Concert, June 20
The Oakridge Quartet, Christian singers from Tennessee, will be giving free concerts on Sunday, June 20, at 3:00 pm at the First Baptist Church of Whitehall, 41 Williams St., and at 6:00 pm, at the Faith Chapel Assembly of God, on Route 4 south of the Village of Whitehall. Free will offerings will be received. First Baptist Church is wheelchair accessible through the rear side door. For more information, call Pastor Jim Peterson, 642-2245.
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Please take a look at http://manhattandeclaration.org/
The website includes a 7 page formal declaration of values. I signed the
petition that says, in summary:
We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at
this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common
good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers
alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:
1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.
Please consider doing the same and signing the http://manhattandeclaration.org/
4/30/2009
So-called “Same Sex Marriage”
Condensation of sermon preached by Pastor Peterson on April 26, 2009
There is no such thing as “same sex marriage” as far as God is concerned. God created the institution of marriage (Genesis 2:18, 21-24). The basis of marriage is 2 becoming 1—in body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Jesus reaffirms this principle in Matthew 19:4-6. St. Paul reaffirms it in Ephesians 5:31. God created the institution of marriage to be a blessing to males and females so that in union they will complement each other with their differences, making a whole, complete unit. God also created marriage between a man and a woman so that they could produce children (Genesis 1:27-28) and raise them together to become godly adults, following the teachings and role-models of their parents. Marriage has always been a religious institution, up until the last century or two when the civil government decided to regulate it.
The government should not legitimize behavior and actions which God says are “detestable” and an “abomination” (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13 and note the context of these verses), behavior that God punished by destroying Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:4-29), an event that is referred to many times throughout the Bible. When homosexual actions are encouraged in a society, history and the Bible show us a downward spiral of degeneration (Romans 1:24-28, 32).
God also makes it clear in the Bible that individuals and government officials must obey God and fear His wrath for disobedience (1 Samuel 12:14-15, 24-25). God will only bless people and nations who honor God and His Word. Jesus reaffirms all the teachings of the Old Testament (Matthew 5:17-20).
The basic question for our society is whether we want to fear and obey God and receive His blessings, or disobey God and suffer His wrath.
Rev. Jim Peterson
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