COM Newsletter - November 2019
Greetings from Pastor Ron Woolsey, co-founder and past chairman of the board of ‘Coming Out’ Ministries. I am excited about the rollout of our new monthly newsletter. Through this medium we hope to keep you, all of our interests and supporters, informed and inspired by the mighty workings of the Lord through this ministry.
Our team is presently conducting a week of prayer on the beautiful campus of Blue Mountain Academy with a wonderful group of students, faculty and staff. As I view the picturesque surroundings of this place my attention is drawn to the nearby hills arrayed in their brilliant autumn colors. And then my thoughts are directed to that passage in Scripture that says, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” (Psalm 121:1)
The Christian world today is constantly being bombarded by every possible distraction to keep us in a reactive rather than a proactive mode. How do we keep ahead of the constant onslaught of the devices of the enemy? We must look up and beyond ourselves—our weak, fallible, inadequate selves. “From whence cometh my help?” The answer begins in verse 2, “My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
May we never forget, the battle is the Lord’s. We are but instruments in His hands. Let us be tireless, trusting and faithful.
Thank you for all your prayers and support for this ministry. And be sure to check in next month for more inspiration and enlightenment from ‘Coming Out’ Ministries.
Q&A
Question: Some Christian homosexuals use Bible texts to support their homosexuality. One passage describes the wonderful friendship between David and Jonathan, which they say were gay. I find the idea repulsive. How do you show them that David and Jonathan were sharing a deep friendship?
Reply: David and Jonathan were not gay, contrary to popular gay opinion. They both were married and fathered children. Jonathan loved David as his own soul according to 1 Samuel 18:1-3 and 20:17, which simply means they were the very best of friends, like brothers, so much so that Jonathan was willing to die for David. Their love for each other transcended that of the love of a man for a woman (2 Samuel 1:26), but that does not equate to sexual or erotic love. To believe so is to believe in pure speculation, based upon one's own perverse fantasies and desires.
In 2 Samuel 1:26, David laments the loss of his friend, his "brother," not his lover: "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women."
Note: This love was like to that of a brother, not a lover. It surpassed the love of women; it was not the same as love toward a woman. This word "love" in Hebrew was used toward friends as well as in other relationships and contexts, just as our word in English. David was so heterosexual that he married not once, but several times. He was so heterosexual that he totally lost control when he saw Bathsheba, another man's wife. He stooped to premeditated murder to get her for himself. There is no indication in the Bible that David loved Jonathan in such any way.
A basic principle used for coming to a clear understanding of any subject in the Bible is to take everything found on that subject and study it all out to get the full picture, "precept upon precept... ; line upon line...; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10). One cannot study the entire life of David in sincerity and truth and possibly come to a logical conclusion that he or Jonathan was gay.
Thanks, for your great question. I hope this explanation is of some help to you.
Q&A text taken from:
TESTIMONY
In October, Kezia Chisholm joined me (Ron Woolsey) for a week of prayer at Miami Union Academy for middle school and high school students. A number of the students responded to the call for baptism, Bible studies, and preparation for baptism. We were invited back to be presenters at the Conference Teachers’ In-service program two weeks later. It was our privilege to inspire these educators, (over 100), with our testimonies, to enlighten them with our educational presentations, and then to equip them with the resources the Lord is using us to create for reaching those struggling with sexual impurity through messages of love, compassion, and transforming power. Now we pray that the Holy Spirit will empower them to go forward boldly with a loving and redemptive approach to the issue of sexual purity within their spheres of influence.
Check in next month for another glimpse of how the Lord is working through ‘Coming Out’ Ministries.
Please remember checking out our resources at ComingOutMinistries.org and use our prayer request button to leave us your prayer request.
And please join us on our Prayer Line every Monday, Thursday and Friday for help and encouragement. (Details on the website).
GREAT NEWS!
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 227, Mount Vernon, OH 43050.
May God bless you for your support!