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I
am painfully, more and more, aware that many people are battling
and fighting within themselves where to go and how to overcome
the feelings and pulls that are constantly dragging inside and
outside. I know people who have been battling with enormous depression
and suicidal thoughts but there are also those who came out of
this. So it is with this in my mind I’m now taking some
time to write down my thoughts.
I
must also say that the church has too often NOT been a place where
these people can find a safe environment to meet both love and
care and people who will give their lives to help them go through
this and to find their identity…shame on us!
I
had a cousin who was a homosexual and who died in aids and I only
regret I didn’t do more to be there for him, so please understand
that I am not FOR bashing anyone or any group of people, but what
God says is crucial for us to stick to, or else we will loose
the ground we’re still standing on not only as the church
but as humans. I believe it is possible to say these things without
any feeling of hatred or disslike, or talking down to. Jesus did
so in many occasions with love and compassion but He still stuck
to the truth, and I pray to Him I will do the same.
So
is it possible to love the sinner but hate the sin?…And
I’m saying YES, it is possible.
I
think we are helping people best when we love them and at the
same time hold on to the words of Jesus without compromising it,
and that’s love. Repentance comes mostly through seeing
the changes I need to make with some sorrow in the beginning but
it leads to a lasting joy and freedom, and the burdens are lifted
off your shoulders!
There
are two sides of this: One is to warn people (this is NOT the
same as threaten) where we are going and to speak out about the
consequences that will follow if we lose sight of what He clearly
says, and this cannot be spoken out of fear or frustration but
out of boldness and love, and I mean out of the right meaning
of that last word. But it MUST be spoken or else we are not faithful
to the calling God gave us as believers and individuals, and this
is the part many in Sweden do not like because it can make people
misunderstand when the media (actually mostly) pictures this to
be made by some dummies or old-fashioned extremists clinging on
to the past, refusing to accept every change in society. But you
cannot, as a Christian, stop believing in the Word of God just
because the times are changing. In that case we have to forbid
the Bible, the Quoran and other religious books all together.
Because there are things written that do not fit with what the
trends and every wind that blows constantly demand us to follow.
And I think this must also be respected in a democracy, EVEN WHERE
YOU HAVE TWO OPINIONS. Because of the fact that we still do live
in a democracy, we also have the right and freedom to believe
and live according to what our faith tells us. I keep that as
our right.
Yes,
this is your legal right as it is for every human being in a democracy,
and not only that but this is crucial for the foundation of the
democracy we have had for a long time and hopefully will keep
on having. It is actually built on that foundation and cannot
be changed.
We
forget that the political and social changes that took place here
in Sweden in the beginning of the 1920-30’s were very much
in line with what the revivals that swept over Scandinavia stood
for. Actually, there are many who believe this would not have
happened without the revivals that helped it to take place.
True
living faith in Jesus Christ has ALWAYS had a positive impact
on society (read about William Booth or Evan Roberts who came
with a message of hope in a very poor and hard time in England
in the 19th century). Dead religion on the other hand has always
had a negative impact on people, making them hard and legalistic
and dead…but you can speak the truth of Gods word WITHOUT
being legalistic, and so we must do without being intimidated.
The
other side is the side where we see our faults and understand
the mistakes we as the church have made with many homosexuals
and other groups and change in our hearts and give help through
the power of the resurrected Jesus…in God’s Word and
eyes no sin is worse than the other.
So
shortly there are two things we as the church has the responsibility
to do …to speak boldly what the word of God says and to
love and give refuge to those who want help in the battles they
go through.
I
can say that the love of God has touched my heart these last months,
especially for Christian brothers and sisters who are fighting
every day for their freedom, and I will do what I can to help
them.
I
have met several people having a daily battle inside of themselves,
afraid to talk to anyone about this and that’s not the way
it should be.
There
are things I see that make me aware of the danger in this conflict…legalistic
Christians that do and say stupid things out of fear and ignorance
putting different values on different sins when Jesus simply just
said, after forgiving people; do not sin anymore…
But
there are also some individuals in the gay culture acting without
any respect or care for what Christians hold both holy and precious,
and in arrogance and bitterness and sometimes trample over it
as if it was nothing. I know that hurts and offends many Christians,
who in their love for mankind and Jesus, hold him dearer than
life itself…they probably would not dare to do so if it
had to do with the Islamic faith and the Muslims (which seems
to, for some reason, be more holy or worth respect for the secular
society today than Christianity)…both of these things are
WRONG and I believe God sees that, He clearly warns us in His
word not to be fooled because every man WILL reap what he/she
saws. For anyone NOT to have respect of God is a very big mistake.
So,
you cannot ask for respect in just ONE direction but in BOTH,
very much so if we have different opinions.
As
you may know, Sweden is the first country in the world making
it illegal for anyone to speak out officially against homosexuality.
This has become a hot topic in the media all over Europe, and
to be true the response outside Sweden has been more against this
law than in Sweden itself, with protests from political officials
and others (we were also one of the first in legalizing free abortion),
and we are right now bringing Pastor Åke Green (64) to court
for speaking from the Bible (Romans 1 and other parts in the Bible)
in his own church, the Pentecostal church in Borgholm, Sweden.
