So . . . I once met this young woman who eventually discovered I was a pastor. She asked me if I did marriages for gay couples . . . I answered as kindly as I could that I don't and told her why. A little later in the conversation she mentioned that she had a girlfriend, they loved each other and lived together. She wanted to know what I or the church thought about that. She was not challenging me; she really wanted to know. Our conversation was friendly and casual.
My response surprised me. I told her that the most important thing is what Jesus thinks of her and with Him she's just fine. I went on to tell her that He loves her and desires her love. That's what matters more than anything else. "Yeah!", I thought to myself as this conversation was going on, Jesus desires above all to love her... and me.
Sometimes we get so hung up on rules and laws that our presentation to non-Christians, of which my friend was one, sounds so threatening and judgmental. She doesn't need that and Jesus wouldn't hurt her either. He said so somewhere in Matthew 12.
I personally think that we church folks (myself included) can sometimes be too stuffy and legalistic. Maybe that's why Jesus hung out with so many 'outsiders'. It seems that they were more open to the grace of God in their lives. Just a thought.
After meeting Jesus, the disciple Andrew went to get his brother, Peter, so he could meet this Jesus. Can you imagine Andrew telling his brother, "Peter, clean up your life! No more cussing and star gazing. Start going to synagogue more . . . and for heaven's sake, wash your hands 'cause I want to introduce you to the Savior." No, that's not what he did. Nor should we.
Oh, we have to get out there in the world and let GRACE be our guide when we speak to seekers. This young woman really wants to be right with God. She wants to be good enough. Her lifestyle won't make her good enough - only her surrender to the Christ who came to seek and save that which was lost can do that.
By the way, a friend who was with me on that occasion had opportunity to share his faith with her. He introduced her to his Savior.
Maybe you have some thoughts on this - I have lots more . . . maybe a sermon is brewing.
Yours in Christ,
George
My daughter is gay, and went to Cincinnati, Bible Collage. About three months before graduation they found out and asked her to leave the school. Later the church she was going to also told her she could no longer work with the youth, or the two blind people she was working with at the church.As she is a teacher for the blind and deaf. My feelings are maybe as Christainsshe should look in our hearts a little deeper before we speak.
ReplyDeleteGod loves the sinner so much that he sent his son into the world to pour out his life. John 3,16 recently about a few months ago i was laying upon my couch, It was mid day but i just felt so very tired so i closed my eyes and started to drift off into sleep. Then as i was between sleep and awake i had a dream or vision. I will say vision, There in front of me stood a very large gateway with very big doors and there were high walls as well but only one gate. inside the entryway of this gate stood the cross and Jesus hanging upon it, He and the cross stood some 50 feet high so that if you were on the otherside of the gate you could see him hanging there upon that cross. As i looked up at him i noticed that his face was bloody, His hands and feet bleeding,Blood was pouring out from his head because of the crown of thorns, His face was swollen as it seemed he had been beaten beyound discription,His eye lids were swollen but open and looking at the entryway to the gate.Some times i could see he was in great pain because i could see him trying to move his body,But could not because the nails held him fast.He was sweating and bleeding at the same time, His head moved from side to side but always his eyes came to fall upon the entryway of that gate. Then i looked at the entryway of the gate too, As i looked i seen people comeing in and as they did they had to pass by this large figure of a man hanging upon a cross.Then i looked into the distance and seen many who had walked though the gate now walking into a bright light. Once again i looked upon Jesus hanging there blood pouring out of him from every place it seemed,I felt so undone. But as my eyes worked there way up from his feet to his face i seen him give his best smile considering the ordeal he was going though. The smile was for all the people who were coming though the gate and heading into the light. I found this scripture that kind of relates to my vision John 10, 1-18
ReplyDeleteWe all suffer in some way with sin,Some sins are pretty big, Some sins people do or have done go beyound reason, And some sin can effect whole countrys and bring floods upon the earth,As in the days of Noah.One can write volumes of books about the many different types of sins,And volumes more of how sin has effected the lives of people and the people around them or close to them. But there is this Gate, And there is this wonderful, Wonderful, kind person named Jesus Christ. And though him we can have peace. He is the open gate that leads to life, And his holy spirit guides us out of the darkness and into the light. John 17, 20-26