In this video, Brian Anthony Bowen reveals Scriptures the Church never talks about which prove that Jesus taught that LGBT people are born this way...and that prove the Apostle Paul ordained Gay Marriage...IN THE BIBLE!
This changes EVERYTHING!
More info: http://BrianBowenMinistries.com
**************************************************************
The Holy Spirit distinctly and expressly declares
that in latter times
some will turn away from the faith,
giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits
and doctrines that demons teach,
Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars
that in latter times
some will turn away from the faith,
giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits
and doctrines that demons teach,
Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars
whose consciences are seared (cauterized),
Who forbid people to marry
(1 Timothy 4:1-3)
November 26, 2011
Dear Christian,
As The Bed Keeper now comes full circle, after a lengthy journey through the Scriptures, I want to provide readers with a basic summary of Scriptural references pertaining to eunuchs, (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people) that were explored in more depth as we progressed through the study. It is my hope it now empowers people everywhere to press in to what Scripture really has to say regarding those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, as well as our families! It is my fervent desire that the fruit of this information is one of a greater understanding that regardless of what Christianity has traditionally taught regarding being gay and Christian, that indeed there is a place for us at the King’s Table!
Let’s start with a brief summary of what I believe the eunuch Scriptures mean for not only LGBT Believers, but also Church Leadership, and the Body of Christ at large:
History of Eunuchs being Banned from Church:
1. Moses bans eunuchs from the congregation of the Lord as a demonstration of God's holiness, and is part of an exhaustive list of Congregation-related laws in (Deuteronomy 23:1)
2. God prophesies that the eunuch ban will be overturned, and inclusion of eunuchs in the Congregation will become possible through Jesus Christ, and tells us that it is because "He will gather others in also, with those already gathered." (Isaiah 55:11-56:8)
3. Jesus fulfills Isaiah's prophecy and lifts the ban of eunuchs from the Congregation by saying that not all people are destined for heterosexual marriage because "some are born eunuchs", "some are made eunuchs," and some "choose to be eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 19:11-12)
4. Proof the ban was lifted is shown by the Ethiopian Eunuch who "was returning from Jerusalem to worship." He had learned of Christ lifting the ban on eunuchs in the Congregation, and so went to the synagogue, was turned away because of Moses' ban on eunuchs, and on his way home, becomes the First Eunuch converted to Christianity, under direct influence of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:29-40)
5. Philip begins proclaiming the good news of the Gospel to the Eunuch, by reading to him from Isaiah 53:7 and continuing through till Isaiah 56:8, which would include God's prophecy regarding eunuchs being included in the Congregation.
Advantages of Eunuch Scriptures for LGBT Believers:
1. God invites us to Him in spite of traditional Christian teachings saying that gay people cannot also be Christian.
2. Shows LGBT believers as "natural born eunuchs" in Matthew 19:12, saying we are "born so from our mothers' womb," proving that LGBT believers are indeed a “natural part of God’s Divine Creative Order," regardless of what the Church has traditionally taught.
3. Shows LGBT Believers are "qualified" to be included in God's Congregation, become Christian converts, become baptized, can receive Holy Communion, can receive the Holy Spirit, can participate as equals in all the Holy Sacraments (including single gender marriage), and shows that Jesus' sacrifice includes eunuchs. (Isaiah 55:11-56:12, Acts 8:26-40, 1 Corinthians 7:8-9, 1 Timothy 4:1-3)
4. Shows that gay people are "qualified" to serve as ordained clergy and to adopt and care for children. (Matthew 19:13-15).
5. Shows LGBT Believers are not required to "change" our identity as homosexual, as we see the Ethiopian Eunuch is still referred to in Scripture as a eunuch even after his baptism. This debunks "ex-gay" theories that LGBT people must strive to become heterosexual, or should lie to a potential opposite gender marriage partner for the sake of "keeping up appearances." (Acts 8:29-40, 1 Corinthians 7:24)
6. Shows LGBT Believers a moral code for our relationship with ourselves, our God, and our fellow believers in the Isaiah 56:4 prophecies. It does not establish a "separate and special" moral code, but rather illustrates the same paths to holiness are available to gay people as they are to heterosexual people.
