California pastor ousted after ‘homosexuality is sin’ church sign stirs protests

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WARNING! This blog will NOT accept any critical or disparaging comments about this pastor or his message. Such  comments will never see the light of day, or will be immediately deleted and the person making them will be banned from ever commenting again on this blog.
I for one am fed up with namby pamby, lukewarm, biblically illiterate “Christians” who all but take their talking points and marching orders from the godless heathens around them instead of the Word of Elohim, and who are doing nothing to stop the spread of evil, but can only criticize those who are trying to do so. Take your comments somewhere else; you’re not welcome here!— Natan Lawrence, the owner of this blog. 
To the rest of you: please pray for Pastor Justin Roke of Weed, California. It’s time that righteous, Bible believing people began sticking together and supporting one another in the face of the tsunami of evil and the Antichrist spirit that is sweeping our country and the world. The US and this world is currently on a spiritual  precipice and about to go over the edge unless enough people repent of their sins and turn to the Bible and to Yeshua the Messiah!

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? (Psalm 94:16)

By Samuel Smith, CP Reporter
A sign calling homosexuality a sin sits on display outside of the Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church near Weed, California, on Dec. 31, 2018. | PHOTO: FACEBOOK/JUSTIN HOKE

A northern California pastor has begrudgingly stepped down as members threatened to leave after he posted a church sign that called transgender celebrity Caitlyn “Bruce” Jenner a man and stated that “homosexuality is still a sin.”

Justin Hoke, who formerly served as pastor at Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church in the town of Weed in Siskiyou County, took to Facebook to announce that he is leaving the church. His departure comes following protest and vandalism in response to his church sign.

On New Year’s Eve, Hoke used his personal Facebook page to post a picture of the sign outside of the church that read: “Bruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still sin. The culture may change but the Bible does not.”

The sign incited a pro-LGBT “Love Rally” demonstration Sunday morning before Hoke’s weekly service on Jan. 6.

Additionally, the church sign and the message was vandalized last week. The organizers of the rally say they don’t know of anyone involved in the vandalism and condemned the act.

“As of today, I am no longer the pastor of Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church,” Hoke wrote in a Saturday Facebook post.

In the post, Hoke felt the need to “communicate what has taken place.”

He stated that he was informed by an elder that the elder could no longer follow his lead as pastor of the church. Hoke added that he was also told by “essentially all but one couple in membership” that they would leave the church if Hoke did not step down.

“Our other elder and the couple felt that those who left would likely return if I would leave,” Hoke wrote. “Our other elder was agreeable to stay and assume the pastoral responsibilities. Therefore it was determined that it would be in the best interest of the local body for [TBPC and the Hoke family] to part ways.”

On Monday, Hoke updated the Facebook post to explain that he did not want to leave the church.

“I did not quit, and I was willing to stay,” Hoke asserted.

The Christian Post reached out to TBPC (also known as Lake Shastina Community Bible Church) for comment on Hoke’s departure. A response is pending.

In an interview with The Siskiyou Daily News, Hoke said his intention with the sign was to express his thought that the Bible doesn’t change even though the culture may.

“If you see a burning building, there are only two reasons not to warn those inside: if you think the danger isn’t too great, or if you don’t love those inside,” Hoke stated.

He told the Daily Wire that he was inspired to create the sign after reading about a customer at a store who “threw a fit because a clerk had accidentally referred to him with the masculine gender [pronoun].”

Another “Love Rally” demonstration was held during Sunday’s service with yet another planned for next Sunday.

Organizers of the protest told NBC 5  that their goal was not to get Hoke fired.

“I don’t want to be responsible for someone losing their job. The point in this protest is to show love for the LGBTQ community and other members of the community as well,” organizer Charolette Kalayjian said.

Hoke told the television news outlet that the protests were not the reason for his departure.

“There was a fear we would lose what little congregation that we had if I remained,” Hoke explained.

 

What? Yeshua the Pork Eater?

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Luke 10:8, Eat such things. Does this passage give believers the freedom or even enjoin them to eat whatever is placed before them if, for example, they are in someone else’s home even if the food is non-kosher? Understanding context is vital to understanding the true meaning of the Scriptures. When verses are taken out of context they can not only lose their meaning, but can take on an entirely different meaning to the writer’s original intent. As Hebrew roots teacher Dr. Daniel Botkin points out in an article entitled God’s Dietary Laws: Abolished in the New Testament?, “Yeshua spoke these words when he sent out the seventy. These were seventy Torah-observant Jews who followed a Torah-observant Rabbi. … Rabbi Yeshua had told his disciples, ‘Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,’ (Matt 10:6).

