Do you have personal Christian Friends who are Gay?

[Treasure]

This thread was started in October and it is no different in flavour than the one started in December, about being friends with sinners, which just fizzle out the same as this one will. There is no end to who we should be friends with or we shouldn't from our own perspective.

Should we have friends who murder, rape, sell their bodies in prostitution or prey on young children? If you are a true born again bible believing, sincere Christ following christian, you should know without asking. Once again "friend" is the operative word. To me, a friend is some one I could turn to with my personal and domestic and spiritual problems, who would comfort me and join me in prayful counsel.......and vice versa. Someone in whom I can trust to keep my counsel. So any kind of nonbeliever woudn't make the cut. The bible is crystal clear about a christian's obligations concerning non believers.....and that is to tell them the truth without having to pandy to them. If they listen and take your advice, you have won a brother and a friend, and if they don't want to listen.............Stttrrrike one.

I am a true, born again, Bible believing, sincere Christ following Christian and I didn't ask anything. Where is the mercy of God in your statement? How do we reach an sick and dying world for Him if this is our reflection of Him? Did Jesus Himself not dine with the sinners? Did He not rebuke the "religious" leaders of His time because they didn't show His love to others? Were you not a sinner once who was saved by the grace of God?

Webster's Dictionary defines "friend" as 1.a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. 2.a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter 3.a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile

My friend has been all of these things to me as I have been to him.

[jackie d]

seems friend is the operative word here....Christ was/is the friend of every sinner before they became/become His friend. While we don't want to spend all of our quality time with people who have no belief system because it is not healthy for us. We can't turn our backs on those who really need us.

So, with that being said, I'd say that it is up to us to be the friend first and leave it up to those who haven't accepted Christ after that.

Something that used to really bother me is when I was early in recovery and some person who had quite a bit of time clean would begin talking about a person who was still out there using. And speaking quite authoritivly and piously, they would say something like they're hopeless and will die in their disease. My response was always, while there is breath there is HOPE.....

Stand by your friend Jesus, as He didn't forsake us when we were steeped in sin. Learn from your Friend and emmulate Him.

blessings

[eric]

Dear 4given1. from your post, you are a female and the gay person you speak is a male, so their is no homosexual or hetrosexual activity involed in your relationship. Now after saying that, if he is a active practising gay man, you should admonish and not exhort his beaviour each time you meet him. If you condone his life style and look the other way, you are remiss in your christian duty. Your service to the Lord includes preaching the the truth and the whole truth, and part of the truth is to explain there is no salvation without repentance.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but you say he is an online friend who contacts you because you don't judge him. Not judging a person, who is known to be practising sin, is like giving him a green light, instead of warning him of his wrong doing. The OP asked the question, I'm merley giving my thoughts about it in response. I don't expect everyone to agree neither do I care if they don't.

You ask me>>>>

Where is the mercy of God in your statement? How do we reach an sick and dying world for Him if this is our reflection of Him? Did Jesus Himself not dine with the sinners?

Yes, Yes, I Know Jesus ate with sinners, and He also preached to them and instructed them unto righteousness Then he left, he didn't hang around with after he had made His point. I may be wrong, but I think the ones who were interested followed HIM so they could hear more. The word said He gathered many as He preached his word, so many in fact that Zaachaeus had to climd a tree and the woman with the issue had to get down and reach to touch the hem of His garment.I get irritated by the continual use of cliches for people trying to make a point.

[Guest shiloh357]

Jesus was friendly to sinners. But Jesus' "friends" were other faithful Jews like Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Jesus' inner circle of friends were James Peter and John.

Jesus did not become "buddy-buddy" with sinners, nor were any of them close friends of His. Jesus never turned anyone aways and was merciful to all who wanted His mercy.

I think we need to be a bit more careful when we offer Jesus as an example of being "friends" with sinners. Jesus' mission was to save sinners and to show them the mercy of God.

[eric]

Well said Shiloh. You can say in one post, what takes me a whole thread.

[Treasure]

Dear 4given1. from your post, you are a female and the gay person you speak is a male, so their is no homosexual or hetrosexual activity involed in your relationship. Now after saying that, if he is a active practising gay man, you should admonish and not exhort his beaviour each time you meet him. If you condone his life style and look the other way, you are remiss in your christian duty. Your service to the Lord includes preaching the the truth and the whole truth, and part of the truth is to explain there is no salvation without repentance.

Dear eric,

Yes, I am a female and this friend is a male. Even if our friendship were not stricly online there would be no physical involvement between us. He is, as you say, a practicing homosexual who lives in fear because of this type of judgement.

