COM Newsletter - March 2020
SPECIAL EDITION:
‘COMING OUT’ MINISTRIES
PRAYERLINE
This month’s newsletter is dedicated to a privilege that each of us has as Christians. And just what is this privilege? It’s the privilege of prayer. Our precious Heavenly Father gives us the opportunity to call upon Him no matter where we are or what’s going on in our day. Anytime we choose, we can call out to Him and He hears us!
Today it seems that everywhere we turn there are struggles that we have to deal with. Perhaps it’s a health problem or maybe it’s financial. For many, it’s difficulty we face in our own families. Regardless of the size or complexity of our problems, Jesus invites us to cast them upon Him.
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalm 50:15
"As soon as difficulties arise, we are to offer to Him our sincere, earnest petitions. By our importunate prayers we give evidence of our strong confidence in God. The sense of our need leads us to pray earnestly and our heavenly Father is moved by our supplications.” COL p.172.2
You may be receiving this newsletter because you are struggling with SSA or perhaps you have a loved one who does. Did you know that ‘Coming Out’ Ministries has a prayerline for your support? We want to be here for you, to help support you in your journey with God and to pray with you and for your loved ones.
In January, many of us from the COM prayerlines joined together for a weekend retreat. After praying together over the phone lines for many months/years, we met up in person for fellowship and prayer face to face. What a time of celebration and rejoicing that was! The Lord was very much with us there! As we shared out hearts with one another, we could sense His presence in everything that took place. God is happy when we come together to share our burdens and our praises with each other and pray to Him in faith. He rejoices when we take Him up on His offer to bless us as “two or three” of us gather together.
Even though we can’t be gathered together physically on a regular basis, this is exactly what the COM prayerline is all about. Via telephone, we still do gather together and, just like at our retreat, the Lord is very much with us!
“Wow! How I love Friday morning prayerline! For years I had no one to talk to about my daughter becoming LGBTQ. Now I have a whole "spiritual" family who completely understand and pray regularly for my daughter and me. What an encouraging, caring, praying group of sisters and brothers I have found in the ‘Coming Out’ Ministries Prayer Line!!” – Andrea
“I found out that my daughter was gay in 2000. It was the most difficult time in my life. I felt helpless and isolated. There was no one to talk to about the news I had just learned. I was devastated. I felt my daughter had no hope in overcoming this sin. The church didn't talk about it and I was ashamed to broach the subject. I was at Michigan camp meeting in 2014. I was shocked to see a booth for 'Coming Out' Ministries. I started crying and couldn't stop. Finally, someone who would understand my pain. I had pent up the last 15 years with no one to talk to. At the booth they gave out a magnet with a prayerline I could join. It took me some time to gain the courage to get on. When I did, I was welcomed in to the most warm and wonderful loving community of parents and individuals who were praying for loved ones. It has been an amazing journey to have a community that encourages you and loves your child like you do. We carry each other’s burdens. We pray together and claim God’s promises...”
“In January some of us met at a fellow prayerline member’s home for a wonderful weekend of prayer and fellowship. We had such an amazing time together. It was wonderful to put a face to the voices I had been praying with for quite some time. I can't say enough about the 'Coming Out' Ministries Prayer Line. It has given me hope in my life when I needed it the most. Yes, lives DO change when we pray for loved ones. "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:4-5” – Debbie
"The recent Coming Out Ministries retreat in the Oregon Blue Mountains was superb. Everything was orchestrated perfectly; location was excellent and the food delightful. Our fellowship was heavenly, especially meeting the ‘voices’ from our weekly prayerline in person. Although we had already shared a spiritual bond, I believe this adventure has cemented our friendships for eternity. God has certainly blessed our unique community of ‘formers’ and intercessors!“ – Susan
COM prayerlines are offered three different days of the week and on different time zones in order to accommodate as many schedules as possible. Sharing our hearts together, we not only lift up our loved ones to the Lord but we also lift up one another. We would love to have YOU join us! Check out the times below to find one that works for you!
Prayer Support Line Info
Phone number 605.475.6700
Access Code 4552643#
Mondays EST 7-8 pm
Thursdays PST 6-7am
Fridays EST 6-7am
“Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God… Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence?” Prayer p.281
With so much treasure just waiting to be opened, we hope you’ll be encouraged to come meet with us on the ‘Coming Out’ Ministries prayerline. We look forward to praying with YOU soon!
Be Blessed!
APPEAL
Q&A
Question: Can a homosexual be a Christian? Can there truly be such a thing as Christian homosexuality or homosexual Christianity?
Response: Around the world today, there are thousands of homosexuals who are members of Christian churches who love the Lord and who practice many of the tenets of Christianity. Perhaps they are living up to all the light they presently have and they sincerely want to follow Jesus. But if they will truly look to Him, they will inevitably be changed. For by beholding Him we do become changed into His likeness.
However, and I say this kindly toward the gay community, practicing homosexuality is, in essence, a rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. Many gays profess Christ. They do "believe." After all, the Bible says only believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. So the gay "Christian," or the "Christian gay," may attempt to practice religion and perversion side by side. But, as Lord and Master, Jesus says: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 7:21-23) The apostle James concurs, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:19, 20). Apparently belief without a corresponding lifestyle change is a dead belief that amounts to deception!
There really can be no such thing as "Christian homosexuality," for the same reason that there can be no such thing as Christian adultery, Christian murder, Christian drunkenness, Christian drug addiction, Christian lying, Christian rock 'n' roll, or Christian idolatry, ad infinitum. Attaching the label "Christian" to one's belief, practice, or perversion does not make it so. The word "Christian" connotes discipleship, following after, in belief and practice.
A good test of what is Christian would be asking, "Is there any indication in God's Word that Jesus condones or would participate in this belief, behavior, or practice?" As the popular saying goes, "What would Jesus do?"
“By beholding Him you will become changed into His likeness ... You may have a theoretical knowledge of the truth, but this will not save you. You must know by experience how sinful sin is and how much you need Jesus as a personal Saviour. Only thus can you become sons and daughters of God. Your only merit is your great need.” (Medical Ministry, 217).
In light of all this, many "Christian homosexuals" will still want to insist that they are just much saved by grace as any other Christian. But grace, according to the Greek dictionary, is "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life." It is the divine power that facilitates change.
Paul warns us in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 about those who are deceived in their unrighteousness and thus led to perish:
“Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (Emphasis added.)
Again in his letter to the Romans he stated:
“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” (Romans 1:24-28, emphasis added.)
In essence, once the homosexual comes to know Christ, he is faced with a decision, a choice. Will he serve the Creator–trust and obey Him? Or, will he worship the created, and continue in his life of servitude, in bondage to sin and Satan–Satan being the perverter of all that God created to be holy?
The "Christian homosexual," if truly Christian, will submit himself to the divine reconditioning, therapy, reprogramming, and re-creation process of the Creator who loves him unconditionally.
Remember:
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; 235 but is longsuffering to us–ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Truly, "God is love" (1 John 4:8).
Q&A text taken from:
APPEAL
Please consider making a donation to our ministry to help spread the message of God’s love and redemption! Kindly visit our website www.comingoutministries.org and select the Donate button, or you may send a check or money order directly to
‘Coming Out’ Ministries at PO Box 107, Tilly, AR 72679.
May God bless you for your support!