Josh always knew it was different. From his earliest memories, he regarded some children as more than just colleagues. His parents knew he was “special,” but they loved him for it. Did you learn to wear a mask and play?Until the end of high school.
In college, Josh decided it was time to be who he really was. He befriended other homosexuals and made sexual discoveries. Josh has found refuge in his gay community and developed connections that go far beyond sexual adventures. Although his parents distanced himself and walked away, his old friends ignored him, Josh felt he was finally free in his new identity as a homosexual.
Josh’s not a cartoon. Their experiences and history are true and common.
What if Josh were your neighbor, your colleague or your son, how would you present him with the gospel?How would you tell him about the forgiveness of sins, the community of believers, and true identity in Jesus?
In a sense, we would assume that there really is no difference in the way we present Josh with the good news compared to someone else. The fact that Josh feels a sexual attraction to people of the same sex doesn’t make him fundamentally different from the others. .
For many of my Christian friends who love Jesus and fight the same homosexual attraction, the beauty of the Gospel is that it addresses all areas of their lives and not just the expression of the fall. All of us who are believers know that. Whether we are atheists, liars, Muslims or hypocritical practitioners, there is no magical gospel for “our sin”. At the foot of the cross, we all also need God’s wonderful grace.
At the same time, Josh has some very real questions to answer. Just as an atheist, Muslim, or hypocrite would need the gospel addressed to them personally, we must learn to love Josh wherever he is when considering Jesus’ claims. You have real questions you’re struggling with, and we should look to help you find those answers.
To share the gospel with Josh or anyone else who may have questions like yours, here are some ideas to keep in mind.
Trust in the power of Jesus to help you. It can be intimidating for people who have never struggled with homosexual attraction to share the gospel with a gay man or woman. Like all those with whom we share the gospel, we fear how they will judge us and we are tempted to think they would never listen to us. Fear of man is a trap (Pv 29:25). Thus, instead of getting caught, we must trust in Jesus’ strength in us and not in our sufficiency to convey the message (Jn 15:5; 2Co 3:5). We must drink deeply from the gospel as we share it, because in it we find the power we need to be witnesses of Jesus (Acts 1:8). Trust in the power of Jesus to help you.
Think of Jesus as supreme. Friends like Josh will often want to focus on the issue of sexuality during their conversation. At the same time, we want to keep Jesus and his gospel at the center.
In order to help him, I encourage you to ask him to share his story with you, ask them to help you understand how being gay has become a central part of your identity, or ask him where he finds his identity. him if his journey has been difficult before. Meeting people is part of the process of loving them.
As you do so, ask if he can tell you why he considers your identity in Christ to be supreme. At the end of the day, we are not trying to make people heterosexual, but we want them to be saved. minimize the sins that draw people away from God, but at the same time we want to magnify those that draw us closer to God. Jesus came for sinners of all kinds, and we must keep this central message.
Is it also good to keep in mind that everyone is a sex sinner?Some less, others more importantLy does that help us rethink the conversation?Are you sexually ill and need to be like us?” We are all sexual sinners who need Jesus. “Jesus is hope for all of us, no matter how the fall manifests in our lives.
Have the compassion and conviction of Jesus. Christians have sinned in at least two main areas when it comes to reaching members of the gay community. On the one hand, some have set aside God’s clear teaching that homosexuality is a sin in an attempt to show God’s love. Love stripped of truth is not love, but deception; it is a grave sin, both against God and against man.
Be convinced of Jesus and tell the truth with love Share what the Bible teaches about homosexuality (Mt. 7:21; Rm 1. 24-27; 1C 6. 9-10; 1 Tim 1. 10). Share that there is a terrible judgment for those who reject Christ (Ap 20:11-15). He shares that there is a great cost to follow Christ and also a great hope of forgiveness and freedom for those who do so (M. 10:28-30). Tell the truth with love.
On the other hand, some have neglected compassion and maintained an attitude of superiority towards those who practice homosexual sin. Compassionless love is not love, but hypocrisy; it is also a serious sin, because it is different from Christ’s love for us.
Jesus, the man-God, was different from the world of the sinners around him, but he still had compassion for them (Mt 9:36). As we address members of the gay community, we must strive to do so with a similar heart. What could be darker than a person created in the image of God, lost in his sins and forever separated from God’s love?Ask God to help you see those in the gay community like him, so you can serve with conviction and compassion.
Place the Church of Jesus in the center. As for Josh, the gay community is a refuge from the rejection and inner confusion experienced by many homosexuals, so they find a place where they are accepted into their sins and adopted by who they are.
I believe that one of the great antidotes to this powerful tool of evil is the ecclesial community. It may seem strange given the way many demonize the church for its “intolerance,” but I believe that by building relationships with gay friends and inviting them into our homes and lives, they will see the real community they only knew in my dreams.
This is only reinforced when we, as a Church, grow in the grace of our brothers and sisters in Christ who fight against homosexual attraction. One of the most instructive moments I’ve had in the last decade has been when a neophyte was baptized and openly shared the fact that he didn’t have a homosexual lifestyle. In her testimony, she described how the Church had not only shared the gospel with compassion, but also helped her live now as a man who struggles with her old desires. he had found refuge in the church that challenged him not to embrace his sin, but to embrace the Savior.
Jesus said that everyone will know that we are his disciples through our love (John 13: 34-35). As you build relationships with gay friends, invite them to participate in your life so they can not only hear the gospel, but also see it represented through the life of their local church.
Help answer their questions. There are always objections to the gospel, and few of us feel “fully prepared” to address these objections. But God calls us to defend our hope in Jesus (1P 3,15). This means that we have to help people deal with very real problems. Here are a few that Josh made:
Part of our call as ambassadors of Christ is to help people work on issues like these and see that the Word of God has the answers. If you don’t know the answer, don’t be afraid to say, “This is a really important problem. question Can we find the answer together?
Be patient with them. Take a long-term view of evangelism. It is rare for you to share the gospel with someone and that person repents immediately. This can happen, but the process usually takes much longer.
Enter into long-term evangelistic relationships. We are impatient and this can lead us to give up too quickly when we don’t see results. People are people, not projects. Often we will not see what God does in their lives. Consider yourself part of God’s chosen means to help you see and hear the gospel of Jesus. Love is patient. Show them love being present throughout the process.
Trust in the power of Jesus to save them. The Gospel is God’s power for salvation (Romans 1:16-17). This means that the gospel for a gay man or woman is the same gospel for a heterosexual man or woman. Homosexuality is not the main sin; disbelief is the main sin. Jesus died for all kinds of sins and for all kinds of sinners.
So do not doubt the power of Christ, but pray earnestly for the receptive hearts, open doors, and remaining fruits. Trust in God’s wisdom and God’s power, not yours. Remember that every Christian is a living miracle. If Jesus can save you, He can save anyone, including Josh.