Alistair Begg Says "Attend a Gay Wedding and Buy a Gift!" Is He Right?
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- Опубликовано: 21 июл 2024
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This hits home because my niece whom I'm more of a dad than an uncle had a same-sex ceremony and asked my wife and me to attend, I told her that I love her but there was no way I could attend because of our biblical convictions
Praying for your niece. 🙏🙏
Praying for your niece.
Thank you for the Romans 14:23 verse. It's very encouraging. I work at a library in Hawaii, and recently got into a disagreement with my boss. She constantly buys books with graphic sexual content labeled as "children's books". (Think Kirk Cameron vs. American Library Association book situation) I told her that as a Christian, I cannot and will not check those books out to minors. She said that if I don't, I will be disciplined. But, I am happy to be persecuted for Jesus's name! Matthew 5:11-12
Time to quit your job and become a whistleblower
Good for you! Standing for Christ is not an option for a true believer.
Good Lord ❤! What a good heart you have!
"Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.". Ephesians 5: 11
Yes, Paul told us to abstain from ALL appearance of evil (1 Th 5:22)
@@molossergirl2 "Abstain from every form of evil." Thessalonians 5: 22
KJV
Rather reprove them.
Grandma is in need of our support and prayers. Amen
She's listening to false teaching.
Many years ago I was in this situation with a supervisor. I explained to her that if I went to her wedding, when they asked if there is anyone present who thinks they should not be married, I would have to stand up and I didn’t want to do that to her. It was a very hard thing and our relationship was changed from that point forward. I praise God for my obedience in that situation.
Yes, praise God.
Know where you stand on the Word of God and what you believe
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks✝️
it (love) does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6, ESV)
I’m not saying it’s easy to do, but it’s not unclear.
Agree
Matt, thanks for a measured and insightful response. Peace be with you brother.
Easily the best take I've seen on this situation. No guessing about Begg's bloodwork or medical status impairing his faithfulness, just a sound rebuttal. Thank you.
You sir are a breath of fresh air in this climate of wokeness we are enveloped in…Well said!😊❤️🙏
Amen! Thank you, Pastor Everhard. It is the grandmother who is forgotten in this controversy. She, as you pointed out, is being instructed by Pastor Begg to violate her conscience. It is so, so sad that trusted men with decades of faithful, Biblical ministry are, now, compromising on such a fundamental issue as marriage. Thank you, again, for posting wise counsel. LORD bless!
So sad I didn't think of that!
This is a secular wedding, a non-Judeo-Christian wedding in which the couple is not proclaiming their love and commitment to one another in faith in the Lord. How would this thinking apply in the case of weddings conducted outside of the Judeo-Christian tradition?
What if the two happened to be male and female adults (language chosen to avoid confusing any linguistic activists who may read this) atheists, asking you to stand with them in a civic wedding? What about in the case of Hindu, Muslim or other weddings? Should a Christian attend and celebrate in all, or any, of those situations?
I like what Matt said about the grandchild showing love and respect to the grandmother. The trans community has been conditioned or even brainwashed to expect everyone to conform to their demands on how to treat them. But it's a one way relationship. They have no compassion or understanding to someone who has traditional values. If the grandmother does not attend and the grandchild becomes angry and cuts off contact, then nothing is lost. It only brings out the truth of the lack of love the grandchild had for his grandmother. Learning this truth may hurt but it's better than living in a lie.
Teachers are fired and disciplined for not using preferred pronouns. Do people realize how often high school students change their preferred pronouns? Frequently. Unfortunately, I don't see the world returning to he-and-she pronouns in public schools.
Thank you, Pastor, for reminding me about loving Jesus Christ above all others and all things. To love Jesus is to follow the path He laid before us even though suffering may follow. Remembering this should help for making all decisions in this constantly changing world.
Thanks for the review of this. I appreciate the video.
I've watched many videos on this matter. Yours has been the most intelligent, calm and well-articulated.
Well said, sir! May the Lord give each of us humble courage when times like these come.
A heartbreaking situation Bro Matthew! Many people have been impacted by this issue, including my family.
“Love does not delight in evil” (I Cor. 13) is sometimes translated as “Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness.” Both mean that we should not celebrate what God says is wrong. Another example we are living in the "last days" and God is NOT mocked. Real love is the love of Christ, not the celebration of sin.
