This morning at our Wholehearted Mens breakfast, in front of four hundred men, Garth Kennedy shared his story of transformation. Garth grew up being bullied at school and church because of his effeminate tendencies. Garth found his acceptance and love through gay sex and gradually descended into a lifestyle of pornography, prostitution, and methamphetamine (meth) addictions. He moved to Hollywood where he became an entertainer and continued down the demonic cave of further darkness.
God met Garth in dramatic fashion. In a gay bar bathroom one day, Garth suddenly felt the power of evil and hell. He heard the audible voice of God asking him, “Choose for yourself this day, whom you will serve…” (Joshua 24:15). Little did he know that his parents were fasting and praying this exact verse for their son on that same day!
Garth surrendered to Christ. He repented and gave his heart to Christ. He was delivered from demonic possession and has been set free in Christ for the past thirteen years.
Powerless Progressive Churches
Most churches don’t believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. Some may teach about it, but they rarely observe people who have truly encountered God and been transformed. This lack of experience hinders them from believing God can radically revolutionize someone’s life, even their sexual orientation.
Such progressive churches have no paradigm for true transformation, and thus, it’s an easy step into accommodation and affirmation of same sex relationships. I call such churches powerless progressive churches due to their lack of understanding or experience with the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.
Power Pastors
We need churches that are on fire with the same power as we read about in the book of Acts. But we won’t have pews on fire until we have pulpits on fire. We need power pastors! We need pastors who get up in the morning and light themselves on fire through reading God’s Word, praying, believing His promises, and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
My prayer is not for the doctrinally compromised, love at all costs, culturally progressive church, but for the pastors, the leaders, and the elders of such institutions. They need an encounter with the living God not unlike the prophet Isaiah who saw the Lord, “high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple…” (Isaiah 6:1).
Garth was deep in the darkness of male prostitution, meth, and porn addiction. But God came and rescued him through the power of the Spirit released by a father and mother who fasted and prayed for their son. God is still in the business of rescuing the worst of sinners. Let’s believe afresh in His power to change lives.
Join us this Friday night and Saturday as we host Dr. Christopher Yuan at the “Holy Sexuality and the Gospel Conference”. Register today at https://theroad.org/conference/
Pastor Steve