7. Shows that some eunuchs (and LGBT Believers) can be female when God refers to eunuchs as "sons" and "daughters" (Isaiah 56:4)
8. God Himself promises LGBT Believers a life of JOYFUL worship in the congregation, access to all the Holy Sacraments, and acceptance of our sacrifices and offerings on His altar in the form of financial and in-kind contributions to the local church. (Isaiah 56:7)
9. Shows typical attitude of eunuch exclusion from the Congregation when Jesus' disciples "rebuked children who were coming to Jesus", and Jesus says, "Do not forbid the children to come to me, for such as these is the Kingdom of Heaven composed," illustrating that both children AND eunuchs are vital participants and members of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 19:11-15)
10. Shows Jesus ordaining gay adoption of children by eunuchs in Matthew 19:13-15 as a fulfillment of God's promise to both barren women (Isaiah 54:1-5), and eunuchs, whom He commanded to not complain that we are "dry trees." (Isaiah 56:3)
Advantages of Eunuch Scriptures to the Congregation and Church Leadership:
1. Jesus identifies and ordains faithful gay clergy as "choosing to be eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 19:12)
2. Shows eunuchs are involved in identifying the rise and correction of the Apostate church. (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 2 Kings 9:30-37, Esther 1:3-22)
3. Shows eunuchs being included in the Congregation as a necessary prerequisite toward enabling the return of Christ by fulfilling God's (as of yet) unfulfilled prophecy (Isaiah 55:11-56:8). Shows an allegory of eunuchs being critical components of the return of Christ when comparing Isaiah 56:7 where God promises to accept our offerings on His altar, and the offerings mentioned in 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 which reads like a description of the Return of the Lord (the fire came down from heaven and consumed the offerings and sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple).....but it *requires* our "burnt offerings and sacrifices being "on His altar", and "in His House Of Prayer" or the fire from heaven could never "come down and consume the burnt offerings and sacrifices." This most likely refers to financial and in-kind offerings, but ours MUST be there in order for the Lord to return.
Christ Himself was a Scriptural Eunuch (in that He did not marry). If He were to return to the earth today, many churches would think He Himself was still banned from the Congregation under the Deuteronomy congregation laws. Interestingly enough, it strikes me that when Jesus starts discussing marriage, divorce, eunuchs, gay clergy, and gay adoption of children in Matthew 19:1-15, His teaching on these subjects comes right after Matthew 17:1-9, where Jesus underwent His Transfiguration, and "has a protracted conversation" with Moses and Elijah, who appeared before Him on the mount.
I think I now know some of what they may have been talking about! If they were talking about eunuchs, you can bet it was going to take some time for Moses and Elijah to explain everything to Jesus on the matter. I also see why Jesus told the disciples to keep quiet about it until after He had been raised from the dead. God's prophecy including eunuchs in the Congregation was dependent upon eunuchs "taking firm hold of His Covenant," and promised a Name and Memorial in His House of Prayer for ALL people. The Name is Jesus. The Memorial is Holy Communion (this do in remembrance of Me). His Covenant refers to the New Covenant, which is Jesus Christ. God would not be referring to taking hold of His Old Covenant, for to do so would be to continue banning eunuchs from the Congregation, which would render God's prophecy as false. That does not compute.
The Covenant God refers to eunuchs taking firm hold of is indeed the New Covenant, Jesus Christ. That means the eunuch prophecy from Isaiah 55:11-56:8 could not take effect until after Christ's life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the Father. This is why Jesus could not ordain gay marriage for eunuchs, because eunuchs would not even have access to the Congregation, let alone Church Sacraments such as marriage until AFTER He ascended. We see proof of this as He quotes, "My House shall be a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves" when He cleared the temple. The verse actually reads, "My House shall be a house of prayer for all people." Notice Jesus omits the phrase "for all people," because His House would not be "for all people" until AFTER His ascension.
Even more striking is the contrast Scriptures demonstrate as to how God teaches evangelism, compared to how many Christians erroneously endeavor to undertake the Great Commission. In Acts 8:29-40, we find the only account of evangelism in all of Scripture. We see that God shows the Ethiopian Eunuch being guided through Scriptures by Philip, based on Isaiah's Messianic prophesies from Isaiah 53:1 through Isaiah 56:8. Coincidentally, the passages of Scripture Philip shares with the eunuch have to do with Jesus, with no mention at all about same gender expressions. This shows a clear contrast between how Philip evangelized and how many modern Christians attempt to by comparison.
In Matthew 7:20, Jesus said “You will fully know them by their fruits.” As the study progresses, I also hope to also illustrate the similarities in occupations of the eunuchs of the Bible and those of many who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender today. I believe the striking resemblance (beauticians, accountants, King's servants, protectors of women) is hard to ignore, and that it will continue to make very clear that Jesus recognized and addressed the fact that the eunuchs He referred to in Matthew 19:11-12 were a unique group of individuals that were not always accepted in the congregation of the Lord, because Moses had forbade it in Deuteronomy 23:1.
We learned that Jesus actually overrules Moses in order that God's Own prophecy regarding eunuchs could be fulfilled (under the New Covenant). In essence, Jesus said “not only are eunuchs welcome in the congregation of the Lord, but as promised in Isaiah 56:1-8, we are not dry trees, we are going to receive a Memorial (Holy Communion) and a Name (Jesus) better and more enduring than sons and daughters, and in the Congregation itself!
