Alan Chambers writes for Evangelism.net. Here is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.
The message of what God is for has been overshadowed by the Church’s obsession over what God is against. It seems that our default message has been to lay out the laundry list of do’s and don’ts when talking about our faith. Asked about God, most people parrot what they hear from the Church: recent boycotts on companies not promoting family values; political campaigns or initiatives being supported to enact or repeal this or that law. Deeper than that, is the reality that most non-believers state they know Christians most by their anger over the things we oppose.
Let’s look at this from the relevant discussion surrounding homosexuality, the issue that my ministry, Exodus International, is daily focused on. Most gay and lesbian people do not differentiate between behavior and identity. So, when Christians say we are opposed to homosexuality, due to our biblical beliefs, gay and lesbian people and most others listening, interpret our message and our God as anti-gay. This mischaracterization is something that should deeply bother us as believers.
How do we clearly and truthfully share biblical truth while expressing the complete compassion, grace and love of Christ? Start by digging deeply into the reality of who God is and how He feels about all people. Romans 5:8 says, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Our attitude, then, toward people must consistently be lovingly demonstrative. And when they treat us with contempt and intolerance? Romans 2:4 answers this well, Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? We must be kind, tolerant and patient. None of those things require us to change our biblical positions but they do require that we change our dispositions. How you share your beliefs is as important as what you believe. Click here to read more.
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