Good morning sisters and brothers, fellow Saints of our aspirational Zion. I was asked to speak and allowed to decide what the topic would be. After a lot of consideration I felt inspired to speak about being Actively Engaged in a Good Cause and how that relates to the full name of the church.
I was glad when President Nelson decided to put more emphasis on the full name of the church. Not that I mind using the term Mormon, but because I do find the full name of the church to be significant. When the church was organized in 1830 it was called the Church of Christ. In 1834 the members voted to change the name of the church to the Church of the Latter-day Saints. Then in 1838 Joseph had a revelation for the name to be The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While this effectively combined the two previous names, it also highlights something that I think most people overlook. Namely that the church is not only Jesus’s church, but that the church also belongs to us, the Latter-day Saints. We too have ownership of the church. While this may sound strange at first, it actually also fits very well with another concept that Joseph Smith taught: Theodemocracy.
Joseph spoke of this most actively the year before his death when running for President of the United States and when the Council of Fifty was created. The idea also holds in it that while God is in charge, we also have ownership and must have a say, actively vote, propose new ideas, and generally be actively engaged in moving things forward. It is not a theocracy with a fake voting system attached like that of North Korea. However, we have largely seen our own tradition move from one in which we do things by common consent including adding to our canon or as in 1834 voting to change the name of the church, towards something much more akin to voting in North Korea. This has coincided with other shifts in which we have taken less and less ownership of our church and as a result failed to properly sustain and support our leaders.
It is unfair to our leaders for us to sit back and wait for them to do frankly most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the running and functioning of our church, stake, and ward. In the past when I’ve been in callings that required me to be overseeing the assignments of home teaching or really any other church assignments, my experience has been that occasionally some inspiration will strike for some of the assignments, but that for the majority, I felt like I was left to figure out myself what assignments seemed to make the most sense. I know that many leaders that I have spoken to on this topic have also had such experiences. When we as members speak with our leaders, share information with them, it makes it much easier to make the best decisions. Without that feedback much more is left to guesswork.
We need to support and sustain our leaders, but this becomes difficult or challenging if we bring some assumptions to the table when considering how we do this. A major one as I see it is when we put too much trust in the arm of the flesh and grant our leaders infallibility or the lesser but largely equivalent functional infallibility.
As the saying goes: “Catholics say that the Pope is infallible, but none of them believe it. Mormons say that the Prophet is fallible, but none of them believe it.” Brigham Young recognized the potential for harm in this setting and said:
"I am fearful [the Saints will] settle down in a state of blind self-security, trusting their eternal destiny in the hands of their leaders with a reckless confidence that in itself would thwart the purposes of God in their salvation, and weaken the influence they could give to their leaders, did they know for themselves, by the revelations of Jesus, that they are led in the right way.” – Brigham Young 1862 General Conference (quoted in General Conference of the church in 1963 and in 1989)
And this one is also important:
"And none are required to tamely and blindly submit to a man because he has a portion of the priesthood. We have heard men who hold the priesthood remark, that they would do anything they were told to do by those who presided over them, if they knew it was wrong; but such obedience as this is worse than folly to us; it is slavery in the extreme; and the man who would thus willingly degrade himself should not claim a rank among intelligent beings, until he turns from his folly. A man of God… would despise the idea. Others, in the extreme exercise of their almighty authority have taught that such obedience was necessary, and that no matter what the saints were told to do by their presidents, they should do it without asking any questions. When Elders of Israel will so far indulge in these extreme notions of obedience as to teach them to the people, it is generally because they have it in their minds to do wrong themselves.” – Millennial Star, vol.14 #38, pp. 593-95
Yet does this functionally happen in the church? Do we follow this council to find out for ourselves instead of simply assuming everything from our leaders is divine? Apostle Charles W. Penrose, who would later serve as counselor to President Smith, declared:
"President Wilford Woodruff is a man of wisdom and experience, and we respect him, but we do not believe his personal views or utterances are revelations from God; and when ‘Thus saith the Lord’, comes from him, the saints investigate it: they do not shut their eyes and take it down like a pill.” – Millennial Star 54:191
Do we do this? When the prophet says “Thus saith the Lord” do we take the time to investigate it? Do we remember President Kimball’s reaction to Elder Benson’s talk on the “14 fundamentals of following the prophet”?
"Spencer felt concern about the talk, wanting to protect the Church against being misunderstood as espousing ultraconservative politics or an unthinking “follow the leader” mentality. The First Presidency again called Elder Benson in to discuss what he had said and asked him to make explanation to the full Quorum of the Twelve and other General Authorities… A First Presidency spokesman Don LeFevre reiterated to the press the day after the speech that it is “simply not true” that the Church President’s “word is law on all issues—including politics.” – Lengthen Your Stride – Working Draft, by Edward Kimball
I’ve had the opportunity to know some great Mormons who do take this approach, but I’ve also known many who treat quotes from church leaders like downloaded messages from God (no human filters involved).
If we can believe that God is capable of inspiring our leaders, surely we can believe God is capable of letting us know when they’re wrong. If instead we assume that their judgment is always superior to our own, perhaps we’re helping to put up a massive iron gate.
"How often has the Holy Spirit tried to tell us something we needed to know but couldn’t get past the massive iron gate of what we thought we already knew?" – Dieter Uchtdorf 2012 Worldwide Leadership Training
Moses once opined “Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” We have all been confirmed members of the church and in that confirmation told to receive the Holy Ghost. It is easy to forget that when the spirit tells us something, that is a member of the Godhead speaking to us. If we can believe that God can give guidance to our leaders surely we can also believe God can give us guidance.
Another important and often overlooked point is the context to this oft quoted verse:
"We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion." -D&C 121:39
This statement wasn’t given in a vacuum. It is in the middle of a long discussion of priesthood and priesthood authority. This is talking specifically about priesthood leaders. When we read that “many are called but few are chosen,” we’re reading that many priesthood leaders abuse their power and only few truly honor it. The saints in Joseph’s day understood this. I think we’ve sanitized it over the years to make it seem like an aside, an intermission on the discussion of priesthood. This statement is as true now as ever. This verse, with its proper context, needs to be a lesson for us as members. We need to sustain and support our leaders. This doesn’t mean following them blindly. This doesn’t mean we must become “yes-men” to them. This does mean pray for them to be chosen instead of just called. This does mean to influence our leaders to do God’s will. Remember, one of Brigham’s concerns about us acting as if all our leaders decisions were divine is that it will “weaken the influence [we] could give to [our] leaders.”
What questions our church leaders will take to the Lord are impacted by our own openness to those things. In 1977 President Kimball expressed concern that if the Race-ban on priesthood was removed that there would be pushback from members in the American South and from some in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. When President Hinckley was asked in an interview about the Gender-ban on priesthood his response was that “there’s no agitation for it.” Until we better engage in our own history and understand how we got to where we are now it will be very difficult if not impossible for us as members to be prepared for the removal of the current gender-ban on priesthood.
Sometimes we might justify our own spiritual laziness by saying that while our leaders are fallible that God will never let them lead us astray, granting them a sort of functional infallibility. Nevermind that this was first said when my 3rd-great-grandpa President Woodruff was trying to convince members not to leave over the Manifesto. Nevermind that it means that we’re denying our leaders their agency by assuming that God removes their ability to make mistakes in their callings. Maybe some make such a statement more nuanced. Maybe they think that our leaders can make mistakes, but they won’t be majosignificant mistakes. Well, what is and isn’t significant depends a lot on who you are and how you’re being affected by it. I’m thinking that the women and children who were slaughtered in prophet-sanctioned genocide in the Bible considered that a significant mistake. I’m thinking that the thousands denied temple blessings their entire lives because of the color of their skin might consider that significant.
Let’s just recognize that few are chosen and that we need to give our leaders constructive/interactive support. We place a lot of responsibility on our leaders and they are very likely to make mistakes. Because they are human and doing their best, but as humans we all err from time to time. Recognizing the mistakes of our leaders is essential to giving them true support; it is vital to sustaining them. I would hope that we would avoid enabling or cheerleading bad decisions that friends or family are about to make. Pointing out why a decision will be or was problematic is what we expect of people who we truly love and support us, because it helps us to avoid pain and pitfalls and enables us to be our best.
Here’s a story from our little section of Salt Lake City in which members recognized the potential for mistakes and took ownership of our church. On August 23rd, 1896 Stake President Angus M. Cannon proposed a man to be the bishop of a new ward which was to be divided from the Sugar House Ward. The congregation voted against the proposed new bishop. President Angus M. Cannon then purportedly shouted "Sit down! and shut your mouths, you have no right to speak!" When Cannon engaged in a shouting match with the dissenting congregation, a ward member and policeman threatened to arrest the stake president for disturbing the peace. President Cannon more calmly repeated his attempt but was voted down "again several times." The Secretary of the First Council of the Seventy was in attendance and wrote in his journal: "I have been taught that the appointing power comes from the priesthood and the sustaining power from the people and that they have the right of sustaining or not sustaining appointees.
When it comes to being actively engaged in church endeavors our neighborhood and the general Sugar House area has done a lot. The "stake missionary program" began in the Granite Stake under President Frank Taylor in the early 1900s. It was an idea presented to President Taylor who then prayerfully considered trying it out as a stake. It proved successful and was later picked up by the General Authorities who made it a church-wide program.
The seminary program was also started in our stake after Joseph Merrill (a newly called member of the Granite Stake Presidency) felt inspired to start it and worked out agreements with the school board and got it going at the very new (at the time) Granite High School.
Also, in 1909 the Granite Stake started a monthly family home evening program. After counseling with many sisters and brothers in the stake, the Stake Presidency asked each family to spend Tuesday evening home together. All of these were local things which were eventually picked up and run at the church-wide level. We have a history in our area of being anxiously engaged and pioneering with new ideas.
While those are all instances of members, wards, and stakes starting programs for good causes in our area of Salt Lake City, they are just a few examples of Saints starting inspired efforts which were eventually accepted and promoted by the top church leaders. The relief society started when women in Nauvoo came together to do some good. The Primary program, Sunday school, Mutual Improvement Association, welfare/farming, organized genealogy efforts, and Young Adult programs all also started as members and local leaders were anxiously engaged and thereby gave influence to the top church leaders.
So as we consider how we can more actively engage in the church and look at what we can do now that would help to further the kingdom of God, I’d like to share a few things that have been on my mind which I feel would be steps which we can do now and which doesn’t require any new doctrines, revelations, or organizational adjustments from our leadership.

