Dear Brethren and Friends,
We in the Living Church of God are among the very few people on the earth who really try to follow completely the teachings of the entire Bible. Yet we must not become vain about this, because it is God in His mercy who has chosen to open our minds to the Truth. As Jesus Christ Himself told us, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). Later in that chapter, John recounts Christ repeating that important spiritual truth, telling us: “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father” (v. 65).
How did Jesus’ followers respond to the “hard sayings” He had given them just before this? “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’” (John 6:66–68).
Brethren, it is not easy to follow genuinely the Jesus Christ of the Bible. To do so requires faith and courage. Most people in today’s society are more comfortable going along with the majority around them. Very few are actually willing to trust the invisible God and stand up against the prevailing opinion of thousands or even millions of people all around them.
Remember the example of Nicodemus—a “ruler” of the Jews. He came to Jesus “by night” because most of the Jews, especially the religious leaders, were contemptuous of Jesus—they rejected Christ and despised those who would follow Him. Yet Nicodemus said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).
As God’s servant, I perceive that God is right now testing and trying those of us in the Living Church of God more than ever before, helping us to prepare more fully before He opens more doors for us to do the Work with even more power. We already are very productive in preaching the full Truth of God. We are grateful for that. But we want to do much more through Christ living within us, even though we are absolutely surrounded by a world that is being buffeted by an immense onslaught of ideas that are totally contrary to everything Jesus Christ and Almighty God stand for.
Most of you know this!
For it can be hard at times for some of us to keep on growing in the genuine grace and knowledge of Christ and to “walk with God” at a time when this world is virtually “hell-bent” on demonizing anyone who stands against abortion, same-sex marriage and other vile, wrong practices that were recognized as obviously wrong even to most of the secular world just a few years ago!
It is almost amazing to see how quickly this change has taken place. When you understand, it should be clear that Satan the devil is very involved in this virtual onslaught of change, and the continued media blitz of ideas and concepts— legitimized by mainstream media, educators, politicians and even millions of professing Christians—trying to justify their unbiblical approaches and trying to vilify any of us who stand for the things of God! All of us, brethren, need to pray for one another, and to think through carefully how this flood of wrong ideas has come upon our society so quickly—and how we should respond and remain truly faithful with God’s help.
As the Apostle Paul makes clear, Satan the devil is the actual “god” of this present world. He wrote: “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4). Elsewhere, Paul described Satan as “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). And the Apostle John was inspired to tell us, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9).
So, we can understand that Satan has deceived the “whole world.” That should be obvious to all of us. Yet, thinking through the real implications of this is still difficult for many of us—especially some of our young people. For the young people today have grown up near the end of this age, and have been absolutely bombarded with the idea that it is being “unfair” and “unchristian” to disapprove of homosexuality and its various manifestations, to oppose same-sex “marriage” or to believe that abortion is murder rather than a woman’s “right”! We who are older need to realize that our children and grandchildren—and other young people—are especially vulnerable. We in God’s Church should do all we can to help them before they become “hooked” on Satan’s very clever and continuous onslaught of vile and perverted attitudes pouring out of the Internet, the mass media, radio, television and the entire “entertainment” industry.
I regard it as a distinct blessing from God that I have— as I write this—a total of 20 persons who have proceeded, directly or indirectly, from my own body. I have six children, ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. And I hope more will be “on the way” in the future! Yet with this blessing comes responsibility. I need to do my part to help these young people, my direct descendants, grasp the fact that they truly are living in a world surrounded by Satan’s images, ideas and concepts. I hope I can help them to realize that their minds are vulnerable, and that even though it “seems” to make sense to go along with the majority, that way will lead to death (Proverbs 14:12). Each of us, in our own way, has this responsibility toward the young people under our care.
So, what should we do about this barrage of satanic confusion being so powerfully poured out upon us and upon our children and grandchildren? What specific steps should we take?
