We’re all sinners who are saved by God’s love and grace. Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from all sin, and He draws us by His love, not by hurtful words and loathing. John 3:16 reminds us, “For God so loved the world…” That includes every single human being – whether straight, as well as queer people. It’s time that more Christians learn to witness to homosexuals and lesbians the way God desires. He desires that all men should be saved and come to repentance.
Acceptance versus Approval
Don’t get me wrong: there is a difference between ACCEPTANCE and APPROVAL. Christians should not approve of the sin of homosexuality any more than they should approve of the sin of adultery or murder or stealing, for instance. Since ALL sin is wrong, we should not differentiate between certain sins and other sins as being worse than others. Sin is sin and must be repented of in order to receive God’s forgiveness and grace.
Every sinner needs to repent when they commit sin in any fashion, according to God’s commandments. When Jesus called people to “Repent,” He was talking about a change of heart toward sin, the world, and God; an inner change that gives rise to new ways of living that exalt Christ and give evidence of the life-transforming truth of the gospel.
Likewise, more homosexuals would be drawn to Christ if we preached a gospel of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. There is no question that they are still required to repent of their gay lifestyles and turn away from further sin. After a homosexual or gay person receives Christ as Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit will convict them to change their life, and live in accordance with God’s commandments.
Becket Cook goes from gay man to straight man.
Such was the case with successful Hollywood production designer, Becket Cook. In this YouTube video, Becket testifies of hearing the gospel for the first time and attending a Christian church in Hollywood, which changed his life for the better.
One day Becket met some Christians in a coffee shop. He asked them, “‘So what does your church in Hollywood believe about homosexuality?’ And they were just like, ‘Well, you know, we believe it’s a sin.” Yet their response was loving and non-loathing. They clearly said homosexuality is a sin, according to the Bible. Yet, they also invited Becket to church and he attended the following Sunday. Becket remembers, “The pastor comes out and he starts preaching on Romans chapter seven and something strange started happening. Everything he was saying, every word he was saying, every sentence he was saying started to resonate with this truth in my mind, in my heart, and I didn’t know why. I was on the edge of my seat.” He continues, “It was the first time I had really heard the gospel and understood it… And before he left, he invited people to get prayed for. So I received Christ that day.”
It was there that Becket accepted Jesus Christ and turned away from his sin of homosexuality. His life was changed – not a result of conversion therapy – but by the awesome power of God! Today he is living a straight life and couldn’t be happier. He concludes, “It’s not a happiness from the world. It’s a joy that comes from Christ. With God, I feel this unconditional love from Him that will never leave. Like He’ll never leave or forsake me. I’m happy to leave that old dead man behind because having Jesus is worth it.”
LEARN MORE. You can learn more about Becket’s story from his book – “A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption.”
Let us remember to pray for the salvation of all gay people and accept them into our churches by demonstrating the love of God, yet without being approving of their sinful lifestyles.
- Luis Joseph Castle
4JESUS OUTREACH
http://www.4JesusOutreach.com
Gay Hollywood designer meets Jesus
See also:
Lesbian Woman Comes to Christ
https://youtu.be/dQ_49Qx6KLE
In this episode, Becket chats with a former lesbian – a women’s studies professor named Rosaria Butterfield about her story of coming to Christ, sexual orientation as a modern construct, Christian hospitality, and much more.
Tags: #GayPeople #Homosexuality #Lesbianism #Sin #TheBible #Christianity
4Jesus Outreach 