Get involved in a ministry that reaches out to homosexuals.

[kdet]

Our Tuesday night study group is discussing ways that Christians can minister to homosexuals. I found this article tonight while surfing and it really struck a chord with me.

instead of putting all of your hopes in this legal basket, create or get involved in a ministry that reaches out to homosexuals. That's right. Show them, with a sincere concern, that Christ not only created us, but He saves us. Christ came to die for homosexuals, too. Stand up, be salt and light. You do not need to bash. Christians should not bash a person. Show them sincere concern for their soul. This does not mean you bring yourself down to their moral level to reach them; but you can reach them while remaining distinct and sanctified.

Also, in your marriage, live the godly example and testimony that you should. Make them jealous. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25, Colossians 3:19); and wives love your husbands as the church loves Christ (Ephesians 5:23, Titus 2:4).



Resources for the Christian/Ministry to use in witnessing to homosexuals
- without 'bashing'.

• Gospel tracts and booklets wcuweb.com - also, many articles from a Christian perspective on homosexual issues and arguments (born that way, health consequences, etc.)

http://www.informedchristians.com/articles/ART-thoughts_marriage.htm

 

[Merseymike]

Or support ministries which affirm gay people , rather than 'reaching out' to them expecting them to change - dependent on your theological perspective.

 

[kdet]

Or support ministries which affirm gay people , rather than 'reaching out' to them expecting them to change - dependent on your theological perspective.

I'm sure you can start a thread of your own all about that. However this thread is not about lying to homosexuals and condoning their lifestyle but instead helping them to be free from it.

 

[Merseymike]

Simply pointing out that there are two sorts of organisation and that one person's idea of 'outreach' may be very different from anothers, depending on what they believe.

Happily, few gay people wish to be reached out to in the way you describe, and those organisations are notoriously unsuccessful.

Love will out.

 

[kdet]

A Christian homosexual? By Don

A Christian homosexual. Can these two terms by used together? Well, they have been for quite a few years. However, if one studies the Bible, God's inspired word, it is obvious that one cannot be a practicing homosexual and a Christian in good standing at the same time.

Still, I know some active homosexuals who attend church regularly and probably have not given the matter as serious attention as is warranted. I myself was in that category for fifty years. It was not until I discovered Exodus over a year ago that I began to study the scriptures in a new light with regard to this issue.

In over two years of celibacy, I have grown spiritually in my understanding of this subject. I was not comfortable in my two abortive relationships. I had lived a life of fear of discovery, guilt, and shame, and I always felt like a supreme hypocrite. But, I also believed the homosexual lie that I was born that way and could not change. A secular psychiatrist had even encouraged me to continue pursuing a homosexual relationship.

Through my counseling and support group at an Exodus ministry, I have found that I can gradually change actions and thought patterns that had dogged me my entire life. For the first time ever I am forming healthy relationships with men in my church and neighborhood and even at the pool where I exercise daily. The locker room is no longer a place of almost unbearable lust. I no longer feel a persistent sense of shame.

Since a working knowledge of God's word will help us dispel the gay lobby's lies, I have listed a few Biblical quotations that deal with sexual purity. I have not given a treatise on each one as the passages speak for themselves. There really isn't much that needs to be interpreted. The question is, "Are we willing to follow what the Bible teaches, and do we view God's word as our irrefutable guide?" For years, I preferred to be blind to it.

The apostle Paul's letters to the Corinthian and Roman churches abound with exhortations for Christians to live a life free from worldliness.

The first Biblical warning against homosexual behavior appears in Genesis in the story of Sodom & Gomorrah. Many gays teach that Lot was simply not being hospitable to the men of Sodom & Gomorrah who were trying to gain entrance to the privacy of his home to have sexual relations with the two male guests in his home. This is bunk. It is clear that these two cities were utterly destroyed because both men and women had turned away from God in their wanton desire for same sex relationships. God did not approve then and still does not.

Another scripture dealing with homosexuality is in I Corinthians. The church at Corinth had many problems, and sexual immorality among its members was one of them. There are some churches that do not wish to have former homosexuals on their rolls. People who've come out of homosexuality are made to feel uncomfortable in such churches. However, it as a well-known fact that there were people in the Corinthian church who came from a homosexual background: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God." ('Corinthians 6:9-il.) These are powerful words and they apply to us today.