For
this, the Swedish organization RFSL (equal rights for different
sexual lifestyles) sued him and brought him to court and at the
first round he was condemned to a month in prison but the prosecutor
was not satisfied by that (pushing for 6 months) and made them
go to a higher court and on February the 11th we will know what
the court says about this.
I
was there at the courthouse in Jonkoping together with my family
and some friends silently standing there for the "freedom
of religion", "freedom of speech" and "save
the democracy" following the whole thing from the beginning
til the end…And I must say I have never done a thing like
this before but I just cannot see this thing pass me by without
doing anything! And I felt I had a duty to find out myself, not
building my opinion on someone elses. And this was not for coming
up against someone or something but FOR something.
I
felt it so clearly God was telling me either to hide behind opinions
from the evening papers and what media are saying or make an effort
to find out what it really was all about. What I mean by this
is that it sometimes surprises me a lot, that so few journalists
do not even care to make an effort to find out and are more willing
to know and understand what this is all about and that’s
far too often done when it gets to religion and Christianity…that
makes me sad to see. But I guess it’s more important to
create sensations than to find out the truth in the matter.
Regardless
where we may stand on the issue concerning this new law in Sweden
we DO have a responsibility to GUARD our RIGHT to speak freely
in our churches, and to say what we believe is right or wrong
without being threatened or brought to court.
I
personally think that the State (Government) has nothing to do
with what the church is preaching but surely needs to hear what
it has to say simply because it’s NOT just for a clique
of already saved but for every man that wants to see and enter
the Kingdom of God. This should be important even for a secular
government that hardly ever gives any room for the things of God,
or even mention Him...You must remember that GOD IS REAL and He
wants to save every man no matter colour, race or group, low or
high, rich or poor, yes He even saved me, who was trapped in my
egotistical dreams of becoming a rockstar…If there’s
not a God who created this whole universe we might as well pack
our stuff and leave but if there is…EVERYONE, yes EVERYONE
has a responsibility to at least find out. How can you say He
is not real if you never gave Him a chance, and make an effort
to find Him, that’s foolishness! What if you’re wrong?
I can guarantee that He will be there for YOU if you seek for
Jesus; I’ve seen it so many times……….
The
church in Sweden should have been far more radical and outspoken
than it has been concerning many issues a long time ago, therefore
the land is in chaos and it's speeding rapidly. I cannot say that
people in Sweden are happy and free people. That’s my opinion.
The church has a definite prophetic AND evangelistic calling in
every nation, and generation, that’s why we are here…BOTH,
not just one of them…this is a mandate from God himself
and there is power in doing that.
I think it's time for us to wake up and to see what is REALLY
going on in this nation and in this world. At the trial the prosecutor
was asking Pastor Green to give any proof of what he was saying
and he calmly answered that he had a responsibility as a minister
and a pastor to speak and say what was on his heart and what he
believed the Word of God was saying in this matter.
The
surprising thing was that in pastor Green’s sermon is a
part where he says that because of this immoral lifestyle, we
may even experience great catastrophes such as "earthquakes
and floods taking away hundreds of thousands of people just like
that" but no one even seems to take note of what he said,
and this was said in the beginning of last year (2004).
I
have met this man two times and I must say that the picture that
is given of him in certain media reports is far from true. This
is what I thought after spending a whole day in that courtroom.
Well,
the reasoning for this law is based on "me being offended
by what you say"...and believe me this will just be the start...when
you are being offended when I say there's sin in your life that
you need to deal with or there's a heaven and a hell and that
every man has to make a choice here in this life and this is what
Jesus so often spoke about...well, people can be offended by many
things Jesus said, and they were. But that doesn’t take
away the truth and the meaning in what he said. Jesus never accepted
people into the Kingdom when they never wanted to make a stand…He
said you’re either for me or against me, but not in the
middle, thanks!
We
cannot take away parts in the Bible because we do not like it
or because it does not fit in the time we are living in. That’s
very serious! And to be honest I have seen too much of politicians
following peer pressure to really trust them anymore. Far to many
times, sorry to say, you ask yourself the question, do these people
say these things to win points for the moment or do they really
have an intention to DO what they say and follow it through…no
matter the cost, just so that we know they are for real? You just
have a funny sense in your stomach when they speak on television
etc. But on the other hand it’s hard to be true in a democratic
system, when you are constantly under pressure to say what people
WANT to hear and not what they NEED to hear. This is, of course,
under the conditions that you really want to be true as a politician.
I
have wrote a letter to the prime minister of Sweden (Goran Persson)
and even to Mr Bush giving him notice of what is taking place
in Sweden; at least I have done something hoping and praying...
When
you read this I hope you can grasp the concern I have for us losing
our freedom as a church and I do hope there are still some people
out there hearing this signal able to hear what I am trying to
say. Please hear my heart!
