Christians Response to Homosexual Marriage Pt1

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Corey Turner

In March 2012 I will be starting a new series at our church titled, “Lets Talk about Sex”. One of the topics I will be addressing is on the issue of “homosexual marriage” and how we as Christians are to respond to it. I have acquaintances, relatives and congregational members who are practicing homosexuals, as well as some who genuinely wrestle with their desires and ‘lifestyle choices’. I say this to simply reflect that I am not speaking from a distant, isolated perspective but one that is up close and personal to the realities of homosexual relationships in people’s lives.

Recently at the Labour Party’s National Conference (2011) a conscience vote was put to the floor to begin the process of redefining the institution of marriage between a man and a woman. The vote was successful and has opened the way for homosexual marriage to be legal in Australia. (I commend the great work of the ACL and Jim Wallace in responding to this challenge to the institution of marriage by gathering over 100,000 signed petitions in support of marriage being between a man and a woman).

I have found several articles and books helpful in informing me on this matter and in particular R. Albert.Mohler. Jr’s article on “Homosexual Marriage as a challenge to the Church: Biblical and Cultural Reflections” has been very helpful. You can view this online or read it in the book, “Sex and the Supremacy of Christ” by John Piper and Justin Taylor.

Where do we begin? Here are my introductory thoughts:

The idea of homosexual marriage presents Christians with a monumental challenge. Advocates of same-sex relationships are seen as progressives, agents of liberty and cultural evolution, while, those who possess a biblical worldview are seen as restrictive and irrelevant moralists.

For the church the very concept of homosexual marriage strikes at the heart of our biblical foundations. From a biblical perspective, marriage is a God-ordained institution and the term “homosexual marriage” is an oxymoron, which these two words has been seen as mutually exclusive since the beginning of creation.

The mere fact that marriage is even up for debate is indicative of the crisis we are now facing as our society continues on a downward spiral towards breaking all previously known and accepted spiritual, moral and cultural foundations. At the root of the issue is a moral rebellion against God and authority as well as utter confusion about Gods created order.

Christians must engage in compassionate truth-telling, not with an ugly spirit or mean impulse but with right thinking flowing from a right motivation. We cannot address homosexual marriage as an isolated issue but in the context of the narrative of the bible beginning with creation, the fall, redemption and restoration, which is ultimately the Gospel.

The Christian worldview affirms unity of the good, the beautiful and the true, which is otherwise known as the ‘transcendentals’, rooted in the very nature of God. As Mohler points out, the worlds confusion separates these ‘transcendentals’ and produces “problematic arguments” for why the false may be beautiful, the ugly may be true and evil may in fact be good”.

The Bible points us to the source of the confusion in Genesis 3 which is sin, the fall of humanity. The early chapters, while outlining the very foundations of creation and human civilization give us a front row seat into the disorientation and confusion that marks the fallen human heart.

In addressing homosexual marriage, we must clarify who we are as God’s people and our own understanding of Gospel truth, if we are to rightly approach the issue from a biblical perspective.

In part 2 I will deal with who we must be before we address the issue.

Grace!

Why Read Books?

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Corey Turner

Every opportunity I get I am promoting a book for my congregation to read to compliment their daily bible reading and preaching series I’m currently preaching.

In February, we will be completing “The Rebels Guide to Joy” series on the letter of Philippians. This is the best series we have done yet and to compliment the series I will promote, before I preach, a book (in this case “Disciple” by Bill Clem), which I’ve previously read, checked out and believe will help the congregation go deeper in their understanding of a topic I want them to understand and outwork.

Bible reading should be the staple diet of the Christian but book reading should compliment your daily devotions. Now there are lots of books out there and not every book in your Christian bookstore is gospel or helpful or should be read. BUT without a weekly, should I say, daily commitment to reading good books, you will miss out on the wisdom and insight gleaned from those who have gone before you and studied their subject a lot more in depth than you probably have. Without reading books, your thinking becomes narrow and you begin to think your ideas are the best and brightest. Naive indeed. Unfortunately, we have become so visual in our learning that we have replaced the book for the screen. The screen has become our final authority, whereas, yesteryear, the text was.

