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The Christian Response to the Gay Today Forum
Posted November 26, 2009
Bro. Albit Rodriguez
There is great deception that causes the widespread acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle in almost all sectors of our society.
This is the reason why the CCF Living Free Ministry held a forum last Saturday, November 21, 2009 at Christ Commission Fellowship in St. Francis Square, Ortigas Center entitled: “THE CHRISTIAN’S RESPONSE TO THE GAY TODAY”, which was aimed to increase awareness of this problem and how we as Christians ought to respond. Bro. Albit Rodriguez, head of the ministry, was the main speaker.
In his speech, Bro. Albit cited various research perspectives coming from medical, social and theological concepts and beliefs which were and still are being used to promote the acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle which run contrary to the Word of God. He said studies like the alleged evidence proving homosexuality’s constitutionality – existence of Xq28 x-chromosome and size difference in the hypothalamus brain region (INAH3) were never proven. He further explained how the men behind these findings later on even recanted their earlier declarations and attempted to correct the widespread deception that their work had caused. He also noted a number of determining factors as to how a person develops homosexual tendencies and desires and later on progress to embrace the so called “alternative lifestyle”. Dysfunctional family environments (such as, having an absentee, abusive or indifferent father or mother, etc.), traumatic and sexual influences, deception and lies of the enemy instigates the unmet need for love and affirmation of a child at a young age thus resulting to a misguided quest for love and affirmation which take parts in the formation of “hole in a child’s heart”. The so-called “hole in the heart syndrome” experienced by individuals due to improper child-development may lead to a reckless quest for love and understanding, which to some individuals result in a perverse and gay orientation and lifestyle.
Bro. Albit referred to Genesis 1:26 which clearly states “God created man and woman” period! He did not create a third sex or gender. “God clearly said that homosexuality is an abomination (Leviticus 18:22). It is a sin, having the same ultimate consequence as other sins (1 Cor. 6:9-12), which is eternal death,” he continued. “For whatever type of sin it may be, it is only through Jesus Christ that we can find a solution and a way out. We should not be disheartened. The Lord has plenty of promises to those who are near to Him and faithful to His word. It is only through Christ that we can overcome sin and temptation. First John 1:9 says ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’.” He further said that with man, changing a homosexual is impossible but “with God all things are possible.”
As the speaker closed the message, he concluded with an encouragement to follow the example that Jesus has set before us. The greatest gift we can give to people in need including those in the bondage to the homosexual, effeminate and lesbian lifestyle is our love. We also need to spend time with the Lord in prayer and fasting for the Spirit to change their hearts. And most importantly, we need to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to them in love.
The Audience
An audience of 134 men and women from different churches and groups came to hear God’s message because of their burden to learn and know how to respond to a family member, a relative, a co-worker or a friend who are into the gay lifestyle. A series of questions came from the audience as the event closed with an open forum and were answered by the selected guest panels consisting of Bro. Albit Rodriguez, Paul Aquino, Marlyn Estrera, and Cel Dizon, headed by Pastor Bert Villa.
Windsong, together with an LFM member, Bro. Yette Valenzuela opened the event with a heartwarming and intimate praise and worship. Sister Marlyn Estrera and Brother Paul Aquino, both a part of the ministry’s core team shared their own testimonies of being delivered from the bondage to homosexuality through the working of Jesus Christ in their individual lives.
Shella: No More Games of Chance
Posted July 23, 2009
I am Shella, 39, married, and a mother to three wonderful children.
I first came to know the Lord in 1999, when my husband and I were having problems with our relationship. Having been married for just three years already seemed a lifetime. I was not enjoying being a wife to him. I was not happy.
My family background was not happy, either. My father was irresponsible; he spent his money and energy on women and also much of his time with his peers. My mother, who’s supposed to take care of us in my father’s absence, used most of her time playing a detective, finding his whereabouts and going after his conquests. My siblings and I watched and waited for their attention and never got it. They were too busy with their own lives, and for them we were just spectators, not a part of a so-called family.
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Alan and Milette: Healing and Forgiveness
Posted July 7, 2009
A dual testimony by husband and wife Alan and Milette.
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Alan and Milette at a CCF couples' retreat
ALAN: As a teenager during the chaotic era of the hippies and Woodstock, I was part of a rock band. We experimented with drugs and alcohol, and it was common for us to binge on weekends.
After graduation I was hired by a company in shipping, airlines and manpower recruitment. My job called for a lot of entertaining, so I started drinking every night.
