Is the Bible against GLBT people?

No.

The so called condemnation verses in the OT and NT are not against GLBT people, but against promiscuity and temple prostitution. These activities were committed by heterosexual people who went against their gender preference nature and got involved in sexual activities of a homosexual nature.  God made us all in His image - whether you are gay or straight. If you are straight you should get involved in heterosexual relationships. If you are gay, you should connect with homosexual/lesbian people. This is your nature. A.Kinsey did a wonderful study on human sexuality. Not one person this earth is totally homosexual or totally strait. Gender preference moves on a continuum. Make peace with your preference, stick to and live your life to the full. We are reasonable people therefore we can choose between right and wrong. The definition of sin is to miss the goal. If you are attracted to people of the same gender, you should be true to that attraction and not try and please your culture, society or whoever by living a lie. That is missing the goal. This applies to begin heterosexual.
Having a bi-sexual or transgender preference is more complicated. I will discuss this preference at a later time.

So what is the problem then?

Nowhere in the Bible God prohibits faithful, non-cultic, monogamous relations between people of the same gender. In fact He loves it! In the same way as He loved and blessed the intimate relationship between David and Jonathan. The so called sections in the Bible that speaks out against same gender sexual activity are aimed at people using their sexuality to worship foreign gods. Straight and gay people were worshipping other gods than God. God [Yahweh] is a jealous God, and He insists that we worship Him and Him alone. He never commanded anyone to worship Him in a sexual way. We worship Him in spirit and in truth. That implies a deep hearted relationship with Him. During the old Biblical times, men warred against neighbouring nations. One of the ways to demonstrate their victory over a conquered nation afterward was to gang rape the enemy publicly in front of their people. That was a statement of power and humiliation. Similar to the way a modern day rapist would do that to another person. That is wrong and evil. God made us all in His image. Nobody is a born rapist. We are all equal in God’s eyes. His commandment for us is to love one another, not abuse one another.

Can I be gay and a true Christian?

Yes.

God loves us all unconditionally. He made us to worship Him, regardless of our gender preference, race, colour, height or IQ. In fact, our gender preference is only one of the wonderful aspects that He imparted in us. If you realise this, you will find it easier to recognise the One who created you wonderfully. Celebrate Him also in your gender preference. If you accept Jesus Christ as the only Son of God, who was born to this world to carry our sin (the sin of Adam), and who died on our behalf, and confess Him as your Lord and Saviour, walking the walk with Him, acknowledging Him as the Master of your life - you can be sure that you are saved from damnation (hell). Your name will be written in the Book of Life - the scroll which determines who will enter Heaven one day and who will not. This momental once off process is called the New Birth. From there on your daily walk with Jesus brings about sanctification: a daily re-devotion to Him by learning about Him and by living a life of obedience to please Him. As you can see this is nothing freaky or weird. It is very simple. It is a decision you make with your mind (now we talking Faith!), and living by it. If you believe this with your heart and confess it with your mouth you will be saved. However, if you need further help in this regard, you are welcome to contact me. (anton@fullfamilychurch.co.za)

But people say that you may be gay, but you may not be sexually active!

That is not true. God would never in His right mind punish anybody with a gift such as sexuality. The gift of sexuality was not only created for procreation. It was also given to us to bond deeply with our partners and to enjoy it. Whether you are gay or straight. Subsequently, our intimacy was created to be used as a special bonding activity between two people who deeply love one another and who are faithful to one another. This is not a freebee for everyone who comes around. God hates promiscuity. Whether you are straight or gay! Why? Because it destroys your soul [your mind]. Paul says, “you sin against your own body”. Every time you give away a portion of this most sacred part of you to someone out of a faithful love relationship, you will experience rejection, loneliness, emptiness and a deep yearning to recapture that moment of bonding again. This yearning sparks off the desire to hunt for that. It becomes a self destructive cycle, leaving you more rejected and more empty every time you walk away. God did not design us to be exposed to that kind of pain. His will for us is to be happy and use our sexuality as a bonding activity to unite us more and more within our faithful one-on-one relationship. God will bless this! He can never bless promiscuity!

Then why do straight people don't like gay people?