For me, I get up at 5am most mornings and read for about an hour on a particular topic, and this would include, blogs and web articles that inform me on my subject matter. I study and preach the bible for a living and so 2 days a week (Wed & Fri) I’m in the study and preparing sermons and training sessions for my leaders or conferences coming up. I wasn’t always like this. In High School, I didn’t read as much as I should have (too much of sports jock) but in the year 2000 when I answered the call to ministry, something came over me and I just started reading voraciously. Since then I must have read over 500 books and built up a stockpile of words, ideas and, yes, receipts (much to my wife’s pain). You should see my library in my study, I could start charging a fee for people to join up and use it as a library… hang on a second… my wife will be happy.

Read widely and on different topics including: Theology, Leadership, Culture, Discipleship, Spiritual Disciplines, Gods Guidance, Current News, Your spiritual gifts, Biographies, Autobiographies, etc… the list goes on. (To help you with this I will include on my site a recommended reading list. For now follow along with me on what I’m reading).

Purchasing an iPad is a great investment as you can download Ebooks and read them wherever you are. I was at the doctors surgery today for a minor check up and was reading from my iPad. Not only did I utilize the waiting time well… I also felt very cool.

Whatever you do and wherever you go always remember to be packing a book.

Grace!

Weekly Wrap Up!

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Corey Turner

book of the week

Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Ps Tullian Tchividjian is a fantastic book centered on the sufficiency of God’s grace in every aspect of life. For a performance oriented person like me, I found the writers biblical reflections liberating and overwhelming. Here’s a great quote from pg36, “Let me urge you to get unusually quiet and to simply ask yourself: Where exactly am I experiencing agitation, impatience, unease and anxiety? Whatever indications of restlessness you did discover, at whatever level, I believe the reason for its being there is this: we’re trying to find our rest in something smaller than Jesus.”

quote of the week

“Expecting life to be fair because you’re a good person is like expecting a bull not to charge you because you’re a vegan.” (Twitter via @BradBennett)

news of the week

Elephant Room Round 2 took place Thursday January 25 hosted by Ps James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel. This is a must see event as it gathers high profile leaders across the Body of Christ from opposite ends of the spectrum and throws them into the theological and ministerial octagon and the fireworks begin. For more info check out www.theelephantroom.com

moment of the week

Vision Night at Activate Church was the best we had in light years. Nearly 150 people turned up and the night had everything, inspiration, fun, food, humour, energy, momentum, Jesus, honour and of course… vision.

Grace!

Rethinking Christian Progress!

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Corey Turner

The one thing the bible promises us regarding life in this world is that it will be hard and filled with trials, temptations and tribulations. Nowhere does the bible promise that we’ll have our best life now (as popularized by Joel Osteen). in 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul tells Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

This morning I tweeted an important phrase from pastor Tullian Tchividjian’s book Jesus + Nothing = Everything and it is the idea of an “over-realized eschatology”. I want to use this term to say, too many Christians live with an “over-realized eschatology” expecting now on earth what God has promised only later for eternity. This causes us to live with unrealistic expectations for what we will and won’t face in this world.

In light of this how do we approach growth and progress in our faith?

The Gospel didn’t just ignite my faith but it’s the fuel that keeps it going and growing me everyday. The Gospel has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). Progress begins with understanding that in Christ, we’ve already been qualified, delivered, transferred, redeemed and forgiven. Working out your salvation with fear and trembling is focusing on working out what Christ has already given to us and worked into us by his will and for his pleasure.

Our natural instinct as believers is to almost exclusively measure Christian growth around behavioural improvement but the greater issue is what is behind the good or bad fruit of our behaviour? Bad behaviour happens when we fail to believe that everything we need, in Christ, we already have. On the other hand, good behaviour happens when we daily rest in and receive the finished work of Jesus in deeper and deeper ways, destroying any need to secure for ourselves anything beyond what Christ has already secured for us.

