Maury Davis, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Nashville suggests that all Christians—whether living in a glass house or are following John 8:7, need to start emptying the stones from their pockets.
We’ve all heard the command: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7), yet it appears there is a universal misconception that while it is acceptable to know truth, it is socially intolerable to speak truth.
Never has this been more applicable than for those with a visible past, something Pastor Maury Davis knows quite well. He was a convicted murderer, and even after 40 years, including an 8 1/2-year prison sentence and decades of demonstrated reform, his outspoken sermons of biblical truth continue to draw controversy and criticism.
Prior to the Supreme Court decision, his comments and stance on homosexuality garnered negative attention from the liberal community. Now, as homosexuality has become a national hot topic, he’s been accused on social media of “hating gays” and being intolerant to the degree of fearing that he will one day be penalized for refusing to perform a gay marriage. Standing on his platform in front of his church family, he sets the record straight.
Davis acknowledges those in the congregation who are gay, publicly declaring his love for them and that he is their pastor despite the fact that he disagrees with their lifestyle. He compares it to the love he has for every overweight person under his care.
Gluttony, after all, is listed as a sin, a deadly one, to be exact. Yet, America has such a convoluted viewpoint on what really matters in life. Apparently, being “socially acceptable” is the highest compliment one can pay these days. But Davis identifies all sin in his congregation, not just the trendy ones.
He may joke about opposite electrical plugs but these lighthearted anecdotes are accompanied by the truth. He says a homosexual lifestyle is not acceptable to God, and that’s not judgement—but truth and he speaks that truth through love.
Davis says, “Christians need to be convicted enough about the authority of the Word to not compromise based on some need for self-preservation or wrong concept of what ‘love’ really is. God is love, and yet He will Himself separate those who enter into the kingdom from those who are sent to hell. Love is not an emotion or a feeling. It is an act based on righteousness.”
Even with his public sin behind him, Davis stands firm in love and truth in the hopes that people will come to know the God that changed his life. As he says, “Forget judgment. Forget stones. Use words. Use truth. Use love.”
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