God, the Church, and Homosexuality Seminar Information

New Life Presbyterian Church is hosting a conference on “God, the Church, and Homosexuality” on April 9-10. The conference runs from 7:00-9:00pm on Friday and from 9:00am to noon on Saturday.  The conference consists of four addresses: A Biblical Perspective on Homosexuality; The Gospel and Homosexuality; Nature, Nurture, and the Science of Homosexuality; and The Church’s Ministry to the Gay and Lesbian Community.  Speakers include Drew Stevenson and Kyle Keating (leaders in Campus Crusade for Christ at Ball State University) and Dr. Jim Spiegel (author and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Taylor University).  The cost for the conference is $5.00 per student, $7.00 per individual, and $10.00 per couple.  For more information please contact the church at 765.759.9189 or check out Brian’s article here for more details, and if you’d like to register for the seminar online click here.

God, the Church, and Homosexuality Seminar

Views differ as to what exactly Jesus means in Matthew 12:32 when he speaks of the “unforgivable sin”. Sadly, by the manner in which some segments of the church have addressed, and continue to address, the matter of sexual orientation, one might be tempted to conclude that Jesus is referring to homosexuality as the unforgivable sin.

However, it is clearly apparent from 1 Cor. 6:9-11 that this is not the case.  In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul identifies the unrighteous ones who will not inherit the kingdom of God, a list which includes those who practice homosexuality. Immediately afterward, however, Paul states that some of the Corinthians were guilty of these very sins, yet he declares to them that “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11 NIV). In other words, they were forgiven.  Setting aside the question
of whether sexual sins are “worse” than other sins
(cf. 1 Cor. 6:18), it can be asserted on the basis of God’s Word that homosexuality is not unforgivable. Furthermore, it can be maintained that those struggling with homosexuality need precisely what we need in our struggle with sin: the transforming grace of Jesus Christ received by faith.

That being said, it is important to recognize that the church finds herself in the position of watching the traditional view of homosexuality as immoral give way to increasing acceptance and even celebration, both in the culture as a whole and in the church. In responding to this, the church’s tone has, at times, been unnecessarily harsh and abrasive, and even when it has not, the church’s position is easily misunderstood or mischaracterized. In the face of media endorsement in shows like Ellen, Will & Grace (and even in proposed Super Bowl ads), legal battles over same-sex marriage, as well as ongoing debates in several denominations, how can evangelicals defend the Biblical perspective that homosexual practice is
sinful and yet not sound hateful and not leave the impression that it is at the top of the
list of “worst sins”? Perhaps even more importantly, how can the church most effectively speak the message of the gospel to the gay and lesbian community?

New Life is hosting a conference entitled “God, the Church, and Homosexuality” to address these questions.  The conference will begin on Friday evening, April 9 (7pm-9:30pm) and conclude on Saturday, April 10 (9am-noon). The conference consists of four addresses:

• A Biblical Perspective on Homosexuality
• The Gospel and Homosexuality
• Nature, Nurture, and the Science of Homosexuality
• The Church’s Ministry to the Gay and Lesbian Community

Speakers include Drew Stevenson and Kyle Keating (leaders in Campus Crusade for Christ at Ball State University) and Dr. Jim Spiegel (author and Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Taylor University).

Register online

The cost for attending the conference is: $5 for students, $7 per individual, and $10 per couple. This money will be used to cover the costs for refreshments and materials as well as provide funds for bringing in other seminar speakers in the future. It is important for Christians to have an informed, Biblical perspective on this issue so that they can navigate the current cultural climate with wisdom and sensitivity, speaking the truth without compromise  and yet speaking that truth in a spirit of love and grace (Eph. 4:15). For these reasons, please consider attending.

In His Grace Abounding,

Brian

New Life Sermons Delivered Straight to your Inbox

Did you know New Life has a sermon podcast? We call it the New Life Sermoncast. It’s a free service that allows anyone to subscribe and receive sermons directly to your inbox, iTunes, mobile device, or favorite RSS reader.

Subscribing is simple. Here are a few ways:

• Add the New Life Sermoncast to iTunes
• Have sermons delivered to you via email
• Subscribe with your favorite RSS reader by using this address: http://feeds.feedburner.com/NewLifeSermonPodcast

For more information about the New Life Sermoncast, visit the Sermons page.

Further Reflection on the Battle with Perfectionism

Several weeks ago, I preached a sermon on the perils of perfectionism — the effort to be flawless in one or many areas of our lives. The Apostle Paul wrote that he had not “already been made perfect” (Phil. 3:12), so we concluded from this (and other Scripture) that perfection is not promised to us in this life.

To make better sense of this, it might help to refer to what theologians call the “already/not yet.” This is a phrase that denotes that fact that while we are “already” forgiven and cleansed and righteous before God, we are “not yet” practically righteous in our thoughts, words and deeds. We already have a righteous position before God through faith in Christ, but we have not yet attained a fully righteous practice before God. The penalty for our sin has been removed in the death and resurrection of Jesus, but the power of sin still restrains us from perfection in the way we live our Christian lives.

So all Christians live in this tension whereby we are already perfect before God in one sense, and yet far from perfect in another sense. This is summed up well in one verse from the book of Hebrews: “By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14).

