What The Bible Says
“What The Bible Says - Vol. 5 / No. 5”
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What The Bible Says
Vol. V - No. 5 / July 31, 2022
INFLUENCING GENDER CONFUSION
The New York Times reports: "About 1.6 million people in the United States are transgender, and 43 percent of them are young adults or teenagers, according to a report providing the most recent national estimates of this population.
The analysis, relying on government health surveys conducted from 2017 to 2020, estimated that 1.4 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds and 1.3 percent of 18- to 24-years old were transgender, compared with about 0.5 percent of all adults.
Those figures revealed a significant rise among younger people: The estimate of transgender people 13 to 25 nearly doubled since the researcher's previous report, published in 2017, though the reports used different methods.”
Why is there a supposed increase in transgender people? Do you think the 24 hour a day news media celebrating gender confusion has anything to do with it? How about elementary schools and universities celebrating this movement across the country? The fact is, over the past 10 years, efforts have been beefed up to condition young children and teenagers to not only view gender confusion as normal, but as something to be desired! The current trend is to make sexual confusion a "cool" thing or an "in thing.”
Now, some states have set aside June as "gay pride month." Most Americans do not approve of this lifestyle; yet our leaders insist on forcing this ideology on our children in classrooms, television, animated movies, and children's theme parks such as Disney.
What is all of this celebrating anyway? It has been well said that the celebration of gay pride month is "perversity dressed up as diversity." Let that statement sink in a moment. Not all diversity is good and wholesome.
One drag queen personality has admitted that the gay movement is no longer about equality; it is about recruiting younger people! It is not enough for these people to have gained their right to live together in a perverted fashion, but now they feel they must parade their lifestyle in front of children doing dances and reading story books dressed as drag queens! It is happening across the country. Get this, since 2018 the city of New York reportedly has spent $207,000 funding drag queens, men dressed up as harlot women, to read stories to kids in public schools! Did you know that one day in June is ‘take your child to a gay celebration’ day? I watched a video in which one man took his 7-year-old son to watch drag queens march back and forth parading in front of everyone. The boy was taken by the hand by one of the drag queens and walked back and forth in front of everyone. The child was then handed a $5 bill and instructed to insert it in the scantily dressed man's upper panty hose!
God has never approved of these alternate lifestyles. "In the beginning God made them male and female" (Matthew 19:4). Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for going after "strange flesh" (Jude 7). Men dressing in women's clothes and women dressing in men's clothes is a practice that made men and women an abomination to God (Deuteronomy 22:5). In the Christian age, long hair belongs on a woman (1 Corinthians 11:14-15)! In Romans chapter 1 it tells us that men with men and women with women in sexual relationships is "against nature." Homosexuals and effeminate men “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Is this too difficult to understand?
Did you know there may be some who read this article who will say that I'm being unloving talking about these things? The unloving objection is thrown out like the race card which is thrown whenever someone disagrees with what is being taught. The god of this world, Satan, is blinding the eyes of many, including some who profess to be Christians; yet refuse to see the evil around them (2 Corinthians 4:4).
If it were 30 or 40 years ago, pulpits across the country would light up echoing the message in the article. Today, preachers fall under fire if they start really condemning sin and pointing out the offenders. It is a sad day when entertaining lessons with pretty pictures all presented in a conversational preaching tone is almost all you hear from most pulpits. We need to address problems! We need to point out the offenders! Jesus, Himself, called the scribes and Pharisees “vipers”! I guess someone would accuse Jesus of being unloving, right? (Matthew 23:14). Everyone needs to ask themselves just whose side they are on today. The fact is if our views line up more with our society than with God's, then we are on the wrong side.
Lastly, if parents don't use this window of opportunity, that is quickly drawing closed, to train up their young children in the way they should go, you can be sure the social media, movies, some schools, and political pressure will point your children in the way they should not go! (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4). Our society is influencing our children and grandchildren to be gender confused. If we just ignore it, perversion will steal the hearts of our children. —Michael R. Baggett
JOHN 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
This verse is sometimes called the “Golden Text” like Matthew 7:12 is sometimes called the “Golden Rule”. John 3:16 is often used to prove salvation is by ‘faith only’. Does this verse tell all that is necessary to be saved? Does it teach ‘faith only’?
The words ‘faith only’ are obviously not stated in the passage. In fact, the doctrine of ‘faith only’ began with a man named Martin Luther who lived in the 16 century. He inserted the word ‘solo’ (alone) after the word “faith” and went on to say the book of James was uninspired. HIs reason for this declaration was because James taught “by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).
The word “believeth” in John 3:16 is a ‘comprehensive’ word. By this we mean it is a word that takes everything into account that pertains to salvation. The word “gave” is another word like “believeth” in John 3:16. “Gave” does not specifically tell about the birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ and yet this is how God “gave His only begotten Son”.
Thus, “believeth” includes faith, repentance, confession, and baptism. In Acts 16:30-34 we read of the conversion of the jailer who was told to “believe”. Yet, he still needed to HEAR the word of the Lord. By washing their stripes, he indicated his REPENTANCE and verse 33 tells us he was BAPTIZED. Upon completion of these things, verse 34 tells us he “rejoiced, believing in God with all his house”.
Have you done what the jailer and all others in the book of Acts did to become “believers”? If not, your “faith only” will not save you. —E.R. Hall, Jr.
SENTENCE SERMONS
He who is too busy to pray is far busier than God ever intended him to be.
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Money is not required to buy even one necessity of the soul.
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Worthwhile things require time, patience, and hard work.
"What The Bible Says” is e-mailed twice a month. If you know of others who might benefit from the articles contained in this bulletin, we would be glad to have you submit their e-mail addresses and we will include them in the next mailing. If you are receiving this bulletin and do not wish to continue to do so, please e-mail us with your desire to be removed from the mailing list and you will be removed promptly. Continue to the bottom of this page for further instructions as to how you may contact us.
--- E.R. Hall, Jr.
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES
For The East Albertville Church Of Christ
meeting at
4777 U.S. Highway 431
Albertville, AL 35950
Sunday
Bible Classes …………..….…………… 9:30 AM
Morning Worship ……..…….….……… 10:30 AM
Evening Worship …………………........ 5:00 PM
Wednesday
Bible Classes …………..………........... 7:00 PM
Radio Program
Sunday
WBSA 93.5 FM/1300 AM ………………………….. 8:30 AM
Monday - Saturday
WBSA 93.5 FM/1300 AM ………………………….. 11:15 AM
Website: www. EastAlbertville.org