Because we don't often present ourselves in a likable way. This scares off heterosexual people, because our behaviour becomes unpredictable. It makes heterosexual people feel insecure. Most gay people suffer from a low self esteem. We want to please people to be accepted. This is not necessary. Be the best you that God has made. You gender preference does not determine your humanity. So, don't try and sell your being gay or lesbian to straight people. It is just a strange to them as their orientation is strange to you. If you are a gay man, you are still a man. Celebrate your manhood. The same applies to women. Straight people are scared of freaks. Unfortunately the freaky cases are usually the tip of the iceberg that they experience. Most homosexual people are regarded as closet cases. I do not agree with that. I believe that most of those people respect themselves in such a way, that they do not want straight people to be alienated by their gender preference. Once you have befriended a straight person and reveal all your great natural human character traits and qualities, that person will come to respect you for who you are. If then later, that person discovers (or is told) along the way that you have a same gender preference; he/she will not see you as a freak, but as a worthy normal human being. I have never seen a straight person running down the street screaming, "I am straight! I am straight!" Yea right! Who would believe him/her? Why should we gay people do that? It is negative marketing, trying to make a rebellious statement to force acceptance. But sadly enough, the opposite happens: straight people are alienated by that kind of protest. It is off putting and pushes away! So, if you want to be a normal human being, among normal human beings, act like a normal human being.

Was homosexuality the sin of Sodom?

No.

God places a huge emphasis on hospitality. The people of Sodom did not treat the two visitors in Lot’s house with respect and hospitality. To humiliate them further, the men of Sodom intended to gang rape the visitors (angels). That was the last straw. God, in His omniscience, knew before hand that the people of Sodom would act in this way, but in His grace He wanted to save Lot and his family from the fire and brimstone disaster that was to follow. That is why He sent the angels to Lot’s house in Sodom. The people of Sodom where not a gay colony. There where women and children as well! These people procreated. Their homosexual gang raping outrage was a custom that was committed by those people to humiliate/punish people who were regarded as outsiders or in conflict with their beliefs or traditions. The fact that these two guests were angels is also an important factor. God strongly opposes sexual interaction between heavenly beings and humans. This was one of the main reasons why God flooded the world to extinguish the human race. Angels, in this case (dark angels) deviated from their duty and lusted after human flesh (strange flesh). The children born from these interactions where giants (mutations). This was against God’s design for the human race to remain human (pure).

Was Jesus homosexual?

No.

As there is no evidence in the scriptures that Jesus ever had a heterosexual intimate relationship with a woman, there is also no evidence that He had any relationship of a similar kind with any man or any of His disciples. John the Beloved was named in this manner because he was close to our Lord. Regardless of what Gnostic and other literature say, we cannot make any assumptions of this kind. Jesus has a kind heart for GLBT people, otherwise He would not have healed the Roman Centurion’s lover [Gr. “pais”], which was incorrectly translated in the modern Bible as his “servant”. (Math.8)

How do we become gay or lesbian?

You were born that way.

I cannot, for all the love in me, remember the day that I had a choice in choosing my gender preference. Being gay or lesbian is the road less travelled and only someone in his wrong mind would choose such an alternative willingly. Many same gender orientated people know from a very young age that they are “different”. Now knowing what it means (pre-puberty), they experienced it as strange. They do not discuss it with their parents or other people, because they can see that the society acts differently (heterosexual). Only during of after puberty they realise what this means.
In Mathew 19:12, Jesus addresses people about same gender preferenced people. He says: “For there are eunuchs, that were so born from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, that were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs, that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”
A "eunuch" is understood to be translated as a “chamber or bed attendant or servant”   - people who would see to it that domestic matters are in order. The Romans and other rulers who had many wives usually appointed eunuchs to attend to their wives, because eunuchs were not interested in the opposite gender and therefore would not fall in love or get sexually attracted to any of the wives.
Today we know that the “eunuchs that were so born from their mother’s wombs” are the same gender preferenced people: gay and lesbian people.
Jesus is clear about the issue; this is not rocket science. Get over it and get on!

I am not out yet! Should I come out? How do I do that?

Coming out for the first time, is never easy. We all live in a predominantly heterosexual environment. This is the ratio God had in mind when He created this fabulous Blue Planet. You will notice it is never referred to as the Pink Planet. It is blue. No, it’s not because it’s a man’s world. But because God needs to use heterosexual people still to populate the earth. And we respect our straight brothers and sisters for that.

However, coming out is and should always BE A PROCESS. If you are absolutely sure that you have a same gender orientation, you will realise from quite an early age that you have to pretend to be who you are not. This places an enormous amount of pressure on you, and can cause serious personality problems during puberty and later. One of the most common symptoms of closeted people is depression. One is literally burdened by a heavy spirit because you are living a lie and cannot be who your were created to be.

Coming happens in various stages.

STAGE 1

The first stage is Self-realisation. That moment that you make peace with yourself and experience God’s love for you and the fact that He loves you for who you are, unconditionally, the same way as He loves all other people.