Give leaders their agency and remove the false idol of functional infallibility

I’ve already said a lot about this. The only thing I’ll add is to encourage everyone to read and learn about our history. The church history department has been putting out a lot of new, well-researched material, and there is a very high chance that it will be different than how you learned about things over the last several decades. Interestingly, most historically thorny topics become vastly easier to deal with when we stop denying leaders agency and ability to get things wrong.

Stop turning into a time capsule of the 1950s

This is really a small thing, but sometimes small things can have an outsized impact. Assuming someone comes into church for the first time, they will likely be a little weirded out because in dress and culture they walked into a time capsule of the 1950s. The Amish did this with mid-1800s, some Mennonites have as well. FLDS have with when they split in the 1930s/40s. These groups that have followed this pattern of freezing time and culture because they have been integrated into their religious practice are generally ones that are not really growing and have little-to-no impact or relevance in society. If we want to do the most good and build the most bridges, it is easier to do if we don’t continue falling into this pattern. Any efforts on our part to make our meetings look like a place that people in the public could come into and not feel out of place are steps in this direction. Dresses, suits and ties aren’t part of Christ’s gospel. Missionary clothing is changing for similar reasons. New guidelines for missionaries include allowing sisters to wear pants and Elders to go without jackets, so surely we can extend the same to our church attendance.

Always speak at church as though the audience is the general public

I have many times felt like I didn’t fit in or belong at church, and many times this has been because people speaking at church have done so with the assumption that everyone in the building must share their views on a given topic. Simply imagining that a gay couple, an ex-mormon, an investigator, some in the midst of a faith crisis, and others who live in our neighborhood are in the audience will help us to make sure that as we teach our lessons, give our talks, etc. that we will do so in the most open and welcoming way possible, which frankly is how i believe Jesus would have spoken. I truly believe that if we try to do this it will drastically improve our lessons and dialogue and help to make church a place that more people want to be. It is a change that (to borrow imagery from Jesus’s parable of the sower) will be akin to tilling and prepping the soil to improve the likelihood of allowing seeds to take root.
There are near infinite ways that we can innovate and get engaged in good causes. Awake and arise, join in the cause of Zion. The aspiration of Zion is to be of one heart and one mind and have no poor among us. I think it is worth noting that being of one mind doesn’t mean agreeing on everything. It means that we are united in love; love for God and for all persons. When this is our top priority, when we worry about how our actions impact others and whether our words and actions are conveying love, we become united. I’ve been a long-time fan of Eugene England’s essay “The church is as true as the gospel.” In it he makes the case that the church is true because it is a vehicle in which we are able to actually try to put the gospel into practice. In doing so we encounter difficulties as we interact with other fallible mortals and try to navigate our interactions in a Christ-like way. We all try and this mix of imperfect people who unite in love and service can help to bring each other and others to Christ. It is my prayer that we can find ways to engage with love, and humble ourselves like little children, to change our ways as needed to come closer to Christ. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Why does it seem that the two go hand in hand? I grew up playing football, and I never understood why there is so much Christian influence in that game. In high school it wasn’t bad, but in college it was noticeable, to the point our team held “chapel” to pray before games. I obviously refused to attend those.
I genuinely don’t think most football players understand what they are saying/doing when they are praying before a game or “thanking god” after a game. I think it’s just repeated platitude because they don’t know what else to say and it’s something they have always heard around them. I also think there’s a level of righteousness that a lot of football players exhibit because they have been conditioned their whole life that being good at that sport makes them this ideal role model that everyone should look up to.
Kind of venting but wondering why the close connection. Maybe because football culture is big in the southern bible belt states has something to do with it.

1989-1990 (Jul. 31, 1991-Dec. 31, 1990):

Alleyway (Launch Title)
Baseball (Launch Title)
Super Mario Land (Launch Title)
Tennis (Launch Title)
Tetris (Launch Title)
Castlevania: The Adventure
Motocross Maniacs
Wizards & Warriors X: The Fortress of Fear
Boxxle
Golf
Hyper Lode Runner
Solar Striker
Kwirk
Malibu Beach Volleyball
Revenge of the 'Gator
The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle
Boomer's Adventure in ASMIK World
Fist of the North Star: 10 Big Brawls for the King of the Universe
Flipull
Heiankyo Alien
Nemesis
NFL Football
QBillion
World Bowling
Qix
Batman
Shanghai
Bases Loaded
Daedalian Opus
Dexterity
Gargoyle's Quest
Lock 'n' Chase
Paperboy
Penguin Wars
The Amazing Spider-Man
Double Dragon
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan
Catrap
Cosmo Tank
Heavyweight Championship Boxing
Pipe Dream
Skate or Die: Bad 'N Rad
The Final Fantasy Legend
Wheel of Fortune
Balloon Kid
Godzilla
Mercenary Force
Mr. Chin's Gourmet Paradise
Snoopy's Magic Show
Bubble Ghost
Disney's DuckTales
Ishido: The Way of Stones
Ninja Boy
Serpent
Side Pocket
Amazing Penguin
Chase H.Q.
Dead Heat Scramble
Dr. Mario
Ghostbusters II
Hal Wrestling
In Your Face
Play Action Football
Power Racer
Quarth
RoboCop
Torpedo Range

1991 (Jan. 1, 1991-Dec. 31, 1991):

Battle Bull
Burai Fighter Deluxe
Dragon's Lair: The Legend
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Power Mission
Rolan's Curse
The Chessmaster (GB Version)
F-1 Race
Kung Fu Master
NBA All-Star Challenge
Operation C
Radar Mission
The Game of Harmony
Bubble Bobble
BurgerTime Deluxe
Cyraid
Jeopardy!
Loopz
Maru's Mission
Nobunaga's Ambition
Super Scrabble
Extra Bases
Fish Dude
Pac-Man
Solomon's Club
Tasmania Story
WWF Superstars
Castelian
Go! Go! Tank
Hatris
Marble Madness
Mickey's Dangerous Chase
R-Type
The Hunt for Red October
The Rescue of Princess Blobette
Bo Jackson: Two Games in One
Caesars Palace
Nintendo World Cup
Skate or Die: Tour de Thrash
Sneaky Snakes
Spud's Adventure
Tail 'Gator
The Sword of Hope
Battle Unit Zeoth
Klax
Mysterium
The Punisher: The Ultimate Payback!
Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Bill & Ted's Excellent Game Boy Adventure: A Bogus Journey!
Blades of Steel
Aerostar
Altered Space: A 3-D Alien Adventure
Choplifter II
Crystal Quest
Fortified Zone
Gauntlet II
InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Berlitz French Translator
InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Berlitz Spanish Translator
InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Frommer's Travel Guide
InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Personal Organizer and Phone Book
InfoGenius Productivity Pak: Spell Checker and Calculator
Navy SEALs
Spot: The Video Game
Tecmo Bowl
The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2
Trax
Atomic Punk
Super R.C. Pro-Am
Bart Simpson's Escape from Camp Deadly
Battletoads
Brain Bender
Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Legend II
Home Alone
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters
Metroid II: Return of Samus
RoboCop 2
Turrican
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Bill Elliott's NASCAR Fast Tracks
Dick Tracy
Double Dragon II
Double Dribble: 5 on 5
Elevator Action
Faceball 2000
Hudson Hawk
Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge
Monopoly
Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back from the Sewers
Super Kick Off
Track Meet
Aerostar

1992 (Jan. 1, 1992-Dec. 31, 1992):

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Beetlejuice
Gradius: The Interstellar Assault
Prince of Persia
Snow Brothers Jr.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
The Addams Family
Adventure Island
Amazing Tater
Asteroids
Blaster Master Boy
Boggle Plus
Days of Thunder
Fastest Lap
Jordan vs. Bird: One on One
Mega Man II
Q*bert
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
Tiny Toon Adventures: Babs' Big Break
Missile Command
Soccer Mania
The Adventures of Star Saver
The Flash
Ultra Golf
World Circuit Series
Fighting Simulator: 2-in-1 Flying Warriors
Hook
Nail 'n Scale
Paperboy 2
Square Deal: The Game of Two Dimensional Poker
Super Hunchback
Batman: Return of the Joker
Jack Nicklaus Golf
NBA All-Star Challenge 2
Turn and Burn: The F-14 Dogfight Simulator
Boxxle II
High Stakes Gambling
Pit-Fighter
The Blues Brothers
Jeep Jamboree: Off Road Adventure
Knight Quest
Prophecy: The Viking Child
Spanky's QuestNatsume
Ultima: Runes of Virtue
Wave Race
Yoshi
Double Dragon 3: The Arcade Game
Kirby's Dream Land
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
WWF Superstars 2
4-in-1 Funpak
Dig Dug
Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge
George Foreman's KO Boxing
Ninja Taro
Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball
Spy vs. Spy
The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Juggernauts
Toxic Crusaders
Track & Field
WordZap
Barbie: Game Girl
Bionic Commando
Hit the Ice
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Lazlos' Leap
Looney Tunes (GB Version)
Miner 2049er
Mouse Trap Hotel
Out of Gas
Rolan's Curse 2
Speedball 2
Swamp Thing
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends
The Jetsons: Robot Panic
Tom and Jerry
Xenon 2
Bionic Battler
Kingdom Crusade
Mr. Do!
Star Wars
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Off Road
Terminator 2: The Arcade Game
The Incredible Crash Dummies
The Ren & Stimpy Show: Space Cadet Adventures
Wordtris
Avenging Spirit
Battleship
Best of the Best: Championship Karate
Bonk's Adventure
Centipede
Darkman
Dr. Franken
Mega Man III
Megalit
Disney's TaleSpin
The Humans
Universal Soldier
Exodus: Journey to the Promised Land
Joshua & the Battle of Jericho
Spiritual Warfare

