This is the furnished John Burton. So there is a bit of a controversy with Bethel church and specifically a Ministry of Bethel church called changed and I wrote an article on this and you can check that out go to Burton dot TV and just search for the article. Just I bet if you just put Bethel Church in the search, you'll find it. But this Article has to do with a controversial post that they put on their Facebook page and regarding the issue of homosexuality and God's view of homosexuals. And so there are there are there's a lot of people that are a bit uptight about what they had to say and I made some Some comments. I left some comments there on the post and they actually responded but I was disappointed at the response and so you can see all of that on my on my article, but I just got to tell you that I'm concerned. I'm a little uptight about this they need to become or they need to be much more clear about it. Let me read to you what? They said let me see here. I'll read this to you. They said this is part of the post. This is the bulk of the post. Actually. They said God loves all people lgbtq+ and straight the message of changed which is the name of their Ministry changed has never never been that that all must change. Okay. The message has never been almost change. We share these stories specifically for Christians who are unfulfilled and identifying AS lgbtq Plus. For those of you who feel fulfilled and happy as you are we love you. All right, so that's that's the concerning part of the post and I responded to them and I'll just read you exactly what I said. I said, oh no, please Bethel Church. Please rethink this reconsider your wording the following that you wrote is not good. Did you possibly word it incorrectly? Then I quoted back what I just read to you at specifically this part. We share these stories specifically for Christians who are unfulfilled and identifying as l LG B TQ. + for those of you who feel fulfilled and happy as you are we love you. And so I left that comment and since then a lot of people a lot of people have been concerned some Christian news sites have picked up on the story including Premier Christian magazine the headline of their story was Has Bethel Church bashed on social media for being weak on LGBT q+ stance? Well, then I received a reply from Bethel church. And this is it. They said we believe you can fully love someone who you disagree with Jesus modeled this well for us. That's it. That was that was it that was the extent of their response to my extremely. Concerned comment, that's it, and they didn't bring Clarity. They haven't yet brought Clarity that I'm aware of. I'm believing they will I want them to you know, and Bethel church has done a lot of really good stuff, even though for me I'm someone that you know everything they do or every philosophy or theology. They have I don't agree with it all but that's pretty Normal, you know if with Ministries is there's a there's a lot that I would do different. There's a you know, there's a lot of their focus. I would definitely do different but it hasn't been until this point that I have felt led to address this or to deal with this, you know, because we and I wrote about that I shared this in the article. I replied back to him. Let me in and by the way, let me back up and obviously we love those we disagree with I mean, that's what But you know their response was you can love someone who you disagree with. Well who's saying it can I never said that I never said you can't love somebody you disagree with of course you do. Of course you love people. Of course, is that not obvious? I guess. I don't know. But actually that response makes me wonder are they hiding something are they being intentionally vague? I think I think maybe I don't know we're waiting. We're waiting to hear the response. So I replied back to them. I said, you know, we still don't know. If number one you simply worded your original post wrongly or number two, you actually believe Christians can identify as GB T q+ and for those who are fulfilled and happy there is no further action necessary. And so I'm waiting I'm waiting to hear which one is it. And so so the situation is people don't know they don't know what their stances but even more dangerous is that there are you know, they have a large following millions of people. Are now hearing from who they consider to be reputable well-known Christian ministers and they are are they giving them license to continue as homosexuals? Because if because if that is the takeaway from their post, which it's very easily can be the takeaway and they do no further investigating even if Bethel would not agree that you can be gay and Christian which shocked me if they would actually believe that you can be gay and Christian. But the takeaway then would be for many. All right, it's all good. God loves me, which is the ultimate goal which in their minds which by the way, it's not it's our response to God's love. So God loves me. He loves me just the way I am. I'm fulfilled the way I am Bethel Church loves me. It's all good. I don't I don't want to change. Those that want to change they can it's not a big deal change. Your don't change