THE CHURCH IS YOU and LIFE AFTER AIDS

SCRIPTURE OF INTEREST

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV).

MY COMMENTARY

The Church is you

We have different views concerning the church. Some see it as nonessential. I can be a Christian but I don’t need church. Others see it as vital for it is the Body of Christ and assembling is a must. There are others who become offended, quit church and have nothing to do with it. Still others see the church as full of hypocrites so “Why go to church?” There are some folks who want to go to church but are unable due to illness, or are confined in a nursing home, or hospital.

What is a church? Church is people. The church building is a place for gathering and is a symbol for Christianity. The word church comes from the Greek word “ecclesia” which means “called out ones” or “called out company”. So who are these “called out ones”? It is a very interesting question which we will address in this commentary.

Jesus introduced the church in the Gospel of Matthew 16:18. The introduction came after He asked the disciples some questions. This took place upon arrival at the place called Caesarea Philippi when Jesus asked the first question “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16:13 NKJV). The disciples responded since they obviously mingled with the crowd of people and heard remarks made by them as to who Jesus could be. So they gave some names that people were throwing around. No one really knew who Jesus was. All they knew was that there was no one like Him as to the message He delivered, healings, deliverances and miracles that took place, and the fact that He challenged the religious leaders of the day. Finally, Jesus would ask His disciples “But who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15 NKJV).

This is where revelation truth comes to the forefront. Peter obviously thought he had the inside information who Jesus was so he said in verse 16 of Matthew 16 “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Was he wrong in his response?  No, not at all. But now comes somewhat of a slap to Peter’s ego because he did not really know who Jesus was. This revelation came from God the Father as indicated by Jesus “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17 NKJV). Truly, He is the Son of God who came to accomplish the purposes of God, and the next verse indicates to us the mission that He was on.

Now that Peter had jumped on the opportunity that came his way he is called upon to do a task that would be historical in nature. “And I also say to you that you are Peter (piece of a rock) and upon this rock (Christ) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades (Hell) shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18, 19 NKJV). The church is unveiled and Peter would be the key to unlocking the church to the world which would begin as recorded in Acts 2. It was there where Peter would stand before this vast audience from various backgrounds, present the Gospel of Jesus and 3000 people would get saved. This was the beginning of something dynamic.

So, who is the church? The church is comprised of people who embrace Jesus Christ as their Saviour through repentance and receiving  Him into their lives. And because the church is also referred to as the Body of Christ we become members of it. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 uses the human body as an analogy to describe what the Body of Christ looks like. Since you and I accept Christ into our lives we are members one of another and we are joined together by the Holy Spirit. Each one of us brings various talents and gifts into this body so that it can function as a body. Even though we have various groups throughout the world we still function as a body on a smaller scale as well as on a larger scale.

One thing that is critical for us to realize is that we as individuals are not a church unto ourselves but rather we are part of a church. Jesus Christ Himself is the head of this body. We are subject to Him and to the leadership that He places in various groups. The Bible spells it out quite clearly as mentioned before that it is His church and He loves His church. Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul said concerning this matter in Ephesians 5:25 (NKJV) “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her.” Based on our connection to Christ it is important that we understand that separating from the church or saying “I do not need the church” is harmful. What happens is that when we become disconnected it brings hurt to us personally, affects our relationship with the church and it grieves our Lord. He loves you and wants you to be connected.

The Church of Jesus Christ is God’s choice to represent Him on this earth. He works through the church. In the Old Testament God chose the nation of Israel to reflect His will and purpose for the whole world back then and today. He has chosen the church to reflect His will, His purpose and His love. So, don’t look down on the failings that occur in the church. Why? Because you and I are in it. We are imperfect believers and He gives us the opportunity to learn to love, forgive and grow up in Him.

Q and A

Question: Why is Jesus the only means to salvation?

Answer: Romans 3:10 and 11 (NKJV) says, “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understands; there is none, who seeks after God.” Along with this, is verse 23, “. . . all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have missed the mark of God’s standard of holiness. Therefore, we have all been declared guilty of death. The death sentence has been issued. According to the Law of God we have all failed.

Someone free of sin had to come to deal with the issue of sin. Jesus was His name. Acts 4:12 (KJV) states, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” He came to become our substitute. He came to die on the cross. He took our sin upon Himself and paid the debt in full so that we don’t need to. As a result Jesus Christ qualifies to be our Saviour. See John 3:16.

TESTIMONY OF GOD’S GOODNESS

This testimony – part two – is a continuation from last week entitled ‘Life After Aids’.

Part two – Shrouded in Secrecy

I left home at 17 to attend an Assembly of God (AG) Bible College. Once again, I was younger and more insecure than my peers. I still gravitated toward friendships with women instead of men. I felt safe with women. My thinking was, “Please don’t ask me to be a man because I don’t know how, and I’m simply not good at it.”

On the positive side, I soon met the girl who would eventually become my wife. She was, and still is, strong, stable and trustworthy. She offered me a protection and a stability that I needed.

My wife and I were married in 1981. She had no idea of the secret I held, and how her life – as well as the lives of our two children – would someday be radically affected by it. Even I never would have imagined the dark turns my life would take.

After college I received my AG ministerial credentials, and my wife and I headed overseas to serve as volunteer missionaries. Later we became senior associate pastors of a thriving church on the West Coast and eventually even served as full-time missionaries. All the while, I protected my deadly secret.

As long as I felt fulfilled in my ministry, my sexual needs seemed to be minimal, and I could keep from acting out in my sin. But then there were the dark times, when the need to act out would become compulsive and obsessive. At the lowest points, I found myself at bathhouses, gay bars and adult theaters. I was like the drug addict or the alcoholic who maintains his sobriety, slips up occasionally and eventually crashes.

I would swing from times of great victory to times of dark binging. Every time I met with a man, I felt accepted, loved and wanted – but only for a fleeting moment. The pain and self-hatred would always return. I felt dirty and used. The little boy was now a man, and he hated himself more than ever.

Typically, during periods of ministry, I maintained my sexual purity so as not to feel like a hypocrite. My thoughts were a torturous playground, but at least I wasn’t acting on my sinful desires. But the other times, I would fall. And the self-hatred would sweep in again.

I believe there is no pain like that experienced by a Christian who is driven by homosexual desires. Frankly, I’ve always felt that in the Christian world it would be better to be a murderer than a man or woman fighting homosexuality. How many people have we driven away because they haven’t felt safe within the walls of the church? The church too often offers no forgiveness or compassion for them.

I felt trapped, and the pain was beyond belief. I had prayed and begged for God to change me. I had fasted, read the Bible and memorized Scripture. I had studied and fought spiritual warfare before it was en vogue. I had tried the “white-knuckle” approach to overcoming sin. I had done everything I knew to do.

So many times I or someone I knew had quoted 2 Corinthians 10:5, “Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (NKJV). But how do you take every thought captive when you are driven by fantasies, lust and, most important, deep, festering wounds?

By this point I had lost any hope that I could be free. I wanted to run away, to just drop off the face of the earth. I considered suicide more than once. Anything would be better than living in this painful secret prison. God did not seem to respond to my pleading, and the people of God appeared to offer me nothing more than judgmental-ism and powerless prayer.

Next week the conclusion of ‘Life After Aids’.