Isaiah 5:20-23  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22  Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23  Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

I was reading an article entitled “Baptist Home Considers Hiring Gays“ in the Baptist Press. The President of the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s (KBC) children’s services agency (Bill Smithwick, Sunrise Children’s Services) is recommending to the trustees of the agency that they amend its hiring practices in order to allow the hire of practicing homosexuals. The main reason Smithwick gives for removing the hiring ban is because – and I quote – “Sunrise cannot operate without government funds and that it risks losing major secular sponsors if it fires homosexuals”. Say what? Yes, that’s right. An entity of the KBC – part of the Southern Baptist Convention – is taking government funds to continue to function. Since when is a Christian Missionary organization to be funded by the government? Smithwick said “Federal protection for homosexuals in the workplace as a ‘civil right’ just as race, gender, national origin, etc, is certain to become law sooner than later. Sunrise will comply or lose”. Well, yes. If you yoke the ministry of Christ to the government then you will have to change. You’re taking money from the government – you have to let the government lead the dance. Let me ask every Christian in the KBC this question with all the love I can muster ….

Have you lost your minds?

When God said:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

were you asleep? The government is not a Christian organization. When you yoke a believer and an unbeliever together, it’s like putting a mule and an ox together, or sewing and apple an an orange together. It may look OK, but it’s doomed to failure. Many years ago the Roman soldiers tormented prisoners by yoking a live person with a dead body. The dead body eventually infected the living person, and drew him down to death. You cannot yoke light and darkness together, nor good and evil. Life and death are not companions.

The government – God bless every one of its workers – is a neutral entity that is supposed to afford equal protection to every citizen. The government is not guided by Biblical principles as is the Christian, but is guided by popular opinion and politics. The Bible teaches that homosexuality is NOT another race or gender, but a sinful activity that a person moves into following a choice to reject the God Who made them. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Romans 1:21-28 (KJV) 21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26  For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient …

Twist that any way you want to, but that’s what the Bible says. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (HCSB)   Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, 10  no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. 11  And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

I know what you’re going to say. “But Brother David, homosexuality is no worst than other sins that people engage in. God loves the sinner but hates the sin”. God does love the sinner. God loves us all. God “so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It is true that homosexuality as a sin is no worst than other sins. But it is also NO BETTER than other sins. God specifically stated that sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people and swindlers will NOT inherit God’s Kingdom. God hates the sin and loves the sinner. BUT if you do not repent and come to Christ, if you are not changed and washed by God, THEN you will not enter God’s Heaven.  There is no way that you can read the Bible, taking it at face value, and believe that a sinful lifestyle – whether it’s theft, drug abuse, or sexual immorality – will be overlooked by God.

Christians need to stop compromising with the world. We need to stop taking money from the government to pay for mission work that WE ought to be doing. If you take money from the government – or from an unbelieving business or person – you violate common sense and God’s mandate. We who believe should lovingly preach the Gospel to all, trusting that God’s Word can and will change the sinner’s heart.  We should not hate the sinner, but should love them enough to tell them about the Lord Jesus. We should not compromise lest we offend, but lovingly repeat what the Word of God says. Word of God speak! Not me, but God’s Word.

2 Timothy 3:1-5  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

We are in the last days. It’s time we as Christians stop compromising and start obeying. It’s time we stop justifying and start testifying. It’s time we stop backing up and start looking up. When Jesus comes for me, I don’t want to have to explain why I twisted His Word. I want to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord!”