Jesus brings a hammer blow to the status quo and shows us that God will also bring us to His holy mountain, make us JOYFUL in His house of prayer, and will accept our offerings and our sacrifices on His altar, because His house will be called a house of prayer for ALL people, and because He will "gather others in also with those already gathered." (Isaiah 56:8)
I believe Jesus confirmed all these passages of Scripture when He said, “and there are some that are born eunuchs, there are some that are made eunuchs by men, and there are those who make themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.” By affirming that eunuchs are indeed "for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven" it can leave little doubt that if we are born for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven itself, that we would most assuredly be welcome in the Congregation of the Lord....at least welcomed by God, even if not by all Churches. And then our Lord does something interesting to me: He adds these words, recognizing that this would be a truth that would be difficult for some to receive:
Let him who is able to accept this accept it.
Do you accept it? I certainly do! Will you make us feel welcome in your congregation? Will you reach out to those you know? Will you seek God’s wisdom from His Word? Will you abandon any exclusionary traditions and practices in God’s house of prayer so it can be a house of prayer for all people? I hope so, because until God's Prophecy regarding eunuchs come to pass, we will all await in our graves as the return of Christ continues to be prevented by the ignorance and/or willful disobedience of the church itself, and the erroneous practices of excluding gay people from church and the promises of God. In fact, in all of Christendom, there are no authoritative resources by which the church identifies "born eunuchs" Jesus mentioned...only the castrated and celibate are defined by Christian study resources like Strong's Concordance, the Easton's New Testament Dictionary, and even the CCC (official Catholic teaching resource).
I can tell you the only thing that changes people is God. I do not believe that we can be changed from homosexual to heterosexual, because I believe we are indeed born with and develop our sexual identity as the human beings God created us to be. But I do believe that LGBT people can be transformed by the renewing of our minds and be translated from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light, just like every Christian experiences when they accept salvation!
But it will depend on Christians being be part of the light that shines love where once there was intolerance, shines knowledge where once there was ignorance, and shines acceptance where once there was bigotry.
Friends, I believe that even if there is some evidence that shows those who identify as homosexual or transgender and the eunuchs mentioned in the bible are definitely not in the same category of people who were oppressed by society simply because of their uniqueness, it is clear that Jesus knew it was going to be a difficult and confounding issue for many. It’s clear that the Body of Christ has become more open to the ideas of women preaching and wearing make-up, and more inclusive toward people of all races, ethnicities, and economic and social statuses worshipping in the House of Prayer for All People. I believe that it may now also be time that the Body of Christ becomes more aware of the profound prophetic purposes of gay people, and realize that continuing to exclude us from God’s House of Prayer only further delays Christ’s return to the earth, because He cannot return until all prophecies have been fulfilled, as He testifies to by saying:
"everything which is written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Luke 24:44
This is particularly true of the prophecy from Isaiah that requires eunuchs to be included in God’s House of Prayer for ALL people. What this means to every Christian (including those who have gone on before us) is that until we have been fully included in faith bodies all over the world, Christ will never return! Far more than "teh gay," this study is an attempt to bring a jolt to Christian understanding regarding the Return of Christ, lest we all remain in our graves until the Church decides to become more familiar with the Scriptures explored herein.
We’ll also explored more supernatural aspects concerning eunuchs. One such example is when God granted great power and strength through the Holy Spirit that caught up Philip and transported him 23 miles away after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch--and the eunuch "went on his way rejoicing!" As we’ll see from the Bible, Philip had simply followed the promptings of the Holy Spirit to teach the eunuch about salvation, and how to claim his inheritance with all the other born again believers. He didn't start quoting irrelevant Scriptures to him that were addressed to non eunuchs like so many Christians do when they start quoting Leviticus, Genesis, Romans and 1 Corinthians regarding same gender expressions that God forbids to transpire between heterosexual men. No, the only requirement for being saved and baptized was that the eunuch believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God!
I know now why he was rejoicing! He found FREEDOM and DELIVERANCE when he finally understood all that God had in store for him, and anyone like him! He didn't find freedom from being a eunuch, though. Scripture continues to refer to him as a eunuch even after his baptism. That tells me that Philip did not suggest the eunuch register for the next "ex-gay" conference that rolled into town. Paul confirms that we are to "remain in the station of life that the summons to Christ found us" in 1 Corinthians 7:24. Ex-gay "therapies" are simply dangerous, spiritually abusive, unethical, unScriptural and unscrupulous programs designed to extract money from gays who have not found peace about being gay yet, and extort their misunderstandings about their sexuality to make a profit (and often funnel those profits into political campaigns designed to keep equality from gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people). These programs often bill themselves as "Christ centered", but indeed they are not. They are "self centered," programs that focus on a person's perceived sin, rather than on the Scriptural and prophetic purpose of being gay for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven in the first place. They are not a system set up by God, but by Babylon.
God accepts us just as we are because He created each of us to be who we are, in order to fulfill the purpose He created us to manifest in our lives! Jesus confirms we are born to be who we are and if that means that part of who we are born to be is being attracted to the members of the same gender, then so be it, and thank God! For all we know, God designed gay people for the express purpose of testing heterosexual Christians to see how they would evangelize us, how they would treat us in His congregation, how they would include us in the promises of God, and how they would afford the mercy and justice toward us that God Himself does. I believe we all agree that in this regard, Christians have failed miserably, even as they complain that gays are taking away their "religious freedoms."
