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We believe the words and actions
of both Jesus and the First 

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Church amount to a complete 
rejection of homophobia and 

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transphobia, as well as a 
complete acceptance of sexual 

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and gender minorities. 
Today we continue with Part 3 of

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this four part series from a 
sermon by Pastor Zach W Lambert 

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at Restore Austin. 
In this episode, Pastor Lambert 

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preaches on three sacred 
biblical scriptures which are 

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pro sexual minority, pro 
LGBTQIA, plus pro gay, pro 

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homosexual, pro lesbian, and pro
queer. 

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His words brought tears to my 
eyes. 

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Here is Pastor Lambert. 
In Matthew 19, Jesus is asked a 

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question about divorce. 
Now some claim divorce was 

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permissible by the husband for 
any reason, and some said it was

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only legal in certain 
situations. 

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Now remember, it's framed this 
way because wives could not 

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legally divorce their husbands 
in this culture. 

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Women couldn't really legally do
anything in this culture. 

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And so these questions are being
asked of Jesus and Jesus says 

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this. 
I tell you that anyone who 

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divorces his wife except for 
sexual immorality and marries 

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another woman commits adultery. 
And the disciples said to him, 

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if this is the situation between
a husband and wife, it's better 

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not to marry. 
This response and the disciples 

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is so chauvinist, right? 
They're basically like, if I 

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can't divorce my wife anytime 
for any reason, I'm just not 

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even going to get married. 
It's not even worth it. 

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Followers of Jesus man. 
But as he often did, Jesus uses 

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their response to make a bigger 
point. 

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Verse 11 is how he responds. 
But Jesus said to them, not 

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everyone can receive this 
saying, but only to those who it

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has been given for. 
There are eunuchs who were born 

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that way, and there are eunuchs 
who have been made that way by 

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others, and there are those who 
choose to live like eunuchs for 

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the sake of the Kingdom of 
heaven. 

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Let the one who is able to 
receive this, receive it. 

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Now Jesus mentions 3 different 
kinds of people who his 

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statement about divorce does not
apply to, and he uses the word 

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eunuch each time. 
So what is a eunuch? 

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Well, in the Bible, eunuch is an
umbrella term used to describe 

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someone in the sexual and gender
minority. 

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So sometimes eunuch refers to 
people who have been castrated 

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either voluntarily or against 
their will. 

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This happened for a variety of 
reasons. 

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So sometimes people were 
castrated actually because of a 

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job. 
People believed in the ancient 

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world that Unix had no sex 
drive. 

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Castrated people had no sex 
drive, and so they were more 

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trustworthy. 
And so they would be castrated 

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before going to work in like 
finance or in like a House of 

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royalty or something like that. 
Sometimes it was done as 

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punishment because a young boy 
did not exhibit enough masculine

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characteristics by a certain age
and so he would be castrated. 

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And then sometimes it was done 
voluntarily. 

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Somebody chose to do it to 
themselves or have it done 

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because there was a disconnect 
they felt between their 

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sexuality and gender, a 
condition we now call gender 

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dysphoria. 
Well, other times in Scripture, 

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eunuch refers more broadly to 
intersex people. 

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And then still other times 
eunuch refers to people who 

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choose to remain celibate for a 
variety of reasons. 

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But here's what I want us to 
really understand about this 

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passage. 
OK? 

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Jesus is acknowledging people 
outside of the more common 

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cisgender heterosexual 
constructs, and he's not doing 

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it in a condemning way. 
He's just saying Unix exist. 

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This is reality. 
Or to put it another way, Jesus 

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is recognizing sexual and gender
minorities. 

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So listen, if you're listening 
to this and you're a sexual and 

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gender minority, a member of the
LGBTQ plus community, this is 

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such beautiful proof that Jesus 
sees you, that Jesus talked 

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about you, and that he radically
includes you in his family. 

