Dear Brothers and Sisters of the World Wide LGBT Community,
Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
As the residual excitement of the breakthroughs in 2011 for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community become tempered by the realization of all the work that continues to lie ahead of us, I write today to encourage all of us to "DON'T GIVE UP NOW!"
As we have made great strides around the globe in being recognized as legitimate children of Almighty God--born of natural means from our mother's wombs for such a time as this--it's important that each of us ask what part in the march toward equality (both in society and in the Church) God would have each of us play. At this time in history we awaken to the possibilities 2012 has in store for us, and we recognize a massive, world-wide social and spiritual shift that has left us all in a world we sometimes can scarcely recognize. We find ourselves seemingly transported through space and time upon the wings of the very angels themselves, and find that at the same time the world begins to more fully recognize our rights to exist as free and equal citizens under the Laws of the Land, so too does the Church begin to more fully recognize our birthright under God's Law of Liberty as fellow workmen and equal partakers in the Kingdom of Heaven as well.
While written off as prodigals by the world's religions many centuries ago, we find ourselves in a new Day where the Hand of Providence has turned a page in time and revealed to all mankind, the secret and divine mystery of His prophetic plan for our divine destiny, masterfully embedded within Holy Writ by God Himself. Since the beginning of time, we have endeavored to ask ourselves who we are and why God created us, and in 2011 it was revealed to the Christian Church that God's denial of our entrance into the Jewish Congregation of the Lord 4,000 years ago through His Prophet Moses was indeed not the last word He would have to say about it. It was however a necessary step to ensure this mystery would not be revealed to mankind until a time of God's Own choosing, through His Own Bride, The Worldwide Christian Church.
In 2011, we finally heard His small, still voice speaking of us once again through prophetic utterances of the Prophet Isaiah nearly 2,700 years ago, as He prophesied of a day where we would be included in His House of Prayer for all people by means of the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. We then overheard the Good Shepherd Himself whispering to His Disciple Matthew about our divinely created natural births as He exempted us from heterosexual marriage nearly 2,000 years ago. As He fulfilled the Old Covenant under which we were excluded from the promises of God, He was then resurrected to new life under the New Covenant--ratified with His Own shed blood--wherein we become seated with Him in Heavenly places, including His House of Prayer for ALL People, through faith.
In 2011, we learned He had granted us the authority to now partake in the Sacrament of Holy Communion with Him and all the saints in His House of Prayer, and we watched as the Holy Spirit confirmed the beginning fulfillment of God's utterance through the Prophet Isaiah, as He led Philip to share the same prophecies with the Ethiopian Eunuch who had been turned away from Church under the Old Covenant, and instead became water baptized into the New Covenant. We listened in as His Apostle Peter then taught all who were Baptized by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, that God's Promise to Abraham of the Holy Spirit was granted to "even His menservants and maidservants" through his Prophet Joel. Finally, we then intercepted the Apostle Paul's letter to early Church leaders in Corinth wherein he ordered single gender marriages in all the Christian churches for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people as equal participants in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony as well.
As these revelations were shared with the world's highest placed government and Church leaders near the end of 2011, we waited as anxiously outside the Church doors as a father waits for his newborn baby's first cry. As these Church leaders peered into divine things that even the angels long to look, we began to hear the first responses as their recognitions of truth were confirmed through the new life of their own divine utterances, especially throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. We now know they busy themselves in one accord to exact the necessary preparations for these revelations to be shared with the masses under their pastoral oversight and care. These leaders include His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Her Majesty The Queen, Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and His All Holiness Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, as well as at least one brave Shepherd here in America. As we recognized the voice of reconciliation rising among international Christian leaders, God revealed Eagle Mountain International Church to be a Scripturally sound House of Prayer for ALL People, as previously confirmed with modern prophecies dating back nearly 20 years, designating Eagle Mountain as the epicenter of this new move of God in the earth, and indeed throughout the entire Christian Church.
As we now stand in awe of God's mighty hand at work in the earth on our behalf as a community, I encourage each of us to press in to learn more of God's unique plans, pursuits and purposes He desires for each of us to fulfill as we begin to take the first steps into the prophetic purpose and divine destiny he has called each of us to; not only in our Holy Spirit confirmed capacity as sons and daughters of God, but also in our God ordained place within the World Wide Christian Congregation as Brothers and Sisters of Jesus Christ, and each other.
In closing, I encourage us to all pause and reflect on the contributions and sacrifices that so many young LGBT teens have made heretofore, as they joined us in spirit to advance the cause of Freedom as they sacrificed their own lives, and (perhaps unknowingly) awakened the Church to these important revelations from Scripture. Rightly revering them even as martyrs in their own right, I know we all honor their lives, as we add our prayers for comfort for their families and friends, as they continue to mourn those they held so dear and miss so much.
