Ryan Swanson: Welcome back to the Satisfied podcast. I’m thankful you’ve joined us again here on the Thee Generation Network. Before we jump right back into our series on Twisted Passions, where we left off last month, I need to address some people brought to my attention that somehow in the last episode, I didn’t mention at all that my son was just born.

So Stephanie and I had our second, and his name is Charlie David, Charlie named after Charlie Kirk, who, as you know, if you listen to our podcast, has had quite an impact on myself, especially after his passing and looking into and being impacted by his testimony.

And then his middle name, David, comes from my dad, Terry David Swanson, who is just as much a man of integrity and a wise man, someone I respect so much and is one of my best friends to this day. So we’re excited about Charlie David then carrying on the legacy of both of those men and some of the most devoted and integrous men of integrity. That I know.

And so we’re excited about him and thankful for a healthy baby and mom. So he came in just shy of 9 pounds and 21 1⁄2 inches. So he’s a pretty big dude.

He’s going to pass me up, I’m sure, before long because he is long. He’s a big dude. But we are very thankful for him.

Now getting back into our series here on Twisted Passions, dealing with homosexuality and same-sex attraction, I will say I have probably spent more time in deep conversations with pastors and mentors on this podcast, and really the last two podcasts, than any other podcast or series we’ve done so far is satisfied.

This has been something very deep to work through, and even this episode right here, I think this may be the first time I’ve done this, but I’ve had to re-record this several times because I found that the more I talked and deliberated on the issue, it’s just easy to expound further than what Scripture gives us on this issue. And this issue, of course, if you’ve listened to the previous podcast, is on Matthew 19’s dealing with the eunuch.

And I would encourage you, if you’ve not listened to the previous podcast, then do that before Listen to this. I mean the previous episode. Listen to that one.

I believe it was called Another Alternative. Make sure you listen to that before this one. It’s going to make sense.

And this is really dealing with and addressing some questions that arose because of that last episode. And so what I just want to do, though, this will be much shorter than the previous episode. But what I want this to be doing is just to simply address the specific questions that have come up that might go one of two directions that we’ll cover.

And just have it be helpful to clarify and to specifically help people from going out the wrong window or being overly confused by this idea of the eunuch and the teaching on the eunuch in Matthew 19. To recap real quickly, we’re excited to present the biblical, maybe, possibility, but it’s quite convincing in a truth that even was taught by early church writers.

This is the way Matthew 19 was always understood, and that is, Jesus is taking the familiar idea of the eunuch, someone who was of incredible value to the kingdom and to the king to which he served, and he’s taking that historic idea of the eunuch as someone that was made that way of man, and then he’s applying it in two other ways in which are possibilities for church-age believers.

And he does that actually in context of teaching on marriage and divorce and the fact that marriage is an unending covenant. And so when the disciples hear that, they’re scared and they’re saying, maybe it’s better that we don’t get married. And then Jesus says, well, that is an option, but it’s not for the faint of heart and it’s not for everyone.

And so here’s the options. Here’s the options. And he lists out this brief teaching on the eunuch.

And really, we focused last time on those that were born, that Jesus says are born eunuchs. They are made that way of God. And the way that we found that helpful, and this is incredible and so exciting, really, is that when you ask so many that say that they were born gay, and you really dig in deep and say, well, when was the first time that you recognized same-sex desires?

They, at least in my experience, and again, not the most extensive, but it feels like quite a few at this point that I have dealt with and my wife has dealt with that are struggling with same-sex attraction that we’ve asked, when did you first realize or notice the same-sex desires in your heart? And they kind of stutter a bit and say, well, I’m not sure exactly when that started.

However, I remember from a very early age being confused because I didn’t have the same desires that my peers or my sisters or my brothers had. Even since our last episode, I’ve had several more reach out and say, yep, I can relate to that. I was always, I was confused why a girl said my sisters had always had an attraction to boys, and I didn’t.

I didn’t have the sexual desire that they had. And it began as a fear of, with her mom, oh no, I’m going to end up lesbian. What are we going to do?

