Pastor Jim Standridge: Speaking the Truth in Love?

Please watch the video below of Pastor Jim Standridge of Immanuel Baptist Church of Skiatook and his sermon on May 19, 2013. Then read below for my comments on this video.

Okay, so I had mixed emotions on this video. I thought "WOW! How could a pastor do this?? This isn't right to do to his congregation!". Then again I also thought, "Paul did the very same thing. He came in to a church and set people straight." Paul was also not interested in creating the prostitute of the church. 

I still could not judge this pastor by this clip, so I went to the church website and watched the full sermon at http://www.ibcskiatook.com/media/sermons/video/585-may-19th-2013-morning-service which I recommend you to do so as well. What I found was very double-minded.

The Pastor was preaching against the Pharisees and how they loved to control the law and loved to condemn people when they should have been submissive unto God, but then he began doing the same thing in my eyes. He was condemning specific people in his congregation for their behavior. I know the Bible says in John 8, which was near where he was preaching, that "You will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free," but the Bible also says to "Speak the truth in love". I feel that this pastor thought he was doing that because he kept telling his people that he loved them, however to me he wasn't. 

True biblical love does not condemn. Romans 8:1 tells us that "There is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus," so what gave him the right to PUBLICLY announce the faults of others. Instead of doing this in public, he should have went to them privately just as Matthew 18 teaches us, and shared with them alone their fault. 

So I ask my readers the question, "Do you believe that Pastor Jim Standridge was right in what he did to his congregation on May 19, 2013? Do you think that Pastor Jim Standridge was 'speaking the truth in love'?" Please comment below. 

I'm Addicted!

These pictures show a very serious problem that I have.

A terrible addiction that I deal with daily.

A condition that plagues my very being each time I enter a Christian bookstore....

....I'm addicted to Bibles!

I've never understood why I'm so addicted to owning different Bibles, but I am.

I feel like I have every study Bible in every different kind of format and version, but I can't help it. I love soaking in different resources.

Study notes are a wonderful companion to Bible reading. They allow me to understand a difficult passage when studying.

While I don't agree with all of his teachings, probably my favorite study Bible to use is the "MacArthur Study Bible". I think I have like three of those just in different versions! MacArthur has helped me through many tough passages in Scripture as well as helped me to affirm my convictions in Scripture.

I must mention something else I'm addicted to, which may effect my purchases of Bibles more than I think.....I'm addicted to the smell of Bibles. Go ahead, pick up a Bible right now and give it a good whiff....isn't that not the greatest smell on planet Earth! Right up there with bacon frying in the mornings, it HAS to be the greatest smell!

Surely I'm not alone in these addictions! Hey, the way I see it is at least it's a Bible addiction and nothing more!!

What about you?

New Decision Based on New Information

My great friend +Roy Montero has always said, "I never change my mind. I just make a new decision based on new information." That my friends is what I'm doing today. I have decided to make a new decision based on new information shown to me.

My previous blog post, "My Opinion on Gay Marriage" sparked a lot of interesting discussion. Most people agreed with what I had to say except one of the points I wrote about. It was the point, "YES, I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO JUDGE". People said the following,

"I'm not sure how you are getting that it's okay to judge, because it's not. I have absolutely nothing against gays. If they want to be gay, then leave them alone. All Christians do anymore is force religion down people's throats and it makes us hate religion in general. That's about all this town is filled with though, hypocritical 'Christians'"

"What's funny is by the dictionary's terms, we all just made judgment about this post. We all judge, so if we want to stop judging, we really need to work on taking away any human activities."

The next three comments sparked my new decision.

"I agree with all of your points except one. We do not have the right to judge. The Word of God does the judging. As far as judging gays, it is really irrelevant for they were judged long before this old world even came into existence by a merciful and loving God. This is His foreknowledge at work. I kinda agree with Paul's statement that he is the chiefest of sinners, so am I. Gays are humans just like you and me deserving of God's mercy and forgiveness!"

"I would like to kindly disagree with one of your points: 'I have a right to judge.' No,you don't. It is true that the Bible says not to judge. We as Christians are not allowed to condemn sinners for being sinners - that's God's job. What we ARE allowed to do is inform them of their sin and urge them to repent. The exception to this is when dealing with Christians who still continue to sin. 1 Timothy 5:20 (referring to members of the Church) 'As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.'"

"I believe that we are confusing judging people with warning people in this situation. We Christians are only warning people of what God says about this sin. We are not judging them. They say it is judging because they know deep down that it is wrong. Eventually God turns them over to a reprobate mind, where they can't see right and wrong. This may sound harsh, but this is what God did in Romans. Not man, but God. God is loving, but he is also just. We are warning them not judging them.

So...........based on new information, I would now like to make a new decision and new point for my opinion on gay marriage.

YES, I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO WARN

Many people when dealing with marriage equality, especially if they are gay, like to say "Who are you to judge? You have no right to judge. The Bible says do not judge. Don't judge. Don't judge. Don't judge." You know what? You're right, I have no right to judge you. You may say "Praise to (whomever you may worship)!!!! He's finally seeing our side. He knows he can't judge. We win and have free reign to live how we want to." WRONG!! Just because I have no right to judge you, I still understand from God's Word that your sin is wrong. My job is to share with you the truth that I know. My job is to WARN you!

What I know is that you are living in sin as a gay person, and that if you do not repent and accept Christ, you will go to Hell. But God, in His all powerful knowledge understood that these things would occur, so he sent His only Son Jesus Christ to live to die upon a cross for even your worst sin, be it homosexuality or whatever! It is up to you if you choose to accept that, but I can not do God's job of condemning you as a person. I can only warn you of what God's job is, because judgment IS coming, and it will be from GOD! 

The only time I have a right to judge at all is when it refers to people in the family of God. Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 5:11-13:

11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

I cannot judge those outside of the family of God, we just went over that, but I can judge those inside of the church which is the true context of Matthew 7. If I see one of my brothers and sisters in Christ living in sin, I have every right to judge them and tell them they are not living the way they should. I quoted scripture, so don't fight with me, fight with God!

I have been so thrilled to write these posts lately. I was so thrilled by all the conversation sparked, and was please they every conversation remained mature and civil. Please let me know your thoughts now. Was this new decision fair? Yes? No? Why? Please comment below.