doesn't matter. You can change and God loves you or not change and God loves you and they're in their minds what that means is they are legit Christians and it's all fine. It's all good. Why did dangerous message, you know and here's a question what if they reworded their post? Let me read this what if what if they said this instead they didn't say this, but what if they did? We share these stories specifically for Christians who are unfulfilled in viewing pornography. For those of you who fulfill feel fulfilled and happy as you are. We love you. What if that was the message? What if they said we share these stories specifically for Christians, who are Child abusers who are Liars who are thieves who are you know fill in the blank? And it's all good. They don't address repentance. They don't address the Holiness of God. They don't address Mankind's wickedness. They don't address these issues at all. Not that post. Of course. I understand is too short posted. But the problem with that post is it is woefully incomplete to the point where it is communicating something that is in great error. All right, I understand provocative posts where you post something and the intent is for people to investigate further. I get that I do that every day. Do it all the time. I get it makes total sense. But the provocative post should not be something that would be identified as error. Should it stand alone? You know it's as it stands written as it stands. It has to be true and it's provocative form and it has to be true in the longer more comprehensive form where they further explain their point. If you're going to have a provocative post something that's going to cause people to think and to dive deeper your post at that level must still be true. And if it's intentionally. Almost like it almost to where it has his politically correct kind of feel to it to where they just kind of they minimize it down and try to appease all and try to and it's in it ends up being error ends up being wrong. Then you got a problem and see you know, that's that may be what's going on here. But again, we don't know now, I understand also bethel's a big Ministry. Just because the leaders of this particular program or this particular Ministry of Bethel, maybe they believe a certain way. It doesn't mean necessarily that Bill Johnson or the leadership of Bethel would sign off on it. Although, you know, say, you know, you have people on staff you have people leading programs and Ministries you have empowered them to make statements and to and to move in certain directions. And so Now it becomes Bill Johnson's responsibility if these guys don't do it the leaders of that program that of that Ministry now, it's Bill Johnson's responsibility to clean up the mess. And the world's waiting kind, you know Bethel is on the clock. Are they going to do this are how are they going to fix this my guess? Is that they're coming come out and they clarify and they explain and they say what most of us could presume that they would say that's my guess is they would do that. They would say something like we absolutely do not affirm that a Christian can continue on homosexuality or in any sin. But what we want to communicate is that we want to start this at a conversation level, and we don't To attempt to coerce people into responding to Jesus and we want to hear their hearts and we want them to know that we love them and we want you know, so you start you know, and and ultimately they will and they will understand that change is required. I don't know. I mean, I'm wondering would they say something like that? I would hope so. But as it stands right now we have problems we have trouble. You know, the bottom line is we all must change, you know, I think that's I think that's a faulty as a faulty kind of a statement that's in the really attaching that statement to kind of their Ministries this idea that they reject this idea that all must change. I mean, let me read it again. I'm almost them. I'm second-guessing myself. Even as I'm talking to you all they say God loves all people lgbtq+ and straight the message of changed has never been All must change. Okay, that's what they're saying. But the reality is and I addressed this in the article all must change if you want to follow Jesus. You got to change Rich Young Ruler wouldn't change. Jesus said you can't follow me. So so the problem is is we have this we're going to have people following Jesus convinced they're saved but they're following him in an unsafe condition. When they hear messages like this and I think all is well, but they're not surrendered their not embracing sanctification and Consecration and they're continuing in sin. The Bible is clear about that if we continue in sin there remains No sacrifice for that sin. Hey, read it Hebrews 10, you know 2627 read that. But you know when we're commute when were evangelizing when were communicating we've got to stop all of this psychological sociological philosophical stuff trying to trying to say things the right way and you know, so we can convince that and convince people that Jesus is attractive and got to just walk on eggshells and just say the right things and hopefully maybe