The hard work of growth we are called to is to believe again and again the gospel of God’s free justifying grace everyday and resting in what Christ has finished on our behalf. I think real spiritual progress happens when our natural understanding of progress is rooted out and it’s not about first behaving better but believing more fully what Jesus has already accomplished.

Gerhard Forde, in his work, Justification by Faith, once said, “It’s not our movement toward the goal but the movement of the goal on us” that helps us progress in the Christian life. Pastor Tullian (Pg173) says, “Sanctification involves God’s daily attack on our unbelief – our self-centered refusal to believe that God’s approval of us in Christ is full and final.”

When we stop narcissistically focusing on our need to get better, that is what it means to get better. The more we focus on our need to get better, the more neurotic and self-absorbed and worse we actually get. I have to admit that I’ve been too pre-occupied with myself for most of my life and my pre-occupation with my performance over Christ’s performance makes me increasingly self-centered and distant from God and others.

Christian progress is forgetting about yourself! So, aim for progress but remember what it isn’t, your personal improvement and moral progress. Progress is washing your hands of you and resting in Christ’s finished work for you, which will inevitably produce personal improvement and spiritual growth.

Grace!

Jesus didn’t die for Gold Dust!

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Corey Turner

Colossians 2:18-19 “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions (or about things he has seen), puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.”

I personally think it is a joke that there is a brand of Christianity that is totally consumed with gold dust appearing on people’s palms and claiming it to be a manifestation of God’s presence. I wonder where people are really at when they get so excited about a feather falling from the ceiling and start declaring it’s the off cut of an angel’s wing. I hear reports of diamonds appearing in auditoriums and gold teeth appearing in people’s mouths and wonder incredulously at what Jesus thinks about all of this.

I’m not denying that this phenomena isn’t potentially supernatural (I personally have never witnessed it and yet I’ve been in some pretty crazy church services) but I have to ask, so what? I had a Christian tell me recently that they asked the pastor of a church they were visiting if such “miracles” (I use this very loosely) happened in his church and after the pastors response didn’t meet the individuals expectations, they declared, “Well I’m out of here and I’m going to a church where this stuff is happening.”

It’s this type of vain and wasteful pursuit that the Apostle Paul is writing about in the book of Colossians. The bible points us to what the BIG Idea of the church, ministry and life is all about – Jesus. The hero of the bible is Jesus. The emphasis of the bible is Jesus and anything ( and I mean anything) that takes us away from the preeminence of Jesus and the centrepiece of our faith, being the gospel, is completely and utterly pointless.

When Jesus’ flesh was hanging off his back, and nails were hammered into his hands and feet, a crown of thorns pierced his head and a spear was thrust into his side, I don’t think he had gold dust, feathers and diamonds in mind. The bible records that he felt utterly forsaken, as he took on the sins of you and I, even though he did nothing to deserve death and we did nothing to deserve his grace and eternal life. Jesus died for souls, not supernatural phenomena.

If you are a phenomena chaser, stop it, repent and reconnect back to the Head. If you ever hear of such phenomena happening, don’t get carried away but be humbled by Jesus tortured body on the cross and remember that his death and resurrection is ‘cosmically’ more important than chasing the latest miracle.

(By the way, if a diamond does appear in front of you the next time you’re in church, take it to the jewellers and cash it and go feed the poor.)

Grace!

What is Mission?

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Corey Turner

Apart from being totally overwhelmed at the birth of my first child, Chelsea (now 8yrs old) I was taken back by the thought of the Son of God being born exactly like my baby 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ was sent by the Father as a missionary to humanity. Jesus incarnated himself (literally became ‘meat’) and contextualized his entire life with the culture of his day. There is no religion that gives any revelation of God like the bible gives of Jesus. Jesus is the only God that identifies with his creation to the point of death. Jesus’ mission was a covenant of grace, forgiveness, atonement and eternal life for those who would believe.

