What is so special about being a Christian? Hmmm......I think it's knowing I ALWAYS have an advocate, a Friend, unconditional love beyond anything I could imagine.....not because of anything I did to EARN it other than asking Christ into my heart. It's special precisely because I am NOT special! But God/Christ love me anyway. And it's my "job" to pass that love on to as much of the world as I can.

quote:

Why, being christian, is so wonderful to you as well? What does being a christian mean that is so important as to feel so proud to declare it?

For me being a christian is a honor, a priviledge we can get from God, because He loved and loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to us to save us. It's a honor that through the Holy Spirit we can be touched and be helped to understand God's plan of salvation and so get eternal life through Jesus Christ.

I declare Jesus as my Saviour out of gratitude and also cause it's a mandate as is stated in Mat. 28:19 "Por tanto, id y haced discipulos a todas las naciones ..."
I would like to every person to get to know that eternal life is there for everyone as it is written in John 3:16 "For God loved the world so much that He send His only begotten Son for whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life".
And this part gives me deep joy, satisfaction and healing. John 3:17 For He didn't send His only Son to condemn the world, but for the world to be saved by Him. John 3:18 "For he who believeth in Him is not condemned; but he who don't believe in Him is already condemned". So see we aren't condemned as some would want us to believe. Cool

Yo ... Dot

Thank you and God bless you dear sisters! What a wondeful posts!

I love we all are "tuned" in LOVE.

I'm so, so proud being christian, precisely, because Love! And you said it quite well. Your words are mine too!!!

For Love I learned compassion but also righteousness.
For Love I learned justice but also mercy.
For Love I learned the great joy for giving but also the humility to reiceive.

There is no greatest and deepest Love than our Dearest and Sweetest Lord's One, as you said, my sisters in Christ.

Many people is seeing this wonderful thread, thanks to our dear Kattie42, and so, many people is seeing and still will see our testimony.

Let's show them how gay christian people love Jesus.

Let's share with them the whole picture of salvation: We are ONE in Christ our Lord.

Let's inspire them in their way to find Jesus and to invite Him into their hearts.

We are christians. Yes! And we are firm in our faith, trust and Love, no matter which our sexual orientation can be. Is a matter of Love, nothing less, nothing more.

As our Lord said:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

After catching up on a few posts I stopped by this thread once more before putting my head on my pillow. I'm so GLAD that I did because Brakhus, your last post reminded me of an old and I might add favorite hymn from my teen years. I will share the words here, I didn't remember all the words, so I looked on the web, isn't cyber searching amazing?! Thank you God for this WONDERFUL medium of communication. I found it, an all time favorite, "Love Lifted Me"

"I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea, heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I."

Refrain

"Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me!"

"All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling
In His blessèd presence live, ever His praises sing,
Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul’s best songs,
Faithful, loving service too, to Him belongs."

Refrain

"Souls in danger look above, Jesus completely saves,
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.
He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey,
He your Savior wants to be, be saved today."

Refrain

You can hear it if you'd like a stroll down a garden pathway with our Lord and Savior. (Yes, I like "In the Garden" too, my Mom's and Grandpa's favorite but tonight it's about LOVE. Jesus is, and because He is, I'm saved. PTL.

God bless you all.

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/l/lliftdme.htm

Rest in him for indeed His burden IS light!

In Christ's amazing love and by His grace,
Katie42

quote:

We are christians. Yes! And we are firm in our faith, trust and Love, no matter which our sexual orientation can be. Is a matter of Love, nothing less, nothing more.

This says it all, Brakhus. Not everyone who posts here is necessarily gay; some of us are just supportive & trying to learn more. But it comes down to the same basic premise in Christianity, regardless of orientation.

God loves us all! God bless us, every one!

Thank you dear DewDoc! Your words, as always, are very important to me, and I hoard them in my heart with everything is precious. That's my only treasure.