Nothing could be further from the truth. People are free to believe what they want, but according to Scripture, Christians are called to believe what Scripture says, and it is not to be abused by taking Scriptures addressed to idolatrous, adulterous, and/or violent heterosexual married men and apply them to gay people, just as they are not to be used to apply Jewish traditions, or laws to Christian believers. Countless lives of gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender people have been gravely damaged due to the erroneous assumptions of the church (both Catholic and Protestant) that has demanded we become something we are not, and to lie to ourselves, our church, our children, our spouse, and even our God Himself, by proclaiming ourselves as heterosexual, as if that was the measure of being a disciple of Christ, instead of our faith that He is the Son of God. If being heterosexual is all it took to enter the gates of heaven, there's be no need for faith in the first place! There'd be no need for God to prophecy about eunuchs, no need for Jesus to mention us and exempt us from male/female marriages, and no need for Paul to ordain marriage for eunuchs.
The joy of knowing this is what motivates me to tell others about all the wondrous plans and thoughts God holds toward those who love Him, including people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender! God makes no mistakes! We are born for a purpose, and we are born gay for a reason! That reason, according to Jesus, is for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:11-12). I believe once we understand that Jesus was aware of God's prophecy regarding eunuchs, we'll see why Jesus would assign such a lofty purpose to the lives of gay people, and why Jesus had a vested interest in teaching on them in the first place; His return for His sheep depends on the fulfillment of all prophecies, including God's prophecy toward eunuchs.
Do you hear God's voice declaring a new thing He is doing in the Body of Christ yet? If not, listen closely to that small, still voice in your heart and remember that God is always on the move and He is always doing a new thing! 2 Corinthians 3:18 reminds us that
All of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.
Fellow Believer, I pray there is room in your heart to receive this new move of God! I pray that you will seek God for opportunities to reach out to gay people you already know and share this book with them! Maybe they are your son or daughter or spouse. Maybe they are your next door neighbor, your hairdresser, your interior designer, your aunt, your uncle, your parent, or friend. But one thing is for sure: They are people, and God created and loves them. Jesus commands us to love one another. Jesus commands us to preach the good news of the Gospel to every creature. And God knows the thoughts and plans He has towards us; thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give us a HOPE and a FUTURE in our final outcome! The only question is:
Will you help God give us hope?
Will you put out the welcome mat at your church? I know many churches around the world are! Will you be one to open your heart and mind and arms out to them and lead them into the promises that are contained in God’s Word by speaking to them about the fact that God loves them? Will you help them find their purpose in the Body of Christ and train them to minister to others in your community who struggle with identity issues? Will you have the courage to better understand the "clobber passages" that actually are addressed to and apply to heterosexual married men, and learn to teach them about Jesus as Philip taught the Ethiopian Eunuch? Will you train yourself to be more focused on sharing with them how Scripture proves that Jesus was the right Man on the cross? Will you open your mind to the Scriptures that show that your very own resurrection depends on gays being included in church, and properly introduce them to the God so many barely know because of so many Christians we all know to well?
As Hosea 4:6 says,
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
I pray that the message I have shared here brings you a new revelation of knowledge concerning these matters, through the power of the Holy Spirit. May the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 8:10-12 encourage you to teach that which you have learned about the promises of God being for all:
For suppose someone sees you, a man having knowledge [of God, with an intelligent view of this subject].....might he not be encouraged and emboldened [to violate his own conscientious scruples] if he is weak and uncertain? And so by your enlightenment (your knowledge of spiritual things), this weak man is ruined (is lost and perishes)--the brother for whom Christ (the Messiah) died!
And when you sin against your brethren in this way, wounding and damaging their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
Of course this teaching was about eating food offered to idols, but I believe it is a strong word from God about how to treat non believers, and how He considers anything we do that wounds or damages a weak conscience of another is a sin against Christ Himself, (and again, prevents your very own resurrection from the dead if you contribute to the Church being a stumbling block to Christ's return).
I would also draw your attention to some heterosexual people in the Bible that were considered “wicked and sinful” in the eyes of society during Jesus’ day. Regarding the adulteress woman who was sentenced to death by stoning, Jesus said, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Time after time, Jesus associated with sinners. He did so in order to save them from eternal torment, and raise them to eternal life. In doing so, He saved them (and us) from inevitable and unavoidable death and damnation. In Matthew 9:9-13 we see:
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's office; and He said to him, Be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]. And he rose and followed Him.
10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and [especially wicked] sinners came and sat (reclined) with Him and His disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and those [preeminently] sinful?
12 But when Jesus heard it, He replied, Those who are strong and well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick.
13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. For I came not to call and invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin).
I encourage everyone to do what Jesus taught, and go and learn what this means!
