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NASB | Romans 1:21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 1:21 For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened. |
Bible Question:
From my understanding of scripture, I agree that homosexuality is a sin. I also suggest that - in general - the church's treatment of homosexuals is sinful (fear, hypocracy, silence). My question is: how can the church SERVE gays and lesbians? How can we minister to homosexuals in the church? How can we support them in their struggle to change their lives? How should we handle a gay couple that has been together for a decade? What if they have a child? How can we make faith accessable: so that they are not turned away at the door, before they hear the power of the gospel? As someone with several Christian, celebate friends that struggle with homosexual orientations, this issue is critical. I pray for them consistently. But we often feel powerless: although their lives are faithful, I would not characterize their lives as "abundant." There is some barrier that we have not broken through, and I yearn for a clearer picture of what Jesus has for them. Any resources to help? |
Bible Answer: Greetings JustReadMark! I would agree with Radioman2! We should reach out to homosexuals the same way that we would reach out to all people. Sin is sin. But, for some reason, homosexuality seems to get classifed as some sort of special circumstance. I think that most, not all, churches would be very responsible and loving in their outreach to homosexuals. However, because so many homosexuals refuse to admit that Scripture even teaches that homosexuality is a sin, it can be difficult to minister to them in because of their failure to repent or to yield to God's Word. No one would expect a church to tell murders that it is okay to murder as long as they love the person they are murdering! ;-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |