So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
Romans 1:24-32 NLT
Is that how the church is becoming? Are we encouraging others to sin? If you are in a church which doesn’t preach the truth, then I suggest that you leave it. We are to love the sinner but hate the sin. Pray for them and have mercy and forgiveness towards sinners, but condone, encourage and promote sinful behavior? Heaven forbid (1 Timothy 5:20 & 1 Corinthians 5-13). We are the church. We have to be clean. Jesus is coming back for a church without spot, wrinkles or blemishes (Ephesians 5:27). We are told to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). We are not perfect but we are to strive to be.
Father God,
We ask that the eyes of our heart would be opened. We pray for understanding of Your will for our lives. Help Your church to remain pure and spotless by the blood of Christ. We are no longer under the law, but under grace, we know that. We also know that freedom should never give anyone a license to sin (Romans 6:1-2). Help us to live out the truth according to Your word. We ask that blinders would come off of Your churches. Oh, how it must break Your heart to see them flaunt unrighteousness in the building that is supposed to honor You. Help us to be brave and stand up for that which we know to be the truth. If it means walking away from somewhere, something, some place or someone then I pray You give us the desire, peace and strength to do so. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you do not know Jesus but would like to know more about Him, including how you can be saved, please read the following blog titled, You Never Let Us Go. God bless. https://thefathersfeet.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/you-never-let-us-go/
The Fathers Feet 
Good morning, {{{Donna}}} – you wrote, “We are not perfect but we are to strive to be.” I agree with the first part, of course … but the second part of that is a recipe for depression. I don’t think we should strive for perfection. I think we should strive to be more like Christ, but if we strive to “be” Christ … to 🐝 perfect, we always will fall short. We can’t be! Don’t you agree?
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Christ is perfect so when we strive to be Christ-like we are indeed striving to be perfect. I just go by what the Bible says. Let us look at 1 Peter 1:15-17: As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear
Also look at what Jesus said in Matthew 5:48 – Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
In 1 John 2 verse 1 we are told to sin not, but if any man does we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
I believe that by the power of Christ living in us we can strive (try really hard) to be perfect, holy and Christ-like. Will we ever be perfect, no I do not believe we will be. That is why John said we have an advocate, Jesus. He took all of our sin on the cross. Out of love for Him and what He has done for us, we should try really hard to be perfect, holy and Christlike.
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You make your point with God’s word really well, {{{Donna}}}. Who can argue scripture? Not me! I can see that striving to be Christ-like IS striving for perfection. Thanks for taking time to help me clarify!
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You are so welcome (((Jan))). That is what we are here to do; help one another. God bless you dear.
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Amen! God bless you, too!
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I have a couple of friends who need to leave the church they attend. The biggest rut is in a church that does not teach truth.
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Father please open her friends eyes so that they would see the truth. In Jesus’ name.
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