There is some debate out there about homosexuals and ‘gay marriage’. I have even been conversing with a friend of mine through e-mail about this. It all leaves with an unresolved dilemma. The problem is multi tined. On one hand, people need to know that homosexuality is wrong, bad, even unhealthy would do, and not acceptable, normal or cute. In the simplest terms, it destroys lives. That is the FIRST message that people need to come to grips with.
The second message that people need to hear is that God loves you and can rescue you from a life of depravity, no matter whether it comes from, be it drugs, alcohol or sexual addiction, even homosexuality. God wants to restore you. All you need to do is give Him and yourself a chance.
The first problem with this is that people who are caught-up in the homo-sexual-addiction, do not hear the second message because they feel personally attacked by the first message. They don’t want to be told that what they are doing is wrong, and they shut you off, so the conversation is over before you get to the good news.
As a result my friend figures that message number two is the place to start. Tell them about God’s love first. The trouble there is that they figure such a loving and caring God could not possibly be upset with his creatures practicing love one with another, and therefore never come to understand message number one.
So how do we get BOTH messages through to them?
That is my dilemma. Any suggestions?
-Dan, AKA Pastor Torch.
3 comments:
My only suggestion is that you learn to live and let live. You are responsible for your own actions. Not the decisions and actions of others. Do your best to be a loving and kind Christian whenever and wherever possible. But beware of trying to change people. I'm not saying it can't be done at all, it's just that they have to do it themselves (with God's help). I've made this mistake in the past, and ended up making matters worse. If God wants them to come around, they will. If not, well, then no amount of preaching to them or (God forbid) condemning them will avail us. In fact, we end up in (im)mortal danger ourselves if we go about pointing out the specks in other folks eyes, for often there is a log in our own.
Peace....
Hi Dan -
God gave us free will to make choices in our lives. He also commands us to love others. We have been directed to love, not hate "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." and in Luke "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." If you really want to change others' lives you must love them and pray for them. Our job is to sow the seeds of love and let God grow them. If you are condemning people it will only drive them away and they won't be able to hear God's word from you. God allows people to have free will and go astray and uses that experience in their lives later for his good. In Corinthians it says: "What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." Take heed from Martin Luther who set out to convert the Jews and when he was unsuccessful became bitter. Allow God to work through you in his way.
Peace and love to you, brother.
You probably think that God will strike me down for typing you this seemingly heinous message, but I feel the need to get my point right back across to you. I stumbled upon your blog by clicking the cheery "Next Blog" button in the top right corner of most blog pages. I was absolutely horrified when I began reading your blog. In fact, I nearly had a heart attack right in front of my computer. (Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I definitely slipped sideways on my chair and nearly cracked my head open. That is entirely true. I think your blog may be a legal liability... Once again, just kidding. About the legal part.) I find it so strange that the Christian and Catholic faiths see homosexuality as wrong, for a number of reasons. If God loves us all, and wants to forgive us all, then surely if we do wrong and repent upon death, He shall redeem us, shall he not? Your God is supposed to be kind, loving, and forgiving. On the other hand, you may think that blowing up your religious "opponents" is the right way to go about things. Hate isn't part of the road to acceptance, which is something that people of organized religions don't understand. I will make my point clear and simple: homosexuality is not a sin; that's ridiculous. Incredibly famous people throughout history who have changed the course of the world as we know it (for the better) have been involved in homosexual affairs. It doesn't make their life any less valuable or more sinful. Second, I would like to point out that most major faiths (including faiths that do not center around monotheistic ideas, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) do focus on the same ideas as Christianity (as well as Islam and Judaism); they teach moderation; they tell their followers to lead upstanding lives; they preach tolerance, justice, and morality; they instill values and honor and truth. Until you come to an understanding that nearly all faiths (save devil worship, perhaps) preach these equal and good values, you are the one who is living in sin.
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