As LGBT people are now free to serve in many of the world's armed forces, it is equally important to pause to honor their sacrifices, and those of the many brave men and women who long ago purchased with their own blood, the freedoms of religion and speech that have ensured the avenues of communication necessary to share the revelation of these mysteries from Scripture throughout the world. Let us also especially honor and pray for the protection and safety of those who continue to serve at their posts as guardian angels of those liberties, as they endeavor to ensure they remain available to freedom loving people everywhere, throughout all generations of humanity.
Finally, let us honor those who came before us, who through great courage and sacrifice fought and died to secure the promises of liberty, as we find ourselves within arms' length of the inheritance of our founding fathers who held these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
And let us pray for the Shepherds everywhere who will be sharing these revelations and mysteries of God's plan for mankind throughout 2012, through the Good News of the Gospel that continues to be revealed by God to include spiritual blessings and promises for ALL His children, including those of us who were naturally born from our mothers' wombs as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, for such a time as this...
...and for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven!
DON'T GIVE UP NOW!
May God bless you and yours richly and always,
In Him,
Brian Anthony Bowen
Author, The Bed Keeper
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Part One:
UPDATE 10.27.12:
UPDATE 04.29.12:
Dear Valued Readers,
This blog is a work in progress. As events in the Church impact previously published posts, updates will be published at the end of each post in order to provide the utmost transparency and clarity to all concerned parties as this new move of God progresses. Readers may email thebedkeeper@gmail.com to discuss or comment on any posting. Please note that while all feedback is highly valued and appreciated, it may not be possible to reply to each email.
UPDATE 03.05.13: GREAT NEWS! Regarding the 10.27.12 UPDATE: After new considerations have come to light, I confidently continue my full personal endorsement of Eagle Mountain International Church as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship, and am pleased to encourage you to resume supporting this vibrant ministry financially. Details here.
UPDATE 02.09.13: Listen in as Brian Anthony Bowen provides the NCK and Friends radio audience with valuable insights into Biblical support of Same Sex Marriage that the Church doesn't seem to want us to know!
UPDATE 03.05.13: GREAT NEWS! Regarding the 10.27.12 UPDATE: After new considerations have come to light, I confidently continue my full personal endorsement of Eagle Mountain International Church as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship, and am pleased to encourage you to resume supporting this vibrant ministry financially. Details here.
UPDATE 02.09.13: Listen in as Brian Anthony Bowen provides the NCK and Friends radio audience with valuable insights into Biblical support of Same Sex Marriage that the Church doesn't seem to want us to know!
Part One:
Part Two:
UPDATE 10.27.12:
Eagle Mountain International Church took an official position on gay marriage in a sermon on 10.14.12. While not in support of gay marriage, Pastor George reminds his congregation that "those considered to be gay" are equally worthy of love and compassion. Pastor Terri continues to consider being gay as "being caught up in bondage." Several passages of Scripture were quoted to support their views, but no mention was made of any Scriptures that disprove their view, such as discussed in Chapter One: Born This Way and Chapter Two: God Sanctioned Gay Marriage. While I am not rescinding my endorsement of Eagle Mountain International Church as a safe space for LGBT people to worship, I am officially recommending we no longer support them financially. It is clear we have a long way to go in educating the Church, and I remain hopefully confident that after the 2012 elections are over, we will have more opportunities to walk further into the new revelations from God's Word shared throughout this blog. I encourage all LGBT people and our families to continue to hold Pastor George and Terri up in prayer, so that the eyes of their understanding may be flooded with light, and they come to more fully understand the prophetic role that LGBT people play in the spiritual life of the Christian Church, and the return of Jesus Christ.
UPDATE 04.29.12:
My previous endorsement of Lakewood Church is hereby retracted due to this interview: http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/04/29/473250/joel-osteen-gay-sin/?mobile=ncwherein Pastor Joel Osteen declares that "being gay" itself is a sin. That is NOT what the Bible says, and I cannot support it, nor ask anyone else to. I explained this in a previous letter to Pastor Joel in response to his interview with Piers Morgan, which can be reviewed here. I apologize for the mixed messages my own comments may tend to manifest themselves as in this case, but it is an unfortunate result of Pastor Joel's own mixed messages, and his decision to tailor his messages to the audience to whom he is speaking at the time. Should he publicly apologize for his unScriptural comments, and declare he has come to understand the difference between saying "being gay is a sin" and "homosexuality is a sin" (to reflect Scripture's own narrowly defined context of married men who engaged in adultery on their wives to be with men...which has nothing to do with LGBT people), I hope to renew my endorsement of Lakewood Church at some point in the future....but not until then.
UPDATE 01.15.12:
Lakewood Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
UPDATE 11.22.11:
Eagle Mountain International Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
UPDATE 12.16.11:
Please also review the response shared with a debate panel regarding the Bible's position on homosexuality, that reveals the unScriptural stance "ex-gay" theology manifests itself as here.
Lakewood Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
UPDATE 11.22.11:
Eagle Mountain International Church officially endorsed as a SAFE SPACE for LGBT people to worship! Details here.
UPDATE 12.16.11:
Please also review the response shared with a debate panel regarding the Bible's position on homosexuality, that reveals the unScriptural stance "ex-gay" theology manifests itself as here.