1993 (Jan. 1, 1993-Dec. 31, 1993):

Alien³
Krusty's Fun House
Race Drivin'
Spot: The Cool Adventure
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Top Gun: Guts and Glory
Adventure Island II: Aliens in Paradise
Disney's Darkwing Duck
The Flintstones: King Rock Treasure Island
Disney's The Little Mermaid
Kid Dracula
Milon's Secret Castle
Sumo Fighter
Tumblepop
Great Greed
Lethal Weapon
Ninja Boy 2
Pyramids of RaMatchbox
The New Chessmaster
Top Rank Tennis
Battletoads in Ragnarok's World
Cool World
F-15 Strike Eagle
Joe & Mac
Raging Fighter
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Titus the Fox
Bubble Bobble Part 2
Felix the Cat
Muhammad Ali: Heavyweight Boxing
Speedy Gonzales
Spider-Man 3: Invasion of the Spider-Slayers
The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
Goal!
Jurassic Park
Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing
Pinball Dreams
Tesserae
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB Version)
Mortal Kombat
Final Fantasy Legend III
Bram Stoker's Dracula
WWF King of the Ring
Buster Bros.
Gear Works
Last Action Hero
Ms. Pac-Man
Popeye 2
Sports Illustrated: Championship Football & Baseball
The Real Ghostbusters
The Ren & Stimpy Show: Veediots!
Tom and Jerry: Frantic Antics!
We're Back!
Alien vs. Predator: The Last of His Clan
Batman: The Animated Series
Championship Pool
Disney's DuckTales 2
Kirby's Pinball Land
NFL Quarterback Club
Panel Action Bingo
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue
Tiny Toon Adventures 2: Montana's Movie Madness
Wayne's World
Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team
Chuck Rock
Cliffhanger
F1 Pole Position
Mega Man IV
Metal Masters
Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge
Tetris 2
Rampart
Yoshi's Cookie
Zen: Intergalactic Ninja
Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension

1994 (Jan. 1, 1994-Dec. 31, 1994):

Black Bass: Lure Fishing
Riddick Bowe Boxing
Super Chase H.Q.
Winter Olympic Games: Lillehammer '94
Alfred Chicken
Captain America and the Avengers
Dennis the Menace
The Simpsons: Bart & the Beanstalk
Total Carnage
WCW World Championship Wrestling: The Main Event
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Ultima: Runes of Virtue II
Sports Illustrated for Kids: The Ultimate Triple Dare
Super Battletank
Jeopardy! Sports Edition
Lamborghini American Challenge
Mickey's Ultimate Challenge
Donkey Kong
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Stop That Roach!
Cool Ball
Elite Soccer
Disney's The Jungle Book
Lemmings
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
RoboCop Versus The Terminator
Mega Man V
Mortal Kombat II
Taz-Mania
WildSnake
Contra: The Alien Wars
Cool Spot
Space Invaders
Sports Illustrated: Golf Classic
Tarzan: Lord of the Jungle
Yogi Bear's Gold Rush
Bonk's Revenge
Madden '95
Monster Truck Wars
NBA Jam
Race Days
Samurai Shodown
seaQuest DSV
Solitaire FunPak
Star Trek Generations: Beyond the Nexus
The Pagemaster
The Simpsons: Itchy & Scratchy in Miniature Golf Madness
Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman!
The Blues Brothers: Jukebox Adventure
Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues
Pac-Attack
Stargate
The Flintstones: The Movie
Tiny Toon Adventures: Wacky Sports
WWF Raw
King James Bible
The Smurfs (GB Version)

1995-1996 (Jan. 1, 1995-Dec. 31, 1996):

BreakThru!
Casino FunPak
Daffy Duck
Micro Machines
Desert Strike
FIFA International Soccer
Pac-In-Time
Pinball Fantasies
True Lies
Mario's Picross
NFL Quarterback Club II
PGA European Tour
Disney's The Lion King
Kirby's Dream Land 2
Donkey Kong Land
Judge Dredd
Jungle Strike
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
NHL Hockey '95
Animaniacs
Arcade Classic: Asteroids / Missile Command
Primal Rage
Arcade Classic 2: Centipede / Milipede
Batman Forever
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
World Heroes 2 Jet
Arcade Classic 3: Galaga / Galaxian
Earthworm Jim
Foreman For Real
Street Fighter II
Disney's Aladdin
Arcade Classic 4: Defender / Joust
Madden '96
NFL Quarterback Club 96
Shaq-Fu
Zoop
Killer Instinct
Mortal Kombat 3
PGA Tour '96
Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
FIFA Soccer '96
Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball
The Getaway: High Speed II
Vegas Stakes
Cutthroat Island
Prehistorik Man
Tetris Blast
College Slam
NBA Live 96
Disney's Pocahontas
DragonHeart
Kirby's Block Ball
Disney's Toy Story
Olympic Summer Games: Atlanta 1996
NHL '96
Iron Man and X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal
Tetris Attack
Donkey Kong Land 2
Sword of Hope II
Arcade Classics: Super Breakout / Battlezone
Disney's Pinocchio
Road Rash
Battle Arena Toshinden
Casper
FIFA Soccer '97
Madden '97
Urban Strike
Jeopardy! Platinum Edition
Jeopardy! Teen Tournament
Street Racer
NIV Bible & the 20 Lost Levels of Joshua

1997-1999 (Jan. 1, 1997-Dec. 31, 1999):

Taz-Mania 2
Mole Mania
The King of Fighters '95
Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Kirby's Star Stacker
Game & Watch Gallery
Disney's Hercules
Tetris Plus
Donkey Kong Land III
Dr. Franken II
Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
Tamagotchi
The Fidgetts
Turok: Battle of the Bionosaurs
FIFA: Road to World Cup '98
Superman: The Animated Seris
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
.James Bond 007
Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition
Wario Land II
Castlevania Legends
Brain Drain
Bomberman GB
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Ring Rage
All-Star Baseball 99
Jimmy Connors Tennis
Mickey Mouse: Magic Wands!
Game Boy Camera (If counts)
World Cup 98
WWF War Zone
Bubsy II
Frogger
Harvest Moon GB
Legend of the River King
Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow
Pokémon Blue Version
Pokémon Red Version
International Superstar Soccer
Disney's Mulan
Small Soldiers
Super Black Bass
Oddworld Adventures
The Rugrats Movie (GB Version)
Beavis and Butt-Head
Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition

Plus, there are 516 Original Game Boy video games in North America.

,,To the angel of the church of Ephesus write: Thus says He who holds the seven stars in his right hand, and who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: I know your works, and your labor, and your patience, and that you cannot bear evil, and you have tried those who they say they are apostles, but they are not, and you have found them false; And you endured a lot, and you have patience, and for my name you worked hard, and you did not stop. "
Rev. 2:1-3
Here, in the second chapter, we have the revelation of Jesus that John wrote to the church of Ephesus. Ephesus is a city that was driven to idolatry and the glorification of false gods, and the symbolic meaning of saying Ephesus is "desired".
"Write to the angel of the church of Ephesus" this angel is the preacher of the church in Ephesus and we have seen that before, otherwise the meaning of the word angel in Greek is herald and that is in fact the purpose of preaching "the announcement of news or revelations" that arrived as we have seen in the first chapter from the Lord Jesus Himself.
Based on the record, "The secret of the seven stars that you saw on my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven lampstands which you saw are seven churches."
Rev. 1:20
we can say that this was an encouragement to the preacher in the church in Ephesus and to all the other preachers who preached the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Revelation sent through John. The same is the case with the preachers today and this is an encouragement to them because they are proclaiming the word of God and not their own science and exactly that's why Jesus addresses everyone and says that he holds them in the right hand of his power and authority, "Thus speaks the One who holds the seven stars in his right hand"
This speaks of the great importance of preachers who should convey the revelations of God recorded in the Bible and that is why they are called "stars" and the church is called "golden luminary".
,,and what walks in the middle of the seven golden candlesticks: "Since Ephesus was under the influence of false gods, the preacher and the church to which Jesus addresses should be of good material, and Jesus himself is in the middle of the church and He knows what is happening because He sees everything and everything knows.
The "seven golden candlesticks" say that Jesus spoke to seven addresses, and here we are talking about seven churches, and sent to the churches that are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea"
Rev. 1:11
These were local churches that functioned independently of each other but were united in the love of Jesus Christ and each had its own preacher and the head was the Lord Jesus:
,,...and Christ is the head of the church, and he is the savior of the body."
Eph. 5:23
At the center of those churches was the Lord Jesus and even today it should be the Lord Jesus Christ and not a man because the Lord is the savior, it says:
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
Matt. 18:20
"I know your works" clearly says that Jesus knows what is happening in the church and, of course, what the preacher and church members are doing because it further says, "I know your works and your labor". The members of the church in Ephesus worked hard and tried to would do something for the Lord. In addition to the work they had and the effort, another quality of the members is mentioned here, and your patience". Although they lived in difficult and dangerous times, the church in Ephesus was patient and resisted the pressures that were definitely there lived differently from other Jews and did not want to continue living the way they were probably recommended by the rabbis and tradition, but lived according to the new higher standards of Jesus Christ, and that bothered the religious leaders a lot,, And you endured a lot, and you have patience, and for my sake you labored, and you did not stop."
We further read that false apostles came to them with their teachings, but they did not receive them before checking and when they saw that they were bringing another doctrine, they did not receive them into their church, and that you cannot bear the wicked, and you tried those who say that they are apostles, but they weren't and you found them false". And they could recognize them because they were true believers, they knew what it means to be a disciple of Jesus who works for the Lord. It is written about them:
"And this was known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear entered all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was glorified. And many of those who believed came and confessed and told what they had done. And many of those who cast spells, gathered their books and burned them in front of everyone; and they calculated and found that they were worth fifty thousand groschi. Thus the word of the Lord grew healthily and prevailed."
Acts 19:17-20
The apostle Paul warned about false apostles, but it was necessary for the church in Ephesus to know God's word well in order to recognize the real ones from the false apostles. Paul warns:
"Take care, then, of yourselves and of all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has appointed you bishops to shepherd the church of the Lord and God, which he acquired with his own blood; For I know this that after my departure grievous wolves will enter among you who will not spare the flock; And among yourselves there will be men who will speak perverse doctrine to turn away the disciples after themselves."
Acts 20:28-30
And the apostle John writes about this:
"Kind! Do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits to see if they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world."
1 John 4:1
And we read about who those false prophets were in the sixth verse.. But this is what you have that you hate the actions of the Nikolini, which I also hate." so there were the Nikolini who were a "sect" founded by a man called Nicholas, who was probably from Jerusalem. Misconceptions practiced by the Nicolaitans: they tried to divide the church into priests and laymen, that is, into those who rule and those who are submissive. This was already a practice that was applied in some churches because the apostle Jovan writes:
"I wrote to the church; but Diotrephes, who wants to be the oldest among us, does not receive us."
3 John 1:9
and secondly, they taught and practiced that a sin after conversion is not a sin, and the apostle Paul fights against this, saying:
"So what are we going to say? Shall we remain in sin that grace may multiply? God forbid!"
Rom. 6:1
Here we see that Satan tried to corrupt the church in Ephesus, but the church recognized the false teaching and rejected such teachings, and that is why the Lord Jesus praises them and adds, "which I also hate". Here the church harmonized its way of life and glorifying God with the will God's, and that is exactly what God wants each of us to do, because we received God's revelation in advance, and everything we need to know is said there.
"Because I believe in God that it will be as I was told"
Acts 27:25