In reading this portion of scripture, it is important to note that homosexuals are listed along with idolaters, adulterers, and slanderers. Have you noticed that in some circles homosexuality is singled out as the worst of sins? Sin is sin. It is treatable through the blood of Jesus Christ. I am certain that the thief and the sexually immoral person both go through the same gradual healing process that we who are dealing with homosexuality go through. As stated previously, these are just some of the pertinent scriptures which indicate that one cannot be both an effective and witnessing Christian and an actively practicing homosexual at the same time. The two are not compatible.

"Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." Romans 8:8

"Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery." Romans 13:13

"You must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral." I Corinthians 5:11

"The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord" I Corinthians 6:13

Without holiness, no one will see the Lord. See that no one is sexually immoral." Hebrews 12:16

"Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance." I Peter 1:14


http://www.questministries.org/OC-ChristainHomosexual.htm

 

[kdet]

It pays to go out in the street and witness to lost souls.

http://www.tscpulpitseries.org/english/1980s/ts80wtns.html#pays

 

[Anti-Fear]

I agree, every Christian must at least try to reach out to misguided people like gays and lesbians and encourage and support them to change their lifestyle. That is very good advice.

When I was in Berkeley there was a Christian group on the street, they played music with a band. Woman I talked to said one of the men in their group is ex-gay, she said he now has family and kids and good life. I thought "that is awesome!"

 

[kdet]

Stephen Bennet has a terrific testimony about how God changed his life,

http://www.sbministries.org

 

[kdet]

From Ray Comfort's website on witnessing

When Kirk and I produced a program on how to witness to homosexuals, we came up short on interviews, so we decided to visit the homosexual district of West Hollywood. The day we were due to go there, I was a little nervous. As I was driving there with the camera crew, someone asked if I was nervous. I said, "I share my courage with others and keep my fear to myself." That was a great truth I learned from Robert Louis Stephenson. Just after that, Kirk called and said, "I'm nervous." I said, "So am I."

When we arrived, it wasn't what I expected. The gay district had a festive atmosphere, with men walking hand in hand and greeting one another with long hugs, and women passionately kissing each other. The area was upper class, safe, clean and tidy. It was a "sanitized Sodom."

I saw two men sitting together, so I walked up to them and said, "Hi. We're doing a TV program on America's spirituality and we want to get the perspective from the gay community. Are you two gay?" Their names were Kevin and Ryan. Kevin was homosexual and Ryan was bisexual. Ryan didn't want to be on TV, so I called the crew over and Kirk interviewed Kevin.

I went over to Ryan, sat next to him and asked if he had had a Christian background. His mother was Christian and his father was Catholic. He said that he had been pleading with God in prayer to take away his homosexual tendencies. I said, "You know what helped me? It was the Ten Commandments," and I took him through the Law, and into the cross. I told him that he needed a new nature, prayed with him and then left him with some literature to help him. He was so grateful, and I was so thankful that I didn't listen to my fears.

Have you ever noticed that when you turn on a light, darkness leaves? The two are incompatible. It's the same with fear and love. Love casts out fear. When we turn on the light of God's love, fear can't stay. It has to leave. The key is to let love cause you to think of the terrifying fate of the person to whom you want to witness.

Paralyzing and tormenting fear isn't from God, but it can work for your evangelistic good. It can make you trust in God. Fear shows us that we are weak, and it causes me to call on God for His help. So don't let your fears discourage you. Instead, let them drive you to Him that gives courage, and in so doing, your greatest weakness then becomes your greatest strength.


http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/1270290.html

 

[Protoevangel]

I am sure you all already know this, but I oftentimes feel the need to throw this thought out anyway. One thing to remember is that speaking about homosexuality to those who do not know Christ will help them as much as a band-aid will help a man who has had his head cut off. Christ is the only cure.

 

[mpshiel]

Resources for the Christian/Ministry to use in witnessing to homosexuals
- without 'bashing'.

