God & P.R.I.D.E
With the rise in influence of the LGBTQ+ group in modern society, many churches either choose to remain silent on the matter or are canceled for their homophobic views. But what does the Bible say about Christians’ reaction to this controversial topic?
In Larry Tomczak’s article, “5 Biblical Responses to Gay Pride Month,” he promotes these five steps to reaching LGBTQ+ members with patience and love:
P – Pray for participants (Matt 9:37-38)
R – Relate to the rejected (Luke 19:10)
I – Invest for eternity (Dan. 12:3)
D – Demonstrate God’s love (John 4:35b)
E – Evangelize the lost (Mark 2:17b)
In John Ramirez’s latest book, Exposing the Devil’s Playbook, he shares the incredible story of his brother’s transformation from lost to found: “I want to address the LGBTQ+ by telling you the testimony of my brother Jimmy.
I remember as we were growing up, Jimmy played with Barbie dolls. He was not interested in playing with toys that were made for boys. I have news for you: he wasn’t born that way. When you have curses and open demonic doors in your family, the devil will find where you are the weakest, the most vulnerable and defenseless, and create an opportunity to plague and torment you, and even to change your gender. We can fight the good fight of faith only when we’re in Christ. Outside of Christ, we are free lunch for the enemy.
When my brother grew up, he became a transvestite. He sang in transvestite clubs and dressed as a woman. He was bisexual and was married to a woman. My brother was also a witch doctor. He threw parties in his house to which no normal people were invited, only people who lived the life he lived. Some of them were addicted to alcohol and other substances. These parties in his home sometimes lasted for three days.
One day, my brother had a heart attack because of his abuse of alcohol and cocaine. He was rushed to the hospital. I remember the Lord told me that day, ‘Go to the hospital and speak to your brother on My behalf.’
I said, ‘I’m not going, Lord. He’s going to have all those people there, and it’s going to turn into a crazy fight, and I’m not looking forward to getting beat down.’
The Lord said, ‘Obey Me and go.’
I did. I went to the hospital and saw that my brother and his wife were the only ones in his room. When I stepped into the room, Jimmy yelled for me to leave. I told him, ‘Look. Before I leave, look out your window.’
He did.
I said, ‘You could have been on that side of the street [at Calvary Hospital, a hospice facility], and God is giving you one opportunity to come to repentance.’
The Holy Spirit took over that room and changed the atmosphere. His presence was so tangible at that moment. My brother and his wife wept, and they both received Jesus as their Lord and Savior that day.
My brother got baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. He started going to church, and he went to discipleship class for one year. I remember he would tell me, ‘I’ll make you a CD. I love this song,’ and it would be something like ‘How Great Is Our God’ or ‘I Can Only Imagine.’ We would sit in the car and sing it together.
A week before my brother’s birthday, he called my mom to tell her he would be there the next day at such and such a time to help her with the errands.
My brother closed his eyes a week before his birthday. But before he did, he told me, ‘I’m going to throw the most amazing Christian celebration in my home, and I’m going to invite all my friends.’
I said, ‘Man, you better think twice about that because if those people manifest in your house and you’re there by yourself, you better have 911 on standby,’ and we laughed.
That night he closed his eyes and went to meet Jesus. The Bible says tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone. My brother did not have his birthday celebration. It never happened. But God had a greater plan.
At my brother’s funeral, I preached the gospel. Jimmy was behind me in a box, but it was just the shell because he was in glory. I believe he was standing in the balcony of heaven that the Book of Hebrews speaks about, cheering me on: ‘You go, brother. You go, brother. Preach it. Preach it.’
I preached John 3:16 (NKJV), ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,’ because that’s what the world needs to hear—not ‘You’re going to hell” or ‘You’re a sinner.’
I remember that all the people, the misfits of society in the Bronx, came to the funeral that day to pay respects to my brother. Transvestites, homosexuals, bisexuals, drug dealers, and addicts came to the funeral. They all sat in the front. We didn’t know who was who. We didn’t know their stories. But Jesus does know each of their stories—He knows about their pain, their hurt, their letdowns, their betrayals, or who sexually abused them. God knows the whole story.
I preached the love of Jesus, and that evening eighteen of my brother’s friends raised their hands and accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My brother won eighteen souls that day. That was something to be celebrated on the earth and celebrated in heaven. While my brother was alive, he didn’t win one soul to Jesus. But I stepped in his place and through the Holy Spirit won eighteen souls that evening. Heaven rejoiced, my brother rejoiced, and I rejoiced. We made Jesus Christ proud.
I’m going to address those who are LGBTQ+: I don’t know what happened in your life, and I’m not making light of it, but I know the woke church is lying to you. They are liars and deceivers telling you that you can live that way—that you can be a man with a man or a woman with a woman, and that’s love. But that’s not the love that God designed for the human race.
The woke church is lying to the nations and staying in bed with the systems of the world that are run by the devil and his cronies. They say you can marry another man or marry another woman and be homosexual in the house of God. What an abomination. God loves the person but not the act.
I heard a story once about a man who decided to be adventurous and bring his girlfriend into the house of God to perform sexual acts. He died on the spot. It wasn’t because God didn’t love him. It was the act that was sinful—an abomination—and God couldn’t tolerate it.
It’s like the Christian who shacks up with his girlfriend. God loves the Christian people, but He hates the act of shacking up and not being joined in marriage. Sin is sin in the eyes of our Lord. Whether you shack up with your girlfriend or you practice unrighteous things with your body, it is still sin, and it hurts the heart of God because He has a better plan for you. He has a better purpose and destiny for you. If He were to show you, you would drop what you’re doing and run to Him and embrace it. I promise you that. This is John Ramirez, a misfit for Jesus Christ, a nobody, a worthless person—but God knew my address when He found me in 1999.
You can boast about policy, but you can’t change the truth. God is truth, and it cannot be changed, devil. I’m speaking for the kingdom. I’m speaking for our children. I’m speaking for our marriages. I’m speaking for our families. I’m speaking for the sake of the church.
Wake up to the reality of spiritual warfare. I’m not crazy; it’s the truth. I’m not angry or hateful. I have a sense of urgency because the world is running toward the cliff and someone has to say something. The cry is for the nations, for the woke church, and for the LGBTQ+.
I have a question for you: What do you do when God’s Word contradicts your lifestyle?
This is what the Word of the Lord says:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
—1 Corinthians 6:9–11, NKJV
This is for the wonderful people who are running in the wrong direction. Hear the Word of the Lord in Psalm 82 (NKJV):
God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are unstable. I said, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit all nations.
Listen to the powerful words of R. C. Sproul, a precious man of God: ‘When God says something, the argument is over.’ God wants the best for us.
To the woke church, listen to the Word of the Lord: ‘You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live’ (Eph. 2:2, MSG). You deny Jesus by doing so. You deny the Word of the Lord, and you deny the finished work of the cross. People are falling off the cliff because you want to be politically correct. You’re afraid to kick the elephant out of the room and get your head out of the sand. But I will speak the truth. I will be the madman. I will be the crazy one, the one who will speak for the Lord Jesus Christ until the day He calls me home.”
For more information on John Ramirez’s new book, Exposing the Devil’s Playbook, visit MyCharismaShop.com