And it didn’t start with gay or lesbian desires. That’s not where it began. It began with the absence of desire.

And then many times, as we dealt with in the last podcast, somebody who is in that situation who cannot relate to others that are, and many times, unfortunately, the only answer we have in picture of victory we have to them is just to kind of force marriage on them, a heterosexual marriage that just doesn’t even, it can’t compute in their brain because perhaps they weren’t made for that.

And when they weren’t made for heterosexual marriage, that doesn’t mean they were made for homosexual marriage. That’s where we have gone wrong in our church teaching, where we see that as the only other alternative would be something sinful. We don’t condone it, but we say the only other alternative to heterosexual marriage is homosexuality, and that can’t be right.

So then we just push this idea that victory must look like you’re married with kids and a family someday, that might not be what God has for them. And that’s where this idea of there’s another alternative comes in, and that’s Matthew 19.

And this could be where many have gone astray that now have ended up in homosexuality because there they finally found people that maybe they can relate to that seem to love them as they are and don’t try to push something on them that just can’t compute in their mind. and so maybe now they have some perverted desires that feel like same-sex attraction, but it didn’t start there. That was a perversion later on.

And I think many who say, well, I just feel like I was born this way, are not actually saying truly that they were born gay, but it’s that they were born without heterosexual desires, that they see, they view as normal. This is what normal people have, and I don’t have those desires, so I don’t fit in with any of them.

I only fit in with this group of people, and again, the only other alternative seems to be a homosexual lifestyle. So that’s what we focused on last month in that episode, Another Alternative, mainly those that are born that way, And there’s really a couple different responses we got from that podcast. It was all positive, by the way.

There wasn’t a single person that came back and said, I can’t believe you’re teaching this. This is heresy, which I’m not going to say I expected that, but I also am wondering the whole time that I’m teaching on this, why have I never heard this before? And so there was a little bit of apprehension, though I did go to quite a few counselors and mentors myself before presenting this.

But there’s a couple different responses from that podcast. One is just some saying, I definitely relate to the confusion. What do I do now?

So the confusion is in, yeah, I relate. I remember the time of just not necessarily being attracted to the same gender, but just not having that desire towards the opposite gender, being so confused and worried and scared to death that I was going to end up gay. And so what do we do at that point?

But then there’s others saying, now that all sounds good. And man, being called to be a eunuch or choosing to set ourselves aside any point of singleness towards servants of the king, that sounds awesome. And so how do I know if that’s me, if that’s what I’m supposed to do?

And I just want this podcast to really be clarifying and to help people from being perhaps too introspective on this topic. Because unlike most of the podcasts that we’ve had on the Satisfied podcast, most of the episodes have applied to just about everyone. And with different principles of purity, with seeking God, emotional purity, all these things can apply to just about every person.

but actually Jesus tells us that’s not the case for this aspect here. It’s for a very specific group of people, and so I don’t feel like it’s right for you to be really spending too much energy wondering if this is you and getting all caught up in it. I think you’re going to know, and here’s why I think that.

Let’s look at how Jesus actually begins and ends this very short discussion on the eunuch in Matthew 19, verse number 11. But he said unto them, remember he’s talking to the disciples, all men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. And then he ends the discussion just in the next verse, in verse number 12, saying, he that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

So this discussion of the eunuch is sandwiched in between two almost apologetic statements from Jesus himself, saying, just so you know, this isn’t for everyone. You asked, you brought it up, the point of singleness, speaking to the disciples. You guys brought it up.

You wanted to know, here’s the options of being a eunuch. It is an option, but it’s not for everyone. And he that can receive it, he that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

And then he moves on after that. So the idea is there, I think you’re going to know if this is something God has for you. But regardless, I think there’s a principle here that many of us can at least learn from, if not apply to at different points of our lives.

And that’s what I’m just going to refer to as the eunuch principle.

And maybe this is the most important thing we can gain from this, because I think there may be a minority in our audience that this is absolutely life-changing because they were born this way, and they have been confused and wondered what’s going on with their life, and now they recognize and perhaps are given a bit of a new identity here in the special calling that they have on their life to be a devoted, undistracted servant of the King.

