Jump Start # 1323

Acts 5:27-29 “While they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.”

  I expect it’s time for me to say something about my Indiana. We are generally known for basketball, corn on the cob and a 500 mile race in May. I was born in this state and have lived a big portion of my life here. I returned back to this state eight years ago. Lately, Indiana has been in the news for a negative reason. The governor signed a religious freedom law, called, RFRA, that allows people to practice what they believe. The backlash has been horrid. Companies are banning travel to Indiana in protest. Hollywood has ridiculed the governor. The signed bill has been twisted to say things it never intended. Today, the Indiana legislature goes back to try to smooth out some of the difficulties and try to save face. The governor of Arkansas, facing a similar bill, refused to sign it until it was changed.

Our Jump Starts have never been a political format. I for one, do not get too excited about politics. Mostly, because people push agendas and vote by emotion rather than their conscience and their brains. But what is happening, is something that affects righteous people. Our verse today, fits perfectly with the tone of our day. Peter and the other apostles had been arrested and imprisoned for preaching Christ. They are released and threatened not to preach anymore. The local authorities are through with Jesus. They must have thought once He was executed, the movement would dry up and go away. Instead it exploded. Word spread that Jesus had risen and was now in Heaven. Those devote followers wouldn’t back down, even when threatened, some of them killed and others put in prison. They kept preaching. Our verse tells us that the Council gave “strict orders” not to continue teaching about Jesus. Peter ignored that order. He was preaching Jesus. He didn’t care what the law said. He didn’t care what the Council said. He took his marching orders from Heaven, and no one else. There would be consequences to Peter’s decision. More trouble followed. James would be put to death. The followers of Jesus would be severely persecuted. But here we are, all these years later, still teaching, still believing, still walking with the Lord. Peter is our example, not just for the state of Indiana, but for our nation.

Some thoughts:

1. It’s time for many of us to see that it’s a different world today than what many of us grew up in. The homosexual agenda is powerful and loud. It has shifted from tolerance to intolerance of anything else. They use fear, threats and intimidation to push what they want. They are not a nice movement. They get away with bullying those who disagree with them. They eventually will try to drive out marriage between a man and a woman. It’s not that they want same sex marriage, they want that to be the only option. Their numbers are not many, but they have hid themselves behind falsehoods, such as they cannot help it, they cannot change, and have likened their cause to civil rights. Any who dares to oppose them are accused of homophobia and are destroyed in the media and social media as someone who hates. The homosexual movement is filled with inconsistencies, hypocrisies and wrongs. What they expect others to do for them, they will not do the same. They want tolerance of their views, but will not tolerate those who disagree. Accept them or be destroyed is the mentality. There is a war taking place within this country.

2. The legislature is not the place to make man moral. Laws cannot change the heart. There seems to be too many rules, too many laws and all of that is to try to make folks get along and be nice. It’s not going to happen. You can’t make folks tolerate something that they disagree with. Laws are not the answer. It didn’t work in Peter’s day and it won’t work today.

3. These issues are not going to go away. Once the barn door has been opened, it will continue to get worse. It won’t be long until there may be laws about what you can’t say, including in public churches. Teaching against homosexuality may get to the point of being a hate crime. People may attend services to just monitor and watch for such violations. Churches could get fined. Understand things could get a lot worse. Store owners are being sued today because they will not engage in things that they do not believe. They are being forced to go along or go to court. The next step is to take it to the churches. Many spineless churches are already caving in and changing long standing beliefs about abortion, homosexuality and same sex marriage. They have left the Bible long ago to even have rules that they vote upon.

Where does all of this leave us? I don’t need a law, RFRA, to tell me to practice what I believe. God tells me that. It is not a time to be ugly, mean, rude or offensive. Jesus never was. However, it’s not the time to hide our faith for fear of being called a bigot. Practice what your faith tells you. Don’t let a group of people, a law, or social media define nor change what you believe. To stand with Christ means you will be hated. He told us that. To challenge ignorant ideas will bring the wrath upon you. I saw the other day a blog that stated “Sixteen ways the Bible supports homosexuality.” Wrong. Sixteen times it was wrong. Out of context passages. Misused statements. Many will read such things and walk away believing that. Satan’s armies grow every day. Error and fear are two great tools to fill those troops.

Most have not thought things out. Most are not very deep. A shouting match in a public place doesn’t accomplish much. My experiences are that the militant homosexuals do not want to discuss, they want a scene. Drama is important to them. So they will fuss loud if others are around to hear them. The offensive words, name calling and ugliness will be huge. It may hurt, but practice what you believe.

If the folks in LA don’t want to come to Indiana, that’s fine. We have plenty of water here. They don’t. We have some fine people here. We have many who love the Lord and simply want to do what the Bible says. We are being pushed. We are being bullied. Some of us are ready to put a stake in the ground and say, “Enough.” As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Paul was set for the defense of the Gospel. So must we.

I will continue to write, teach and preach the Bible as I understand it. Laws or no law, we must obey God rather than men!

We have a short Jump Start booklet on Same-Sex marriage. If you would like one for free, email me: Rogshouse@aol.com

We will cling to the Lord!

Roger