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Because you see those listening 
to Jesus in this statement, they

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would have been reminded of an 
Old Testament prophecy about 

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eunuchs. 
Sexual and gender minorities, 

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you see, were one of the most 
vulnerable populations in the 

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ancient world. 
And because of that, Scripture 

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says they cried out to God for 
help. 

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And here is how God responds 
through the prophet Isaiah in 

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the Old Testament. 
For this is what the Lord says 

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to the eunuchs who keep my 
Sabbaths, who choose what 

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pleases me and hold fast to my 
covenant. 

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To them I will give within my 
house and it's walls a memorial 

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and a name better than sons and 
daughters. 

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I will give them an everlasting 
name that will endure forever. 

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Now notice it doesn't say that 
God is going to fix these units.

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He's going to change these 
units. 

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He simply says if they follow 
him, they will be welcomed into 

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his home and into his eternal 
family. 

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So listen, if you're someone who
is experiencing gender dysphoria

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or who identifies as non binary,
I want you to really listen to 

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that promise. 
God says even when you don't 

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feel like you fit neatly into 
the category of sons and 

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daughters, He promises to give 
you a name better than sons and 

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daughters. 
That is unbelievable, that is 

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beautiful, and the promise keeps
going. 

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These I will bring into my holy 
mountain and give them joy in My

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House of prayer. 
Their burnt offerings and 

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sacrifices will be accepted on 
my altar, for my house will be 

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called the House of Prayer for 
All Nations. 

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I love that it ends by saying 
that my house will be called a 

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House of prayer for all nations.
Everyone is welcome. 

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Did you know that's the exact 
same phrase that Jesus yells out

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as he flips over the tables of 
oppression and marginalization 

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the temple courts just days 
before he's killed on the cross?

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My house will be a House of 
prayer for all nations. 

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That's why he yells out because 
there is room for anyone in 

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God's house, because there is a 
seat for everyone at God's 

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table, and because God's family 
is all inclusive. 

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Now for the first church, this 
radical inclusion of a sexual 

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and gender minority wasn't just 
theoretical, it was actually 

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something that they explicitly 
practiced. 

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So look with me at Acts chapter 
8 starting in verse 26 says now 

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an Angel of the Lord said to 
Philip, go South to the road, 

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the desert Rd. that goes down 
from Jerusalem to Gaza. 

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So he started out and on his way
he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an 

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important official in charge of 
all of the treasury of the 

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conduct, which means queen of 
Ethiopians. 

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This man had gone to Jerusalem 
to worship and on his way home 

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was sitting in his chariot 
reading the book of Isaiah the 

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prophet. 
Now Philip, he's one of the main

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leaders in the 1st century 
church. 

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He's told by an Angel of the 
Lord to go meet this person who 

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becomes known as the Ethiopian 
unit. 

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Now like I said a moment ago, 
there were lots of reasons that 

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someone became known as a 
eunuch, but what's most 

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important to understand is that 
they were in this sexual and 

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gender minority. 
And because of that, he would 

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not have been allowed to even 
enter the temple in Jerusalem, 

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much less worship there. 
Jewish law strictly forbidden. 

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So think about this y'all, The 
Ethiopian eunuch travels about 

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1500 miles from Ethiopia to 
worship God in the temple in 

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Jerusalem, only to be turned 
away, only to be told no one 

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wants you here, only to be 
called unclean and defiled in an

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abomination because of his 
sexual and gender minority 

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status. 
Put yourself in his shoes for a 

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moment. 
Think about how he must have 

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felt. 
He travels for weeks in pursuit 

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of this God he's been reading 
about, and when he arrives, the 

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people representing this God 
completely shun him. 

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Now, for many of you in the 
LGBTQ plus community, you don't 

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have to imagine that you've 
experienced it first hand. 

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But even after all that, this 
man is still reading the Bible 

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on his way home. 
Isn't that incredible? 

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He's still pursuing God even 
though he's been told you can 

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never be included. 
So God obviously knows what has 

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happened to the Ethiopian eunuch
and that's why he sends Philip 

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to meet him. 
Verse 29, the Spirit of God told

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Philip, go to that chariot and 
stay near it. 

