What would you do if you received a letter from the authorities that said:
“If you continue preaching the gospel and attempting to convert people to Jesus Christ, you will be sentenced to prison for an indeterminate period of time”? I know my response (or what I hope) my response would be. I would continue preaching until they followed through on their promise—and then I’d keep proclaiming Christ in prison.
But what if I received a letter that said this:
“If you continue preaching that homosexuality is a sin and attempting to counsel those with a homosexual orientation to pursue celibacy and/or healing in Jesus Christ, you will be sentenced to prison for an indeterminate period of time”?
Could I never again
preach what God says about homosexuality and still be faithful in
preaching the gospel of Christ? I mean is it really something worth
going to prison for—sacrificing my cherished freedom, life with my
family, further gospel ministry? I see nothing about a stance on
homosexuality in 1 Corinthians 15. I know that I could never say,
“Homosexuality is not a sin” but could I simply say nothing?
Help from John Bunyan and Martin Luther
John
Bunyan had only been married two years when he was carried off to
prison. He left his wife with four children (none of them her own) and
the grief of having just lost a newborn baby. He was in prison for
twelve years. He could have left any moment if he would have promised
not to preach. This was Bunyan’s response: Continue at Mike Leake
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