• Gospel tracts and booklets wcuweb.com - also, many articles from a Christian perspective on homosexual issues and arguments (born that way, health consequences, etc.)

http://www.informedchristians.com/articles/ART-thoughts_marriage.htm

I can only assume you are sincere in putting down these and chick ministries as tracts and resources to be given to gay men and lesbians as a form of ministry without "bashing" as you put it. I have read them through and I have one question - what would you consider ministry that does bash?

Let's see - there is:

Rape, Murder and Homosexuality

Authors Scott Lively and Kevin Abrams, sourcing a vast number of historical documents and eye witness accounts, have documented what William Shirer, author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, earlier confirmed--that homosexuals were at the center of Hitler’s rise to power and in many cases even served as sadistic death camp guards. By the way, one of the most well-known leaders of the American Nazi Party, Frank Collin, was a homosexual who preferred teenage boys.

Now let us further consider the connection between homosexuality and murder. I am speaking here, not of murderous heads of state and their deputies, but of individuals who personally murdered victims with their own hands. The examples given also delete the class of baby-killers known as abortionists, a disproportionate number of which are also homosexual or bisexual....

We have taken a very brief look at the rape and murder which is all too commonly committed by members of today’s New Sodom. Volumes could be written to further document the disproportionate violence of all kinds perpetuated by the homosexual community. This writer has himself been knocked unconscious, been stun gunned, spit on, had things thrown at him, and been threatened hundreds of times—all compliments of the tolerant homosexual community. A word to the wise should be sufficient. Beneath the public facade of the “gay and lesbian community,” there beats a violent, even fascist heart. We ignore that fact at our own and our children’s peril.

On a final note, one might well ask: Why on the average do homosexuals tend toward violence so much more than the rest of mankind? The answer is found in the Bible. Romans 1:24 says that God gives sodomites “up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts.” Romans 1:28 tells us concerning such sexual perverts, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient [proper].”

Then there is "A little Discrimination can be a good thing"

Almost no one would condone a law which would force landlords to rent to those who engage in inappropriate behavior with animals or a statute which would require employers to hire drug addicts. In fact, it is considered to be good judgment to discriminate by refusing to employ or rent to such individuals, even though the acts in question are committed by consenting partners in private. Currently, society as a whole still realizes that such activity is immoral and unacceptable regardless of any other redeeming qualities the person in question may have. Persons engaged in all manner of immoral behavior in their spare time are often still able to perform satisfactorily on the job and may not directly hurt the persons living immediately around them. For instance, the infamous mass murderer and homosexual Jeffrey Dahmer held down a day job; and New York City's Son of Sam murderer was thought to be a "nice guy" by his neighbors until they found out what he did away from his neighborhood. Character does count, and persons who engage in sodomy and other perverted homosexual practices are obviously of very low moral character regardless of maintaining in public a veneer of niceness. Decent citizens should not be prohibited from exercising good judgment by refusing to hire, rent to, or associate with homosexuals.

and "Is someone you know a Bugger?"

The truth is, until recently, words such as gay or lesbian were never used to describe persons who perform homosexual acts. Instead, more descriptive, accurate nouns were used. For instance, sodomite has long been utilized to identify those who practice unnatural and physically dirty sexual acts which violate and abuse the body.

Of course, the word sodomite itself is derived from the term sodomy which describes an act of extreme sexual perversion performed with some necessary variation by both men and women sodomites. The name sodomy in turn originated from the name of an ancient town, Sodom, which was the center of a culture given over to homosexual activity and which was consequently destroyed by God. (See Genesis, Chapters 18-19.)

Another term long used to identify those who "change the natural use into that which is against nature" (See Romans 1:24-32.) is bugger. Under English common law, buggery was outlawed and punished, as it was in America in all fifty states until 1961 and in Wisconsin until 1983....

In a more moral age, homosexual acts were rightfully considered the close relative of inappropriate behavior with animals. To this day the prohibition against public homosexual acts is grouped under Wisconsin State Statute 944.17 along with a ban on sex with animals

I have to say that reading these tracts made me physically ill. This is not literature that approaches someone as a beloved son and daughter of God, equal to us (for we have our rightousness not by our own acts or worth do we?) but rather vilifying, degrading and slandering those who it has been suggested we use this material to minister to.