“It is obvious from this statement that the disciples would be lodging in Torah-observant Jewish homes, where the kosher laws were followed. It is ridiculous to suppose that the disciples might have been offered a pork chop in one of these Jewish homes. Even if this very unlikely possibility had occurred, the disciples would have had enough sense to know that this is not what their Master meant when he said to ‘eat such things as are set before you.’ He simply meant to be content with the food which your host provided” (Gates of Eden magazine, Nov.–Dec. 1997 issue).

Though similar to Yeshua’s passage, Paul’s passage in 1 Corinthians 10:27 has an entirely different context. The issue here is not clean versus unclean meat (e.g. beef versus pork), but meat (e.g. beef) that was sacrificed to idols that was later sold to the public in the meat markets of Greek cities (for context read 1 Cor 10:19–29). Botkin points out that four times in the Testimony of Yeshua believers are forbidden to eat meat sacrificed to idols (Acts 15:20; 21:25; Rev 2:14, 20), yet the dilemma was that when one bought meat in the public markets it was not known whether it had been sacrificed to idols first or not. So for conscience sake Paul instructed the Corinthian believers to buy the meat and to not ask about its origination (10:25). However, if a person knew that it was meat sacrificed to idols (verse 28) for their own conscience sake and that of others who might be watching them then they were not to eat of it (ibid.).

The same principle applied to those eating in someone’s house as a guest. If one knew that the meat was offered to an idol then they were forbidden to eat it. However, if they did not know, then it was not necessary to ask. Again, it was not a matter of clean or unclean meats (i.e. beef versus pork), but whether meat had been sacrificed to idols or not.

 

Between “Devil” and “the Deep Blue Sea”?

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Exodus 14:13–15, And Moses said. The first four statements that Moses makes in these two verses presupposes the four fear responses the Israelites would naturally have had when pinned between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea.

  • To those who wanted to commit suicide by fleeing, and since there was nowhere to go, fleeing meant certain death either by drowning in the sea or by Pharaoh’s army, Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation [Heb. Yeshua] of YHVH.” 
  • To those who wanted to go back to Egypt, Moses said, “The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see no more.” 
  • To those who wanted to fight, Moses said, “YHVH will fight for you.” 
  • To those who wanted to just complain, or even to pray about their plight, Moses said, “Hold your peace.” 

When faced with similar impossible situations, we typically have the same responses as that of the children of Israel, when all we have to do is to stand still in faith and wait on YHVH to supernaturally deliver us. But there’s more. Faith isn’t passive. It’s active. This is where the fifth statement—this one made by YHVH—comes into play. 

YHVH command the Israelites to “Go forward” in faith! YHVH expected Moses, the leader, to lead the way. YHVH told the Israelites to confront their fears including the fear of death and to step into the Red Sea. Only when the people’s leader stepped forward in faith and placed his foot into the Red Sea did the sea part and the deliverance of YHVH became evident.

Note what Moses told Israelites in this first statement: “Stand still and see the salvation [Heb. Yeshua] of YHVH.” As already noted previously, the pre-incarnate Yeshua the Messiah was the Messenger of YHVH who was with the children of Israel in the fire cloud positioned between the Israelites and the Egyptians. When Yeshua the Messiah is in your camp, there is nothing to fear! This was a lesson in faith that the Israelites had to learn—and one we have to learn as well. Let’s not forget the words of the apostle:

I can do all things through Messiah which strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through [Messiah] that loved us. (Rom 8:37)

What shall we then say to these things? If Elohim be for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31)

Exodus 14:13, Salvation. The word salvation here is the Hebrew word Yeshua. Think about this for a moment in light of the context in which this word is found in this story, and the implications for our own lives when we’re confronted with difficult situations.

 

Blog Scripture Readings for 1-13 Through 1-19-19

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THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR STUDY AND DISCUSSION:

Parashat Beshalach — Exodus 13:17 – 17:16
Haftarah — Judges 4:4 – 5:31
Prophets — 1 Kings 4:1 – 10:29
Writings — Psalms 102:1 – 106:48
Testimony — Luke 9:43 – 12:21

Most of this week’s blog discussion points will be on these passages. If you have general comments or questions on the weekly Scripture readings not addressed in a blog post, here’s a place for you to post those. Just use the “leave a reply” link below.

The full “Read Through The Scriptures In A Year” schedule, broken down by each day, can be found on the right sidebar under “Helpful Links.” There are 4 sections of scripture to read each day: one each from the Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and from the Testimony of Yeshua. Each week, the Torah and haftarah readings will follow the traditional one-year reading cycle.

Weekly Blog Scripture Readings for 1/13/19 through 1/19/19.