Just as Jesus was sent to us, Christ has now sent us (Church) into the world on mission to preach the gospel and make disciples of Jesus (Matt 28:18-20, Mark 16:15). The Gospel cannot be heard if Christians don’t go and preach it in word and deed (Rom 10:14-15). We have been sent out with a message of truth, faith, love, repentance and forgiveness of sins.

The power of the Gospel is the same today as it was 2,000 years ago (Rom 1:16), so why aren’t we seeing the same results, particularly in western countries, as in the book of Acts? I love the church but I want to share with you a few reasons why:

Some of the church is too slow to go to the culture and preach the gospel
Some of the church is too self-focused rather than others focused
Some of the church is apathetic about the reality of hell (Shows up in our preaching and apathy)
Some of the church doesn’t take the bible seriously enough
Some of the church has drifted away from passionate love for Jesus

We must know, understand and pursue the mission of Jesus. For more insight on mission read John 1:1-18 and Mark Driscoll’s book titled, “The Radical Reformission”.

Grace!

Casting a Compelling Vision!

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Corey Turner

One of the key roles and responsibilities of pastors and leaders is vision casting. The senior leader is the chief advocate and example of the vision to the congregation or organization. Since planting Activate I’ve learnt many things about vision while sitting in the hot seat and learning what works and what doesn’t work. I’m so passionate about the topic that I have written a book on Vision (2nd edition being released in 2013) and while writing the book, discovered that there are literally a plethora of ideas about vision and some of them helpful.

At the risk of being just another voice crying in the wilderness, here are some of my tips to casting a compelling vision:

Know what vision is: Many of the terms we use to talk about vision are confusing – mission, purpose, goals, dreams, vision, the list goes on. Really simply I define vision as a clear and compelling God-given picture of the future.

The Ripple Effect: Too many of us leaders are so enthusiastic about our vision that we fail to do the work to get our closest team members seeing and owning what is beating in our hearts. Begin gathering the people closest to you around the vision and then move outwards in concentric circles to the wider fringes of the congregation or group of people. Generally the wider the audience, the more public the vision casting.

If it’s fuzzy in the pulpit, it will be confusing in the congregation: If you aren’t clear, don’t expect anyone else to be. Clarity is one of the key functions of leadership. Fuzzy vision generally results in hostile takeovers and directionless anarchy.

Use media well: We are living in a visual generation and thus you must be able to tell the story of your vision through pictures.

Tell the story: We all love stories. Tell the story of where you came from, the journey along the way and where you are heading. Don’t just be clinical about it but take people with you. I remember a disaster vision session whereby I enthusiastically casted my vision for global domination, only to leave everyone in the dust of my grandiose plans. There were pockets of excitement but overall, it left a bad taste in people’s mouths because I hadn’t given context and taken people on the journey.

Toxic culture will stop a great vision: No matter how great your vision is, if your culture is not healthy, your vision won’t get off the runway. Create a healthy culture in partnership with a clear and dynamic vision and you will get lift-off.

Grace.

Sharpen the Point of Your Ministry!

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Corey Turner

1 Timothy 4:6-16 should be required reading for every believer serious about growing in the ministry God has called them to. The reason I think this, is because the text outlines so many practical and core fundamentals to ministry effectiveness.

I want to outline 4 core fundamentals that when clarified and focused upon will help sharpen the point of your ministry. Every ministry has a point. Another way of saying it is, God has called you to ministry for a purpose. There is a BIG IDEA behind the what of your ministry. Paul exhorts us in verse 16, “Keep a close watch on yourself…”

Theology – Paul said in verse 6, “…being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” Theology is God-Talk. The way we think and talk about God becomes the doctrine that shapes our philosophy and practice of ministry. A.W.Tozer once said, “The essence of idolatry is entertainment of thoughts about God that are wrong.” I’m embarrassed by the little emphasis put on doctrine in the training of leaders. Our emphasis has become practical leadership techniques and it is insufficient. Grow in your theology because your ministry will rise and fall on it. Read books voraciously, ask questions, listen intently and take notes. Wrestle with the hard texts of Scripture and let the conviction of the Spirit linger deep in your heart rather than moving on to something more palatable to your taste. Your words and practice’s will betray your doctrine.

