Life as a transgender male for three decades until she found Christ! My name is Luca Jo Groppoli. I am a graduate of Christ For the Nations Bible College, where I was also ordained. I am Associate Director with Agape First Ministries. It is my mission to go, make disciples of the nations, to tell the world, that Jesus can, and does in fact transform people, even people like me, who lived as a transgender male for over 3 decades. Let’s make Jesus famous together, by connecting the lost to the heart of the Father.
In this series about LGBT Doctrines (https://www.agapefirstministries.org/…) we’ve been reviewing different doctrines surrounding the LGBT+ ideas. We have recently been discussing Side B “Gay Christianity” (Celibate) and contrasting the common doctrines against what scripture says. Today we will be talking about sanctification, it’s intersection with holiness, righteousness, and our salvation. What is sanctification? How does it work in the repentant individual who desires to leave behind the LGBT identity and lifestyle? Does God transform hearts and minds? To what degree? Is it just about our behaviors? Is grace there to prevent us from sinning? These and more discussed today.
Still lingering in Genesis 6 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and says that he was a just man perfect in his generations, Noah walked with God. Another version says he was blameless!! What the heck? Let’s look at these two words. I was astounded that God would establish His covenant with humanity, through one man Noah? Why him? How did he live his life that God established His covenant with that one man? “Although the Bible does not explicitly mention a covenant until Gen 6:18 (when God announces that he intends to establish a covenant with Noah), many believe that God made a covenant with Adam (cf. Hos 6:7; see NIV text note there). They refer to this covenant with Adam as “the covenant of works” or a “covenant with creation”. Others, however, while not denying that God had a relationship with Adam involving mutual obligations, distinguish this from a covenant, which involves additional formalizing elements such as a sworn and/or enacted oath.” (Tree of life reference.) So Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Hebrew word chen (חֵן), meaning “grace.” he found favor, not like ” he’s my favorite” but more like God looked upon him and was pleased, sort of like when you teach your child something, then suddenly, you see her walking it out, such as making her bed, cleaning her room, scripture says when you listen to your mom and dad, life will go well for you, so I’m guessing, the same rule applies to us with our Father yes? When we follow the good and safe instructions, we open ourselves up for God’s goodness to come in. Let’s say your son has a bad habit of wandering off into the street, eek! You tell your child no, that’s not safe, it’s my job to keep you safe, and your job to be a good listener, that’s laying groundwork for the next stage. Finally, after having to watch him constantly and carefully, he no longer walks towards the street, and then, the parents can give him more freedom, that’s receiving goodness and favor yes? Listen, obey,.and things will go well for you. Scripture goes on to say that Noah was BLAMELESS!! What does that mean, to be blameless? When we have this fleshy, natural(unnatural) hell bent towards doing wrong? תָּמִים blameless. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: tamim Phonetic Spelling: (taw-meem’) Definition: complete, sound, wholesome, having integrity.(Bible Hub) So God established His covenant with Noah. Why? Well, in short terms, we blew it in the Garden, BUT GOD, He wasn’t caught off guard or saying “OH MYSELF WHATEVER SHALL I DO?” He already had the cure to our sinful nature, JESUS, and all these covenants were leading somewhere.. where? JESUS. Reading scripture through God’s eyes vs our broken condition gives whole new insight into Him, and His intentions for humanity. It’s like our eyes are veiled. Ever remember seeing those glass square building blocks people use in their home to build a wall? I’ve seen them more in dentist offices. I think they are like 6×6. Although they are glass, you cannot really see through them, because of how they are constructed. You can see images through them, but there is no clarity, it’s like that. If we WANT to see through, it’s gonna take another way, like going around, or going up a ladder to see what’s really happening on the other side of that wall. So change the mindset, try seeing things through the lense of God and His intent for mankind. He is MERCIFUL, full of COMPASSION. Slow to anger, nd ABOUNDING in love. He loves to be with us, He wants us to get to KNOW HIM. In getting to know Him, you will understand His requirements, God has requirements beloved. He’s not flakey, “Oh I think I’ll throw some blessing on so and so today, just for craps and giggles” Anyway… So God established His covenant with Noah, because of how he lived his life, he spent time with the Lord, understanding how He is, what moves His heart, what are His ways? He listened, and as we see in the first mention of listen, it means to OBEY! How we gonna obey if we don’t A. Know God intimately? Spend time understanding Him, pay attention to how He responds, what His heart is for His creation? So often times I hear believers say, “use me God” or “move through me God” “Let Your will be done in and through me Lord” yet lack any discipline to get to know Him through, prayer, worship and reading the word. I’ll assure you, if you have a destiny and a calling on your life, which all believers do, you ain’t gonna get there until you start at the bottom, there’s no shortcut. You HAVE TO establish a good, solid foundation, like building your house on a solid foundation, remind you of anything? Jesus said everyone who hears his words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Then he went on to say everyone who hears his words and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand . Either we develop a habit of getting to know God, spend time with Him DAILY, or we don’t. Look through scripture, although God still moved through broken man and still does, God is looking for people who have chutzpah, integrity of heart, some grit to stand true to His instructions. We need to stop acting like children who are hell bent on wandering into the street, so God can advance the Kingdom THROUGH us. Self included. So I leave you with these questions: what are you hoping will happen? And what do you intend to do about it? There’s a God part, and an us part. God made a covenant WITH us, so that means we have a part. If you give God mediocrity you’re going to get mediocrity back.
I must confess, I am not great at blogging, it’s difficult for me to write blogs, one because I stink at typing, and I really don’t know what to talk about, although my brain thinks a great deal, about some really deep things.
I am not good with grammar and punctuation, and I really stink at spelling, I’m grateful this thing has auto correct.
I have a wide variety of interests in life, mostly…Jesus, He is the love of my life.
So the heck with how I’m “suppose to be” and “suppose to blog” I’m just gonna do my thing and if you like it you like, if ya don’t that’s ok too.
Today I was watching a video on Facebook, this girl was autistic and had some really interesting things to say about herself, mainly i liked the fact that she was just herself, she was dressed much like a male cowboy might dress, and right away I made a judgment. I will see if I can post the video here, if I can figure it out lol.
The things is, I began to wonder how Jesus saw people? Like, did He see through all the messy flesh of how we act and behave and just see the heart and or the soul of who we are underneath all the pain and hut we experienced in life?
If so, I want that, how can I do that? So often, I see the Jesus in me, and I like so many things about how God made me, its really exciting to be me (most of the time) although being 59 and living alone, sometimes makes me think I’m losing my marbles…LOL.
The Bible, when I read it, makes me reflect my own self, it forces me to look inward and it allows me the opportunity to see where I fall short and ask the Lord to help me, not the book of Psalms though, that makes me wanna call down the fire of God. And sometimes I do:) I think sometimes we have to, I don’t believe we should just allow evil to prevail on earth without calling those things that are not as though they are. Anyway..
Peoples hearts, what gets in the way? Why is it so hard for me to A. See beyond the things that that hide our true self, under our hurts? And B. Why is it so difficult to allow others to see the “real authentic self” under all my hurts and messiness?
Jesus lived His life in a fishbowl, He was always Himself, and it didn’t seem to bother Him what people thought of Him. Why? Because He was confident in knowing who He was in the Father? What was it?
How did He see the heart of people, it fascinates me so, I long for that.
Abba, help me to see peoples hearts the way you do, help me to not judge people based on their looks, or if they are gay, straight, anything, just to see the very center of who it is that You made them to be, and then Father, help me to show others the same.
I would love to hear your thoughts, you can write back. I really wish you would, I like conversing, maybe we could get a up of tea…