STAGE 2

The second stage would be coming out to Trusted Friends & Family. This could also take a while. But it is worth getting the process going. Trusting people will make you accountable to them. The moment you do that you will experience the feeling that rejection and loneliness (isolation) lifts. This relief will often cause the depression to subside.

STAGE 3

If you never had an open relationship with your Parents and immediate House Family, the following step would involve them. This is where you have to make sure that you have a stable basis of friends and acquaintances that will support you in an encouraging way. Not negatively! Not causing animosity between you and your family!

If you cannot speak openly with your folks, try a letter. Letters are always patient and do not expose the reader’s shock and initial reaction. It also gives the reader an opportunity to think, re-think and work through various scenarios of how to react.

Very Important: Do not just drop the letter on them! That is against the Geneva Convention of warfare! You have to declare your act of intent beforehand. So, a gentle, loving, caring phone call or one on one announcement that they can expect a letter in the post about something that presses on your heart, is the right way to announce your intent. Affirm your love for them in your one on one announcement as well as in the introduction to your letter.

Never do the blaming game in the letter. Parents find it hard enough to accept the fact that a beloved son or daughter might have a same gender preference. Don’t load guilt on them. Remember, they raised you, care for you and love you dearly. They have heterosexual dream for you. Which is fair! You might not always experience that love, because you have never spoken about your private pain with them. Being a father myself, I know what I am talking about.

Start your letter by affirming your love and devotion to them. This is important. Also the fact that you are grateful to them for their involvement in your upbringing and the values that they have taught you. This is just as important. They need to feel loved and affirmed.

Then proceed into your whole life story. When you first realised that you had feelings for the same gender. Don’t blame! They didn’t make you gay. You were born this way. Refrain from gory detail and nitty gritty as far as incidents are concerned. They don’t need to know what happened behind the scenes. Remember, you are trying to get them on your side. Help them to understand you! Don’t alienate them. You know who and what you are, they don’t. And most of them will be in a state of shock and denial for a good while.

Never, ever, break the news to them in public or in a tantrum. And please don’t bring your lover with you when you break the news. This is not the way to do it. They will feel betrayed, and you and your partner will experience animosity and rejection. They will defend themselves.

One on one, directly or by letter is the best way.

Assure them that you have not changed. That you are still the same person. The only thing is that they have always known you partly. Now they know you fully. Tell them that you appreciate them, that you love them and always will, and that they will always be important in your life. But make it clear in a loving way that you are not prepared to live a lie anymore. That it is unfair to you and to them. Tell them that you have the right to be normal and live a normal life. Show them that you are proud to be who you are. You should also assure them that you will not embarrass them, and that you will not take a friend or partner home, unless they grant you permission to do so. If and when they do so, insist in not sharing a room under their roof. This will make them realise that you respect them and that you do not want to enforce your way of life on them.

Initial expected reactions:

If you are so fortunate that they accept your declaration without any further discussion, be thankful and get on with your life.

But they could react in shock and defence. This happens because of the following reasons:
* They often cry, especially Mom, because she does not want your to experience a hard life, full of other people’s prejudice and discrimination. They want to protect you from that.
* They will be afraid of that other people might perceive them as bad parents.
* They might be homophobic and your declaration might reflect “badly” on their upbringing of you. They feel failures.
*  They will have fears that you will die of Aids.

Remember, it took you many years to come out of the closet. You cannot expect them to accept this in a day or a week. It can take them years. But be patient!

STAGE 4

It also helps to let the people in your Working Environment know about your gender preference. If you don’t they will guess and that will give rise to gossiping which will make you feel more and more rejected and depressed. Play open cards. But also re-assure them that you are a private person and that you will do your job as professional as is required from you. Do not get involved in flirting and funny behaviour at work. This is the behaviour of someone who is not at peace with him/herself. Freaks do that. This will send out the wrong message and could cause verbal abuse or you trying to please colleagues and management to be accepted. Remember, you are a human being with a normal attraction to the same gender. Apart from that you are a human being like any other staff member. You need not appologise for who you are. And never bring your love life and all its ups and downs to your work.

