Thursday, May 3rd, in the year of our Lord 2018
By Jonathan Clark
Myanmar Bombing Christian Citizens
The Myanmar military bombed the traditionally Christian northern Kachin state last month, sending thousands of villagers from their homes, reports Morning Star News.
Pastor Mark Robinette, founder of Mission to Myanmar, told The World View that the Myanmar government has historically cracked down on independent groups in the country.
“The Kachin people are nominally, they are name only Christian people as a whole. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a ton of Christians in that, but they are an ethnic group. That ethnic group, Christian or not, has had great conflicts with other groups within the country… They have been historically known to be people who are fighting for their own area… And this government is hard on anyone that does that.”
Christians in the region have been offering aid to the displaced, but the government has restricted humanitarian access. Pastor Robinette said it is one of the hardest places to be a Christian.
You can support Christians in Myanmar through the link provided in our transcript today at TheWorldView.com.
23,000 Stand with Irish Christian Baking Company
The UK Supreme Court received an appeal this week by the Christian, family-owned Ashers Baking Company of Northern Ireland after a lower court ruled the company was discriminatory and should be fined for not baking a cake with the slogan “Support Gay Marriage.”
Bakery manager Daniel McArthur said the situation has been hard for the family but “we continue to trust daily in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
You can join over 23,000 people who have signed a petition to support Ashers Bakery, linked in our transcript.
El Salvador Stands Tall for Unborn Babies
In God’s sovereign plan, the work of the nations failed last week to pressure the country of El Salvador into legalizing the murder of unborn babies. Pro-abortion groups are calling it a “terrible blow.”
The legislators of El Salvador refused to even consider decriminalizing abortion, which is illegal in the country, despite pressure from the United Nations and other international organizations.
Psalm 33:10-11 says, “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.”
Boy Scouts Welcomes Girls; Trail Life Celebrates Boys
The Boy Scouts of America announced yesterday that it is dropping the word “boy” from its name.
Boy Scouts, which includes kids from 10 to 17, will become Scouts BSA in 2019 and has already started to accept girls.
The Boy Scouts also lifted their ban on leaders living sexually perverted lifestyles in 2015.
No wonder the Christian scouting program called Trail Life, founded in 2013, has attracted nearly 30,000 members in almost 750 troops across 48 states.
Mark Hancock, the Trail Life CEO, said, “The danger in accommodating girls in the Boy Scouts is the further marginalization of boys’ particular learning and development needs. This ongoing ‘war on boyhood’ threatens society because boys are not developing into strong, capable men.”
If you have son between 1st and 12th grade, visit the website www.TrailLifeUSA.com for a Christ-honoring troop near you.
Congressmen Form Atheist/Agnostic Caucus
Several U.S. House Representatives and groups supporting atheism, agnosticism, and humanism announced the first Congressional Freethought Caucus this week.
Their goal is to represent the growing population who do not affiliate with a religion.
But Psalm 144:15 says, “Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!”
Puerto Rican National Guard Plane Crashes
Sadly, a military C-130 cargo plane with the Puerto Rican National Guard crashed yesterday onto a busy road outside of Savannah, Georgia just after takeoff, killing five National Guard members.
President Donald Trump called for prayer for the victims and their families.
Sneak Peek: Who Are the Ex-Homosexual Marchers?
The World View reported on this Saturday’s Freedom March in Washington, DC for men and women who formerly lived the homosexual lifestyle. Stay tuned for a World View Special Report featuring a brother in Christ Jesus who left that life of sin immediately following today’s newscast.
New Discovery in Dead Sea Scrolls
And finally, a project to digitize the Dead Sea Scrolls using advanced imaging technology recently uncovered new fragments invisible to the naked eye.
The deciphered texts were identified with the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus as well as a fragment from the Great Psalms Scroll from Psalm 147.
The Psalm begins, “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.” (Psalm 147:1)
Closing Line
And that’s The World View in 5 Minutes on this Thursday, May 3rd in the year of our Lord 2018. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldView.com. I’m Adam McManus. Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
Special Report: Former Homosexual Says “Follow Christ’s Example”
Time now for a World View Special Report by Emily Swanson. I’m Adam McManus.
Ever wonder what’s going on inside the heart of a man who has chosen to live the homosexual lifestyle?
Brian Wheelock revealed his eventual inner turmoil.
“For me, I struggled with homosexuality for about 10 years. That was something I really embraced. I would date a lot of people: I was with a lot of people. And I really felt that that was the way God made me, that that was the way I was. I didn’t have any indication or even thought that wasn’t who I was. I didn’t feel like I was choosing that life.
“As time went on and God began to speak to my heart and open my eyes to the truth, I began to become more miserable in that life. More depression was setting in, and I just was not satisfied. The more I would be with more people and more people and embrace that life I realize that there was something missing and finally realizing that it was Christ, that it was the relationship with Christ.”
Wheelock explained that it’s important to share how Jesus sets us free which is what the Freedom March this Saturday in Washington, DC is all about.
“I think one of the most important things as Christians, is that once our eyes have been opened, we have to have the strength to love others as God loves them and to go out and tell them the truth and to show them the light because we also want them to know Jesus.
“So, as much as it’s difficult to proclaim the truth sometimes because a lot of people don’t want to hear it, especially about this topic, but we know that Jesus desires them to follow Him, to know the truth. It is a loving thing to do to pursue and to reach out and to do things like this where we are publicly going out and reaching out to that community and just to do it with a loving attitude is probably the most important.”