Thank you Mathew. Your video honored God and comforted my heart. You very clearly expressed what is woefully lacking in this sad circumstance Alistair has fallen into-Discernment.
Well done! Excellent response. Thank you.
You nailed it, brother. Excellent commentary.
Great video and response Sir. Spot on indeed!
Aside from the topic, Begg actually did two things that a pastor should never do. The grandmother's conscience was having trouble with his advice. As Martin Luther stated, one should not go against conscience. Instead of pointing the grandmother to thinking and processing through the issue and pondering on what God would want her to do, he instead told her what he thought and assumed what God would want for her to do. She became her conscience, which really pastors should not do. They really need to help anybody they are talking to better know exactly what God wants and back it up by Scriptures. Secondly, Begg projected on the grandmother what her grandson will think of her if she should not attend. That may or may not occur and she could still be supportive of her grandson even if she didn't go. Overall, Begg failed miserable in techniques that pastors should never use aside from the topic.
The pastor was deliberately encouraging the grandma to commit a sin
A very straightforward and clear observation. Thank you for this. Too many "christians" are ready to through Begg and any who says something they disagree with out of the kingdom whither they deserve it or not
An excellent biblical and heartfelt response! Thank you!
Thank you for this very balanced and biblical approach. I heard about this last weekend when my wife's 89 year old aunt e-mailed me confused and needed my opinion on why Alistair would take this approach.
We have been helping her out of a very liberal church ( Methodist) into a solid church teaching reformed doctrines. For the last 6 years she has had her eyes opened to great teaching and one of them is Alistair. Now he says something like this.
Come on Alistair this is shocking to me.
I understand and have listened to alot of Rosaria Butterfields story and she now says that even using someone's preferred pronouns is unhelpful and actually unloving.
Well done, Matthew. Several good points.
Thank you for such a clear, measured and faithful response to this issue Pastor Matt. Very helpful.
At approximately 15:51 you say that the grandmother should first follow her conscience. I would have said that in places where Scripture is clear we need to follow first regardless of what our conscience thinks (feels). When Scripture is not clear then conscience may play a bigger role. My friend's granddaughter is lesbian and invited him to her wedding. He declined and said that he decided based, not on what he thought, but on what God said and he had to obey God.
Amen! I agree. Christians would also agree.
Yes. Matters of conscience are very misunderstood. I saw this throughout COVID and tried to develop a more thorough understanding of Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8. We must, as you said, begin with scripture. Then, where there is no sin, we must confront our conscience. What Alisair Begg did was massage the conscience to give reason to bypass it. Scripture says to do the opposite. Obey conscience, then, where there is no other sin you may partake if you are “fully convinced”. The questioner was clearly not “fully convinced” and should have been told, even where there is no sin, to obey their conscience. In this case, the conscience is irrelevant since scripture is unambiguous.
I said in another comment that I agreed with everything Matthew said, but the truth is, I think you are right on this point. We should follow scripture first when it is clear even if our conscience might say otherwise. Our consciences must be properly formed and informed by Scripture.
Exactly. I totally agree with you on this "conscience" point. And let us not forget that such a wedding (or moral issue) is NOT qualified by the term "minor/doubtful matters" as in Romans 14:1
@rightresponseminstries said the same things.
Great response. Let us pray for his repentance.
Thank you, Pastor Matthew, for explaining so clearly, with such love, the truth found in God's word, the Bible.
I am a Grandma, and it is heartwrenching to have to stand firm in our principles when confronted with the sinful moral issues so prevalent and on the rise in this day and age.
They have demonized and attempted to criminalize a baker who did not wish to contribute to a gay wedding. Yet he suggests to attend a party celebrating a sinful union and even bring gifts. Just no. No. If we say one thing then do another that is hypocrisy. It will not improve our image acting against our own (scriptural) teachings.
Amen, in these dark times, we need to shine as the Lord told us to, not hide our light under a bushel!! Jesus would, as He told the adulterous woman, 'Go, sin no more.' We cannot endorse anything the alphabet community does. The Truth of the Gospel is often painful it requires dedication on the part of the believer to stand fast and firm in what Christ taught and the apostles wrote down. The narrow way is hard and not many will find it!