 

A Treasure Trove of Nuggets from Yeshua in Luke Chapter Nine

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Luke 9:1–2, Gave them power. (See also Luke 10:19.) Spiritual power and authority over demons and sickness is manifested in no greater way than when exercised in conjunction with the preaching of the gospel. It is here on the ragged edge between the kingdoms of light and darkness that YHVH wishes to demonstrate his power most through his servants in an effort to draw outsiders into his spiritual kingdom. Healing from sickness and deliverance from demonic powers is a great enticement for those on the outside to become part of YHVH’s kingdom where they will experience freedom resulting in joy,  peace and hope.

Luke 9:28, Eight days. Eight is the biblical number of new beginnings and the symbol for infinity. When Yeshua comes back in power and glory to establish his kingdom universally on this earth of which the transfiguration was a prophetic foreshadow, it will be a new beginning lasting for eternity.

Luke 9:41, Faithless and perverse. Faithlessness and perversity go hand-in-hand with the ability to cast out demons and to heal the sick. To the degree that one is faithful to and Continue reading →

 

Thank you for your comments and pushback!

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I want to take this opportunity to thank  all  who have commented on this forum in the last few days, whether they have agreed or disagreed with me, regarding the comments I made on several news articles I recently posted on this blog.

It is critically important that we as Bible believers address the issues pertaining to the current events (e.g. immigration, border walls, abortion, morality) happening in our society, and do so from a logical and reason-based biblical perspective.

On many of these issues, I have waited for weeks or even months to make public comment, while, at the same time, seeking the Father’s heart based on his Written Word, the Bible, as to what my response should be.

When I have finally sensed a release in my spirit to post my views, at the same time, I expected and welcomed civil and respectful pushback from my readers. This is the proverbial iron sharpening iron process about which the book of Proverbs speaks. This is not only constructive but appreciated, and, hopefully, will serve to bring us all more in line with biblical truth, thus helping to unify us in the face of opposition from an ungodly, neo-Baalistic world.

It’s imperative that the saints refine their understandings of and responses to the current issues facing our society in light of biblical truth. This is how we will be salt and light to the ungodly world. This can be accomplished by giving those around us a more biblical perspective on these current issues as we point them to the eternal values of divinely revealed biblical truth, as opposed to the society’s general approach of blowing with the winds of situational ethics or moral relativism where the ends justify the means and immutable truth is nowhere to be found, and is even considered a passé concept and not even open for discussion.

As followers of Yeshua and his word, we must discuss these issues, and, behind the scenes out of the public view, we must work out what our responses will be to society’s problems, and determine how to bring the light of biblical truth to bear on the problems facing us. This is one way the gospel is preached and the kingdom of Elohim is expanded.

 

Passover—When to Celebrate It and a Quick Overview of the Seder

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The exact timing of the Passover has sparked much controversy over the years among believers. In the early Christian church it was known as the “Quartadeciman Controversy.” Concerning this debate, which continued into the fourth century a.d. and was finally settled at the famous Council of Nicea in a.d. 325, church historian Philip Schaff in noted multi-volumed History of the Christian Church states, “Respecting the time of the Christian Passover … there was a difference of observance which created violent controversies in the ancient church [resulting in questioning] the genuineness of John’s Gospel” (vol. 2, p. 210). The Quartadeciman Controversy, although slightly different in nature to the subject of this present work, only serves to underscore the volatility of issues of dogma. With this in mind, let us not forget what Yeshua referred to as the “weightier matters of the law”: judgment, mercy and faith (Matt. 23:23). Now let’s begin our study of the timing of Passover.

First, there are some absolutes that Scripture gives regarding Passover:

  • Scripture states that Pesach/Passover is on the fourteenth day of the first month (Lev. 23:5), and is called the month of Abib (Exod. 12:2,5–14; 13:4) of Elohim’s biblical calendar (Hag HaMatzot/Feast of Unleavened Bread starts on the fifteenth).
  • For Messiah Yeshua to be the literal fulfillment of the Passover Lamb he had to die at the same moment in time that the Passover lamb was slain.

When Is Passover and When Was the Passover Lamb Sacrificed in the Temple?

Exodus 12:6 says, 

And you shall keep it [the lamb] until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight [Heb. erev, marginal notes in KJV: between the two evenings].

According to ancient rabbinical sources, at the time of Yeshua, the term between the evenings or twilight had taken on a broader meaning than just twilight as in accordance with the literal meaning of the Hebrew word erev. For the Pharisees, it referred not just to the approximately 45-minute time period just before darkness that we in the west call twilight, to the time period from noon onward when the sun begins to decline from its Continue reading →