This passage clearly shows that not only was Matthew once considered an “especially wicked sinner,” but also became one of Jesus' Disciples! Jesus is no respecter of persons, and this assures me that my salvation is secured through Christ and I too can become a disciple through His mercy. He clearly states in verse 13 that He desires mercy and readiness to help those in trouble, and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. He also states again that includes “all those not free from sin.” Thank God that included you and me!
In Matthew 11:19-20 we see Jesus again associating with what the Amplified Bible refers to as “especially wicked sinners,” declaring that wisdom is justified and vindicated by her children, and that those cities in which believers do not repent and change their hearts....even after they have seen for themselves what Christ can do for them....are subject to the censure and reproach of Christ:
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking [with others], and they say, Behold, a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and [especially wicked] sinners! Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does (her deeds) and by her children.
20 Then He began to censure and reproach the cities in which most of His mighty works had been performed, because they did not repent [and their hearts were not changed].
Jesus poignantly teaches us that He forgives all sins--no matter what they are or how many they are--through love and faith in this tender act of atonement and forgiveness from Luke 7:36-50:
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to dine with him, and He went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.
37 And behold, a woman of the town who was an especially wicked sinner, when she learned that He was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment (perfume).
38 And standing behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with [her] tears; and she wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed His feet [affectionately] and anointed them with the ointment (perfume).
39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, If this Man were a prophet, He would surely know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching Him--for she is a notorious sinner (a social outcast, devoted to sin).
40 And Jesus, replying, said to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, Teacher, say it.
41 A certain lender of money [at interest] had two debtors: one owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
42 When they had no means of paying, he freely forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?
43 Simon answered, The one, I take it, for whom he forgave and cancelled more. And Jesus said to him, You have decided correctly.
44 Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
45 You gave Me no kiss, but she from the moment I came in has not ceased [intermittently] to kiss My feet tenderly and caressingly.
46 You did not anoint My head with [cheap, ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with [costly, rare] perfume.
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, many [as they are], are forgiven her--because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.
48 And He said to her, Your sins are forgiven!
49 Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves, Who is this Who even forgives sins?
50 But Jesus said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go (enter) into peace [in freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin].
This account clearly demonstrates that forgiveness is based on love and faith. Jesus said in verse 47 that “her sins are forgiven because she loves much”. He further admonishes those who would deem her unworthy of forgiveness, saying:
“he who is forgiven little loves little”
So many times, the erroneous traditional teaching that assures us that salvation is available to murderers, prostitutes, adulterers, thieves, liars, schemers, swindlers and cheats, but not to those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, has created a barrier to many people whom God clearly desires to bring into His Kingdom. Because of the absence of love in so many traditional Christian teachings regarding us, many have been alienated from the Body of Christ, completely convinced that all the Bible says about us is we will perish in hell. And our parents are convinced, and our society is convinced, and our world’s governments are convinced…but that’s not what the Bible teaches.
I would encourage anyone who adheres to this traditional mindset of rejecting people from God’s House of Prayer simply because of our sexual identity to realize that it only amplifies the hopelessness that keeps so many away from God. I know it isn't popular to be the first one in your church to stand up and say,
"Hey wait a minute! None of us are going to heaven and Christ is never going to return if we don't make some changes in our attitudes toward gay people!"
I know that the test many people put to others in their church is the "anti-gay test." I know that if you are a closeted homosexual person yourself, that it is very easy to say "I am anti-gay also" and become an echo chamber for the (erroneous) majority in an effort to keep a realization of your own sexual identity from coming to light. But every Christian has to ask themselves one question:
"Am I so concerned with what other people think about my views of Scripture regarding gay people that I'm going to risk my very own resurrection and lie dead in my grave and risk Christ never returning to the earth because of what THEY think?"
And each Christian must answer that question for themselves. My purpose in sharing this message is to simply convey, not to convince. Convincing you is the Holy Spirit's job. I can only show you what Scripture actually says and illustrate how it stands in stark contrast--and even in direct contradiction--of many of Jesus' teachings. But you can certainly share this information with your pastor, friends, family or anyone else who needs further evidence from Scripture!
I believe this is why the Holy Spirit is showing us clear, solid, Biblical truths that promises redemption for “whosoever” believes, and how Scriptures show us that Church Shepherds bear the responsibility to reach ALL of God‘s children, and that church congregants bear the responsibility of holding preachers accountable to God's Word, lest they become party to their sins against Christ Himself. Any teaching that is absent of love is not conducive to creating an opportunity for people to come to Christ. Twisting and misusing Scripture to portray yourself as "not gay" or a "true Christian" is as much a sin against Christ when you do it as when the preacher does it. If you don't have the courage to confront your pastor or Sunday School teacher when they get a Scripture wrong, then find a church where you can.