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Then Philip ran up to the 
chariot. 

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He heard the man reading Isaiah.
The prophet Philip said, do you 

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understand what you're reading? 
And the Ethiopian eunuch said, 

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how can I unless someone 
explains it to me? 

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This question from the Ethiopian
Eunuch is one of the most 

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powerful sentences in my 
opinion, in all of scripture, 

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and it is a searing indictment 
on how the church has so often 

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treated LGBTQ plus people. 
How can I understand it? 

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He asked. 
I've travelled 1500 miles, I've 

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tried to worship in your temple.
I've met everyone that I can. 

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I've asked them what it means, 
but no one will explain it to 

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me. 
Yo, I've lost count of the 

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number of LGBTQ plus folks who 
have asked me if they are 

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allowed to be a part of the 
family of God even though 

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they're queer. 
And after I say of course, yes, 

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yes, of course you are. 
I always ask, have you ever 

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asked any other Christians or 
pastors that question? 

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And do you know what most people
say? 

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They say I've tried to, but no 
one will talk to me about 

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anything other than how I'm 
living in sin. 

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How can I understand? 
No one will explain it to me. 

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But like so many sexual and 
gender minorities I know, the 

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Ethiopian eunuch is undeterred. 
Even after experiencing bigotry 

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and exclusion, he still wants to
be a part of God's family. 

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And so God sends Philip to 
welcome him with open arms. 

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And at the Ethiopian eunuchs 
request, Philip climbs into the 

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chariot and begins talking to 
him about Isaiah, what he was 

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reading verse 35. 
Philip began with that very 

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passage of Scripture and told 
him the good news about Jesus. 

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And as they travelled along the 
road, they came to some water 

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and the eunuch said, look, here 
is water. 

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What can stand in the way of me 
being baptized? 

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What a question. 
When Philip hears it, I'm sure 

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the first thing that goes 
through his mind is a whole lot 

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could stand in the way of you 
being baptized. 

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Because basically every single 
thing about the Ethiopian eunuch

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had historically been used to 
keep people from being a part of

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the family of God, His skin 
colour, his occupation, his 

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citizenship, and most of all his
status as a sexual and gender 

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minority. 
I cannot, I cannot overstate 

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what an important moment this is
in the history of the church. 

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Because the real question that's
being asked here is who can be 

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included in God's family? 
Who's allowed in? 

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After all, that's what baptism 
represents, full inclusion into 

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both God's family and a church 
family. 

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It's one thing to read scripture
with someone in a chariot, it's 

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another thing to fully include 
them in the church and in God's 

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family through baptism. 
Philip could have easily pointed

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out any of those excluding 
factors and said, I'm sorry, I 

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can't baptize you, but he 
doesn't. 

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Verse 37, Philip said if you 
believe with all your heart, you

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may. 
And the eunuch answered, I 

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believe that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God and he gave orders to

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stop the chariot. 
Then both Philip and the eunuch 

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went down to the water and 
Philip baptized him. 

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What an incredible story that 
just never gets taught in the 

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church and it makes me so mad. 
I think my favorite part is that

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three different times it says 
Philip is being being explicitly

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directed by God every step of 
the way. 

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Why? 
Because he wants to make sure 

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that everyone who reads this 
understands that the full 

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inclusion of sexual and gender 
minorities in the family of God 

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is God's idea. 
Excluding and marginalizing 

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people based on their sexual 
orientation and gender identity 

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is in direct opposition to God's
design for his family and for 

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the local church. 
I believe that with all of my 

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heart, and that is why we are 
committed to full inclusion of 

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LGBTQ plus people here at 
Restore. 

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Now, we've done our best to be 
clear about this commitment for 

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a long time. 
We've got statements about it on

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our website. 
We talked about it in the 

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welcome video every single week.
But let me put it directly. 