Great counsel from a truly pastoral heart. Our culture is often unable to properly distinguish between perpetrator and victim identity. Sadly this appears to be happening among many church leaders today also. When a law is broken , whether civil or divine, it is vital that we not confuse who the real victim is in the situation. Allister Baig has failed to do this in my opinion. We all stumble in many ways (James 3: 2) but woe to him who causes others to sin ( Matt 18: 5 ).
@ Matthew Everhard thank you for a great response to this issue. I think the way in which you have presented this is excellent. Love that you want Iron to sharpen Iron.
Excellent video. And very helpful.
Wow! Great information thanks so very much for sharing
First of all, thank you for addressing this. There have been several RUclipsrs that are either lay persons in ministry or are pastors themselves who came out with guns a-blazing about this. I have been pondering this and waiting for someone who I trust and is a sound teacher/ preacher to address this issue from a biblical perspective and not an emotional one. I really hate the firing squad mentality of the people that seem to sit around waiting to fire the first shot at the newest offender. I mean seriously, did they look at scripture, ponder what He said vs what scripture says, pause and pray about their response? Maybe they did, but it doesn’t seem like it.
I for one have benefited greatly from Alistair Begg, so when I heard this I was concerned to say the least. I too believe he got the answer wrong. I have been hoping that he would come out and address this and recant his statement. I was hoping he was answering the question from a fathers’s heart, putting himself in the shoes of someone who had to make a heart wrenching choice of rejecting a child or grandchild, instead of answering from the perspective of teacher of God’s word. I still am holding out hope that he will do this at some point and admit he got it wrong. I do not believe this is a reason to cancel him, but it will make me hesitant to recommend his teaching to anyone else. I sincerely hope and pray that this was a careless statement on his part and not a sign he is falling prey to the world’s demands for acceptance.
Exactly Patricia
This is where our own discernment should come in. No pastor is correct 100% of the time. One can agree to disagree with Begg. For me personally, this one issue shouldn't cancel all of the teachings Begg has gotten right. I appreciate you, Pastor Everhard, for your graciousness when you disagree.
Patricia, Alistair has addressed in detail his reasons in Sunday evening sermon (28th Jan.) called Compassion vs Condemnation. Unfortunately the unfair backlash he has received seems to have made him and most of his congregation more entrenched in this position. 🙏
@@PennySmart I posted yesterday on this same thread an “update” regarding his unfortunate response.
Pastor Everhard, Thank you so very much for your response to a very difficult situation. I've been struggling with this as I have and still listen to Alistair Begg, and am consistently being fed spiritually by his teaching. I am dedicated to living my life through a biblical worldview and it is difficult at times when you know the biblical response will bring division and resentment. Perhaps Pastor Begg is looking at that situation through the eyes of being a grandfather himself. I am comforted by your thoughtful and loving response.
Jesus says love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and then love your neighbor as yourself. Loving God is the lens through which we love others, not the other way around. To love is not always to affirm, anyone with a child knows that.
Thank you for a very clear explanation and advice for us followers of Christ. You have again let your reasonableness be known to all with the understanding that the LORD is at hand.
Yes! Amen, amen, amen!! Well said!
I am a little sad. I've consumed and still listen to Alistair Begg every day. This just shows that all sons and daughters of Adam are imperfect fallible
Follow the Lord, not any man.
They will let you down every time, as you also will let others down.
Apparently the radio program had a discussion with him concerning his comment and disagreed with Begg. Alistair Begg doubled down, so the program pulled his segment. Thus, I have also stopped following him. It’s one thing to realize when you have given bad counsel and recant; it’s entirely different when you double down. It saddens me because I have learned a lot from his teachings.
Matthew 10:34-38 NASB1995
”Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.“
Thank you, Pastor Everhard, this Christ like response is filled with grace and truth. Thank you for your biblical insight. I listen and follow Allistair Begg’s teachings for years ( Truth for Life) , and even heard him in person at the Moody Church Founder’s conference, his message was from Luke 12:51-53 “ I have come to divide people”. He taught that our loyalty to Jesus will cause division between us and the world. He is a sound Bible teacher, I am concerned when he answered the question that way . I’m praying for Pastor Begg that he will speak and re- state his response based on biblical convictions.