After several years in the corporate world, my father suggested that I take over the family business. But I soon sensed that my parents had no plans at all of relinquishing the control of the company to me. So began my feelings of betrayal, anger, bitterness, and frustration. I no longer cared about going to the office.
MILETTE: I was 22 when I met Alan. I noticed that he drank quite a lot but, I wasn’t worried because I considered his drinking a part of his job. Three years later, we got married. Two years after, I gave birth to our first child, Patrick.
Our first major trial came when we tried to have another child but failed. It did not help that my job required me to stay late in the office and sacrifice my weekends. Our marriage started to suffer.
On weekends I was pained by loneliness. Alan would be out playing golf and drinking with his buddies the whole day. I had no peace in my marriage, and our family life was in shambles. Realizing the delicate situation of our marriage, I decided to resign from my job to focus on my family.
In 1998 we adopted a beautiful baby girl.. Thea’s presence in our life helped to heal our indifference toward each other.
ALAN: But by 2005, my drinking was totally out of control. I was hospitalized several times for drinking-related problems. To make matters worse, Milette discovered that I had been carrying on an affair with a much younger woman for sometime. She was ready to give up on me. Instead of asking for her forgiveness, I abandoned my family and lived with the other woman for several months.
MILETTE: In 2005, my husband’s family business which thrived heavily on foreign exchange was adversely affected by the 9/11 tragedy in the US. It was during this difficult time, right before his father died in 2007, that Alan would often have misunderstandings with his parents.
It was also then that I learned about his affair. My heart was torn to pieces, but I had to be strong for the sake of our children. I praise God for the gift of family and friends in my darkest hour. My children gave me comfort, my sister fortified my faith with words from Scripture, friends in Penuel prayed over me, and colleagues at work helped me focus when I would just break down in self-pity.
Then, it got even scarier, when Alan’s liver became cirrhotic.
ALAN: My doctors advised my wife that if I didn’t seek help very soon, I wouldn’t be around by 2009. But, God had other plans for me. A close friend convinced my wife to bring me to Penuel House (now Penuel U), a truly one-of-a-kind spiritual recovery sanctuary.
My first month in Penuel was a difficult time of adjustment, but I was introduced to the Bible. I learned that all my sins had been paid for by the death of Jesus on the cross. All I needed to do was to repent and receive the free gift of eternal life. I felt an extreme sense of joy; all along I thought that I had been condemned to hell because of all my sins.
MILETTE: Amazed at my husband’s transformation while in Penuel, I readily agreed when he invited me to the worship service here in CCF. That first service was unforgettable. I always thought that I was an A-one Christian, but I realized I was a “lukewarm” Christian, and I was humbled.
During Alan’s stay in Penuel, we got to attend a couples’ retreat. Then, we started attending midweek Bible Studies. An irresistible thirst to know God more came over me.
I used to be so proud, unforgiving, and uncaring. All that mattered was the big “I.” I was so judgmental; when people didn’t measure up to my standards, I would be upset and berate them. I had a bad temper, and I was materialistic.
After I accepted Jesus Christ, I felt the Lord gradually healing me. I began to bear the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control.
ALAN: When I surrendered myself completely to the Lord, miracles began happening in my life. I thought my family’s healing would take a long time, so I was shocked when God started healing them almost immediately. It began with my ten-year-old daughter who only months ago said, “I don’t have a daddy anymore; he’s dead.” During her visits to Penuel, she became Daddy’s little girl again. Now she’s part of NxtGen.
My son, on the other hand, gave me the best Christmas gift when he came to the Penuel Christmas Party after I wrote him a letter asking for forgiveness. We started bonding again, and it felt good to have him back.
Though I lost my mother while I was in Penuel, before she died, I was able to ask for her forgiveness and tell her how grateful I was to her for not giving up on me. Her passing away at dawn on New Year’s Day of this year was like God telling me, “For you, a new dawn, a new year, and a new life”.
In order to know God more, my wife and I now regularly attend Sunday worship, Bible Studies and D-group meetings. And in thanksgiving for all His blessings, we intend to join NxtGen as volunteers.
MILETTE: My marriage and family life has become a blessing. After learning about how God had forgiven me for all my sins, it became easier for me to forgive Alan and build again from the brokenness and bitterness that consumed me.
I cannot picture myself surviving this world without my newfound relationship with God. Ironically, it took my erstwhile alcoholic husband to bring me to the CCF family, where the seed of faith and love for Jesus was planted in my heart. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
ALAN: I close this testimony with a verse from Philippians 3:13-14 — “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
TO GOD BE THE GLORY.
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