God has not called us to follow him in blind faith, but with child like faith....and we all know what children do: they ask "why, why, why?" Although many preachers present themselves as above reproach and may become angry and attempt to bully you into silence for questioning them, if they won't yield to Scriptural and godly correction, you are instructed by Scripture to take the matter before the entire church, and if continues to fail to be corrected, for the entire church to put him out from among them.
Any message that is absent of love is destined by God Himself to fail to save that one lost sheep. It presents the Body of Christ as hypocritical, judgmental, and temperamental, and paints a picture of God in their minds Who is the same. It creates more atheists than Christians. Any teaching that is absent of love is also absent of power, and absent of anointing from the Holy Spirit. It goes completely against everything Christ and His forgiving nature stood for. It must be confronted and corrected, or condemned.....and the choice is yours....and so is your God given authority to do so.
I hope to lovingly remind everyone that the Bible says that those who teach a message that has no love in it bring upon themselves that which Christ has already warned us against in Matthew 25:31-46:
31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory (His majesty and splendor), and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 All nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them [the people] from one another as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats;
33 And He will cause the sheep to stand at His right hand, but the goats at His left.
34 Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father [you favored of God and appointed to eternal salvation], inherit (receive as your own) the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me,
36 I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me.
37 Then the just and upright will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink?
38 And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You?
39 And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You?
40 And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least [in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.
41 Then He will say to those at His left hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!
42 For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me and entertain Me, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me with help and ministering care.
44 Then they also [in their turn] will answer, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?
45 And He will reply to them, Solemnly I declare to you, in so far as you failed to do it for the least [in the estimation of men] of these, you failed to do it for Me.
46 Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but those who are just and upright and in right standing with God into eternal life.
These Scriptures present clear contrasts for all who would espouse teachings that would push people away from the Lord, instead of drawing them close enough to us with our kindness and love for God to call them by His Spirit into His kingdom! In Luke 15, we see three awesome declarations of Christ that teach us to bring in all the children of God...even those who don’t seem to deserve it:
1 Now the tax collectors and [notorious and especially wicked] sinners were all coming near to [Jesus] to listen to Him.
2 And the Pharisees and the scribes kept muttering and indignantly complaining, saying, This man accepts and receives and welcomes [preeminently wicked] sinners and eats with them.
3 So He told them this parable:
4 What man of you, if he has a hundred sheep and should lose one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness (desert) and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?
5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his [own] shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he gets home, he summons together [his] friends and [his] neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 Thus, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one [especially] wicked person who repents (changes his mind, abhorring his errors and misdeeds, and determines to enter upon a better course of life) than over ninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance.
8 Or what woman, having ten [silver] drachmas [each one equal to a day's wages], if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and look carefully and diligently until she finds it?
9 And when she has found it, she summons her [women] friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the silver coin which I had lost.
10 Even so, I tell you, there is joy among and in the presence of the angels of God over one [especially] wicked person who repents (changes his mind for the better, heartily amending his ways, with abhorrence of his past sins).
11 And He said, There was a certain man who had two sons;
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the property that falls [to me]. And he divided the estate between them.
13 And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose [from restraint] living.
14 And when he had spent all he had, a mighty famine came upon that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want.
15 So he went and forced (glued) himself upon one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed hogs.
16 And he would gladly have fed on and filled his belly with the carob pods that the hogs were eating, but [they could not satisfy his hunger and] nobody gave him anything [better].
17 Then when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have enough food, and [even food] to spare, but I am perishing (dying) here of hunger!
18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.
19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] make me like one of your hired servants.
20 So he got up and came to his [own] father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [fervently].
21 And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son [I no longer deserve to be recognized as a son of yours]!
22 But the father said to his bond servants, Bring quickly the best robe (the festive robe of honor) and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet.
23 And bring out that [wheat-]fattened calf and kill it; and let us revel and feast and be happy and make merry,
24 Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to revel and feast and make merry.
25 But his older son was in the field; and as he returned and came near the house, he heard music and dancing.
26 And having called one of the servant [boys] to him, he began to ask what this meant.
27 And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed that [wheat-fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and well.
28 But [the elder brother] was angry [with deep-seated wrath] and resolved not to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him,
29 But he answered his father, Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me [so much as] a [little] kid, that I might revel and feast and be happy and make merry with my friends;
30 But when this son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you have killed for him that [wheat] fattened calf!
31 And the father said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
32 But it was fitting to make merry, to revel and feast and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!
What an awesome teaching about the power of forgiveness! As the traditional teaching that says those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender are especially wicked sinners continues to keep at bay those who may otherwise enter into the kingdom of heaven, I believe the Body of Christ has shirked our responsibility to preach the Gospel to "every living creature, and fails to follow Jesus' command in verse 4 above which tells us, and
"go after the one that is lost until we find them."