In this thread "Christian and gay", can be developed many issues, but I think that these issues could arise from two different springs: One, from whoever is christian and gay and have reconciliated faith and sexuality, triumphing over those (churches and persons) who condemn them, and their lives are in peace with themselves and our Lord (This includes, of course, those who, not being gay, are supportive, no matter sexual orientation, as you posted quite wonderful). Other spring is that from people who still have some problems with reconciliating faith and sexuality. Those people could have a wide range of difficulties: Since the little ones to the very hard ones. These people are in needing. These people need to be supported, affirmed or confirmed, to understand deeply in their hearts, that we are ONE in Christ, that our Lord Loves us no matter sexual orientation, that our Lord IS LOVE HIMSELF.

So, we can wait for somebody's post asking for help and then support him/her; explaining what is this all about. But in the meanwhile, we can testify (all of us: gay and no gay brethren) the IMMEASURABLE LOVE of our Loving God. So, with our testimonies, they can get some support and affirming foundation for their lives in Christ without asking for it.

As you know, I'm in this lovely Community just one month ago (I'm not participating in any other). And sometimes, looking at the development of some very important topics, I wonder how is it possible they have been stopped. Nobody have posted anymore. Is it that nobody has anything more to say? I know that each sister and brother has necessarily not the time required to post thoughtful in all the open threads, but the point is this: We are 1918 members (today), so I guess that if only 1% of them post just one commentary, we might have almost 20 new posts a day!

I know, also, that everybody isn't so "posting ones" like some of us. Besides, I've thought that I'm posting too much (and too long) and, may be, I could be like an insistent and out of place member.

So, the few of us who are "so posting ones" have the great opportunity to ministry, with our dear Elaine, to spread our Lord's Love to those who still need It, and as a church, the same great opportunity to edify each other.

To the people out there I could ask and answer at once:

"Are you christian and gay? Don't worry. Our Lord Loves you and there is no difference between you and the "straight" people, as there is no any difference among people because their skin's color. SOULS HAVE NO DIFFERENCES before God's Eyes and Love.

Are you christian and "straight"? Don't worry. Our Lord Loves you too and there is no difference between you and the "gay" people, as there is no any difference among people because their skin's color. SOULS HAVE NO DIFFERENCES before God's Eyes and Love. But pay attention at this: Are gay christians excluding you from their churches? Are they condemning you because your sexual orientation? Do they consider that you are beyond God's Love and beyond any atonement? Do they have the arrogance to state in the Sacred Name of our Lord that you are sinners out of any kind of redemption?

If you are christian and "straight" and in addition you are one of them that exclude and condemn, don't worry, we love you anyway and anyhow. We know about Love much more because we were excluded. We know much more about compassion because we were hated. We know much more about mercy because we suffer the abuse of justice. At this moment, I almost might thank you for your persecution and your insistent campaign to exclude us from our Lord's Love (Did you think, for a moment, you had the power to exclude anybody from God's Love? Did you think, perhaps, you can decide instead of God who He Loves and who He does'nt). Because such a campaign we have learned to Love much, very much better, indeed. We have learned it so much that we've reached the capability of understand you and love you, so, to forgive you. And this is what our Lord does: Understand us and forgive us, because He Loves us.

If I tenderly take the hand of my brother who loves me, you call me sinner, no matter this is love and doesn't hurt or make suffer nobody. But when you pretend to exlude somebody from our God's Love, causing painful suffering and unjustified moral remorse that can lead, sometimes, to suicide, you call yourselves: Warriors of God, Guardians of Morality and Lord's Workers. As it likes you can read the Mind of God, try this: What does God feel when one, the most little one of His children, suffer or commit suicide because of your intransigence? But don't worry too much. Our Lord understands you and forgives you as well. We all are sinners and all of us can come back to repentance. That's our Lord's Love in Action. Do you see it? We are ONE in Jesus Christ! You and I, both of us, are children of God."

I want ask your kind pardon, my dear DewDoc, because this post is like a letter between you and me, your brother in Christ. But I'm confident in that for it, you can understand better what is in my heart and mind. You said in your latest post that you are supportive and are trying to learn more. God bless you for that! As you see I'm gay and I wanted to share this thoughts with you to picture another landscape of being Christian and Gay.

