Those who defend the practice of homosexuality have used many tactics to try and justify it — it’s just an “alternative lifestyle,” it’s of no concern to anyone else, people are born that way. The biggest obstacle in our country for those who are pushing this homosexual message comes from those who cite the Bible as their reason for opposing it.

As a result, there has been a great effort to either discredit or reinterpret the passages that condemn homosexuality. Earlier this week in an interview, the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal church, “Reverend” V. Gene Robinson, tried to explain away Paul’s comments about homosexuality in Romans 1:26-27 by claiming that Paul was condemning heterosexuals from engaging in homosexuality, but that he was not condemning homosexual acts by those who were oriented that way from birth.

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Paul gave the young evangelist Timothy this charge: “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2). Why was it so important for Timothy to do this? Paul goes on: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Apostasy was coming. At some point, those who were once receptive to the pure, unadulterated gospel would want something different. How does such a change happen? It certainly does not happen overnight. There is a progression that takes place, leading Christians away from sound doctrine and into false teaching.

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Tim Haile of the Parkway church of Christ has done extensive study on Islam and the teachings of the Quran, particularly in regards to carnal warfare in the name of Islam. He has recently recorded two audio lessons about the development of teachings about fighting in the Muslim holy book.

In the lessons, he explains how a consideration of the Quran’s chapters in chronological order, rather than the order in which they have been arranged, shows how Mohammed’s teachings progressed. The progression occurred in four stages: advocating peace, allowing defensive fighting, requiring defensive fighting, and finally, requiring offensive fighting.

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Paul told the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

These statements Paul made about himself ought to apply to every Christian.

I Have Been Crucified with Christ — Jesus’ death on the cross is at the heart of the gospel message. Paul told the brethren in Corinth, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). He willingly laid down His life in this sacrifice for us (John 10:17-18).

Paul told the Romans that we must “become united with Him in the likeness of His death” (Romans 6:5). He explained how this is done. We are to become “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11) through repentance. We must also be baptized into Him. Paul wrote, “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death…” (Romans 6:3-4). Many religious people minimize the importance of baptism, but Paul said this was necessary to have hope for the resurrection. “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection” (Romans 6:5).

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“Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.” “Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30,33).

These statements are rather incredible. When we look back at the number of evil kings over Israel up to this time, Ahab was the worst. Why was he so evil? And what can we learn from his bad example? The passage where these verses are found gives us a few reasons for the statements.

“Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.

“It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:29-33).

There were four factors that contributed to Ahab being classified as the most wicked king. Each one is something we must guard against in our own life.

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A recent report has found that a minority of Presbyterians believe that “only followers of Jesus Christ can be saved.” Only 39% of members agree or strongly agree with that statement, along with just 35% of pastors and 45% of elders.

Before you might jump to conclusions, understand that this was not a report done by a group that is biased against the Presbyterian church, making their findings unreliable. The article linked above cites the latest “Religious and Demographic Profile of Presbyterians” report, and was released by the Presbyterian church itself.

So if 35% of Presbyterian pastors believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation, naturally that would mean that 65% believe that there are other ways to salvation outside of Christ. More and more religious people who claim to follow Jesus want to embrace the religions of the world. Yet this is completely opposed to what the Scriptures teach.

Peter said of Christ, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Paul said we obtain “salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). And in another place, ”Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted” (Matthew 15:13).

Who will we believe? Jesus, who is “to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:9), or those who “deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (Romans 16:18) by teaching that we can be saved outside of Christ?

There is only one way. That way is through Christ, regardless of what men may teach. “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar” (Romans 3:4).

James tells us, “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16). With this in mind, many people pray to God hoping that their prayer will be answered. They want to have a divine response that is visible and tangible. When we pray for the sick, we want to see the sick recover. When we pray for someone’s safe travel, we want to see that they reach their destination without incident. When we pray for help finding a job, we want to actually find a job. There are many other examples as well. We pray and let our “requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Since “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much,” we expect to see, at least some of the time, real and positive responses from God to our prayers.

But what if we don’t see this? What if our prayers, as far as we can tell, go unanswered? This is likely something that most of us have perceived at some point. It can be discouraging. But we should not allow it to shake our faith in God. After all, “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). It does not say that true faith comes as a result of something happening that we determine must be God’s answer to our prayer. Sadly, many allow their faith to be either established or shattered based upon their own labeling of certain events as being God’s answers to their prayers. This is purely subjective. This is not true Bible faith.

The faith we are to have is based on God’s word (Romans 10:17). Therefore, the basis for our faith will not change (1 Peter 1:25) and it is the same for all people of all time (Mark 16:15). Faith can be produced for anyone through the revealed word of God. So even if one believes his prayers are not being answered, there is no need to be discouraged. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). We can still put our complete trust and hope in Him.

When people believe their prayers are not being answered, they sometimes jump to various conclusions. But we must be careful not to assume the wrong thing.

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