they'll consider Jesus. We got to stop that preach the truth and if people walk let him walk If they don't want Jesus, let him walk pray for them Cry tears over that decision. That's a horrifying decision. But you're not helping the situation by encouraging them to follow Jesus at a level less than what he demands. You know stop minimizing the cost of following Jesus and hiding offensive truth in the hopes that people will get saved. It's it's not the way to do it. So We need to preach truth. We need to preach the fire of God. We need to preach Holiness. We need to do it with with passion with love with the fear of the Lord on us. We've got to do that, you know, but what's going on Bethel Church. Come on. I'm doing my best. I mean I'm doing my best really because this is a core value of mine to honor you guys and and you know, I'm giving you you know in terms of just in My own tiny little world. I'm giving you this this opportunity to would you just respond and let us know kind of where things were things are because this is a big ordeal. I think than we realize it's a big big deal also in the article. You can read, you know, why stuff like this is such an intense issue for me, you know, I believe that it's becoming more and more rare for people ultimately to go to heaven even those who are currently Ian's I believe it's rare, you know, I had this encounter with hell we're God told me said John many will many Christians will be shocked to find themselves in Hell one day and I'm offering my book The Terror of Hell the most potent book I've written for free and you can go to the article some of you wondering where the article is because I know you're listening on Spotify or whatever go to Burton dot TV and do a search and this is the title if you put in Bethel Church, I bet it comes up the date of this. Articles August 25th 2019. The title of this article is can Christians be lgbtq+. And then a question mark a Bethel Church controversy. That's the name of the or the title of the article search for it there to can't find it. Just go to my website Burton dot TV and contact me and I'll point you in the right direction. But if you search you should you should find it pretty easily so you can read through the article and there's a link to the free eBook The Terror of Hell encourage you URI has very short book. It's my shortest book very short. You'll read it in 30 minutes, but grab that book and I think it'll it'll it will rock you but it'll give you a kind of a an understanding as to why this kind of stuff is so intense for me. I believe that stuff like this does the opposite I think of what Bethel might I mean what Bethel is wanting is for people to fall in love with Jesus. I think it can actually cause them to follow Jesus in a Confused State and in an unsafe condition. So alright so leave some comments. If you can find a place to leave comments, you know, if you if you if you're reading this on my or listening to this rather on my Facebook page or on my website, I'm going to I'm going to embed this podcast right into the article that I wrote, but I want to hear from you. I really do. I hope you hear my heart. I hope you hear that. I don't want to be one of these mean-spirited, you know, heresy Hunters. That's just trying to attack. I want to honor but I also believe that we need to we need to get serious about this stuff because the age in which we are living is getting more and more severe and and I think we need prophetic messages to rise up and to speak into situations like this with honor with love with an in with fire in our eyes. Amen. All right. Talk to you next time. Thank you for listening to the furnace with John Burton. You can access media read articles and partner with the ministry online at Burton dot TV and by all means share this podcast with those who are hungry for Revival reformation and revolution.
CHANGED, a ministry of Bethel Church in Redding, California, included the following statement in a post: God loves all people, LGBTQ+ and straight. The message of CHANGED has never been “All Must Change.” We share these stories specifically for Christians who are unfulfilled in identifying as LGBTQ+. For those of you who feel fulfilled and happy as you are, we love you! Of course, this was immediately troubling to me as it seemed as if Bethel Church was moving closer to the false-grace, hyper-love philosophy that is bewitching so much of the church today. However, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I don't believe it's appropriate to launch into attack mode, as many of today's “protectors of truth” tend to do. It's important to honor even when questions and controversies arise. I am believing that Bethel Church will bring clarity to a murky and concerning situation. Here's my response to their post: Oh no. Please, Bethel Church, PLEASE rethink this. Reconsider your wording. The following that you wrote is NOT GOOD. Did you possibly word it incorrectly? “We share these stories specifically for Christians who are unfulfilled in identifying as LGBTQ+. For those of you who feel fulfilled and happy as you are, we love you!”  ---   Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thefurnace/message 