The youversion Bible app got rid of photo verse feature - the feature to chose any Bible verse and make a picture out of it. Is there any other app supporting that feature ?

They could refer to humans or God.
Strong's Hebrew: 113. אָדוֹן (adon) — 325 Occurrences
Brown-Driver-Briggs:

singular lord, master (1) reference to men: (a) superintendent of household
plural lords, kings
suffix 1 singular (אֲדֹנַי) a. my Lord b. Adonay proper name of God, parallel with Yahweh, substitution for it often by scribal error, & eventually supplanting it
אֲדֹנָי יהוה (a) my Lord Yahweh
יהוה אֲדֹנָי Yahweh my Lord
אֲדֹנָי יהוה צְבָאוֺת (a) my Lord Yahweh

See also The LORD says to my lord

The verses are copied below for reference. But if the Bible is the truth and if these verses are the truth , how did King David live happily after committing adultery with Bathsheba ? Not only this but he KILLED her husband and framed it as a war strategy then wed her and gave her a son.
King David is someone covered with Honor in the Bible and it seems he hardly took any blame for this sin he committed with Bathsheba (other than her first born son dying , but that barely compares to the harm he did by strategically killing a man ? )
It just seems like God is a liar .
I have loved God deeply for all of my life and have usually turned a blind eye to this stuff, but lately with adultery happening around me in my own life, I see those who commit this sin living a similar blessed life like King David who completely trampled all over a man , killed him , and stole his wife
How can anyone excuse this ?
Where is God with his iron fist ?
IT’S NOT FAIR
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME UNDERSTAND
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?
28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent.
30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry;
31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.
32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away.

I've been searching for gratitude and counting the blessings I'm the middle of the chaos. However I could really use some verses or points of encouragement.
To preface, I have an autoimmune disease and nothing will trigger a bad flare faster than stress. My grandmother has been ill and now we've put her in the hospice program but she's still at home. To manage care however it requires three of us within a 24 hour time to take shifts, sometimes overlapping, feeding, lifting her for the bathroom, meds, breathing treatments, etc. Occasionally we have other family able to sit with her but they can't to the more difficult tasks and my grandmother is a very modest and private person. Bringing in someone to help isn't an option as it will cause her additional stress. My parents are still with me and I feel very blessed with that, however my mother a few years ago had a brain hemorrhage and it effected her in a way similar to Alzheimer's and she is sometimes emotionally childlike and can have outbursts and so far I've feel like I have been able to somewhat manage helping her handle those but with the family stress of my grandmother's illness and her no longer having her routine, it has become harder for her and in turn me being able to help her. Then yesterday I found out my Dad has cancer. Stage 1 and operable but it's cancer.
These are the big ones. Work, marriage and other family issues we all have of course factor in but right now I'm just trying to manage on the most basic level.
I can find some obvious blessings in all of this. My dad's cancer was found early. Right now I'm physically in a state of remission. My mom's illness, even though more challenging, will be more manageable when things settle down. My grandmother has not had any pain. My job, although it's a huge financial stress right now and bills are piling up, is at least flexible in giving me this time to help her. My husband is trying hard to be supportive and my kids are healthy. So I give glory to God in all things because what seems pretty awful can bring blessings. However, I am tired. I am so unbelievably tired and I could use some points of perspective. I don't think I've even opened my Bible in weeks although I know that's where I should start.
You have always been great about leading others through a crisis. So this time I am the one looking for some help to lead me though.
Thanks in advance. ❤️