Your brother in Christ,
Brakhus

Psalms 9:4
For you have judged in my favor; from your throne, you have judged with fairness.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Brakhus,

quote:

As you know, I'm in this lovely Community just one month ago (I'm not participating in any other). And sometimes, looking at the development of some very important topics, I wonder how is it possible they have been stopped. Nobody have posted anymore. Is it that nobody has anything more to say? I know that each sister and brother has necessarily not the time required to post thoughtful in all the open threads, but the point is this: We are 1918 members (today), so I guess that if only 1% of them post just one commentary, we might have almost 20 new posts a day!

I know, also, that everybody isn't so "posting ones" like some of us. Besides, I've thought that I'm posting too much (and too long) and, may be, I could be like an insistent and out of place member.

Brakhus, just this past week I was pleased to find a thread reviving when Blyth posted to one started about May 4th or 5th last year. There are many viable threads that with some thoughtful care we could be resuscitating and bringing to life once more. Of course with the new Spanish category, I'm sure you will have a little less time for searching through for these older entries for possibilities, but your long and thoughtful posts are far from being "too much". They are a breath of fresh air in fact. Yes, we have fun with such threads as "movies I hate to admit I enjoyed" or playing the "alphabet race games." But, dear brother, finding a post that lifts up Jesus, blesses our Lord, or sheds light on the nature of sin, or opens up a scripture so that we may more fully look into it's many depths.... now THAT is truly where my treasure lies. You have added a new facet to this jewel that is gaychurch.org and I always thank my God for you as I see threads expanding with questions, teachings and yes provocations to make us think. These posts are invaluable to us.

I must admit that although I am grateful for Elaine to open for you the opportunity to minister in Spanish, I covet greatly those places where under the leading of the Holy Spirit you expand thoughts and/or make us dig deeper. [Ah, yes I do know about the evils of coveting and do not for a moment doubt it's God's will that you minister prolifically to our Spanish brothers and sisters.] The sad truth is, however, I cannot read Spanish except for a word here and there and I miss the meat of the entire post, so please keep on "developing" threads and ministering in your most capable fashion to the end that we all may come to that place found in Ephesians 4:13 "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: "

God bless your faithfulness.

In His love and because He lives, Katie

Oh, my dear Katie42! How wondeful and supporting your words are! I bless you everyday and pray for you and all our sisters and brothers for being so faithful and trustful. You are, indeed, a jewel for our Lord's crown, which is His flock.

As you said quite well, I'll have less time to post in english due the opening of categories in spanish. But guess what! I thought I'll start a topic called: "What's happening in spanish?" In there I want to post a briefings about which topics and issues are discussing in those forums, and perhaps, I'm going to translate and quote, the most important thoughts and commentaries posted there. And so you'll be able to know and feed with our spanish speaking brethren's Love, faith and trust.
As you can see, I'm trying to stretch (? to build?) a bridge between all of us. And I hope our Dearest and Sweetest Lord will be pleased, for all of these is for His Only Great Glory and for His flock (God, how much I love this word!), which is as I said, His Crown.

Psalms 133:1
"Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!" (ESV)

... and I almost forgot!

That thread you said (the opened at may last year), is a very wonderful one!!! Pyro took us into a quite hard verse and with her questions forced us to dig deeper into the Scriptures. I love so much such kind of challenges! And I love them because this: If I believe something it is not just a superstition, but a believing as firm and solid as I can support. So, when something like our dear Pyro posted and our dear Blyth "revived" challenges us to think deeper in order to find the rocky soil upon which we must build the foundation of our faith, I thank God and sisters for that opportunity: After all, we will be better christians.

So, I posted in that thread with other of my (too much long) commentaries. A "scholar like" one, indeed. So I asked pardon for such a post (It sounds a little "pedantic" for me). But I thought it could be helpful to resolve what our dear Pyro is questioning.

Brakhus I'm heading over to that "rejuvinated thread right now and will check out the "pedantic" nature of your post. Lol we always can use more "pedantics" [did I just make up a word?] Anyway, the new life your posts breathe into each thread is a refreshing straight from heaven. Been waiting for this for a long time and now Jesus truly IS Lord of these teaching threads! Thank you. And thanks for the kind words.

God bless you brother,
Katie42

I'm with Katie, Brakhus! I don't find your posts too long at all. They're always thoughtful, they're always uplifting and you truly are a breath of fresh air here! We love you and don't you dare stop posting!