wants and we should want all to come to Christ and be saved. God hates sin. God wants all to repent and come to Him. Using off color, derogatory words and declaring that any who differ with us ought to go to Hell is not the language of the Bible. We do not represent God when we act like idiots. We do not build a strong case, nor convince others when we act like idiots. Correct with gentleness is the theme of the N.T.

Third, Some who claim to know what God says really do not. The president of GLADD, which is the official homosexual movement made a dumb reply to what Phil Robertson said. He claimed that Phil’s words were out of line with Christians. He went on to state that Christians accept homosexuality. The problem is too many churches have caved in and sold out to this movement. They lack backbone and conviction. Gay ministers fill mainline denominations. Their twisted and distorted mind lacks Biblical understanding. In Romans, homosexuality is called degrading, unnatural, indecent and wrong. The world sees the church as weak and voiceless and the puppet to the wishes of a sinful society. Put enough pressure on and most churches change. How sad that is. They would rather stand behind sinful behavior than stand with the Holy God. We need to speak accurately and fairly what God says. The world is quick to declare, “God loves.” He does. He doesn’t love disrespect nor rebellion. He doesn’t love sin. God loves. Do we? Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” You don’t hear Mr. GLADD saying that. He must have got a few pages stuck together when he read the Bible. God loves. God wants people to obey Him. Those are not opposites. They go together. Accepting what God declares is wrong, is wrong.

Finally, few things ever return to the way they were. We live in dark days. Many of us long for the innocence of days gone by. They are truly “gone by.” People don’t want that. We must never tire in standing for what God says. Some day this battle will be over. We are one day closer to Heaven.

I have written a Jump Start booklet about same sex marriage. I believe we are not in the position to define marriage, God is. We start with the wrong step when we think we can redefine what God has defined. We do not have that right. If you would like a copy, email me (rogshouse@aol.com).

We are the light of the world. That light seems to shine brighter and brighter as the world gets darker and darker. Let us never call good evil and evil good!

Roger