So when navigating real life of how do we engage with people in the LGBT culture, you know, I think some of it is this very important distinction between whether this is a relationship with somebody who knows Jesus or it’s a relationship with somebody who doesn’t know Jesus. And I think the answer is very different depending on that.
Take a step back. When we look at Jesus’s great commission, what did he tell us to do? He said, go into all the world and make disciples. He says, “You baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and then teaching them to obey everything that I command. And I think sometimes we get it mixed up. We want to teach people who don’t know Jesus what God commands of them related to their sexuality. And then we’re not confronting our brother and sister in the ways that they’re not living the Christian life. And what Jesus is telling us to do is actually to reverse it. So if I’m engaging with somebody who identifies as LGBTQ or really any other lifestyle, and they don’t know God. The lifestyle isn’t the issue. Their sexual choices or identity is not the issue. The issue is, do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord? And that doesn’t mean that I’m going to evangelize them in every interaction. It means I’m gonna love them and show them the love of Jesus. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that even by living a good life, by being salt and light, by loving people well, We’re calling people to glorify God, to recognize God. And so we want to engage in our world in a way that has character and is ethical and is kind. We should be the best citizens and the best neighbors because that glorifies God. But ultimately we really want to share with people the hope that we have within us. How does Jesus make your life different? What has Jesus done to your sex life? What has he done to your sexual brokenness? Tell your story, be a witness of the power of Jesus.
Now, if you’re engaging with someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ and they’re still identifying as LGBTQ, again, you don’t want to just hit them over the head with the Bible. You want to ask questions, ask them about their spiritual journey, ask them about their sexuality and how they understand the scripture related to sexuality. And there’s a discipleship process there, but we do need to be having conversations as brothers and sisters in Christ in what it looks like to steward our sexuality in a way that’s honoring to God. But again, it’s really key to say, is this a relationship that is ultimately about evangelizing or is this relationship within the family of God that’s more about discipleship?