I’M STILL AT SCHOOL (UNDER AGED)

If you are still at school or under aged, you should remember that children do not have the emotional tools to handle the whole scene yet. Adults rarely have it. Coming out at school can cause you a lot of pain, rejection and marginalisation. I would suggest that you join a group of same gender orientated people who will help you in a responsible way to come to terms with who you are. An organisation like The Full Family Church that will support you in a confidential way and give you guidelines to become a responsible adult that can become good relationship material later.
Beware of older people trying to abuse your youth. This will cause you to look for love and affection at the wrong places. You might end up in a wrong, abusing relationship prematurely. Learners also often become the victims of promiscuity in their quest for love and acceptance. The dangers in this regard are numerous, e.g. HIV/Aids, STD’s, suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, prostitution, etc. It is just not worth it. You were meant to have a good relationship one day with someone who loves you; where respect and trust and fidelity will fulfil you in a stable and long relationship.
We all fall in love when we are in our teens. This is normal. But be aware that you cannot force your affection on fellow learners, or have an open relationship at school. The environment is not ready for that yet. Protect your heart and your personality while you are still at school. You are worth it!

These are important stages. If you need any more counselling on this, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would gladly assist you in your exiting that suffocating closet. Pastor Anton. (anton@fullfamilyministires.co.za)

DISUNITY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST - THE HORS D’OEUVRES OF SATAN’S THREE COURSE MEAL OF DISTRUCTION.

There is something happening in the Body of Christ that grieves my spirit.

I find that Christians are wearing masks to impress others with spirituality. This is not spirituality, but a spirit of Jezebel. The main characteristic of this spirit is manipulation – spiritual manipulation. When a person who is burdened by this spirit cannot get his or her will, they sulk, gossip, cause dissention, rebel and break up unity.

The root of this occurrence is pride.

Pride is the main thing that cost God’s most beautiful worship angel, Lucifer, his prime place in heaven. The root of pride is insecurity, a weak self-image which is caused by self glorification instead of glorifying God and trusting Him for a Godly self-image.

God says in His Word, “Do not follow the desires of the flesh, but be filled by the Holy Spirit.” “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness, and all these (blessings, love, peace, joy, etc.) will be given unto you.”

I find that Christians become judgemental. They become masters in covering up their own shortcomings, instead of trusting the unity of the saints, confess their iniquities to one another, and receive forgiveness. Instead they keep their hang-ups covered in dark, gloomy closets behind the doors of self-righteousness and judgement. How sad is that. It grieves the Spirit.

Jesus was writing in the sand when the people wanted to stone Mary Magdalene for prostitution. What He wrote in the sand offended the people who lusted after her blood. Then He said, “that those who are without any sin cast the first stone.” Nobody could, because they knew in their hearts that all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.

Come on, children of God! Let us purge ourselves from this effort of Satan to rob our unity that Jesus died for. God has great plans for us as a church on this planet. Open your eyes and see what Satan is trying to do here! He cannot do it by himself. He needs people with minds, emotions and bodies to accomplish that! For God’s sake, and your sake, do not allow him to abuse you!

Before our Lord departed from this earth, He said to His disciples, “This is how the world will know that you are my disciples … in that you love one another.”

This kind of love does not come cheap. It is the kind of love that sticks it our when the shots are down. The love of our Lord is a forgiving love; even when you don’t feel like it. It is an unnatural love that does not hold grudges, offences, jealousy, and covetousness, whatever. It does not gossip when we have a juicy bit of information that can take the earth out of orbit. It covers a brother or a sister’s nakedness (weakness, sin, shortcomings, etc.) It does not take joy in rebellion and trying to breakup the unity, but will pray for one another without being judgemental, trying to protect and preserve the holy unity in Christ, carrying one another when we are weak or when we fall. That is true love; the kind of love Jesus died for.

Jesus paid the price. The ultimate price. Can we afford to deny this highest offer by desecrating the unity? This is 180° against His command or will for our lives.

Brothers and sisters, I beseech you, refrain from these ungodly actions. This opens a door for the evil one. Once we allow this seed to grow, the root will bring forth bitter fruit that will poison our lives and ultimately cause the Holy Spirit to depart from us. We cannot afford this!

So, let us humble ourselves, let’s circumcise our hearts and repent. He who paid the price is waiting on us and desires to bring us back in holy unity. His forgiveness is precious and healing. Let’s all move into His wonderful love that will bring forth unity, joy and a peace this will surpass all understanding.

When I say the things above, I as a pastor, a leader of a flock that Jesus Himself trusted onto me together with many other leaders in the ministry all over the world, have to share these thoughts with all of you. I do this in love, because I ultimately have to be obedient to His calling and also bring correction to those who have been called unto His purpose. Not one of us, including me, is above reproach. We all stand corrected under His divine will. If therefore I have wronged or offended anyone in any way, I ask your forgiveness. God has forgiven me, and His ultimate truth and His forgiveness set me free.

This is my prayer, in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.

If you need answers on specific questions, please post them in our Guest Book. I would gladly find answers for you.

Be blessed!

Pastor Anton Smith