Jesus knew it wouldn’t be easy, but the rewards are so great and the stakes are so high as we see in verse 7 above “there will be joy in heaven over one especially wicked person who repents, changes his mind, abhors his errors and misdeeds and determines to enter upon a better course of life.” Who of us, as Believers, have not done that? Who of us have the angels NOT rejoiced over? All of heaven roars in thunderous triumph whenever even one of the King’s children returns home! Just as the Prodigal Son, at some point, we all “come to our senses, and come to Jesus.” But we would not come home to a father who beat us, or condemned us, or attempted to use a Scripture addressed to himself and use it to justify killing us.
God doesn’t question our sins. He forgives them! He did it for you, and He will do it for Church Shepherds who see the errors of traditional Christian teaching, and find the courage turn again to the Scriptures that help move the Church in a new and more productive direction, for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, and for the return of Christ Himself.
Won’t you be part of God doing it for someone else?
In short dear Christian, the point I'm trying to get across is that it's in your own best interest and for the sake of your very own resurrection to bring this message to light for consideration by your congregation....not just your pastor. The prophetic destiny of gay people as outlined within the eunuch Scriptures are for the entire Body of Christ. The fact they are being revealed in this day and time tells me that Jesus' return draws nigh, but is prevented by misguided teachings from the church itself.
Friends, the time for us to act is now! We have to realize that the issues that divide us are not sent from God, but from the real enemy: Satan himself, as we learn in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6:
3 For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
5 [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
6 Being in readiness to punish every [insubordinate for his] disobedience, when your own submission and obedience [as a church] are fully secured and complete.
I believe that is because the enemy doesn’t want us to reach out to the lost. He doesn’t want the Church to change and continue to learn, or to become brave enough to correct Herself. He never has, and he uses people (sometimes even preachers) to inflict the trauma, strife, anger, division, negative self-images, broken spirits, confusion, misguided teachings, the pain of abuse and any other weapon that goes into creating the fractured environment the Church finds Herself in today. And why? Because Satan is using the Church to prevent the eunuch prophecy from coming to pass for the sole purpose of preventing Christ from returning to the earth and locking Satan and his angels away for good. It is a plot between good and evil, and each of us who profess a faith in Jesus as the Son of God must decide for ourselves whose side we are going to be on, and whether we are going to allow our own stubbornness, laziness or rejection of Scriptures doom ourselves to an eternity spent in an earthly grave instead of being resurrected on that Final Day.
Who knows....if this message gains enough exposure quickly enough, you and I may be the ones caught up in the air and never even taste death at all!
I admit I don’t have all the answers. All I know is what I have light on at this time, and I share it with you believing that you will receive it in the manner in which it is given. I believe that we are born with our sexual orientation but that we have the opportunity to choose to embrace lifelong celibacy or faithful, single-gender marriage, just like heterosexual believers. I do not believe that we can change from identifying as homosexual to someone who identifies as heterosexual. And I do not believe God wants us to. He created eunuchs to serve as eunuchs....not as "ex-eunuchs."
However, I do believe that God can help us all identify as the righteousness of God in Christ, and as holy, consecrated, forgiven, and set apart for His use and His kingdom’s purposes for our lives and those He puts in our paths to bless, whether we are gay or straight.
When it comes to sexual sin, it’s also important to realize that all people have some sexual sin in their lives at some point. Some have committed adultery, some fornication, some premarital sexual relations, and some who have engaged in and are addicted to pornography. Even though I'm gay and have been celibate for decades now, I am not excluded from that realization. But thank God that He forgives all who repent! There’s no getting around it: fornication is any sexual relations outside of marriage. But as we'll see, marriage isn't always confined to 1 man and 1 woman, for now there is no male and female, for in Christ we are all one. What matters is we are faithful to our marriage mate, and confined our sexual expressions to the boundaries of holy matrimony, whether we are in a 1 man/1 woman marriage, or (as we'll continue to see consistently portrayed in Scriptures) a marriage comprised of 2 people of the same (or even ambiguous) gender.
As you ponder these Biblically inspired assertions, think of something else that the Body of Christ has not always unanimously agreed on: the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. There has been as great amount of misunderstanding as to the Scriptural basis for receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, as there have been reasonings and theories as to the causes of homosexual and transgender identity. But thank God we have new light! Thank God the Body of Christ is beginning to see that traditional teaching on the subjects of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and of the worthiness of salvation for those who identify gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have both proven ineffective.
The Body of Christ has made great strides in faith, as the Holy Spirit has “revealed all truth to us," so that we prepare the Body of Christ as the Glorious Church for which He is returning. But we still have a long way to go, and it’s going to require each of us to exemplify the inclusive nature of God in order to fulfill His plan to provide a House of Prayer for all people, and for the second coming of Jesus Christ.
For years, strife, divisiveness, disagreement, and lack of knowledge have been the devices that the forces of darkness have deployed against the Body of Christ to keep us separated and divided as a people. But we are to be wise as serpents. We have to stay one step ahead of the enemy at all times, even when he invades our congregations and pulpits. We have to develop and share spiritual warfare strategies that bring to bear all the forces of heaven against the darkness that attempts to overtake us in every area of life--even those that exist in Church.