For me personally, the “already/not yet” has been tremendously helpful in working through my own imperfections. I need not be demoralized by my failures, because the Gospel tells me I am already “without blemish and free from accusation” (Col. 1:22) in Jesus. But since I am “not yet” fully sanctified, I realize I am a work in progress, and that there is much room for improvement in my life as a husband, pastor, friend, neighbor, and citizen. So I “press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Phil. 3:12).

There are a couple of resources that you might find helpful if you’re interested in further study in the area of perfectionism. One is a book by Richard Winter, professor of counseling at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, called, Perfecting Ourselves to Death. The book explores the connection between perfectionism and a number of other phenomena: depression, eating disorders, thought patterns, temperament, shame, parental influences and cultural pressures.

The other is a book by Donald McCullough called The Consolations of Imperfection — Learning to Appreciate Life’s Limitations. McCullough looks at various areas of our lives where we all tend to feel insecure, and shows the good things God might be doing through your inadequacies. He examines the limitations of relationships, knowledge, romance, sex, public approval, money and others.

Certainly the death of Jesus was a kind of limitation. The Son of God — dead on a Cross! But McCullough gives encouragement we all need to hear: “The raising of Jesus supplies us with hope . . . that every limitation, by the same grace of God, can be transformed into something more, something healing and redemptive and life-giving. This is the ultimate consolation of every limitation.”

My love to you in Christ,

Bob

Chicken Noodle Dinner MAy 7th

Get out your calendars and mark May 7th as the date for our chicken noodle dinner. This has been a fun annual tradition that even the community looks forward to. We love serving together as a church, so please make plans to participate in one of our largest outreaches of the year. Please try to come out and invite your friends and family!

Use GoodSearch and Earn Money for Monterrey Missions Trip

We have an easy opportunity for you to support the  Monterrey, Mexico Missions Trip by using goodsearch.com. If you go online and go to www.goodsearch.com you will see the usual box to enter in a search for anything you wish, however, below that box you will see another box that says “Who Do You Good Search For?” above it. In that box type New Life Church (Yorktown, IN) and then click the verify button. After you do that, every time you use GoodSearch.com to search for anything one penny will be donated to the New Life Monterrey Trip fund.

I know that doesn’t seem like a lot, but trust me it adds up. Last year goodsearch.com gave our team $100. On behalf of the Monterrey Team we would really appreciate it if between now and July (when we are leaving) you would make GoodSearch your homepage and anytime you want to check your email, get on Facebook, or any other kind of internet activity, rather than type the address into the address bar please search for it using GoodSearch and help support the trip to Mexico. Thanks!

Indentifying a Good Elder Candidate

‘Tis the season for officer nominations at New Life, and with that in mind it seemed appropriate to provide you with some ways you might go about identifying a good elder candidate to nominate. The first step is to read about the qualifications for elders listed in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9 and think of men within the congregation who fit such a description.

In considering the qualifications listed in these passages, note some of the characteristics that are not mentioned as a requirement for holding the office of elder. There is nothing mentioned about personality type: it is not necessary for an elder candidate to exhibit a dynamic, animated, magnetic persona. Of course, there may be times when someone who possesses a dynamic personality may also be qualified to serve as elder, but not for reasons having to do with personality. Rather, Paul’s emphasis is on spiritual traits when writing about the qualifications of an elder. Indeed, there are instances when well-liked, dynamic, and even influential people are not qualified to serve as elder because of a lack of spiritual maturity and biblical discernment.

Note also that Paul says nothing about elders needing to possess a measure of success as defined by worldly standards. Unfortunately, some churches might operate on the mistaken notion that the local church is best served when those who are the most successful, visible leaders within the community are, for that reason, the ones holding leadership positions in the church. It is true that an elder needs to have a good reputation with those outside the church (1 Timothy 3:7), but this has to do with being known as an honest, fair, trustworthy person of integrity rather than as a “successful businessman”.

Of course, one may be successful by worldly standards as well as a recognized leader in the community and also be qualified to serve as an elder. But one may be a capable leader in the business world, well respected as a community contributor, and possess a good deal of wealth and status, and yet not possess the spiritual qualifications to serve the church as an elder. Leadership competence in the ways of the world is not necessarily an indicator of competence to serve as a spiritual leader for Christ’s church in the ways of God in accordance with His Word.

So what is a good elder candidate like? Think of someone who displays a commitment to growing in the grace and knowledge of God and His Word through involvement in Bible study (both personal and in groups), who seems to have a clear understanding of the gospel and a broad understanding of Biblical truth, who demonstrates wisdom by providing counsel that reflects an ability to discern and apply God’s truth to concrete situations, who expresses compassion and a praying spirit for the flock, and who evidences a love for the church by consistently showing initiative in actively serving and ministering.

Of course, every officer and officer candidate is a flawed, sinful human being in need of grace. But officers and officer candidates are those who reflect the reality of God’s transforming grace in their lives and are furnished by God with the spiritual qualifications listed by Paul. In light of this, prayerfully seek out those who consistently display these attributes here at New Life and consider nominating them for officer training.

In His Abounding Grace,

Pastor Brian