We live in a time when the politics of the day controls the culture we are supposed to adopt. If we do not succumb to the culture, we are defined as homophobic, closed-minded, and hateful. This is partly true. Some Christians have become cruel, downright ugly, and so angry nothing about how they approach the subject represents the attitude and character of Christ. At Living Word Fellowship Church, we are first committed to loving each other, which is the greatest of all the commandments (Matthew 22:36-40), and without it, the scriptures state we have nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Without love, Christ is so displeased He would instead leave our presence (Revelation 2:1-5). The issue is love has been defined by those who write love novels and Hollywood, so when God defines love, it appears to be emotionless and insensitive to feelings and thoughts.
When my parents instructed me to eat vegetables, I was not too fond of vegetables or them. I tried the dog, my little brother, and the trash when they were not looking. So, my parents had to go to different means like belts, stern warnings, and even punishment; like, who takes dessert from a kid; mean, huh? None of this I liked, but all of it I needed. This is because the receiver does not define love; the Giver defines love. When the Giver’s very nature is love, like water is wet, He then becomes the person who defines it. As a result, love is defined by God, not our feelings.
LGBTQIA community lifestyle violates the scriptures, but how do we treat them? When we address subjects like homosexuality or the LGBTQIA community from a Biblical perspective, the scriptures define our attitude and mindset. We must serve with a spirit of gentleness for the purpose of restoration (Matthew 18:15-18; Galatians 6:1-5). We cannot demonstrate this attitude without the Holy Spirit dominating our words, the wisdom we provide, and the character we display (Philippians 2:1-5). It is not about us. First, it is about His purposes for His children. When we serve based on His purposes, first, we should remove biases and hate because His nature in us displaces those attitudes shaped by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25), which includes love and kindness.
When we address this issue from the scriptures with the attitude of Christ, it then serves to build up a believer, not tear them down. This is the purpose of love, and it is for this purpose we strive as we address this very sensitive issue this month. Let us remain in the Word, keep growing, trusting because the Lord is our salvation. This way, our feelings do not become our God; it becomes our point of growth as we pick up this cross, committed to following Christ and Christ alone (Luke 14:25-33).