First, we should fully realize and prove to ourselves and our loved ones why our society’s many hedonistic ideas and practices are wrong and are totally condemned by the God of the Bible.
As part of this, we must deeply understand that human beings are not “born” to practice homosexuality! We ought to do our research, and come to realize how so many abominable ideas and practices now being sold as “normal” were in fact cleverly introduced by clever Madison Avenue advertising techniques and devious psychological strategies!
In doing this, we must make ourselves and our loved ones totally aware of the actual result of these sinful practices. We need to be willing to face and to act on God’s direct promise and warning: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:7–8).
Brethren, I know that most of you already realize that the Bible directly condemns homosexual practices. The Eternal God of the Bible, the God of the Old Testament—Jesus Christ—told our forefathers: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination” (Leviticus 18:22). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul was exceedingly clear regarding God’s opinion about men following their lusts. Paul wrote: “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due” (Romans 1:26–27).
No matter what the Madison Avenue advertisers tell you, God calls these practices “vile” passions! Could anything be more clear?
Regarding the fact that no one is “born” to be a homosexual, the record is clear. Nearly all honest scientists and medical practitioners agree.
Notice what respected pro-life activist Randy Thomasson said on this topic: “Without any reputable evidence, the entertainment culture, the uneducated media and homosexual activists have seduced today’s teenagers, in particular, to believe that people are born homosexual,’ Thomasson recognizes. ‘However, science has found no biological basis for homosexuality, bisexuality or transsexuality.’ On average, says the pro-family group, the homosexual lifestyle has higher rates of cancer, sexually-transmitted diseases and early deaths than those found among heterosexuals. He also notes that the American Psychological Association has reversed its statement that people are born gay, admitting that there is no ‘gay gene’” (American Family News Network, June 26, 2012).
Although a few people may be born with a “tendency” toward alcoholism, drug addiction, violent temper or whatever, they do not have to give in to those tendencies. They can “overcome” if they want to, and certainly if they seek God’s help. For, as Paul reminds us, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
As for the clever Madison Avenue advertising and psychological techniques being used to seduce people into believing homosexuality is good, notice this quote from one of the most powerful and helpful books I have ever read on this related topic, The Marketing Of Evil. Describing the leaders of this movement, researcher David Kupelian wrote:
“Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen put into book form the comprehensive public relations plan they had been advocating with their gay-rights peers for several years.
Kirk and Madsen were not the kind of drooling activists that would burst into churches and throw condoms in the air. They were smart guys—very smart. Kirk, a Harvard-educated researcher in neuropsychiatry, worked with the Johns Hopkins Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth and designed aptitude tests for adults with 200+ IQs. Madsen, with a doctorate in politics from Harvard, was an expert on public persuasion tactics and social marketing. Together they wrote After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the ‘90s.
‘As cynical as it may seem,’ they explained at the outset, ‘AIDS gives us a chance, however brief, to establish ourselves as a victimized minority legitimately deserving of America’s special protection and care. At the same time,’ they warned, ‘it generates mass hysteria of precisely the sort that has brought about public stonings and leper colonies since the Dark Ages and before….How can we maximize the sympathy and minimize the fear? How, given the horrid hand that AIDS has dealt us, can we best play it?’
The bottom line of Kirk and Madsen’s master plan? ‘The campaign we outline in this book, though complex, depends centrally upon a program of unabashed propaganda, firmly grounded in long-established principles of psychology and advertising’” (pp. 23–24).
As I emphasized earlier, let me state again that each one of us should be totally aware—and make our loved ones aware—of the end result of these sinful practices and ideas. We must be willing to acknowledge and act on God’s direct warning: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:7–8).
May God help all of us to be willing to stand against this world’s onslaught of satanic propaganda. May God help all of us teach our children and other loved ones what is just ahead. May all of us ask God for the faith and the courage to put our trust in Him and so be worthy of eternal life in His coming Kingdom. And let us all pray more fervently than ever, “Thy Kingdom come”!
