Dear reader,
Happy June! June is a wonderful month! It's the beginning of summer! The school year is ending! This is great!
What about pride month? TLM stands for Truth and Love Ministries. In order to address the LGBT community, we need to look at what the Bible says, and we'll relate it to God's truth and love.
The Bible defines marriage as between one man and one woman. In Genesis 1:24, God said "that a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Never in the Bible does God bring two men together or two women together to become one flesh. In fact, the God calls such acts an abomination (Leviticus 20:13). In Romans 1:18-32, Paul describes the wicked behavior of men and women.
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. 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: 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. 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; ' Romans 1:25-28
The truth is that God calls homosexuality an abomination, and we must live according to what the Word of God says.
The next part of our name is love. While we know that such a practice is sinful, we must also declare the truth in love. We know that even though such people are in sin, the Bible also declares that God loves all people. Romans 3:23 says that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Just like we were once trapped in sin, they are also trapped in their sin. However, God also says in John 3:16 that He "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." We believe that if anyone, even a homosexual, lets go of his sin (that includes homosexuality) and believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth that Jesus rose from the dead and is Lord, he will be saved. The sinner's sin is not okay and must be let go in order to receive the gift of salvation, but it is because of God's preexisting love that one is able to be saved.
So in short, Truth and Love Ministries does not believe that homosexuality is okay, but all are loved by God. If a homosexual lets go of his sin and surrenders his life to the Lord, he will be saved.
So, this month, we will continue to serve the Lord and love others. I know that I can definitely work on showing others love. As I grow in my walk with Jesus, I will continue to represent TLM's goal - to bring God's truth in love. I'm not where I want to be at doing this, but I'm not where I was at the beginning of the school year.
Have a great day!
COMMITTING TO GOD'S GRACE AND LOVE,
Jeremiah Yonemura