Considerations on Sexual Immorality, Gender Identity, and my friends Non-Denominational Church.
A good friend of mine from a fairly conservative evangelical background is considering becoming a pastor at his non-denominational church. As part of the evaluation process, they asked him to write a paper on these topics that he is not an expert on.
He asked for my opinion and I offered to share it online to solicit constructive criticism, notes of encouragement, and or reading recommendations on these topics.
I believe his goal is to be faithful to the scriptures, loving to those outside the church, and challenging to those inside the church, as most of us could do better.
What he wrote is in the quotation marks below.
“1: Scope of the Issue
Sexual immorality has become a besetting and ubiquitous issue in our culture and in our churches. While many aspects of it are not novel or unique to this time and have clear scriptural input, there are others that bring challenges to our church for which we don’t have obvious precedent. The main point of these comments is to try and answer three questions with some degree of specificity: (1) how do we make ourselves a place where people who do not know Christ will feel welcome to come and learn of Him regardless of where they come from, (2) how do we pastorally care for people who have come in to the church with pre-existing circumstances related to sexual immorality, and (3) how do we equip our members to represent Christ to those in their lives that are dealing with these issues. We want to do this in a way that does not “walk a tight rope” or compromise to appease, but honors Scripture in its commands to both show compassion and exhort and correct. We must recognize that every individual circumstance is unique, and many will require careful and prayerful consideration, but this is meant to give a framework for that consideration.
2: Scriptural Basis for Corporate Response
There are many references we can point to that discuss and define sexual immorality throughout Scripture and many of these will be used below as we consider specific examples and situations. Let us start, however, by looking at passages that deal with corporate response rather than individual sin. It is clear that the Corinthian church had significant issues in this area, and much of Paul’s first letter was devoted to it. In chapter 5, Paul states that when sexual immorality is discovered in the church we should “mourn” over it and “not to associate with immoral people.” Importantly, he also makes clear in vv. 9-13 that these comments only apply to those “who bears the name of brother.” He explicitly writes, “not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world…for what have I to do with judging outsiders?” This is key in informing our response to those who are not members of the church. If it is our desire to see sinners come through our doors and come to know our Savior through our ministry, then we must be welcoming, accepting them where they are. This is not to say we hide or compromise the biblical position, but it is not an issue on which we want to filter people at the door. There are three categories of people in sexual sin that we need to form a response for. First, those just coming to the church who have not committed to it – these should be treated the same as any we are reaching out to with Christ’s love. They need Jesus, not behavioral change. Next, those who have recently joined the church but have pre-existing sexual sin patterns. This can and should be addressed with patience, dignity, and love. There are often many sin areas in the life of a new believer, and it is prudent to discern how and when to address each of them. Lastly, those who have been members in the church for some amount of time and fall into sexual sin. This is the group that Paul is primarily addressing in 1 Corinthians. While sex within marriage is a private issue, sexual sin cannot be a taboo topic. It needs to be addressed regularly and clearly. We need close enough relationships within the church that such problems do not fester in the dark. We must avoid the typical church pattern to vilify the first group, never see the second group, and pretend the third group doesn’t exist until it all blows up in scandal. May it never be.
3: Consistency Issue
There is a tendency in our Christian culture to treat some sexual sins as worse than others. Like the Corinthians, some things we seem to have accepted as just ubiquitous parts of our culture. Knowing the prevalence of promiscuity and fornication among teens and single adults and usage of pornography even within the church, we tend to address these as issues of indwelling sin, similar to anger or fear of man, with offers of accountability and understanding when someone falls. By contrast, when it comes to homosexuality or adultery, it is often a church discipline issue. We view homosexual marriage as a major problem, but remarriage after a non-biblical divorce is rarely addressed. These inconsistencies lead to stigmatization and polarization and should have no place in the church. The criterion for escalation should be unrepentance, not the nature of the sexual sin. It is clear from 1 Corinthians that all should be taken seriously, but none should be vilified above others.
4: Culture and Identity
The major underlying problem with many of the sexual sin and gender issues is that they have come to be culturally bound up with people’s identities. This is not a new phenomenon and is not unique to this issue. As far back as Acts 19, you see people becoming “enraged” because Paul had threatened the Ephesians’ cultural identity as worshipers of Artemis. People continue to find their primary identities in their employment, hobbies, sports teams, or families rather than Christ. None of these should be accepted, but none should be reviled either. If a person does not know Jesus, they are dead. How they identify themselves is of no concern. Once they have been made alive, they can be taught that “whose” they are is more important than “who” they are. All identity outside of Christ is not sinful, but if it takes paramount importance, it may become so. A person who recognizes a tendency toward same sex attraction may label themselves as gay or lesbian. This should not be considered a sin issue unless it becomes, for them, their defining characteristic or leads to sinful actions. We should recognize the difficulty of this struggle and support such a person rather than get hung up on labels. There must be clear distinction between identifying same sex attraction and engaging in homosexual behavior. These should be the guiding principles underlying everything that follows are regards individual cases.
5: Public Facing Information, Guests, and New Attendees
Considering what we have discussed, and Paul’s assertion in 1 Corinthians 5 that we ought to reserve judgment on sexual immorality to those we call brother, I would submit that public facing information regarding the church (i.e. website, app, etc) should not publish a position on sexual immorality, marriage, and gender identity. Doing so effectively places the filter at the door so that people who do not know Christ may be turned away from it. This is not tantamount to tacit approval. In appropriate contexts within the church, these topics should still be discussed and addressed, but I do not believe it is consistent with a biblical treatment of unbelievers to place it in a public facing forum. If we have guests or new regular attendees who appear to be engaged in a cohabitating or fornicating relationship, a homosexual relationship, or other sexual sin, this should not be a priority to address unless we have discerned that they are believers and join the church. Even then, it is important to draw a distinction between someone who deals with same-sex attraction and someone who engages in homosexual behavior. The next seven points are meant to discuss, in broad terms, how we should address those who join the church with pre-existing relationships or identity issues:
6: Promiscuity, Cohabitation – Hebrews 13:4, 1 Cor 7:1-2, Ex 22:16
Much of the biblical discussion on promiscuity is by inference. Clearly, sex was meant to be inseparably linked to marriage and outside of that context should be considered immoral. For those who join the church already in a sexual relationship who are unmarried we should apply Exodus 22:16 and encourage them to marry as soon as possible. If they do not wish to marry, they should be encouraged to separate. Paul acknowledges in 1 Cor 7:2 that marriage is the best remedy for “temptation to sexual immorality.”
7: Adultery, Divorce and Remarriage – Matt 5:32, Matt 19:9, 1 Cor 7:10-11
This issue is given much more explicit biblical instruction but is often glossed over in our Christian culture due to the messy landscape of divorces and remarriages. In cases where non-biblical divorce has occurred, if reconciliation is possible, this should be pursued. If reconciliation is impossible because one or more parties have remarried, it would not be sensible to divorce again in order to achieve reconciliation. The principle to apply here, I believe, is from 1 Cor 7:17-24 summarized in verse 20: “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” This is not an ideal circumstance, but it is the best way forward in an imperfect world. Of note, polygamy was common in the culture of the early church, and while not ideal, was accepted by the church, as evidenced by the qualifications for elder to be “a husband of but one wife.” We have polygamous cultures even within our local community and if they came to Christ, we should not counsel them to divorce all but one wife and thus disrupt their social structure. It is not ideal and would disqualify them from eldership, but they should remain as they are. Whether marriage after unbiblical divorce in the past disqualifies a man from eldership is a case-by case question for the eldership.
8: Pornography, Sensuality, and Lust – Lev 18:6-18, Matt 5:28
As mentioned above, use of pornography has reached a high saturation point within our culture and within our church. While once thought of as simply a male issue, there is a growing trend toward gender parity in pornography usage. It is an issue that should be discussed with some frequency within our church. For those that join the church and view pornography regularly, it needs to be made clear that while the world has largely destigmatized it, it is still sexual immorality. Furthermore, this isn’t just limited to nudity and pornography, but any sensuality that leads to looking at someone “with lustful intent” is the heart equivalent of adultery according to Matt 5:28. In our culture, it is not possible to avoid such things by just turning away. We need to address the heart issues of idolatry, selfishness, and satisfaction in Christ. Practically, how should we deal with those who have on-going struggles with pornography, sensuality and lust? Should this preclude them from eldership? From deaconship? Taken strictly, this would preclude nearly all men from eldership. These require individual evaluation from the elders, but a guiding principle should be, if the person is repentant and there is evidence of growth in their life, we should consider more responsibility and continued discipleship.
9: Homosexuality – Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, 1 Cor 6:9, 1 Tim 1:8-11
From the above references and others, it is evident that homosexual behavior is sexual sin. We cannot equivocate on that point. As we have discussed above, if a person who is already a believer and in the church and struggles with same sex attraction, we should approach them as we would handle anyone who is sexually attracted to someone to whom they are not married. If such a person decides that homosexuality is not sinful and begins sexually immoral activity, we should deal with them in the same way as any member who falls into unrepentant sin and go through the processes of correction and, if necessary, of church discipline. It is important that we draw a distinction between same sex attraction and homosexual behavior. We can do tremendous harm by demonizing same sex attraction and creating a taboo around it. A person who is struggling to abstain from homosexual behavior should be supported and encouraged. I believe Paul’s strong statements about not associating with sexually immoral people applies to those who remain unrepentant. Much more nuanced is the issue of how we address those that join the church already in a homosexual relationship. What about the married homosexual couple who join the church with their adopted child? Should we break up their family? I believe, in this case, the same principle should apply as to those who have gone through an unbiblical divorce in the past. We should apply 1 Cor 7:20: “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” We can recognize that this is not ideal, but it is the best we can do in a fallen world just as we do with someone who is married after unbiblical divorce. Whether should apply to a homosexual couple in a long term committed relationship who are not legally married would be an individual discussion with the elders. Again, these are nuanced cases that will need individual prayer, discussion, and discernment. I believe a great deal more patience is called for when a new believer joins the church that has a history or present reality of homosexuality, even if they are unrepentant at first, believing that homosexuality is not sinful, than we would demonstrate to a person who has been in the church for a period of time and then decides to pursue a homosexual relationship.
10: Bisexuality – Heb 13:4
Bisexual attraction is no more or less of an issue than anyone who finds that they are sexually attracted to someone other than their spouse. This is not a rare or unique circumstance, even within the church. Someone who is practicing bisexuality is, by definition, not confining sex to the marriage bed, and this, therefore, qualifies as sexual immorality. The issue, here again, is one of identity and cultural acceptance. If a person “identifies as bisexual,” the real issue is not the bisexuality, but the fact that they identify themselves primarily by their sexual desires, and not by Christ. It would be equally a problem if they “identified as heterosexual” and that was seen as their defining characteristic. If such a person were to join the church, our priority should be in helping them see their identity in Christ rather than focusing on renouncing their sexual preference.
11: Transgenderism/Non-binarism – Psalm 139: 13-15
It should be noted that the next two points should not be considered in the category of sexual immorality, but as they are connected to the same cultural moment will be discussed here. It should further be remarked that transgenderism is a modern issue with no direct reference in Scripture. It is a challenging issue that often falls prey to oversimplification and scapegoating. It is not sufficient to simply state that a person should identify with their born gender. There are those born with ambiguous genitalia and those born with sex chromosome abnormalities such that “born gender” is not necessarily accurate. These occur with a frequency of 1 in 448 births on average which is not particularly rare. The majority of people who consider themselves to be transgender do not fall into these categories, but the fact remains that these categories exist. Unless we plan to embark on genetic testing, we must be careful how we assert someone’s gender assignment. Furthermore, we must acknowledge that much of the gender confusion in our culture is due to a distortion of biblically accurate masculinity and femininity in our culture of which the church has been widely supportive for generations. Many transgender and non-binary individuals consider themselves so because they do not fit into the traditional boxes our culture has created for the genders. The church can start by recognizing that these boxes are incorrect. We can also acknowledge that gender differences and roles are far less important than most human cultures perceive. Christ himself challenged many gender norms in his ministry and Paul maintains “…there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28b) It is much more difficult to recognize this issue as a sin issue than many of the above concerns. If someone wishes to be addressed by different pronouns than they once did or dress differently than they once did, this does not amount to immorality. Once again, this can be an idolatrous identity issue if the person sees it as the central characteristic of their lives. There is often an inherent pride in asserting that such a person does not feel they fit in the body created for them, but if they come to love Jesus and understand and believe that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” then this issue may become moot. Whether or not they revert to dressing differently or using pronouns they did when they were younger is largely immaterial. This also addresses the issue of people who may have undergone permanent physical changes. While we should not endorse such modification if it is being considered, there is no reason to reverse such a thing in order to return to a base state. We must recognize that this is a group that has a high propensity toward mental health concerns, instability, and suicidality. They need love, support and prayer, not scapegoating and extra-biblical expectations of conforming to a cultural norm. We must further note that this group as well as the homosexual group have often experienced psychological and even physical harm from others in our culture, sometimes in the name of Christ. We must foster an environment of champions physical and psychological safety for these people.
12: Asexuality – 1 Cor 7:25-38
Asexuality also should not be considered sexual immorality. There is, in fact, wide support in Paul’s letters such as in 1 Cor 7 for people, if they are able, to remain unmarried and be “anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.” We tend to champion the model of the nuclear family in our Christian culture, but Paul sees chaste singleness as a better way. There should be no pressure from the church to make sure that single people pair off and get married because it is expected of them. As this state has been culturally identified with the LGBTQIA movement, it is seen on the same spectrum as the sexual immorality and gender issues discussed above, but it is not. It can still fall prey to the same issue of an idolatrous identity as some of the above issues, but it need not be so.
13: Glass Ceiling
In the event that God sees fit to bring people from these subgroups into our church, there would inevitably be a glass ceiling. The question is at what point. The four logical points are: regular attender, member, deacon, and elder. Regardless of their background or position, all should be welcome to be a regular attender. It is also clear, from the biblical requirements for eldership, that on-going problems or engagement in any of the sexual sins would disqualify them from that post. The middle two are less clear. I would submit that the bar for membership should be very low. This step, in my opinion, is when they would “bear the name of brother” and not before. Even if they disagree about the sinful nature of homosexuality, this should not disallow them from becoming members as long as they agree to submit to the churches position and not cause division. Allowing them to become members gives us the pastoral authority to speak into their lives, and we would hope that over time the Spirit would work in their hearts to convince them of the truth. Putting such a person in a deacon role would probably not be wise but would need to be evaluated prayerfully on a case-by-case basis. The difficulty here is that, while a position on homosexuality is not a salvific issue and should not be considered a core doctrine in the same way as the deity of Christ, for example, it is a sin issue. There is a limit to how far we can “agree to disagree” and still uphold our duty to root out sin in our midst. Once again, we should also distinguish between a struggle with same sex attraction and engagement in homosexual behavior when we consider our response. There is also a glass ceiling when it comes to marriage. While I believe we should not break up existing homosexual marriages, we should not participate in creating them. The marriage covenant between a man and woman was created, in part, to reflect the relationship between Christ and the church (Eph 5). This should not be co-opted to excuse or normalize immorality.
14: Nuance and Edge Cases
The above outline is by no means meant to be exhaustive or definitive. It is meant to provide a lens, supported by scripture, through which we can view these issues and consider corporate and pastoral responses. It should inform how we view the people that walk through the door from a wide range of backgrounds and how we equip those in our church to be Christ’s ambassadors to those in our community. Every person and circumstance, history and baggage will be different, and any non-nuanced position would be inherently evil. I pray we have many opportunities to talk, think and pray through specific situations that God would bless us with the chance to be a part of. What an honor it would be to be used to reach into broken lives like these with the Gospel of Grace.
15: Action Steps
As we consider practical and philosophical ways of responding to the above, I believe we should start from a position of corporate repentance. If we wish to truly reach out and touch the lives of broken people in need of a Savior who live a life of same sex attraction or gender dysphoria, we need to begin by recognizing that a great deal of harm, emotional and physical, has been inflicted on this group by the Church for generations. There are homeless people living in our area who were kicked out of their homes by parents holding a Bible. There are those who have been subjected to horrific methods that amount to torture under the guise of “Conversion Therapy” from Christian organizations. The only “conversion” we should concern ourselves with is to a regenerate heart. Attempting to change someone’s sexual attraction is very much beside the point. We cannot hope to be a place where such people can hear about Jesus unless they feel safe to enter our doors. We must also fight the tendency to consider sin in this area as something worse than others, even in non-Christians. James 2 says “…For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it….So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” As we consider corporate and pastoral responses to the argument above, we must start by removing our own planks and repenting for the historical actions of the Church.
Practical steps that we could consider taking would include: removing the statements from the website about marriage and sexuality, especially directly under our Core Beliefs. Again, this is not meant to hide or equivocate on the truth, but not to set such a barrier before someone even walks through our door. Secondly, we should consider how to address these topics within the church. A Sunday morning sermon is not ideal as it is time limited and a unidirectional conversation. A small group course format would be a consideration. We need to equip parents and family members of adolescents, teens, and adults with language to talk about these things in loving, humble, God-honoring ways. In the longer term, we need to consider how we can make our church a place where people would feel comfortable inviting friends and family who look, think and act differently than we do. We need to find a way of projecting safety and inclusion even in our public facing information. This isn’t a balancing act where we must make it clear early and often that we “love the sinner but hate the sin” as the saying goes. We just need to love the sinner. Dealing with the sin can come later God-willing. A third application point is to be mindful of what we say and what we allow to be said without being checked. Certainly, joking at the expense of those who are dealing with these issues is unacceptable, but we also need to work to avoid getting dragged in to pseudo-political discussions on bathroom issues, sports issues or other divisive concerns that have no bearing on the church.
I recognize that these proposals have the potential to divide the church. There are some who may leave the body over these sorts of changes. I would argue that it is our responsibility to them as well as to the unreached in our community to have those discussions and risk some of them leaving over it. These are not all things we should change overnight but after ample opportunities for discussions and prayer.
16: Conclusion – Mark 2:15-17
At its core, these are not issues of who someone loves, sexual attraction, or even specific sex acts. The core is idolatry and identity. When acceptance by others, self-determination, or physical pleasure become the central force driving our lives then we have become idolators. Though our idols take on different shapes, the struggles in this space are shared by all. Whether you are identified by your profession, your family, or your gender identity, you are not being identified by your Master. Building fences around or within the church because someone sins in a different way than us cannot be allowed. Making the excuse that we are somehow “protecting our children” by shielding them from people in our community who desperately need a Savior will not show our children who Jesus is. Within the church, we cannot be afraid to “speak the truth in love.” We need not and cannot shy away from sin in the church, but we must recognize that the Spirit works in each of our lives. Often this happens over a period of time. We should be prepared to walk alongside our brothers and sisters in this journey for as long as they need.
There is a significant correlation between this community and their relationship with religious groups, and the “tax collectors and sinners” that Jesus sought out in His ministry and their relationship with the religious leaders of the day. Our heart should reflect His. Jesus responded: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) If our church was filled with transgender people and gay families that loved Jesus, God would be glorified.”
Thank you in advance for any constructive criticism, notes of encouragement to and or reading recommendations on these topics that I can pass along.