Excellent Matt❤❤❤
Very nice response. It was gracious, considerate, presented well, scripturally defended, Christ honoring. You gave sound advice for both Pastor Begg and the grand mother.
I really think that John the Baptist is our example. John the Baptist was beheaded because he was "judgemental". For Alistair Begg to characterize Christians who choose to honor God by not attending a sacred event such as a wedding is wrong. Christians are choosing to honor God first and that's what the bible calls us to do. What I see in Alistair Begg's attitude is PRIDE. And God hates pride. Mr. Begg's stance is very very concerning and could lead others to stumble.
John for Baptist was killed because Herod offered to give his step-daughter/niece whatever she wanted if she danced for him. She consulted her mother and requested John the Baptist head on a platter. But, he was in prison for telling Herod that he was wrong to steal his brother’s wife.
Alistair did emphasize that the young man understood that she could not affirm his "marriage" before giving that council.
First, thank you for your presentation. I am a great admirer of Alistair Begg. But even he can err. I totally agree with your view on this issue. Thank you for standing on the written word of God for your view on the subject. It is very refreshing.
Outstanding presentation...best I've heard on this subject.Thank you brother....one thought about grandma....If she was a mature spirit filled believer...she should be at a place in her maturity as a believer where she did not need to ask a pastor....I had an old theology teacher that used to advise all the preacher boys in
his classes...."it is always right to do right...and wrong to do wrong"....…,easy stuff
Thank you, Matthew, I am incredibly sad and a little bit astounded that Alistair Begg would so completely go off the rails in his teaching and advice to this woman. Scripture is so clear about how we as Christians are to walk and live in this wicked and perverse world, we should be shining as lights, looking to Christ and following Him in obedience. We are to deny ourselves, (our thoughts, our opinions, our bright ideas and worldly wisdom) take up our cross and die daily. Doesn’t Paul teach to “have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”? Doesn’t he tell us to take unto ourselves the whole armor of God and stand against the wiles of the devil? True love/agape is walking after and obeying God’s commandments (2 John v6)… we can’t claim to love God and then go against what His word says to do to do what we “think and feel” is a better idea. I’ve listened to Truth for Life for so long, and now I just can’t… 😔 Thank you for addressing this situation, I believe your response was appropriate and wise!
To say Pastor Begg "went off the rails" with this opinion is ridicules and idiotic. Tell me one Pastor /Teacher that gets scripture 100% correct 100% of the time? His name is Jesus Christ and we crucified him for doing that.
Very good post kudos
@@jamesmiller210No, OP is correct. This is an “off the rails” opinion from Begg. You’ve been conditioned by the world rather than scripture if you view this as a tarradiddle.
He was not commenting on every gay wedding!
Jesus would attend a gay wedding. And bring a gift.
Spot on answer!
Your point 2 at 12:15 to the end of your point and question is absolutely brilliant! Did her grandson think about grandmas feelings in putting her on the spot about her thoughts on grandsons living arrangements?. My guess is PROBABLY NOT or she would not have reacted and reached out for help on that question and subject. BRAVO and brilliant observation from you on that thought.
Beautiful and loving response. Unfortunatel AFR has reported they contacted Allister and his team. They are doubling down on their position. So Truth for Life is being removed from AFR
What is AFR?
America Family Radio network.
This turned into an Begg smash fest, and that's not fair to a man we will all spend eternity in glory with. Yes I think he is wrong but we have all got it wrong as Christians. I was ready for yoyr opinion which changed my mind, but then comparing him to Andy Stanley. Was not fair and he wasn't using a poor grandma's situation to promote himself, he was doing his best as pastor. Pray for your pastors they have a difficult task by which they will stand before God. But don't add to the name smashing of a faithful man.
Great point about the objection opportunity during the service. I don't think it would be best to go make that scene (probably), but it also seems like it would be sin to keep silent if you were there. I appreciated Alister's caveats about the necessity for understanding (that the grandson understands her opposition to the "marriage"), but even given that, it would be sin go and stay silent if the administrator literally asks for objections, as silence witnesses that you have no objection.
Thanks for this.
It’s a sin to attend the wedding and a sin to encourage anyone else to commit that sin
Beautifully stated, brother.