That’s amazing, And if that’s you, I think you’re going to know it. You’re going to know that this is referring to you. It’s going to click.

It’s going to make sense. And even then, don’t overthink it too much. Just surrender and live for Christ as your soul passion, as you were created for a relationship only with him.

But for others and maybe the rest of us, let’s focus on the second part of some can be eunuchs by choice. They can choose to, and again, for the very specific purpose of serving God. And for that specifically, I want us to look at this eunuch principle that I would boil down to this, and I’ll clarify it.

But the eunuch principle is simply singleness is a gift. And I hesitated a little bit to use that word gift because I don’t want it to be necessarily confused with Paul’s reference to the gift of singleness in 1 Corinthians 7. though I think it does enter in here.

It’s not exclusively Jesus’ point in his discussion here on the eunuch, but even early church writers used the word gift to refer to what’s going on here in Matthew 19 with this eunuch. So singleness is a gift. It’s either something God gives you or something you give God.

If at any point you find yourself without immediate passion or the option for marriage relationship. You have an opportunity to live as a fully devoted, undistracted servant of your king. Serve him now like it’s your last chance.

And I say it that way because here’s the principle here. Instead of getting caught up with, man, is that me? I don’t know.

I mean, maybe I don’t have the desire right now, but maybe I will someday, I’m not sure, and so I don’t want to commit to this thing, and we’ll cover that in just a minute. But here’s the point. Are you single?

Are you single? Are you without either the passion for it? Maybe you don’t have the desires for it right now.

You don’t have the desire for marriage or the relationship aspect, and so you don’t have the immediate passion, or maybe you don’t have the option. Maybe you’d like to be married, but that’s not what God has given you right now. You don’t have the option for it.

So instead of just waiting around feeling like you can’t do anything for God until you find yourself in a marriage relationship, well, actually, that’s completely untrue in light of what we’ve just learned from the eunuch principle, and that is that no singleness is a gift. You can accomplish more for God likely than you ever will be able to in your life. So serve him now like it’s your last chance.

I’m saddened to think times in our churches, we treat singleness like it’s a handicap. And so many times the entire goal of a single ministry is just to get people hooked up and married so they can get on with life and be normal like the rest of us. I think if we truly recognize this eunuch principle, we would see singleness as a gift.

We’d not want to rush anyone from that stage of singleness as long as they are actively involved in service to their king. Now, it’s also true that marriage is a gift, and it’s true that he that findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and as God leads and guides, it absolutely should be in our sights as a part of God’s plan for us if he has that for you.

But the point is taking, like remember Abraham’s servant, and as he referred to, as God led him to a wife for Isaac, he said, I being in the way the Lord led me, and that’s exactly where God’s going to find you. And again, it’s kind of my point. Instead of sitting around wondering, well, is this me?

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to, if there’s anything for me from this eunuch principle here, if I’m supposed to be single, if I’m supposed to be pursuing marriage right now, or if I’m supposed to be waiting until the right time, and I don’t know what to do, and maybe I was born this way. Maybe I’m not. Maybe I have the desires for it right now, or I don’t, and maybe I will someday.

I’m not sure. And after hearing these podcasts and discussions on the eunuch, I don’t want anyone to fall into that category. Here’s what I want us to do.

I simply want you to recognize that singleness is an asset, and don’t waste it. Whether you’re single for another day or another year or five years. Do not waste it.

It’s a gift from God. And whether you were created for singleness or not, all of us are single at some point in our lives, and all of us can learn from this passage that singleness is an asset to the kingdom. So what’s this look like?

Let’s say you’re listening and you’re a 16-year-old girl, which, by the way, I think another fair question is, does this apply to women as well? And I think you’d absolutely have to say it does. Now, scholars more versed in the Greek language here have dug in deep and have made the point that actually the word eunuch that is used by Jesus specifically gives place for the feminine usage word.