Calling – The BIG Idea of the Church is the Great Commission and God’s glory and each ministry in some way is tied to this mission. What specifically has God called you to do? Clarifying this will be the intersection of what God has revealed to you through His Word, your past experiences, your strengths and weaknesses, what you are passionate about and your values. Calling is a journey but an important process in sharpening your ministry point.

Skill-Set – Paul said, “Do not neglect the gift you have…” What is the unique skill set that God has given to you? 1 Corinthians 12 provides a systematic list of spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes freely. Your gifts, talents and skills will be the medium through which your ministry will be outworked. Discover, develop and deploy your skills.

Personality – Paul said, “Let no one despise you for your youth… Keep a close watch on yourself…” Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Your answer to that question has more to do with what deplete’s and replenishe’s your energy than any specific personality type or activity. Stats tells us that Introverts make up 25% of the population and Extroverts make up 75% of the population. Introverts engage more so in their internal world, have deep conversations with people and replenish with silence and solitude. Extroverts love to engage with the external world, they like having chit-chat conversations with people, they generally like more chaos and they get recharged by time with people. Leading in a way that doesn’t reflect who you are is going to be detrimental to your ministry. The issue isn’t about either personality being good or bad but simply, who you are, particularly, in light of your circumstances.

Focus on these 4 core fundamentals and you will sharpen the point of your ministry.

Grace!

I’m not who I used to be…

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Corey Turner

2 Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold the new has come.”

I have been a Christian for nearly 30 years. At 4 years of age I can remember confessing my sin and believing in Jesus Christ, as I was led to God through the influence of my parents and other older believers. I’m so grateful to God for his sovereign grace at work in my life and it has been an amazing adventure of discovery and growth, albeit painful at times.

Truth is, I cannot believe how far God has brought me in my own spiritual journey. Even as a Christian and pastor, just a few years ago, there were things I wrestled with in my heart, which manifested in my marriage and relationships with others. Now by God’s grace those same struggles are no longer on the dashboard of my life. Granted, there are other challenges that I must run to the Gospel with but God’s empowering grace has rescued me already. I think this is how it should be, if we are working out what God has already worked into our hearts. It does seem, though, that the closer you get to God, the more aware of our sinfulness we become.

Sanctification is a key theological term which describes the process of a believer becoming more and more like Jesus. Regeneration is the initial act that gives birth to our spirit and begins the sanctification process, whereby the indwelling Holy Spirit transforms us to reflect the character of Christ. This is both a joyful privilege and painful process.

When Jesus saves us, he transforms what we find joy in. Our flesh finds joy in self but our regenerated spirit finds joy in Christ and others. Our flesh finds joy in lust but our regenerated spirit finds joy in purity. Our flesh finds joy in revenge but our regenerated spirit finds joy in forgiveness.

The cross where Jesus died to atone for our sin, is the place of the great exchange – our sin for God’s righteousness. The process of sanctification is the process of dying to self and coming alive to Christ. It’s the process of finding joy in a cross -centered life, rather than finding joy in a self-serving life.

As a Christ-follower, you should be changing. You cannot taste of the eternal gift and not be changed by it. Jesus does something in you by the work of the Holy Spirit and you too will wake up one day and say, “I’m not who I used to be…”

Grace!

pastor corey turner

insight I God, life and ministry

Monthly Archives: January 2012

Christians Response to Homosexual Marriage Pt1

Why Read Books?

Weekly Wrap Up!

Rethinking Christian Progress!

Jesus didn’t die for Gold Dust!

What is Mission?

Casting a Compelling Vision!

Sharpen the Point of Your Ministry!

I’m not who I used to be…

Recommended Reading: Church Planter

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