So, by now many of you have heard of/read/seen how the Olympic opening ceremony had/may not have had/kinda had/who knows if they had/ a litany of drag queens mocking an iconic painting of Leonardo Da Vinci entitled the Last Supper.
We do know they were celebrating drag queens. We know at least that much. They were either mocking Christians who think drag queens ought to repent and therefore they were saying, "hey look at us, we're welcome at the table! And you can't say anything about it - Ha!" or they were celebrating Dionysius' pagan ritual. Either way, I think Christians need to know how to respond to this kind of stuff.
I was not originally going to address this, but I have seen so much about it that I thought it might be helpful, if for no one else, then to speak to my congregation and to other Christians about how to react to this.
I've seen, pretty much, these responses
* Disbelief and horror that the Olympic opening ceremonies would have this.
* Condemnation of the ceremony.
* Condemnation from other Christians towards the offended Christians saying, "ugh...everyone's welcome at Jesus' table! You are what make Christianity look so bad to the world! Ugh...you're jerks offended Christians."
I want you to think about how people argue, because it's instructive in this case. A lot of people begin arguing and they are trying first to affirm facts. A wife might say to the husband, "why didn't you tell me that you were going to do that!!!???" Notice, without it being spoken, there is an assumption - the assumption is, "it is right to inform me before you do that."
That's the first part of the argument - affirming the presuppositions. Well, as Christians, let's do that.
Presuppostion #1. Drag queens are sexually confused individuals who need to repent.
This is a Scriptural point that I fear has been lost. We are all sinners, true. But what does Jesus command us to do if we are to be a part of His kingdom? Repent and believe the Gospel, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!
So let's just prove, Scripturally, the fist presupposition. Romans 1:18-32, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
There are so many Scriptures on the point that God made people male and female. Men cannot be women and women cannot be men.
I have read and seen places where other Christians say things like, "you didn't have a problem with tootsie, or Mrs. Doubtfire...what's your problem now!" Ugh...listen. The dude wasn't thinking he was actually a woman in either of those cases...it was funny precisely because they weren't confused...
We live in a world where we can't simply make first things first: Is it good to be a man and think you're a woman? No. That's not good. It ought not be celebrated. It ought not be highlighted. It is wrong. You are to be pitied and prayed for - not celebrated in your confusion.
Presupposition #2
The world will hate authentic Christians.
John 15:18-19, ""If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
Okay. The world killed Jesus. It will hate His followers too. Don't be surprised, oh Christian, when the world mocks, hates you, thumbs their noses at you, and demeans you. This is the world and we were all once part of it. Yes, the world hates you.
Presupposition #3
We are called to love our enemies, do good to them, and preach the Gospel to them.
Luke 6:27-29, ""But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either."
Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Okay - so here's the next part. It seems like everyone is rushing to presupposition #3 without having Presupposition #1 and #2 down.
I have read a circulating note from some pastor talking about how< "everyone's welcome at Jesus' table." Hogwash. Jesus went to sinners to show that He loved them - true. But He didn't love them, "as they were." He loved them so much that He changed who they were. He never said some trite garbage like, "I just want you to know I see you. I see you. And I love you just the way you are. You are perfect just how you are." If that were true He wouldn't have to die for sinners. This is utter weirdness that any Christian could espouse this.
The ultimate table will be the heavenly feast of the Lamb, and I gotta tell you, only those who repent of their sin and believe in Christ will be at that table. [Revelation 19:6-9] It simply is not open to the wicked. [Revelation 21:8]
Jesus came to say, "yes, come as you are...but you will never leave as you were..." Jesus changes us. We are all mentally and spiritually confused sinners. We might not be drag queens confused over whether we are a man or a woman, but if you took the time to read Romans 1 I'm sure you could find yourself in there. We are all mentally confused sinners in need of salvation. And when we acknowledge our sin, when we admit our faults and seek forgiveness in Christ, He saves us.
So to the drag queens, to the sinners, to the sexually confused, to the prideful, arrogant, cruel, factious, racists, etc...I have awesome news for you. There is hope. Admit your guilt. Admit your sin. Fall at the feet of Jesus, confess your sin and He will forgive you and cleanse you from all undrighteousness.
So OF COURSE it was offensive for drag queens to do what they did. And NO Christians are not being oversensitive to say, "yeah...this is ugly and terrible..." Have you read a prophet? God kinda points His fingers at the people all over creation and points out their sins. He does this not to pick, but to say, "repent."
I see people say, "well, the Lord's Supper wasn't even like the way Davinci painted it..." Who cares? That's not the point. The point is Christianity was intentionally being mocked. Okay, got it. Like the two people arguing, we need to establish that reality - Christians were being mocked. Period.
Or, at the very least, sexual confusion, fornication, and licentiousness was being celebrated. And if that's the case...Christianity was being mocked. Period.
Now, what do we as Christians do when we're mocked? We love - and part of love is saying, "hey, God does love you. But not as you are - as He will make you to be." Repent and believe the Gospel.
The central truth of Christianity is that this is a lost and condemned world in need of saving. We are sinners in the hands of a God that has every right to condemn us. But it is just this God, who had the right to throw a stone, that doesn't. He sends Jesus to save us.
But make no mistake - the stone is gonna be thrown at the end of time. He will return - and this time it won't be in a manger but on a horse and His robe will be dipped in blood [Revelation 19] We must know this dear Christian.
So, here's the deal. Acknowledge the truth of sin. Don't ever whitewash it. It does no one any favors. But love sinners, of which we are one. And part of loving people - part - is telling them the truth. So tell the truth, offer repentance and faith, tell your story of repentance and faith, so that the world may be saved.
God bless,
Pastor Chris
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