Want to think homosexuality is a sin, fine. But for example if you wanted to reach out to those who touch, I don't think telling them: they were the reason behind the Third Reich, that people should discriminate against them because they are morally lower than other humans, that they are connected to if not the same as those who have sex with animals and that those who engage in what YOU, my dear sir/madam engage in are depraved murderers and moral degenerates.

How exactly is that a "non-bashing" ministry?

 

[Merseymike]

But this is exactly why these sort of things are so very ineffective. Look at the huge number of gay people as compared to the comparatively small numbers in these groups. There are far more gay people who are part of the Church than part of these groups.

To learn more, have a look at http://www.anythingbutstraight.com/

 

[Treasure the Questions]

To really get involved with a ministry that reaches out to homosexuals or anyone we need to come alongside them and spend time with them in order to get to know them properly.

Jesus showed a concern for individuals.

Jesus showed a concern for the whole person, not just their soul.

Jesus didn't have mixed motives, he simply showed people God's love on a take it or leave it basis. He knew who would accept him and who would reject him, but as far as needy people were concerned he showed genuine love to all them.

Jesus didn't use Bible tracts.

Jesus didn't "bruise broken reeds".

Jesus rejected the idea of persuading people to believe by filling their stomachs. He fed the five thousand because they were hungry and felt compassion for them. However, during his time of temptation in the wilderness rejected the idea of miraculously feeding people, although people with full stomachs would be more likely to follow him.

So we should feed the hungry because they are hungry, not so they might come to Christ, but if they do it's a bonus. We should visit the lonely because they need companionship, not as a subterfuge to tell them about Jesus if they don't want to know. We should accept homosexual people because they are made in the image of God and God loves them as much as he loves us. We should offer them genuine friendship if they are lonely, we should visit them if they are sick, we should support them in their struggles and comfort them when they are rejected and abused.

Perhaps they will ask us about our faith, perhaps they will put their faith in Jesus if we show them Jesus, but telling them God thinks they are terrible sinners is unlikely to attract them to Jesus and is a bad witness, which dishonours God.

May God bless you with a deep and sincere love for gay men and lesbian women. That you are so concerned for them is a good start.

Karin

 

[kdet]

What Helps the Homosexual
(Taken from Homosexual Struggle by Nancy, IVP booklet):

1. People who will call sin sin. I didn’t need any help in my attempts to condone or rationalize homosexuality. I seemed to do that quite well on my own. I needed people who would bring the truth of Scripture to me in my confusion. I needed advice such as that a friend of mine wrote:
   
   "When you’re involved with a woman in a gay relationship, you may feel there is no greater joy in the world. You will love her and be loved in return, you’ll share at a deeper level than you’ve ever known before and she will return your sharing with tenderness and compassion. You’ll think that there was never a better love than this and never will be. You’re wrong. You’ll think that your love is different and unique and goes beyond the morals found in the Bible. You’re wrong. You may even feel that your love for each other is equal to if not better than the love between a husband and a wife—or you may even feel married to each other. But you’re wrong again. You could never give each other the greatest love possible. You may love each other, yes, but you are not giving each other the love that Jesus gave us (Mark 10:45)."
   ​
2. Realizing that there was a difference between homosexual orientation and the activity of homosexuality. Orientation is a condition. It is the way that my brain and thoughts are presently wired. Homosexual activity is what is forbidden in Scripture and labeled sinful.
   ​
3. Someone who would listen with God’s patience and compassion. Good listening ears were few and far between. Find one who will listen and won’t give pat answers.
   ​
4. Staying away from tempting situations. In other words, talk to female friends in broad daylight on the lawn, rather than after midnight in your bedroom. "Flee from youthful lusts" applies to homosexual as well as heterosexual temptations" (2 Timothy 2:22).
   ​
5. Realizing that homosexuality is not the unforgivable sin. All sin is equally deserving of condemnation, yet equally touchable by grace. I was freed to deal with my sin more realistically when I realized that homosexuality is no worse than envy or rage (Galatians 5:19-21).
   ​
6. I needed to not only be willing to let God make changes inside me according to His will and timing, but also to endure some loneliness and discomfort in the meantime. My goal in life has become holiness (Hebrews 12:1-13) and the means are obedience and the power of the Holy Spirit. There is hope—we have a big God! And He has assured us of his forgiveness and cleansing.
   ​
7. In dealing with lust, I found Philippians 4:8 to be extremely helpful. Rather than focus on my own struggles and inner conflicts and confusion, I tried to let my mind dwell on what is true, honorable, right, pure—namely the Lord Jesus himself. We are programmed by our preoccupations. If your mind is "set on things above" (Colossians 3:2), your actions will follow appropriately.
   ​
8. I have become content with being single and celibate. There is nothing second-rate about singleness! God does not always choose to change the orientation of a Christian homosexual. But Jesus has become my "first love" (Revelation 2:4) and I am really enjoying life.
   