PlayeGM Foreword: As someone who has been RPing for 20+ years I can say without a doubt the crop of players within the server is truly elite and special.
With that said….
In this world, one name stands above all others within the American social, professional, and cultural zeitgeist. A name that dates back to the colonial era that has grown as these states United have grown.
The name Pierce….
The Pierce-Verse Server!
Modern Realism with just a touch of Supernatural!
Political, High Society, Hollywood, Business, Sports, and Crime as well!
All players and characters must be 18+.
Daily Aesthetic Themes
OOC Banter, IC Play, and General Plotting rooms are available.
TW: NSFW Themes in marked rooms, but SFW in all other unmarked rooms!
Join us if you dare!!!
https://discord.gg/3dsEaNYDRr

u/Public_kitty, u/cbrooks97, u/Vizour
Sure, God could have.
Then why bother asking Noah to go through the laborious process of building a huge ark to store them?

Often, God preferred to use existing material to produce the next product. For example, after he had created the Earth, he used ground dust to make Adam. Elisha multiplied a widow's oil (2 K 4:3). Jesus turned water into wine and multiplied fish and bread. After the flood, the animals from before the flood multiplied. It was not like the previous creation was a total failure and God had to recreate everything from scratch.
The building of the huge ark was a test of faith for Noah. Noah believed in God's warning, and he passed the big test. Hebrews 11:

7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.
It was a testimony against the ungodly people at the time. They saw the building of the ark but did not believe in God or Noah. They failed the test.
The huge ark was a physical symbol of God's huge work of saving both men and animals.

PlayeGM Foreword: As someone who has been RPing for 20+ years I can say without a doubt the crop of players within the server is truly elite and special.
With that said….
In this world, one name stands above all others within the American social, professional, and cultural zeitgeist. A name that dates back to the colonial era that has grown as these states United have grown.
The name Pierce….
The Pierce-Verse Server!
Modern Realism with just a touch of Supernatural!
Political, High Society, Hollywood, Business, Sports, and Crime as well!
All players and characters must be 18+.
Daily Aesthetic Themes
OOC Banter, IC Play, and General Plotting rooms are available.
TW: NSFW Themes in marked rooms, but SFW in all other unmarked rooms!
Join us if you dare!!!
https://discord.gg/3dsEaNYDRr

The narrative ( I used journal, prayer and Bible and meta ai to help me reconstruct them since when I am in a relationship I saw some painful narratives)…..
Reconstruct these harsh voices “You need to rush your healing, you might abuse her or devalue” “ your not good enough, she is not good enough, do you really love her” “ you have to be healed fully in order to love” “Suffering and collapse is the only way you can be loved” Or even “ it’s the only way to learn” “ you are unlovable, you can not love (Sam vaknin cough cough “ “ your true self is completely vanished, you will never be cured or healed”… (Sam vaknin you love to disagree with Winnocot, Kernberg and HealNpD…. “….. “ your childhood wounds are way to bad to be treated”…. “ you can’t have good relationships or healthy ones”…. “Am I really loving ? What if I am loving” can I not love am I “unlovable” “It’s bad if love fulfills you” “ God wants to see me punished for me to love him “ “I haven’t suffered enough” or “haven’t I suffered enough”
-your sadistic ego loves to stop intimacy, growth and love ❤️…. ( why ? It’s your parents who taught you a performance based love… reject your feelings for me…)
Read this : “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Some verses…
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭5‬ ‭KJV‬‬ “Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭9‬ “ be grateful for the wound that pushes you closer to God… *.
Now let’s build you a healthy narrative now we understood these harsh narratives aren’t us…
“ listen it’s ok I am not completely healed I am learning and I am trying, healing is a journey not a destination”…. Don’t rush it… and enjoy it with your partner..”
“ my partner and I are working together to build a healthier relationship, like a tree 🌴 forming”
“Love is forming not formed it’s a journey”
“ I can still love and be loved in an imperfect state” honestly loving your partner means her imperfection is a journey you will learn to love Love is a sacrifice…..
“You deserve love regardless of your traumatic past or struggles at the end we are just children relearning to love ❤️ “ collapse isn’t the only way to learn….
“I am loved by someone in this world, yes love can be relearned you are capable of loving it comes from the will aswell… “
Christ will teach you like the father of the prodigal son, he allows us to run back to him despite our flaws and love allows for growth…
Yes you can have healthy relationships… it requires patience and growth along the way it’s a journey…
When your false self makes you question if you are loving remember love is a choice …
Your working through your childhood wounds, it’s a journey that will lead you to know more of what your needs and wants are, same with digging up your true self…..
Trust blindly your capacity to build love from nowhere love is built…aswell…learn to love others and you will see the tools you need….
Focus on your ability to do so and trust your emotions when it comes…
Love is fulfilling, and is a beautiful thing so value your partner and do not feel guilty for comparing hehim
But realize would you want this journey you have made with someone along the way…….
Love is patient and kind…..and you and me are learning to just love .. so don’t beat yourself up….
Trust me you will be fine
This ai version of my narrative since I can’t write it all here …
"Once, I was a hurt boy, carrying the weight of harsh narratives that told me I was unworthy, unlovable, and destined to fail. The voices in my head echoed the wounds of my past, perpetuating a cycle of self-doubt and fear.
But then, something remarkable happened. I found love - imperfect, messy, and beautiful love. It was like a ray of sunlight breaking through the cracks of my broken heart. For the first time, I felt seen, heard, and accepted for who I was.
As I embraced this love, I began to heal. The harsh narratives started to fade, replaced by a gentle whisper of hope and redemption. I discovered a new narrative - one of grace, forgiveness, and unconditional love.
This love led me to Christ, and I found solace in His embrace. I realized that I was not alone in my brokenness and that He was the ultimate source of love and healing.
Now, I'm on a new journey - to relearn what love truly means. I want to find real love, the kind that flows from a heart transformed by grace and mercy. I'm learning to surrender my fears, my doubts, and my need for control.
I'm discovering that real love is not about finding someone to complete me but about becoming whole in Christ. It's about embracing my imperfections and those of others, and trusting that love can heal even the deepest wounds.
This is my story - one of hurt, redemption, and the pursuit of real love. I'm still a work in progress, but I'm grateful for the journey, knowing that love will continue to transform me in ways I never thought possible."
Npd isn’t a death sentence…
Your superego wants you to believe that it is even Sam vaknin (oh I have the worst disorder shut up already)….
I can make something on the true self but it’s not gone just takes introspection question question
Your sadistic ego might try and replace God but I use the Bible to realize what God teaches…

