I May Lose My Relationship With My Brother

[Introverted1293]

My brother is very liberal. He doesn't believe the Bible; but I love him. He is my twin brother, and I am very close to him. I am very introverted and I don't use Facebook to connect with friends. I use it to watch some teaching and read some Christian postings. I also like to get the news on Facebook, so I don't have friends on Facebook. But my brother asked me to send him a friend request, so I did.

But when I read my brother's posts, he hates the president. He is liberal. And his daughter has come out of the closet if you know what I mean. My brother is straight, but he has gay pride for his daughter. And as someone who struggles with same-sex attraction, he is encouraging me to be gay. He is telling me that there is nothing wrong with being gay. Of Course, I know the truth. We were both taught by the same parents about what sexuality was created for, and I believe my parents. Why I have same-sex attraction is beyond me.

Now that my brother is on my Facebook page, I am afraid to post anything scriptural. I love posting scriptures to remind myself about what God thinks about sin. I am not afraid of my brother, I just don't want to lose my relationship with him. The last time I wrote something, it was about what God thought about homosexuality and the freedom we can have through Jesus. It wasn't scripture, but it was a testimony of a man finding from homosexuality, my brother was not happy. He thought that I was pointing out his sin, or maybe the sin of his daughter.

I, myself, still sin and do not have the right to point out anyone else's sin. And I try not to point out other people's sins. I guess you can say that I just pointed out my brother's sin, which I am trying not to. But I did not know how to share where we are in our relationship without some details.

But even though I know that I am still broken and still sinful, I will still talk about sin. I will still talk about sin, not to point out the sins of others, but so I can be encouraged to fight the sin in my heart. When I posts scriptures about sin or other stuff, it isn't to say "you see how sinful you are." It is for my own encouragement.

I am taking steps towards freedom from sin.

How do I talk to my brother and boldly tell him about this and boldly state what I believe God wants for my life without ruining my relationship with him?

 

[Soyeong]

There is a lot of fake news on Facebook, so I would not trust your feed as a source of news unless you are using Facebook to follow a specific news organization that you trust. For example, it can be easy to to read the headline of an article and think that it is a current headline when it is actually linking to an article that was written years ago.

I think it is extremely important for people to not be afraid to discuss important topics and to be able to strongly disagree about those topics while remaining friends and the end of the day. But I do understand that it can put a strain on your relationship and that there are times when it is better to remain silent because your relationship is more valuable than expressing your opinion. When you make a post, you can change the Facebook setting so that your brother does not see it.

 

[ajcarey]

Regarding both your own sin and your relationship with your brother:

"24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward." (Hebrews 11:24-26)

"25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-27)

 

[HatedByAll]

When dealing with your brother, the first thing to remember is that the way that God judges your brother and his daughter is whether they belief in Christ Jesus, or not. All men sin, even Christians. All will be judged for this sin, no matter if it is homosexuality or just telling a little white lie every so often. But, we Christians are under the Grace of Jesus that Whosoever believes in him shall not perish. . . To keep from making this post too long, I will assume you understand the rest of the principles of salvation. My point is, your brother accepts the acceptance of homosexuality because he believes that the way to happiness for a person who struggles with same sex attraction is to pursue the lifestyle of homosexuality. Christians know that the way to a fulfilled life is to trust in the Words of God from the Bible. It may seem simple to boil it down to what do you trust, place your faith in, but that is the difference between your brother and yourself in the Holy Father's eyes. You believe in Christ Jesus and he apparently (based on his fruits,) does not.

The sin he is espousing simply shows the "fruit" of what he believes. Keep that one fact in mind when considering his actions and speech. Don't concentrate on his sin and his acceptance of sin, instead realize his one need, coming to a point in life where he places his faith in Christ Jesus. If he truly places his faith in Jesus, the fruit will change. He will no longer trust in the benefits of living a sinful lifestyle. He will learn to trust in the advise of the Bible on how to have a blessed life.

I walked away from pursuing happiness from same sex relationships thirty years ago. The reason my life changed what because I finally came to the realization that I needed God in my life. Belief in Jesus changed the fruit of my life. Pray that the Holy Spirit will open your brother's eyes and make him realize that any sinful lifestyle is not the way to have a fulfilled life. The way to have a great life is to trust in Jesus and make Him his Lord and Savior.

 

[Introverted1293]

There is a lot of fake news on Facebook, so I would not trust your feed as a source of news unless you are using Facebook to follow a specific news organization that you trust. For example, it can be easy to to read the headline of an article and think that it is a current headline when it is actually linking to an article that was written years ago.

I think it is extremely important for people to not be afraid to discuss important topics and to be able to strongly disagree about those topics while remaining friends and the end of the day. But I do understand that it can put a strain on your relationship and that there are times when it is better to remain silent because your relationship is more valuable than expressing your opinion. When you make a post, you can change the Facebook setting so that your brother does not see it.

Thank you very much.

 

[Introverted1293]

Regarding both your own sin and your relationship with your brother:

"24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward." (Hebrews 11:24-26)

"25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-27)

Thank you for the scriptures. I probably needed to hear that, or I should say read that.

 

[Introverted1293]

Don't concentrate on his sin and his acceptance of sin, instead realize his one need, coming to a point in life where he places his faith in Christ Jesus.

I know that I shouldn't stay focus on his sin, and I am trying not to. Jesus told me to take the log out of my own eye before I attempt to take the log out of his eye. So, I know that I shouldn't focus on other people's sin. I just didn't know how to not mention it without talking about the nature of our relationship.

I walked away from pursuing happiness from same sex relationships thirty years ago. The reason my life changed what because I finally came to the realization that I needed God in my life. Belief in Jesus changed the fruit of my life. Pray that the Holy Spirit will open your brother's eyes and make him realize that any sinful lifestyle is not the way to have a fulfilled life. The way to have a great life is to trust in Jesus and make Him his Lord and Savior.

Thank you for sharing. That is very good advice. ​

 

[Sketcher]

But even though I know that I am still broken and still sinful, I will still talk about sin. I will still talk about sin, not to point out the sins of others, but so I can be encouraged to fight the sin in my heart. When I posts scriptures about sin or other stuff, it isn't to say "you see how sinful you are." It is for my own encouragement.

Did you tell him that?

 

[Introverted1293]

Did you tell him that?

I haven't spoken to him yet about it. But I am planning on doing so. Thank you for asking. I will let you know when I do. The subject hasn't come up since the last time he got upset.