   I have also become open to and more interested in the possibility of eventual marriage—an indication of changes in my heart that I hardly dreamed possible. There still seems to be some ambivalence, mixed motives and confused emotions to resolve in this area, but I sense that God is at work.
   ​
9. "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8). Whereas once I felt deprived of the "freedom" to act on my homosexual desires, I now count those experiences and momentary pleasures "as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8 TEV). That which I have given up is so little compared to what I have gained. My overriding feelings are not ones of being ‘deprived’ or ‘punished,’ but rather of being progressively liberated, gentled, and strengthened.​

http://www.new-life.net/hmsxl01.htm​

 

[kdet]

How to Minister to Homosexual People

1. See a PERSON, not a homosexual. We're not a clean-up campaign; we're ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). How would you approach ANY person you felt needed Christ? There's nothing particularly special about homosexuality in God's eyes. Homosexuals are looking for love just like anyone else, Jesus is the answer for all their needs.
   ​
2. Remember that the gospel means "good news." Be sure to present a Savior who saves, not a code of ethics. God wants to redeem the whole person, not just his sexuality.
   ​
3. Know what you are offering. You are offering Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You are NOT offering heterosexuality. There is a difference between FEELING homosexual feelings and ACTING out homosexual behavior. When that person makes a commitment to Christ he must come into agreement with God that homosexual behavior is sin. You are initially offering him power to come into celibacy. His homosexual feelings are not going to change overnight. That will come with time and the care and concern of friends, and the quality of his own continued surrender to Christ.
   ​
4. Actively, patiently love that person. Words can be so empty. Demonstrate your love by listening, by calling, by confronting when necessary, by sitting together in church. Love is an action verb.
   ​
5. Don't be afraid to hear some colorful language and "gory" details. Some folks don't know how to express themselves in any way but street language. Listen with love and respond as Jesus tells you. Love them where they are at.
   ​
6. Don't be afraid to say "I love you." Don't be afraid to touch or to hold hands in prayer. We all need that physical affirmation of love from one another. Homosexuals confuse sex and intimacy. They need people who can model the appropriate place of touch and love language. They need to learn the place of physical affection outside the context of sexual involvement. They won't rape you. If your intentions are misunderstood, explain yourself, but don't back away. If you don't know what you should do, say so.
   ​
7. Share your life. Be transparent. Many coming from a homosexual background are surprised to realize that "regular folks" also wrestle with sexual temptation, loneliness, rejection, hurt, etc. That helps them put their lives in perspective.
   ​
8. Present the whole of the Word of God. Jesus wants to set them free from lying, bitterness, pride, rebellion -- you name it. Homosexual behavior and fantasy is only part of it.
   ​
9. Point them away from their sin. Let them see Jesus, the answer to all their sins. Don't make homosexuality the focal point of your relationship. Stay away from homosexual and ex-homosexual jokes. It will only push them toward their homosexual lifestyle. For the same reason, avoid calling them ex-gays. They are WHOLE people in Christ. They are Christians!
   ​
10. Tell them about homosexuals that have found Christ -- groups like Exodus, Harvest, and Love in Action. Share Scripture like 1 Corinthians 6:11 ("...and such were some of you...") as well as testimonies of others who have come out of homosexuality.
    
    ​

http://www.new-life.net/hmsxl01.htm

 

[Merseymike]

If anyone tried any of that stuff with me, I'd see through it in a minute! And I think a voluntary visit to the taxidermist may be suggested