I cannot believe that even came out of Begg’s mouth. And this wasn’t a spur of the moment mistake, this was instruction he already gave to an elderly woman and was then giving again on the podcast.
The fact that he now has doubled down on this heresy is simply terrifying. What in the world.
😢
Will a gay couple contact Alistair Begg to ask him to officiate their "wedding" ? What would he say now that he's advised this grandmother in this specific way? Maybe he would exempt himself from his own advice. I love hearing him preach and have books of his. But now, this is going to be in the back of my mind each time i hear or read what he says. God's word is true.
Hello Pastor Matthew. I started listening to your content about 6 months ago and I have found it to be really helpful. I am a minister from Ethiopia and I wanted to ask you (hoping you'd answer me), what do you advice a minister or a pastor to do when handling his people or congregation to come to church to attend the services or programs specially to those who do not attend, should the pastor or minister always urge and nag his people to come or should he just leave it...? I would love to hear your thoughts regarding this issue, you can frame my question in a better way if you want. Thank you Blessings.
Thank you! 🌞
Genuine question… what if one’s own son/daughter decides to marry someone of the same gender? Presume they just abandon the wedding, but continue to love and rebuke sin as needed?
Such a difficult position to be in as a parent..
Jesus did warn us that even our own loved ones could turn against us in the end when we stand by the truth of Christ. Don't be surprised by what is ahead.
'And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.' (Luke 21:17)
'For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.' (Matt 10:35-36
@@molossergirl2 Agree! Thanks for your reply and reminder!
Thank you for standing firm on God's word Pastor Matt!
Too many great pastors in the past years have been compromising recently.
This isn't even a Homosexual "wedding" it's a Transgender wedding!
These two guys are going to be doing activities on the marital bed which
God only created for a true Man and a Woman!
This is an Abominable Sin
"And thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman, for it is an abomination."
(Leviticus 18:22)
Such persons won't enter the Kingdom of God.
(1 Corinthians 6:9)
This is by far the best approach to Allister's "contraversy" that I've viewed!!
Graceful approach, and gentle correction!
I've been pretty bothered by the way so many people have been attacking Begg brutally over this.
I heard the audio months ago and I felt it was a miss, but considering what he was trying to say overall, and, how this would have to be his biggest ever "scandal" I really don't see how this should destroy a long standing faithful ministry, or even really discredit Allister.
Peter made poor statements at times....
We don't attack him for it..
David screwed up...
Solomon...
Ect, ect ect........
I'm not justifying either, because I myself don't agree that going would be fruitful, and I must say, really appreciate how you mentioned about the only way we could go and not compromise.
God bless
Unfortunately Begg had doubled down on his comments and lost one of his radio syndicators.
Where did he double down on that comment? I'm not aware of any response that he has given on this. Is there one?
@@chrisjohnson9542 American Family Radio dropped him and stated that after conversing with Begg's people he was not going to recant his words.
@@chrisjohnson9542 Alistair has addressed the issue in detail in his Sunday evening sermon (28th of Jan) called Compassion vs Condemnation. No, he's not recanting, he's defiant instead. He says he belongs to British evangelicalism which knows nuances and not to American evangelicalism who has no nuances. He must have overlooked that B.E. has all but disappeared after compromising on one issue after another. American evangelicalism for all its flaws is still alive, as is South Korean Christianity which I often hear denounced for its uncompromising stands. It's complicated to be a Christian in today's world but I don't see many nuances in the Bible, including in Christ's teachings.🙏
@@PennySmart also, adding to Begg's trouble is 1) Begg telling the grandma to buy the couple a gift, 2) Begg not to go to God's word & encouraging the grandma to do the same, 3) not encouraging the grandma to talk to God about it & wait on God's answer, 4) using standing on "compassion" rather than standing on Christ, what God says, & 5) not considering the sheep's, who were listening to him, in their growth to trust & obey The Lord in His truth, righteousness, & holiness. It's as though Begg stepped into the ranks of Romans 1. Very sad that he refuses to recant, & that he strongly continues to stand on "compassion", rather than obey & strongly stand on God's Word in this issue. Lord help her, that she did not attend that wedding. End Times ramping up for sure!
