The body of Christ worldwide is challenged to respond to the issue of homosexuality. While the acceptance of homosexuality has accelerated faster in some nations than in others, the fact remains that Christians in all countries face the challenge of responding with love and truth to all those who struggle in this area.
While damage has undoubtedly been done by the watering down of the gospel, immeasurable damage has also been done when truth has been preached in word only without corresponding actions, or has been spoken without love.
Remembering that God is both grace and truth will help us to conduct ourselves as Jesus would: compassionately without compromising God word.
With that being said, perhaps you heard about the two gay men who filed a lawsuit against Spark Network Inc. Their claim was that Christian Mingle (Christian dating site) violated their civil rights.
Unfortunately, this is a never ending story. Some of the gay community has made it their mission to shut down Christian organizations who do not line up with their views or beliefs. Sadly, in this case, they won. Christian Mingle was ordered to accept gay singles and to pay a fine to both men.
How can we, as the body of Christ, stand and fight against the bullying coming from the homosexual community?
I’m not sure how you feel about this, but I am frustrated. What will it take for us to come together and defend our religious freedoms?
When will we realize this could be you and/or your ministry a month or a year from now. I know many Christian organizations and ministries don’t want to rock the boat. They believe that if they don’t say anything they won’t be targeted. I hate to break it to them, but they are wrong. Sadly, we are all their target.
As the head of a ministry who helps people who struggle with same-sex attraction, I have made it a point to be kind and compassionate towards the gay community without compromising the truth by which I live my life.
I don’t believe for one moment that we as the church should be silent or cowardly retreat when dealing with this issue. We cannot ignore what is happening around the country.
Let’s look back at some Christian businesses/organizations that have been targeted and shut down or people who have lost opportunities because of their Christian beliefs:
- Twin brothers David and Jason Benham lost their opportunity to host their own HGTV show.
- Jonah, who ran the largest Jewish gay conversion therapy organization, was sued and shut down.
- A Christian baker was fined for refusing to bake a cake for lesbians.
- The CEO of Firefox who was forced to resign because of his support of traditional marriage.
Trust me, this list can go on.
Here is the good news: If we as the church come together, we cannot be stopped. This is a time for unity, a time for ministries, especially those who do the work we do, to come together and get rid of our own agendas for a greater cause. This is not a war against people. This is not a hate message. If you ask me, it is hateful to tear down business simply because they don’t have your views.
We witnessed Houston pastors rally together when they were asked to submit their sermons, and they won. In the words of Jack Hyles, “Nothing unites people as sharing the same affliction.”
We are in a crisis for our faith. We have been belittled and mocked by the elite and the powerful. However, they have failed to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
If we stand on God’s truth revealed in His Son, then we shall know the truth and the truth will set us free. May God help us!
Ravi Zacharias said this:
“We need His transforming power to change our thinking and to give us a hunger for what is true. True freedom is not in doing whatever we wish but in doing what we ought. That has been buried in America. And only one who knows the way out of the grave can give us a second chance to live: Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life that sets us free from within first, before we learn to deal with the lies around us.”
