Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

1 Cor 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

1 Cor 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

1 Cor 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

We have many wise people talking about not going to church rather be the church by their own wisdom or that the church of the old time religion is something old and passing away and dead. I have got news for you friends, Jesus our Lord and Savior is alive and has risen, and will revive us again. We will not die and go to dust but be with Him one day in eternity in heaven. Our hope is not in vain for Christ has been made real to us by the Holy Spirit of God.

What is a gay church? The church is not a building. A true Christian church is a body of believers not necessarily in some human faith tradition and sacraments, but believers in Jesus, His life, death, resurrection as the Son of God and the Messiah. We gather together to seek God and to strengthen and encourage one another in the Christian walk of faith. If Christ is not the center of our faith and redemption, we play church whether gay or straight. Gays are looking for peace, and often they find no peace with God in the “church” for real eternal peace comes only through Jesus.

On the contrary, if the church is a kindom community/commune align only to some specific work of Jesus such as taking care of the poor and hungry but treats Jesus as only a good man and teacher, it is a charity at best and an deceitful imitation at worst, for they couldn’t enjoy the power and presence and revelation of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It becomes centered on self, our works of love which is good but could never be pure and righteous as a result.

The Church was really founded not in Rome but in the upper room in Jerusalem where the believers gathered in prayer and waiting. We can’t really effectively minister Christ to others even with our bible college degrees from elite Boston/Harvard colleges, because we are not built up by the power and spirit of God. We will be like the Pharisees, learned no doubt, calling ourselves pastors, bishops but see no light nor revelation even if God stands in front of us. We can’t minister to others without having the living word of God revealed in our lives concerning Christ. That is why many gay churches are struggling.

Mat 16: 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

It is true that in many parts of the world, in France and Germany for example, the church is dying because it is based of the theology of men who claim to be wise by their own in their elite bible schools rather than the unchanging Rock, Jesus Christ. The demonic principalities will not prevail if the church is built on the Cross of Calvary.

Some “Christians” would proclaim that we need to be the church instead. Ironically, the real reason for this decline is a shift either to the far left or the far right. The non believing “Christianity” that has engulfed Europe in the late 19th century has resulted a hundred years later in a dead church in many areas of Europe. But God is doing a new thing, the many migrants from hostile religious wars in the middle east will bring a new reflection of their Christian walk. A hundred years of denying Jesus as Saviour, thinking ourselves wise like the Greeks, will bring us to a place of despair where we will call out to Jesus as religious violence will no doubt be brought to Europe. What was meant for evil will result in a Christian revival in Europe.

We can even put labels to our church – “Welcome Home”. But the real “Home” is up in heaven and doesn’t stop on earth. If we can only offer a kindom abode on earth but no assurance of salvation and hope of eternity, then we are indeed a pitiful church. Love Singapore need not condemn us if we are thus, because we are the most wretched. We are self condemned thinking that our wisdom, intellect and acts of love will save us and let us be one with God.  Yes, we are serious and thinking of our faith, but faith in ourselves and our own flawed humanity which is imperfect at best, and a gross misinterpretation of a biblical christian faith. It is very sad, because gays need Jesus and we are too nice to stand up to pagan worship in the heart of the churches disguised as “Christianity”.

A few years ago, I saw a number of gay Christians visiting the gay church. They seldom come back especially if they had hitherto experienced a touch of God, the filling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. If they had experienced the real church before in their own Pentecost where they spoke in unknown tongues, they become very “dangerous” for they are now led by the Holy Spirit of God. Some “Christians” lamented that the church is dying in the US, but look closer, the growth of Evangelical Charismatic Christians in a decade far exceeds the entire population of the rapidly declining mainline church. The young people, the Gen Z are leaving the mainline liberal churches in droves and are attending the charismatic evangelical churches which some Christians are mocking at. This is the future, friends, and we need to face it and  not go down with the liberal dying churches.

It is said that many gay churches have a big backdoor, but in reality it is just a dark room where people try to see by groping each other just like the Greeks trying to find wisdom in worshiping various gods. There is no light, no revelation, only darkness. As we enter the church, we may have praise and worship and some preaching, but it is always centered on works. We can’t gain righteousness by our own works of love. The Holy Spirit have an abode in us only because we are gathered and made righteous by faith in the risen Lord being cleansed by the blood of the lamb. If we deny the cleansing blood and the water like some “Christians” do, we remain as red dust of the ground. Few serious and thoughtful Gay Christian would enter such churches.

When the first gathering of the “church” at Pentecost, they waited and when the power of God came, they became witness of Jesus Christ. There were at rest and in prayer of tongues for the working is by the Holy Spirit. They just rested. When they spoke in an unknown language, the outsiders heard to wonderful testimony of Jesus the risen Saviour and God without them even leaving the upper room. In other words, when we go to a real bible believing church where Jesus saves and Jesus heals,  we become the church by the mighty power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

We live in difficult times where there is little biblical and spirit filled witness to GLBT people of Jesus Christ. The wise had come and gone with their time at the pulpit for the last 40 years, the church existing because it is the only gay accepting church in the entire city and state. Ironically, even these gay churches are declining in the US as gays are accepted mainstream with gay marriage. Many if not most gay churches are now struggling. We need to pray for revival, we need to pray for a new Pentecost, to be filled with the rivers of living water that can flow to the GLBT community, the very least in the community. The old kind of mainline faith based on works are passing away. Behold, the new things of grace of the Holy Spirit is coming. Some are afraid even calling the Jesus people dangerous 50 years ago. But look closely, the Holy Spirit can never be quenched. There is the gay rainbow in the sky with the fresh morning dew if we have eyes to discern. God is doing a fresh work to revive the Gay community. Revive us again O Lord.

Revive us Again

 

We praise Thee, O God!
For the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus Who died,
And is now gone above.

Refrain:

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again.

We praise Thee, O God!
For Thy Spirit of light,
Who hath shown us our Savior,
And scattered our night.

All glory and praise
To the Lamb that was slain,
Who hath borne all our sins,
And hath cleansed every stain.

All glory and praise
To the God of all grace,
Who hast brought us, and sought us,
And guided our ways.

Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.