Pastor Matthew, thank you for your very reasoned, Scriptural, principled response to this matter. I continue to support Pastor Alistair Begg who, even quite recently preached with caution urging believers to stand agains the false teachers in the church who worm their way in and follow immoral paths. However, ever since I learned about his incident I have been wrestling with whatever Alistair's motivation might have been for giving the answer that he gave. I see that his church is having a private, non-public meeting tonight to talk about this thing. Maybe more will come out from him later. I would say that the option you offered as possible for Christians is to go to the wedding and object at the appropriate time of the ceremony. If you. do then I suggest you get ready to exit quickly or be prepared to verbally defend yourself!
Helpful pastoral response. I particularly appreciated towards the end with the urge to follow Christ. Also appreciated the comment on not cancelling Alister Begg. One question though, what about the secular celebant, where they do not perform these vows before "God", and in the law of the land it is a marriage? Also, are the people 'Christian'...can we as Christians expect non Christians to live according to our Ethic? Don't they need Jesus first?
Thanks!
Thank you for your post. Praising God for the counsel that you have given the grandmother and the sensitivity that you have displayed. At the end of the day our opinions count for nothing if they aren’t in line with God’s Word. No matter how we may manipulate a Scripture to back up our opinion, nothing can change what God says about homosexuality and we cannot use our nationality to condone it. Truth by definition is exclusive.
Great Assessment.
Amen! My thoughts as well. Thank You Mr. Everhand! I can't help but think Romans 1 though. Lord....Help!?!
I think a lot of padtors are being put to the test.. whether WOKE, these things, or a number of things. It's a little tiring constantly hearing one excuse or another when instead if strong padtors and leaders, we get a lot of compromisers.
Thank you, thank you..."There is no ambiguity!"
Very good response. I’m in a similar situation with an immediate family member who came out trans a few years ago. I won’t post details publicly but I will ask for your prayers. I take the position of Pastor Everhard, but it’s a difficult situation here at home.
Do we know if it was a Christian wedding ceremony? I attended a wedding in which the bride and groom were unbelievers. made up their own vows, and the person that married them was a friend who was not a Christian or pastor and got his license to marry through the internet shortly before the wedding. Was I wrong in attending that wedding?
Alistair is a stud? Please explain what you mean.
His body of work over the years has been solid. This appears to be an aberration of what he has believed and taught over the years.
Well said.
Update: Alistair spoke to his church and he is standing by what he said, and in the process used the parable of the prodigal son completely out of context and took some swipes at the American evangelical conservative Christians in the process by calling us “fundamentalists” and comparing us to Pharisees. He said he will not repent because he doesn’t need to and he feels that this is a tempest in a teapot which will blow over soon. In other words he has just doubled down and his reasoning is based on the false premise of compassion. I’ll stop there but his response can be found under the title of Compassion vs Condemnation on RUclips. This has gone from concerning to really scary in just a few days.
Thank you for your considered reflections on this difficult topic, Matthew. Something I have been pondering about: many Christians who would not attend a gay or trans wedding would not have a problem attending a heterosexual wedding of a couple who do not acknowledge God or who live in direct defiance of God and his laws. This could include very non-Christian wording of the vows or the bride and/or groom concerned living in ways that are abhorrent to God. There is a real sense in which this wedding cannot be affirmed by Christians and yet most would attend it. A marriage is not just a heterosexual union (vs gay, trans etc.). It is also a specific uniting in submission before God. Interested to hear your thoughts on this.
Then should we not go to weddings that our lost family members and friends have invited us to where there is clear fornication?like friends who have no relationship with Christ, who are living with each other, openly talk about their sex like and know our thoughts and stance on it?
Good counterpoints. I just reading a new book entitled Beautiful Resistance by Jon Tyson - the joy of conviction in a culture of compromise
Well said Pastor Matt, as usual. I would have added, skip the wedding ceremony and attend the reception afterward - show your love to the family member that can be a conscience decision based on biblical truth.
So should the grandma be in the family photos and video too?
Looking forward to hear Alistair's public explanation. And his church's reaction/position. Not to mention Shepherd's Conference "buzz".
A serious question. If getting remarried after divorce is adultery, should we go to a wedding with one or both people divorced?
Great question, probably not unless they had Biblical grounds
My grandfather as a pastor never pastored those weddings and never went to them.