A good friend of mine from a fairly conservative evangelical background is considering becoming a pastor at his non-denominational church. As part of the evaluation process, they asked him to write a paper on these topics that he is not an expert on.
He asked for my opinion and I offered to share it online to solicit constructive criticism, notes of encouragement, and or reading recommendations on these topics.
I believe his goal is to be faithful to the scriptures, loving to those outside the church, and challenging to those inside the church, as most of us could do better.
What he wrote is in the quotation marks below.
“1: Scope of the Issue
Sexual immorality has become a besetting and ubiquitous issue in our culture and in our churches. While many aspects of it are not novel or unique to this time and have clear scriptural input, there are others that bring challenges to our church for which we don’t have obvious precedent. The main point of these comments is to try and answer three questions with some degree of specificity: (1) how do we make ourselves a place where people who do not know Christ will feel welcome to come and learn of Him regardless of where they come from, (2) how do we pastorally care for people who have come in to the church with pre-existing circumstances related to sexual immorality, and (3) how do we equip our members to represent Christ to those in their lives that are dealing with these issues. We want to do this in a way that does not “walk a tight rope” or compromise to appease, but honors Scripture in its commands to both show compassion and exhort and correct. We must recognize that every individual circumstance is unique, and many will require careful and prayerful consideration, but this is meant to give a framework for that consideration.
2: Scriptural Basis for Corporate Response
There are many references we can point to that discuss and define sexual immorality throughout Scripture and many of these will be used below as we consider specific examples and situations. Let us start, however, by looking at passages that deal with corporate response rather than individual sin. It is clear that the Corinthian church had significant issues in this area, and much of Paul’s first letter was devoted to it. In chapter 5, Paul states that when sexual immorality is discovered in the church we should “mourn” over it and “not to associate with immoral people.” Importantly, he also makes clear in vv. 9-13 that these comments only apply to those “who bears the name of brother.” He explicitly writes, “not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world…for what have I to do with judging outsiders?” This is key in informing our response to those who are not members of the church. If it is our desire to see sinners come through our doors and come to know our Savior through our ministry, then we must be welcoming, accepting them where they are. This is not to say we hide or compromise the biblical position, but it is not an issue on which we want to filter people at the door. There are three categories of people in sexual sin that we need to form a response for. First, those just coming to the church who have not committed to it – these should be treated the same as any we are reaching out to with Christ’s love. They need Jesus, not behavioral change. Next, those who have recently joined the church but have pre-existing sexual sin patterns. This can and should be addressed with patience, dignity, and love. There are often many sin areas in the life of a new believer, and it is prudent to discern how and when to address each of them. Lastly, those who have been members in the church for some amount of time and fall into sexual sin. This is the group that Paul is primarily addressing in 1 Corinthians. While sex within marriage is a private issue, sexual sin cannot be a taboo topic. It needs to be addressed regularly and clearly. We need close enough relationships within the church that such problems do not fester in the dark. We must avoid the typical church pattern to vilify the first group, never see the second group, and pretend the third group doesn’t exist until it all blows up in scandal. May it never be.
3: Consistency Issue
There is a tendency in our Christian culture to treat some sexual sins as worse than others. Like the Corinthians, some things we seem to have accepted as just ubiquitous parts of our culture. Knowing the prevalence of promiscuity and fornication among teens and single adults and usage of pornography even within the church, we tend to address these as issues of indwelling sin, similar to anger or fear of man, with offers of accountability and understanding when someone falls. By contrast, when it comes to homosexuality or adultery, it is often a church discipline issue. We view homosexual marriage as a major problem, but remarriage after a non-biblical divorce is rarely addressed. These inconsistencies lead to stigmatization and polarization and should have no place in the church. The criterion for escalation should be unrepentance, not the nature of the sexual sin. It is clear from 1 Corinthians that all should be taken seriously, but none should be vilified above others.
4: Culture and Identity
The major underlying problem with many of the sexual sin and gender issues is that they have come to be culturally bound up with people’s identities. This is not a new phenomenon and is not unique to this issue. As far back as Acts 19, you see people becoming “enraged” because Paul had threatened the Ephesians’ cultural identity as worshipers of Artemis. People continue to find their primary identities in their employment, hobbies, sports teams, or families rather than Christ. None of these should be accepted, but none should be reviled either. If a person does not know Jesus, they are dead. How they identify themselves is of no concern. Once they have been made alive, they can be taught that “whose” they are is more important than “who” they are. All identity outside of Christ is not sinful, but if it takes paramount importance, it may become so. A person who recognizes a tendency toward same sex attraction may label themselves as gay or lesbian. This should not be considered a sin issue unless it becomes, for them, their defining characteristic or leads to sinful actions. We should recognize the difficulty of this struggle and support such a person rather than get hung up on labels. There must be clear distinction between identifying same sex attraction and engaging in homosexual behavior. These should be the guiding principles underlying everything that follows are regards individual cases.
5: Public Facing Information, Guests, and New Attendees
Considering what we have discussed, and Paul’s assertion in 1 Corinthians 5 that we ought to reserve judgment on sexual immorality to those we call brother, I would submit that public facing information regarding the church (i.e. website, app, etc) should not publish a position on sexual immorality, marriage, and gender identity. Doing so effectively places the filter at the door so that people who do not know Christ may be turned away from it. This is not tantamount to tacit approval. In appropriate contexts within the church, these topics should still be discussed and addressed, but I do not believe it is consistent with a biblical treatment of unbelievers to place it in a public facing forum. If we have guests or new regular attendees who appear to be engaged in a cohabitating or fornicating relationship, a homosexual relationship, or other sexual sin, this should not be a priority to address unless we have discerned that they are believers and join the church. Even then, it is important to draw a distinction between someone who deals with same-sex attraction and someone who engages in homosexual behavior. The next seven points are meant to discuss, in broad terms, how we should address those who join the church with pre-existing relationships or identity issues:
6: Promiscuity, Cohabitation – Hebrews 13:4, 1 Cor 7:1-2, Ex 22:16
Much of the biblical discussion on promiscuity is by inference. Clearly, sex was meant to be inseparably linked to marriage and outside of that context should be considered immoral. For those who join the church already in a sexual relationship who are unmarried we should apply Exodus 22:16 and encourage them to marry as soon as possible. If they do not wish to marry, they should be encouraged to separate. Paul acknowledges in 1 Cor 7:2 that marriage is the best remedy for “temptation to sexual immorality.”
7: Adultery, Divorce and Remarriage – Matt 5:32, Matt 19:9, 1 Cor 7:10-11
This issue is given much more explicit biblical instruction but is often glossed over in our Christian culture due to the messy landscape of divorces and remarriages. In cases where non-biblical divorce has occurred, if reconciliation is possible, this should be pursued. If reconciliation is impossible because one or more parties have remarried, it would not be sensible to divorce again in order to achieve reconciliation. The principle to apply here, I believe, is from 1 Cor 7:17-24 summarized in verse 20: “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” This is not an ideal circumstance, but it is the best way forward in an imperfect world. Of note, polygamy was common in the culture of the early church, and while not ideal, was accepted by the church, as evidenced by the qualifications for elder to be “a husband of but one wife.” We have polygamous cultures even within our local community and if they came to Christ, we should not counsel them to divorce all but one wife and thus disrupt their social structure. It is not ideal and would disqualify them from eldership, but they should remain as they are. Whether marriage after unbiblical divorce in the past disqualifies a man from eldership is a case-by case question for the eldership.
8: Pornography, Sensuality, and Lust – Lev 18:6-18, Matt 5:28
As mentioned above, use of pornography has reached a high saturation point within our culture and within our church. While once thought of as simply a male issue, there is a growing trend toward gender parity in pornography usage. It is an issue that should be discussed with some frequency within our church. For those that join the church and view pornography regularly, it needs to be made clear that while the world has largely destigmatized it, it is still sexual immorality. Furthermore, this isn’t just limited to nudity and pornography, but any sensuality that leads to looking at someone “with lustful intent” is the heart equivalent of adultery according to Matt 5:28. In our culture, it is not possible to avoid such things by just turning away. We need to address the heart issues of idolatry, selfishness, and satisfaction in Christ. Practically, how should we deal with those who have on-going struggles with pornography, sensuality and lust? Should this preclude them from eldership? From deaconship? Taken strictly, this would preclude nearly all men from eldership. These require individual evaluation from the elders, but a guiding principle should be, if the person is repentant and there is evidence of growth in their life, we should consider more responsibility and continued discipleship.
9: Homosexuality – Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13, 1 Cor 6:9, 1 Tim 1:8-11
From the above references and others, it is evident that homosexual behavior is sexual sin. We cannot equivocate on that point. As we have discussed above, if a person who is already a believer and in the church and struggles with same sex attraction, we should approach them as we would handle anyone who is sexually attracted to someone to whom they are not married. If such a person decides that homosexuality is not sinful and begins sexually immoral activity, we should deal with them in the same way as any member who falls into unrepentant sin and go through the processes of correction and, if necessary, of church discipline. It is important that we draw a distinction between same sex attraction and homosexual behavior. We can do tremendous harm by demonizing same sex attraction and creating a taboo around it. A person who is struggling to abstain from homosexual behavior should be supported and encouraged. I believe Paul’s strong statements about not associating with sexually immoral people applies to those who remain unrepentant. Much more nuanced is the issue of how we address those that join the church already in a homosexual relationship. What about the married homosexual couple who join the church with their adopted child? Should we break up their family? I believe, in this case, the same principle should apply as to those who have gone through an unbiblical divorce in the past. We should apply 1 Cor 7:20: “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.” We can recognize that this is not ideal, but it is the best we can do in a fallen world just as we do with someone who is married after unbiblical divorce. Whether should apply to a homosexual couple in a long term committed relationship who are not legally married would be an individual discussion with the elders. Again, these are nuanced cases that will need individual prayer, discussion, and discernment. I believe a great deal more patience is called for when a new believer joins the church that has a history or present reality of homosexuality, even if they are unrepentant at first, believing that homosexuality is not sinful, than we would demonstrate to a person who has been in the church for a period of time and then decides to pursue a homosexual relationship.
