God has made humans in two genders—male and female (Gen. 1:26-27). Each person from conception is made in God’s image according to God’s design for their sex and gender (Ps. 139: 13-16). These genders are inextricably tied to our biology and are fixed. In other words, biological sex=gender. Sex and gender aren’t realities that can be chosen or changed because of disordered feelings that we have about our bodies. Binary gender (maleness and femaleness) is God's wise design for our good. There are many in our world right now who are struggling and confused about who God made them to be. They are inundated with messages everyday that drive a spiral into deeper and deeper confusion. Let us be a people who are willing to tell the truth about God’s good design, who are willing to listen and pray with those who are struggling, and ultimately who are willing to lead them to a place of hope and healing through a relationship with Jesus. The Cass Report has demonstrated that medical intervention isn’t the answer for those suffering confusion about who God made them to be. The Bible gives us the solution by making plain God’s good design and promising transformation through the gospel.
"Be True to Yourself" is a lie that leads to hopelessness
The unfortunate reality is that the cure of our ills is ultimately its cause. Expressive individualism is the cause of our hopelessness not the solution to it. If indeed the highest goal in life is happiness (as this worldview asserts) then “be true to yourself” becomes self-defeating. It does not grant what it promises because it cannot grant what it promises. According to the Apostle Paul, hopelessness is a product of godlessness. Ephesians 2:11-12 tells us that before we come to know Christ in faith we have “no hope and without God in the world.” Again, apart from God there can be no hope and no happiness. You cannot have those things if you are cut off from their Source. If you start with the wrong foundation you can only get the wrong results. This is a basic truth that the world is unwilling to believe. The answer to the world’s hopelessness has nothing to do with the expression of our “true selves” but everything to do with us finding God by faith in Christ.
Spurgeon on Celebrity Preachers and the Need for Humility
Celebrity culture is a problem for Christianity just as it is for the wider society. We have a tendency to esteem some men and women above others and fall into the faulty notion that somehow they are better than everyone else. Without doubt, God has granted to some singular and spectacular gifts, and those to whom He has entrusted such things should use them powerfully and wholly for His glory. But we must resist the temptation to think that some person is the source of power and therefore should receive the honor due to God alone.
A Preacher's Core Responsibility
This past Sunday, I mentioned in my sermon about an interaction that people sometimes have with the preacher after church. The interaction is well-meaning, and folks are generally trying to tell you, “Good job preacher!” However, if we really think about the comment that is said, we may want to rephrase our praise for the preacher.
Deconstruction and the Destruction of Faith
If deconstruction is impossible for a true believer, then what’s up with so many who seem to be “deconstructing?” The short answer is that those who truly deconstruct (and I am not here talking about doubt or even struggling through church hurt) are actually abandoning the faith. They have given the appearance of belief while all along failing to prove that faith with fruit.