One
reporter from Channel One at the Swedish radio (state owned) asked
me at the trial if I thought about this when I wrote the song
"Sodom" (from the Warrior record, Jerusalem –81)…and
I said I was probably "prophesying" without even knowing
it, even though it’s not hard to see what will happen when
we cross every line there is in the garden of moral living. You
do not need to be a prophet to see that. Some other news media
(Dagens Nyheter, Sydsvenska etc.) asked me why I was there and
I answered that I did it for the freedom of speech and religion
and I was very concerned that democracy will be very limited if
this law will put a pastor in prison for preaching from the Bible.
Some
Christians in Sweden say "but he was not saying it the right
way he should have said it" or, "he didn’t do
it totally right by saying it the way he did", and maybe
they are right...maybe so, I cannot tell, but I can also say things
in the wrong way now and then, even if intentions are right but
that wont stop me from saying what’s on my heart as long
as I know I’m honest…. many times people listen more
to HOW you say things instead of listening to WHAT you say, maybe
looking for an excuse for not receiving what is said and missing
the whole concept! (…sin as a cancer growth was said by
him out of a spiritual concept when it was explained in the courtroom,
not against any physical being, but media did report this very
wrong)…..
So
the issue for us is more that any pastor or leader or anyone should
be able to speak from the Word of God in church and even if it
is not totally and perfectly right in every word or sometimes
too much in peoples ears, they should not put anyone in prison,
that's the point when we lose our freedom of speech and religion.
You
must be aware of this.
I think there will be a next round in Stockholm (I personally
believe it will be one more trial or even maybe two, at the end
in the European Court, Strasburg).
Now I will end this with some thoughts that are connected to this...
Jesus
was misunderstood; you will be misunderstood if you say you follow
Him and want to do what he says....
I
have been misunderstood many times, and probably I did deserve
some of it, but that will not stop me from believing the voice
I have in my heart and not bowing for the climate we are now living
in and being intimidated.
If
you think that you will be misunderstood for taking a stand that's
right now not so politically correct, you are perfectly right,
and you will have to carry that cross. If you ignore it you will
miss the blessing of living a supernatural life, because you are
afraid of what people would think. Remember, you will not be lonely,
He will be there with you all the time, never forsaking you or
leaving you, even when you stand before kings and rulers, in courtrooms
and churches He will be there and give you the right words in
that very moment. We speak foolishness in some people’s
ears but the gospel is foolishness for those that do not believe.
Many misunderstand out of lack of spiritual knowledge and because
of immaturity (even as Christians), they cannot understand because
many stopped in growth and gave in to the spirit of this world
and this always blinds you...the word LOVE is a very misunderstood
word, almost destroyed and most of the time people think that
means " to let go and follow others opinions ", or that
we can do anything WE LIKE authorized by that word. It seems like
love ended becoming "just" erotic, forgetting that we've
almost lost the real meaning of what it asks and demands of us.
Love carries a responsibility that many do not want to accept,
instead they only want a moment of pleasure and lust, instead
of being a person making a true effort for integrity and truth.
Love never changes or shifts, it stays, it cannot say; I don't
love you anymore! WE may say so, but real LOVE never does! God
loves unconditionally, without sliding away from the truth, so
why do not we! Love and romance are not the same !
Also
read 1 Corinth. 1- Well, my brothers I couldn’t talk to
you as spiritual men, but as to non spiritual…..
So
with a great risk of having people misunderstand me or even hate
me I still must say what’s on my heart and this has been
for a long time. And moral living is a hot topic to talk about
today, yet it has to be said. I started the band Jerusalem out
of this conviction of speaking what I believe is true and we boldly
proclaimed it through the songs we did and at that time nobody
questioned the faithfulness we had to the truths of God. And it
took us all over the world. But it was more about sound, long
hair, loudness (still is) rockmusic and other outward stuff…but
now we are (not only us as a band) getting more heat for standing
for the Word of God that never will fail or disappear.
There's
an army rising of free people not bound by the Babylonian and
religious systems...they have rebelled against the status quo
lifestyle of "me being in control of my life." Instead
they took "a jump from a cliff" to see the hand of God
working wonders through us to everyone. People are dying and we
have the answer, and that’s the salvation and freedom in
Jesus Christ and it still is, I ask God to give me the wisdom
and boldness, wrapped in His mercy and love for this world like
never before and that includes every person, group of people,
and race.
This
is not a faith for the dead but for the living; this is meant
to be lived out in every fibre of your mind, soul, body and spirit...
Yes,
I do believe that we will see a Kingdom revolution, read it in
Joel 2. But it is a spiritual revolution not a physical and this
has never been seen before in history and it is REAL, VIBRANT
and ALIVE, full of God's presence, love and joy, and without any
control...
And
why not in Sweden? This could happen in Sweden where we need it
more than any other place in the world. We have been in our self-righteous
pride sleeping with the world, betrayed His words, spitting at
His cross, trampling His laws like it was dirt, refusing to repent
from ANYTHING...
So,
yes we need it more than anything in the world... God, help me
to pay the price. Pray for Sweden.
Prepare
the way for the KING is coming…
Your
fellow soldier...Ulf.
P.S. On Friday the 11th of February, Pastor
Green was by the court Jonkoping pronounced not guilty. But I
heard that the prosecutor is looking to bring this case to the
highest court in Stockholm, Sweden. If that happens that will
be the next round.
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