Believers and non-believers alike may both be hostile to what they see in the Word of God when first approached with new information. Through traditional teachings, many people have become so comfortable in their understanding of the things and ways of God, that they have become unwilling to accept any new light from His Word, and unfortunately are not yet receiving God’s best. But Proverbs 2:4-6 reminds us:
If you seek [Wisdom] as for silver and search for skillful and godly Wisdom as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God. For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
I hope you will allow your heart to be softened before God right now, and simply receive what God would show you as you read Ephesians 4. I believe that if you do, you will have come to realize that regardless of how we feel, what we have been taught, or what we may think in our own limited human understanding, faith in God was the key factor in sealing us to Christ, no matter what!
He gave us the courage to take our first tentative steps into His glorious light of truth, love, peace, and joy! He has set our feet on a path into our true destinies and purposes! He has strengthened us to share our testimonies and understandings of how He is using our past to build our future for His glory and for His Kingdom’s sake!
May these words from the Apostle Paul in Ephesians, Chapter 4 encourage us all to press in to the greater things life has to offer when God’s House of Prayer is a House of Prayer for ALL people!
1 I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God's service,
2 Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.
3 Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.
4 [There is] one body and one Spirit--just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received--
5 [There is] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of [us] all, Who is above all [Sovereign over all], pervading all and [living] in [us] all.
7 Yet grace (God's unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ's [rich and bounteous] gift.
8 Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men.
9 [But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth?
10 He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest).
11 And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.
12 His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church),
13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.
14 So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.
15 Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
16 For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.
17 So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen (the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds.
18 Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature].
19 In their spiritual apathy they have become callous and past feeling and reckless and have abandoned themselves [a prey] to unbridled sensuality, eager and greedy to indulge in every form of impurity [that their depraved desires may suggest and demand].
20 But you did not so learn Christ!
21 Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him],
22 Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion;
23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude],
24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, rejecting all falsity and being done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another.)
26 When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.
27 Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].
28 Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.
29 Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).
31 Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).
32 And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you!
As I'm always telling my gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Brothers and Sisters:
It’s not about “THE GAY!” It’s about “THE DAY!”
If there is anything I can do to help you reach an affirmative decision, or anything I can unite with you in prayer over, please feel free to contact me via Twitter @TheBedKeeper, or through email at thebedkeeper@gmail.com. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I pray the material you are about to explore will prove to be a blessing to you personally as a member of the Body of Christ, but also as a minister of reconciliation to a world full of lost, hurting, and rejected people. LGBT people have a God ordained place in the Body of Christ. Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit have all confirmed it is so. But tradition has set the Word of God aside, deprived it of authority, and made the Word of God inoperable…at least until now.
Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who reverenced and worshipfully feared the Lord and who thought on His name.
And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I publicly recognize and openly declare them to be My jewels (My special possession, My peculiar treasure). And I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.
Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him. Malachi 3:16-18
The writing of the "Book of Remembrance" has begun, and I just know by the Spirit you will be included in it! The only question is when. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make sure it's sooner, rather than later!
God bless you, Dear Christian!
God loves you! I love you! And remember: JESUS IS LORD!
Sincerely,
Brian Anthony Bowen
Author, The Bed Keeper
PS: I encourage Church leaders to read this manuscript in reverse order, beginning with the last chapter first (Chapter 21). It will provide incentive to continue studying, take readers back through to undo the traditional understandings of the subject, and end up where LGBT people are as defined by Scripture. For LGBT people, I encourage them to read it in the order in which it appears, beginning with our birth, and moving forward to the culmination of the Church Age as Jesus Christ cracks open the sky and catches away the Church!
See ya there!
PPS: The easiest way to get started exploring may be to review Frequently Asked Questions which addresses the most common traditional teachings regarding the issue of homosexuality, with convenient links that take you directly to the pertinent chapters of The Bed Keeper for complete and Scripture based responses.
***************************************************************
Dear Valued Readers,
This blog continues to be a work in progress. As recent revelations and events throughout Christendom have created an increasingly fluid situation, updates will no longer be published at the end of each post, but rather only at the beginning of the corresponding posts so impacted. As of August 1, 2013, the only updates to appear at the end of each post will be churches that are personally endorsed by The Bed Keeper as a "SAFE SPACE."
Readers may email thebedkeeper@gmail.com to discuss or comment on any posting. Please note that while all feedback is highly valued and appreciated, it may not be possible to reply to each email.
Readers may email thebedkeeper@gmail.com to discuss or comment on any posting. Please note that while all feedback is highly valued and appreciated, it may not be possible to reply to each email.
UPDATE 01.15.12:
Lakewood Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
UPDATE 11.22.11:
Eagle Mountain International Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
Lakewood Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
UPDATE 11.22.11:
Eagle Mountain International Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
THANK YOU for your generous support of this work!
Let him who receives instruction in the Word of God share all good things with his teacher, contributing to his support.
Galatians 6:6