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So there is absolutely no 
ambiguity here at Restore. 

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LGBTQ Plus people are fully 
loved exactly as they are, and 

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they are fully included in every
part of our church family. 

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There are no restrictions based 
on someone's sexual orientation 

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and your gender identity. 
And this is true whether someone

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is in a relationship or not, 
whether they are pursuing 

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celibacy or not, whether they 
have transitioned or not, 

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etcetera. 
Now, this does not mean that 

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everyone who is a part of the 
church family interpret 

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Scripture the same way. 
Our goal is not theological or 

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ideological uniformity, but we 
are completely committed to 

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unity around full inclusion. 
And that means that if you are 

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here at Restore telling sexual 
and gender minorities that they 

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aren't fully image bearers of 
God or that they aren't welcome 

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in God's family, or that there's
some restriction on how they can

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participate in our church, we're
going to have a problem. 

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We have drawn a line at full 
inclusion of all people. 

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This is who we are because this 
is who we feel God has called us

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to be. 
For 2000 years, sexual and 

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gender minorities have been 
doing their best to follow 

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Jesus, and the majority of 
Christians have been too bigoted

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to notice. 
Homophobia and transphobia have 

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caused immeasurable harm to 
queer folks, but it's also 

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really messed up the church. 
Because when we exclude people 

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that God specifically tells us 
to include, we miss out on the 

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gifts and talents that they 
bring. 

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We miss out on the unique ways 
in which they bear God's image 

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and fully express the fruit of 
the Spirit. 

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For far too long, churches and 
Christians have tried to take 

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Jesus from LGBTQ plus people, 
and we are committed to making 

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that stop. 
Wow, what a sermon. 

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There is so much in it. 
Pastor Lambert starts by quoting

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Jesus teaching on eunuchs and 
sexual minorities in Matthew 19.

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Then Pastor Lambert quotes 
Isaiah 1 of the greatest of the 

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Old Testament prophets talking 
of faithful eunuchs and sexual 

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minorities. 
Isaiah says God promises. 

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I will give within my house and 
its walls a memorial and a name 

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better than sons and daughters. 
I will give them an everlasting 

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name that will endure forever. 
Truly, God has created you for a

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very special purpose. 
Pastor Lambert has this 

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insightful observation on 
Isaiah's message. 

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God says even when you don't 
feel like you fit neatly into 

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the category of sons and 
daughters, He promises to give 

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you a name better than sons and 
daughters. 

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That is unbelievable. 
And then Pastor Lambert closes 

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with the story of the Ethiopian 
eunuch, a person of color and a 

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sexual minority, about which 
Pastor Lambert says. 

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Now, for the first church, this 
radical inclusion of a sexual 

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and gender minority wasn't just 
theoretical, it was actually 

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something that they explicitly 
practice. 

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I cannot overstate what an 
important moment this is in the 

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history of the church, because 
the real question that's being 

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asked here is who can be 
included in God's family? 

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Who's allowed in? 
And the answer is you. 

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You are included in God's family
regardless of your skin color 

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and regardless of your sexual 
orientation. 

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If you are going through a dark 
time, please find a church or a 

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pastor that proclaims the good 
news of Jesus Christ, the Good 

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News inviting all to the table. 
Unfortunately, many churches 

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hide their homophobia and 
transphobia. 

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I have found the simplest way is
to ask if they will marry same 

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sex couples and if the answer is
no, look elsewhere. 

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And if you can't find an 
affirming, supportive church, 

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reach out to 
pastorlambert@restoreaustin.org.

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The link is in the notes. 
In the next and final episode of

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this four part series, Pastor 
Lambert deals with several of 

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the scriptures that conservative
churches and conservative 

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theologians have weaponized, 
twisted and misused to attack 

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sexual minorities. 
Until then, remember that God 

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created you exactly as you are 
and promises you a place in His 

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Kingdom better than sons or 
daughters. 

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I am Elton Sherwin, stay safe 
and God bless.