In answer to your statment of admonishing him....I don't recall saying that I don't admonish him. If I did, please excuse my error. I do admonish him. He knows very well that I DO NOT in any way condone his lifestyle. I do share the Truth with him. We discuss Scripture. He asks me to pray because he knows that I will. He knows that if he doesn't repent and accept Christ as his Lord and Savior that he will indeed spend eternity in hell.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but you say he is an online friend who contacts you because you don't judge him. Not judging a person, who is known to be practising sin, is like giving him a green light, instead of warning him of his wrong doing. The OP asked the question, I'm merley giving my thoughts about it in response. I don't expect everyone to agree neither do I care if they don't.

Again, I don't condone his lifestyle but I don't stand in judgment of him. I believe it is our calling as Christians to yes, speak and live in Truth but to do so in love. My whole goal in this friendship is to love him to Christ.

You ask me>>>>

Where is the mercy of God in your statement? How do we reach an sick and dying world for Him if this is our reflection of Him? Did Jesus Himself not dine with the sinners?

Yes, Yes, I Know Jesus ate with sinners, and He also preached to them and instructed them unto righteousness Then he left, he didn't hang around with after he had made His point. I may be wrong, but I think the ones who were interested followed HIM so they could hear more. The word said He gathered many as He preached his word, so many in fact that Zaachaeus had to climd a tree and the woman with the issue had to get down and reach to touch the hem of His garment.I get irritated by the continual use of cliches for people trying to make a point.

Jesus spent His entire ministry preching and teaching but He also loved them and showed them indescribable mercy. Yes, He did leave after He made His point and found others who were desperate for Him. People followed Him because He spoke truth to them in love. They had never seen such mercy as He showed them. How would He minister to a lost and dying world otherwise?

Zaachaeus climbed a tree because he was too short to see Jesus through the crowd. Considering that he was a tax collector, I would even go so far as to say that Zaachaeus had such a desire to gawk at Jesus but was too short to effectively do so that he climbed a tree so that his jeering could be heard about the rest of the crowd.

1Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "

8But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

9Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." Lk. 19:1-10

Jesus response to him was the gift of Salvation.

43And a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years ^[m]and had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed by anyone, 44Came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her flow of blood ceased.

45And Jesus said, Who is it who touched Me? When all were denying it, Peter ^[n]and those who were with him said, Master, the multitudes surround You and press You on every side!

46But Jesus said, Someone did touch Me; for I perceived that [healing] power has gone forth from Me.

47And when the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came up trembling, and, falling down before Him, she declared in the presence of all the people for what reason she had touched Him and how she had been instantly cured.

48And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your confidence and trust in Me) has made you well! Go (enter) ^[o]into peace (^[p]untroubled, undisturbed well-being) Lk. 8:43-48.

Yes, she crawled through the dirt to reach Him because she know without doubt that He could heal her. He "felt" the healing virtue go out from Him and possibly He wanted to know who was desparate enough for Him that they would grovel in the dirt to receive what no one else could give her. He recognized the healing power on her and knew that she had touched him. He didn't rebuke her for taking what was His. The healing after all, was His to dispense, not for her to take. She was so desparate for him that she didn't care how she got it, she just had to have it. She had faith that she would be cured and her faith was proven.

You didn't answer my others questionse eric but I believe the point has been made. Thank you.

[jackie d]

he whom much is forgiven loves much.

[Treasure]

he whom much is forgiven loves much.

Thank you jackiez!

[patricia1]

I had a wondeful gay friend who excepted how I felt biblically as well as a bisexual Uncle. If the gay friend decided to live my lifestyle in the fullness of Loveing Jesus ..I would have married Him.

He would joke around with me "Are you sure you are Born again" I would answer. "Are you sure you are Gay" We would laugh together. Our affections were true. I loved him as a person...I loved him as Jesus would Love him. He died of liver cancer at a young age and went into the arms of Jesus. I cried because his torment was over. But because I loved Him so.

The last year my Uncle was alive, he died from bone cancer, He had many visitations from heaven securing the foundation already laid for Him. A huge and I mean Huge King James bible came from no place. It disappeared after he died. He told me this before dying "Patricia, the life I lead was not a life pleasing to God. Although I understand now Jesus loves me and will not reject me. Tell them it is wrong. And is it okay if I fall in love with Jesus?" The poor man was afraid His Love for Jesus was coming from a perversion... In which it was not. His only regret was not knowing Jesus earlier. I just told him it is Gods perfect timing for him and let no one interfere any longer, not even me with his love affair with Jesus.

He died a woderful peaceful death. I was there and even helped the funeral director carry out his body. He was over six foot tall and not had enough men. I felt priveleged.

So let The love of Jesus speak louder than anything. a calm and silent witness. For Jesus Loves sinners. He doesn't like what we do. It takes time for some to come to the relization and we know what time it is unless we hear from Jesus. patricia1

[eric]

To 4given1, I amm glad that your relationship with your gay friend is one of of explaining repentance to him. The completion can only be accomplished by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Sorry if I was a bit terse, but it makes a difference when one knows the whole story.Because of experience I have a very strong aversion to the subject of homosexuality.

have a nice day.

eric.