Only if you are ready to lose your head like John the Baptist.. Or your pure conscience & integrity like Alistair proposed.
What if your/our conscience is wrong? Why not go with what the Scriptures say?
It was not a "gay wedding." It was a "trans" "wedding", which is even more horrifying.
And they are people Jesus loves, do u find that horrifying as well?
Where did I say that? Understand that I do no play games with people like you. Address the SIN. Not accuse me of things I never said. Is that clear? Address it! You know you cannot and will not. Go play that game elsewhere. I do not tolerate it.@@alstewart6870
Any chance you will respond to his sermon addressing the backlash?
I've never heard of an abortion celebration with gifts.
If any objects to these two being joined in .... speak now or forever hold your peace. If the gift helps show a desire be lovingly present because no one can hear without a preaching of truth in love.
He got it extremely wrong, sinful. He needs to repent or disappear. This must of been compromising brewing in him for a while. He has betrayed Jesus. Wake up, Christians. God bless you
This is a watershed moment and it is not going well.
Proverbs 25:26 - A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring
Totally spot on. The book he was promoting is "The Christian Manifesto" It is $4.00 PDF download from Truth for Life. I'm only 1/4 of the way through and it is apparent that he contradicted his own written word with what he said. I would encourage you to read it. :-)
Big life changing mistake from Alastair. Hard to recover from this one Mr Begg
Thanks
The Apostle Peter needed to be rebuked by Paul for compromising the Gospel once. Once! This says a couple things. One, we are not perfect and are susceptible to the culture around us. Two, we need to be rebuked AND be given the opportunity to repent. I don't agree with what Begg said. But this is quite different than calling out, say, a Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, or others that are consistent with teaching heretical doctrine. Begg has had a consistent track record of preaching and teaching sound doctrine. We need to have a readiness of forgiveness and a moment to try and understand why. But from what I've been reading and listening to, wow; people are ready to burn him at the stake let alone destroy his ministry. I think its disgusting! I know I have my flaws and shortcomings. When I place myself along side the standard of Christ I fall grossly short. We all need to see ourselves on the same level at the foot of the crucified One's cross. On our knees like the tax collector in Luke 18:13. We all have our blind spots and we all need grace in times of our failings. The LORD is long suffering in bringing many to Himself. Let's pray, and give it time.
Good job,
Here is a better question, would you go to any wedding in which the bride and groom were unsaved sinners? Another good question would be, would you go to any worldly event of a relative where Christianity wasn't the main focus and the event was a form of idol worship in nature such as sports event? How about this, would Jesus ever go to a place unsaved sinners were and those sinners were living a life of obvious sin? Are we to love our enemies? Would you go to a church filled with sinners and participate in it?
One of the key things mentioned by Begg was that they knew the grandmother didn't agree with or condone their marriage and lifestyle and that going was more an indication of the love for that family member a unsaved sinner.
Excellent response Matthew. I started this video immediately angry with you that you disagreed with Pastor Begg. He is absolutely one of my favorite teacher / pastor on the internets. I loved your answer and after listening to the truth, I happily agree with you, Pastor Begg got this one wrong. I will put this one in the category of AB having an off day, after all nobody bats 1000. Well done brother.
Thanks for sharing!
The price of globalism is compromising values. I wonder if someone gave him a good deal. Who knows.
It is so comforting and a blessing my soul to see how you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to convey the mind of the God of the Universe and his overwhelming concern about a wedding ceremony. There are thousands of innocent humans being slaughters daily by war and dying from famine or bacteria-ridden water. Alas, you are conveying how our loving is God is much more worried about attending a wicked wedding ceremony. God clearly needs us to spend time correcting Alistair Begg and just completely ignore how humans are dying of preventable things. It is so much more important to talk about weddings...
While I believe your first response, following one's own conscience, would have been better than Alistair Begg's, I wonder how many Christians have attended, or been a party to, second and even third weddings. I'm referring to the marriage of those who are divorced. Except for reasons of sexual immorality, Scripture is clear that remarriage is not accepted by God, Matthew 5 v 32 and 19 v.9; Mark 10 v 11,12; Luke 16 v 18.
If your principles have exceptions, they're not principles, they're preferences.