The Apostles teaching, revised 2019 edition.

I recently preached a sermon on the teaching of the Apostles.  Jesus in his last words told them to go into all the world, making disciples and teaching all he had commanded. This they did and the gospel spread.

They told how Jesus set out rules for living; the importance of teaching God’s Word, the Bible; and gave guidance how this was to be done.

Paul and Peter wrote to Churches and Christians, stressing the correct way of life, and Jude wrote calling for Christians to contend for the faith, given once for all time by the Apostles. The Church grew and received God’s blessing.

The Church leaders in our time also write to the Churches by way of letters to the clergy, giving guidance and instruction for the Church to follow.

I have been reading some such letters, and they give some rather different ways on both spiritual and moral matters. But of course, it is 2019 and they appear to think God is rather out of touch. The teaching reads something like this.

Do not follow the Bible’s  teaching on marriage, lest it cause upset. Marriage is all about love, and if two men or two women love each other we must celebrate this in marriage.

Make every effort to bring people of same sex attraction into the Church, and encourage to seek Office and leadership.

 If a man or woman feels they are in the wrong body and they want to declare a change of gender, approve, and encourage them to attend the special service of baptism we have prepared for them; it challenges the Apostles Creed which states only one baptism, but never mind such triviality.

Do not circulate that a site has been set up on the internet to cope with all those, who now realise they did the wrong thing and helps them get therapy to revert to their biological gender; or that there has been a lot of suicides amongst the transgender people.

Do not encourage such therapy, for the Archbishop of York cannot sleep at night by the thought of such therapy being offered, and the Bishop of Newcastle has stated she thinks it wrong.

Do not give any credit or praise to President Trump in any form, for rescinding the morality of his predecessor; for stopping men being able to arbitrarily declaring they are women so they could enter female dressing rooms and facilities causing great distress to women. To stop Nuns and others being forced to issue free contraceptives to women, which is grossly offensive to Catholic people particularly.

For the evil way the President declared Christians may be free to declare their faith. For his generally upholding the Christian faith, the Bible and Christian prayer.

Then when you have digested all this ‘guidance’, sit down and wonder why God doesn’t bless the Church to the same extent he blessed the early Church which followed the true Apostles.

You may come to the startling decision God doesn’t like such nonsense, just like the people who are leaving the Church in the hundreds each week.

(However, in fairness make clear we do not condemn,discriminate or bear any ill will, nor are we attacking individual people who live their lives how they personally choose, but we do object to have the subject being forced on us by activists.)

Ministers are here to declare what God has laid down, not stressing our opinion whatever it may be, and we do so dispassionately and compassionately. Judgement is God’s prerogative.