10: Bisexuality – Heb 13:4
Bisexual attraction is no more or less of an issue than anyone who finds that they are sexually attracted to someone other than their spouse. This is not a rare or unique circumstance, even within the church. Someone who is practicing bisexuality is, by definition, not confining sex to the marriage bed, and this, therefore, qualifies as sexual immorality. The issue, here again, is one of identity and cultural acceptance. If a person “identifies as bisexual,” the real issue is not the bisexuality, but the fact that they identify themselves primarily by their sexual desires, and not by Christ. It would be equally a problem if they “identified as heterosexual” and that was seen as their defining characteristic. If such a person were to join the church, our priority should be in helping them see their identity in Christ rather than focusing on renouncing their sexual preference.
11: Transgenderism/Non-binarism – Psalm 139: 13-15
It should be noted that the next two points should not be considered in the category of sexual immorality, but as they are connected to the same cultural moment will be discussed here. It should further be remarked that transgenderism is a modern issue with no direct reference in Scripture. It is a challenging issue that often falls prey to oversimplification and scapegoating. It is not sufficient to simply state that a person should identify with their born gender. There are those born with ambiguous genitalia and those born with sex chromosome abnormalities such that “born gender” is not necessarily accurate. These occur with a frequency of 1 in 448 births on average which is not particularly rare. The majority of people who consider themselves to be transgender do not fall into these categories, but the fact remains that these categories exist. Unless we plan to embark on genetic testing, we must be careful how we assert someone’s gender assignment. Furthermore, we must acknowledge that much of the gender confusion in our culture is due to a distortion of biblically accurate masculinity and femininity in our culture of which the church has been widely supportive for generations. Many transgender and non-binary individuals consider themselves so because they do not fit into the traditional boxes our culture has created for the genders. The church can start by recognizing that these boxes are incorrect. We can also acknowledge that gender differences and roles are far less important than most human cultures perceive. Christ himself challenged many gender norms in his ministry and Paul maintains “…there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28b) It is much more difficult to recognize this issue as a sin issue than many of the above concerns. If someone wishes to be addressed by different pronouns than they once did or dress differently than they once did, this does not amount to immorality. Once again, this can be an idolatrous identity issue if the person sees it as the central characteristic of their lives. There is often an inherent pride in asserting that such a person does not feel they fit in the body created for them, but if they come to love Jesus and understand and believe that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” then this issue may become moot. Whether or not they revert to dressing differently or using pronouns they did when they were younger is largely immaterial. This also addresses the issue of people who may have undergone permanent physical changes. While we should not endorse such modification if it is being considered, there is no reason to reverse such a thing in order to return to a base state. We must recognize that this is a group that has a high propensity toward mental health concerns, instability, and suicidality. They need love, support and prayer, not scapegoating and extra-biblical expectations of conforming to a cultural norm. We must further note that this group as well as the homosexual group have often experienced psychological and even physical harm from others in our culture, sometimes in the name of Christ. We must foster an environment of champions physical and psychological safety for these people.
12: Asexuality – 1 Cor 7:25-38
Asexuality also should not be considered sexual immorality. There is, in fact, wide support in Paul’s letters such as in 1 Cor 7 for people, if they are able, to remain unmarried and be “anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.” We tend to champion the model of the nuclear family in our Christian culture, but Paul sees chaste singleness as a better way. There should be no pressure from the church to make sure that single people pair off and get married because it is expected of them. As this state has been culturally identified with the LGBTQIA movement, it is seen on the same spectrum as the sexual immorality and gender issues discussed above, but it is not. It can still fall prey to the same issue of an idolatrous identity as some of the above issues, but it need not be so.
13: Glass Ceiling
In the event that God sees fit to bring people from these subgroups into our church, there would inevitably be a glass ceiling. The question is at what point. The four logical points are: regular attender, member, deacon, and elder. Regardless of their background or position, all should be welcome to be a regular attender. It is also clear, from the biblical requirements for eldership, that on-going problems or engagement in any of the sexual sins would disqualify them from that post. The middle two are less clear. I would submit that the bar for membership should be very low. This step, in my opinion, is when they would “bear the name of brother” and not before. Even if they disagree about the sinful nature of homosexuality, this should not disallow them from becoming members as long as they agree to submit to the churches position and not cause division. Allowing them to become members gives us the pastoral authority to speak into their lives, and we would hope that over time the Spirit would work in their hearts to convince them of the truth. Putting such a person in a deacon role would probably not be wise but would need to be evaluated prayerfully on a case-by-case basis. The difficulty here is that, while a position on homosexuality is not a salvific issue and should not be considered a core doctrine in the same way as the deity of Christ, for example, it is a sin issue. There is a limit to how far we can “agree to disagree” and still uphold our duty to root out sin in our midst. Once again, we should also distinguish between a struggle with same sex attraction and engagement in homosexual behavior when we consider our response. There is also a glass ceiling when it comes to marriage. While I believe we should not break up existing homosexual marriages, we should not participate in creating them. The marriage covenant between a man and woman was created, in part, to reflect the relationship between Christ and the church (Eph 5). This should not be co-opted to excuse or normalize immorality.
14: Nuance and Edge Cases
The above outline is by no means meant to be exhaustive or definitive. It is meant to provide a lens, supported by scripture, through which we can view these issues and consider corporate and pastoral responses. It should inform how we view the people that walk through the door from a wide range of backgrounds and how we equip those in our church to be Christ’s ambassadors to those in our community. Every person and circumstance, history and baggage will be different, and any non-nuanced position would be inherently evil. I pray we have many opportunities to talk, think and pray through specific situations that God would bless us with the chance to be a part of. What an honor it would be to be used to reach into broken lives like these with the Gospel of Grace.
15: Action Steps
As we consider practical and philosophical ways of responding to the above, I believe we should start from a position of corporate repentance. If we wish to truly reach out and touch the lives of broken people in need of a Savior who live a life of same sex attraction or gender dysphoria, we need to begin by recognizing that a great deal of harm, emotional and physical, has been inflicted on this group by the Church for generations. There are homeless people living in our area who were kicked out of their homes by parents holding a Bible. There are those who have been subjected to horrific methods that amount to torture under the guise of “Conversion Therapy” from Christian organizations. The only “conversion” we should concern ourselves with is to a regenerate heart. Attempting to change someone’s sexual attraction is very much beside the point. We cannot hope to be a place where such people can hear about Jesus unless they feel safe to enter our doors. We must also fight the tendency to consider sin in this area as something worse than others, even in non-Christians. James 2 says “…For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it….So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” As we consider corporate and pastoral responses to the argument above, we must start by removing our own planks and repenting for the historical actions of the Church.
Practical steps that we could consider taking would include: removing the statements from the website about marriage and sexuality, especially directly under our Core Beliefs. Again, this is not meant to hide or equivocate on the truth, but not to set such a barrier before someone even walks through our door. Secondly, we should consider how to address these topics within the church. A Sunday morning sermon is not ideal as it is time limited and a unidirectional conversation. A small group course format would be a consideration. We need to equip parents and family members of adolescents, teens, and adults with language to talk about these things in loving, humble, God-honoring ways. In the longer term, we need to consider how we can make our church a place where people would feel comfortable inviting friends and family who look, think and act differently than we do. We need to find a way of projecting safety and inclusion even in our public facing information. This isn’t a balancing act where we must make it clear early and often that we “love the sinner but hate the sin” as the saying goes. We just need to love the sinner. Dealing with the sin can come later God-willing. A third application point is to be mindful of what we say and what we allow to be said without being checked. Certainly, joking at the expense of those who are dealing with these issues is unacceptable, but we also need to work to avoid getting dragged in to pseudo-political discussions on bathroom issues, sports issues or other divisive concerns that have no bearing on the church.
I recognize that these proposals have the potential to divide the church. There are some who may leave the body over these sorts of changes. I would argue that it is our responsibility to them as well as to the unreached in our community to have those discussions and risk some of them leaving over it. These are not all things we should change overnight but after ample opportunities for discussions and prayer.
16: Conclusion – Mark 2:15-17
At its core, these are not issues of who someone loves, sexual attraction, or even specific sex acts. The core is idolatry and identity. When acceptance by others, self-determination, or physical pleasure become the central force driving our lives then we have become idolators. Though our idols take on different shapes, the struggles in this space are shared by all. Whether you are identified by your profession, your family, or your gender identity, you are not being identified by your Master. Building fences around or within the church because someone sins in a different way than us cannot be allowed. Making the excuse that we are somehow “protecting our children” by shielding them from people in our community who desperately need a Savior will not show our children who Jesus is. Within the church, we cannot be afraid to “speak the truth in love.” We need not and cannot shy away from sin in the church, but we must recognize that the Spirit works in each of our lives. Often this happens over a period of time. We should be prepared to walk alongside our brothers and sisters in this journey for as long as they need.
There is a significant correlation between this community and their relationship with religious groups, and the “tax collectors and sinners” that Jesus sought out in His ministry and their relationship with the religious leaders of the day. Our heart should reflect His. Jesus responded: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) If our church was filled with transgender people and gay families that loved Jesus, God would be glorified.”
Thank you in advance for any constructive criticism, notes of encouragement and or reading recommendations on these topics that I can pass along.

Sports bible verses

Bible Verses

1989-1990 (Jul. 31, 1991-Dec. 31, 1990):