Interestingly, Wheelock said that we should not approach those living this lifestyle with a different approach from other sinners, saying the Gospel applies to every sinner, no matter the kind of sin.
“I think we need to find ways to love and serve those in that community, in some ways, in the way we do and treat anybody that’s not a believer. Because I think one of the challenges that we have is that… Well Jesus didn’t go out and say, ‘Tell me. What sin category do you fall into? Well, I’m going to treat you differently than this other group of sinners.’
“He sat down at the table with the sinners and I feel like Christians are putting people that struggle with homosexuality, transgenderism, different things, are putting them in a different bucket and that they need to be treated differently as ‘other’ sinners.”
The former homosexual insisted that we need to look at how Jesus reached out and follow His example.
“I think that we’re overthinking it. That’s the first thing that we’re doing. We need to look back at the Bible and see what Jesus did. He went out and said those of you that struggled with all of these things, such were some of you, and now you’ve been released from that.
“The verse that I use for my ministry and being set free in Jesus is John 8:36: ‘If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’ And you know. It doesn’t just say, ‘free from homosexuality’, it’s free from anything you’re struggling with.”
As Wheelock and his wife have been sharing his story, they’ve discovered that it has impacted those outside the homosexual world as well.
“Pat, my wife, and I have been going out and giving more talks about my testimony, and people have been coming up to us and saying, ‘You know what? This isn’t just about you leaving the homosexual lifestyle. I’m struggling with such and such, and you just gave me hope that I can break free from whatever it is and follow Jesus!’”
Wheelock reminded Christians that these sins are just the tip of the iceberg.
“With every person we’re talking about that’s in that lifestyle, the fact that they’re struggling with anything, whether it’s homosexuality or something else; that’s not their biggest problem. That’s what we look at, when I say, ‘we’, I mean the church in general, Christians in general. We look at that person and say, ‘Oh that person needs Christ because they’re struggling with homosexuality.’
“That’s just a symptom, a by-product of what’s going on in their heart. Like all of us, we’ve fallen short of the glory of God, and that has manifested itself in whatever way.”
Wheelock testified that the love of Jesus was what overwhelmed him and saved him from darkness. He encouraged Christian parents whose children might be struggling with his own story.
“First of all, remember the problem that your son or daughter is transgender or homosexual is not their biggest problem at all. You need to stop almost idolizing that sin. They don’t know Christ — period.
“Be loving and witness to them in a loving way, for the glory of God, and watch what God can do. But stop bashing them for being gay and think that you’re going to win their heart over by showing them how wrong they are.
“I should look at them differently because that’s not the way Jesus got to my heart, by showing me how wrong I was. It was the love of Jesus, the love of the Holy Spirit showing me and guiding me.
“As I began to start to go to church, it was the love of other believers coming alongside me, not those people who were sitting there and hitting me over the head with a Bible verse about why homosexuality is wrong.”
Romans 2:4 is that powerful reminder that the goodness of God brings men to repentance. It asks, ‘Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?’
Wheelock testified that Christians are often in sticky places — like the Christian bakers asked to bake a cake for a homosexual wedding. He says that we need to pray and fast about what God wants us to do in each situation.
“I’ve been in that situation of me and my wife being invited to a very, very dear friend’s wedding. It was going to be a gay couple getting married. Where do we stand on this? We would talk about it when it was somebody else and give them advice, but suddenly when it was we were like, ‘Oh woah wait a minute. We’ve really got to figure this out.’ And it really for us came down to a matter of asking the Lord, ‘Jesus, how should I handle this?’ Praying specifically, seeking out friends’ godly advice, our pastor’s advice, those kinds of things.”
Wheelock said that the core of the conversation should be about the importance of having an identity in Christ Jesus, not in one’s sexual orientation.
“People have asked me about this. ‘Did you, once you stopped dating men and going out and being with them, did you consider yourself straight or even have those kinds of questions?’ And I say, ‘You know, you have to stop asking those or asking “Is the opposite of gay ‘straight?’”’ For me, it was about renewing my identity in Christ. That’s where Jesus brought me.”
Wheelock reminded every listener of the tenderness of Jesus when you come to Him in brokenness, knowing that He will give you rest.
“I think what’s amazing is that when I let Jesus come into my heart and when people can stop worrying about, ‘I’m trying to figure out where I fall and I still have these same sex attractions,’ to not worry about that, but to let them get to know Jesus.
“Letting Him into their life because when He regenerates your heart, when He shows you the truth, it will take time. And God is faithful.
“I truly believe that if there is anybody struggling right now they just need to yield to Jesus and to what He’s calling them to and to trust Him. He is a loving God, and He isn’t going to lead them down a path that He isn’t going to walk alongside closely with His arm around them.”
Wheelock said that it’s exciting that we can come together and celebrate how Jesus has set us free from our sin. He said that he wants to celebrate other brothers and sisters walking in the light.
John 8:36 reminds each one of us who was bound in chains, “Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Wheelock said that this is a spiritual battle, and we need to fight back with spiritual weapons.
Ephesians 6:18 says, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
If you’d like to get in touch with Brian Wheelock, email him at freeindeed111@gmail.com.
This has been a World View Special Report. I’m Adam McManus.