And I think that’s definitely a possibility. And not only do I say that because of experience and the ladies that have already reached out and say how relatable this text now is to them, but also because we have a good amount of examples in Scripture of single women who were extremely effective in their intentional service of the King. And we may get into those as well as examples of men in that category in a future podcast.

But getting back to this example, so let’s say there’s a listener who’s a 16-year-old girl, and you’re saying, man, I really relate to the fact that I don’t have the same desires that maybe my sisters have towards those of the opposite gender, and I’m not sure what to do with that, and I’ve been really scared.

And so maybe this is ringing a bell for you, and it could be the fact that you fall into the category of someone that God has specifically designed not for marriage. But at 16 years old, can you really know that? I don’t think you can, but I also don’t think that you need to know that at 16 years old.

No, you know what you need to do? You need to follow the eunuch principle from this passage. If at any point you find yourself without immediate passion or option for a marriage relationship, you have an opportunity to live as a fully devoted, undistracted servant of your king.

Serve him now like it’s your last chance. You know what you need to do with your life if you find yourself in that position, being so confused and afraid of where this could lead and what’s going to happen? You may or may not have been born for a life of singleness.

You’re not sure. All you know is today I’m single. Today I don’t have those desires maybe.

Today perhaps I don’t have that passion. Perhaps today I don’t have the option for marriage. I’m confused.

I’m fearful. But instead, get busy loving and serving your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Because that you know is what he’s called you to do today.

And I don’t find anywhere in Scripture where there’s a pressure to commit to a life as a eunuch, or commit to celibacy, as some would say and call it. But if he has you there now, then serve him now with all you have. Now, Paul would say, even after he stresses the vitality and the benefits of single, and he’s encouraging to remain single even as he is.

But even Paul says, but if you marry, you do not sin. So if this is where God has you today, I don’t see any reason why he couldn’t change those desires in a year or two or whatever and give you these desires then for marriage and have that in his plan for you. You don’t need to have that figured out today.

You say, well, I’m just 16 or 17 and I’m not sure if God’s going to give me those desires later or not for men and for a relationship for men. Well, just don’t worry about that right now. The fact is you have a gift.

You have a gift. You’ve been given a period of time of singleness to be undistracted that way. And especially if you don’t have those desires right now.

What a gift to be able to serve your God. He’s chosen you in a special way to be able to serve him. And so do so with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

And friend, here’s the point. What’s the worst that could happen? What’s the worst that could happen if you get so involved in ministry and in service right now?

Do you think that if God actually does have in his plan for you marriage in the future, don’t you think he knows where to find you? Don’t you think that he can find and give you those desires later on? that’s where he’s going to find you.

When you’re busy in service and doing his will he’s going to find you there. Don’t worry about it. If this is God’s plan he’s going to lead you.

But regardless let’s just remember that singleness is a gift. It’s a gift either we were born with and that God gives us or it’s a gift that we can choose at any point to give God. And if you’re single right now for whatever reason, for whatever amount of time, you would do well to go before your king and say, I’m here.

I’m available. Put me to work. What can I do?

How can I love you? I’m here for you. I’m all yours.

Well, we need to continue this in a future episode. Please reach out to me, ryanatsatisfied.org, with your question and other comments and insights, maybe a testimony that you wouldn’t mind sharing to be a help to others anonymously here on the podcast.

I have no doubt that I and we have so much to learn on this topic, but I am extremely thankful that the Bible is not silent on the issue, that we do have instruction in this way, and we want to cover every corner of it as we walk through and deal with this issue of same-sex attraction. Well, I hope that if you’re single, you will apply the eunuch principle that we’ve discussed today. Treat that as a gift.

You have an opportunity, and maybe a fleeting one, to serve God without distraction. So love and serve Him with your heart, soul, mind, and strength, expecting to be less gratified and more satisfied with Jesus Christ. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Thee Generation Podcast.

If you’ve been blessed or helped in any way by this episode or any other episodes, please consider sharing what God has done in your life. Your testimony could be exactly what someone else needs to take their own step out of the boat.