Psalm 18:16-19
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Oh that the church would take heed of these verses when it comes to the LGBT community. I see so much hate and misunderstanding spewing from the mouths of Christians who fail to understand that the Lord is the one who rescues us, the Lord is the one who reaches to us and supports us when we are in the deep waters.
A recent posting from a transgender friend who attended church on Easter Sunday showed that the heart of many Christians is not right. Rather than delight in the fact that this particular church became the “spacious place” that the Lord can use to draw us back to his plans and purposes, they attack the church for no good reason. If we, the church, cannot be community for everyone, then we are not doing the will of our Father. Welcoming someone to church does not equal condoning their sin, it means we show compassion and love and ensure that everyone feels safe in our churches so that when God does speak to them, they are in the right place to receive.
What of sin that is hidden? Many walk through the doors of our churches struggling with lust, porn, adultery, infidelity, gossip, greed (the list goes on). Were we to see a physical manifestation of these sins would we also condemn that person and say they are not welcome. If we did, our churches would be much emptier, and then who gets to hear the gospel and receive the conviction of the Holy Spirit?
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating, I was welcomed into a church as an active lesbian and given space to find out who Jesus was. I wasn’t condemned, nor was I affirmed in my sin, I was simply welcomed and given valuable time to meet with Jesus for myself. Had I been challenged or condemned, I would not have returned and my story may well have ended very differently. But through being shown love I found Jesus, who like the Psalm says, rescued me from my powerful enemy.
Christians, before you take to social media to share your outrage at churches who are being Christ like in welcoming the marginalised, stop and think. Is what you are about to say going to encourage that individual that it’s worth pursuing Jesus, or are you painting a picture of church as a place simply for the perfect, which even you can’t claim to be (however opinionated or well versed in scripture you are!) Let us become a spacious place, albeit a messy place, but a place where everyone knows that Jesus loves them and a place where all are welcomed to come and meet with Jesus as often as they want to in an environment that fosters breathing space with God.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
Oh that the church would take heed of these verses when it comes to the LGBT community. I see so much hate and misunderstanding spewing from the mouths of Christians who fail to understand that the Lord is the one who rescues us, the Lord is the one who reaches to us and supports us when we are in the deep waters.
A recent posting from a transgender friend who attended church on Easter Sunday showed that the heart of many Christians is not right. Rather than delight in the fact that this particular church became the “spacious place” that the Lord can use to draw us back to his plans and purposes, they attack the church for no good reason. If we, the church, cannot be community for everyone, then we are not doing the will of our Father. Welcoming someone to church does not equal condoning their sin, it means we show compassion and love and ensure that everyone feels safe in our churches so that when God does speak to them, they are in the right place to receive.
What of sin that is hidden? Many walk through the doors of our churches struggling with lust, porn, adultery, infidelity, gossip, greed (the list goes on). Were we to see a physical manifestation of these sins would we also condemn that person and say they are not welcome. If we did, our churches would be much emptier, and then who gets to hear the gospel and receive the conviction of the Holy Spirit?
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating, I was welcomed into a church as an active lesbian and given space to find out who Jesus was. I wasn’t condemned, nor was I affirmed in my sin, I was simply welcomed and given valuable time to meet with Jesus for myself. Had I been challenged or condemned, I would not have returned and my story may well have ended very differently. But through being shown love I found Jesus, who like the Psalm says, rescued me from my powerful enemy.
Christians, before you take to social media to share your outrage at churches who are being Christ like in welcoming the marginalised, stop and think. Is what you are about to say going to encourage that individual that it’s worth pursuing Jesus, or are you painting a picture of church as a place simply for the perfect, which even you can’t claim to be (however opinionated or well versed in scripture you are!) Let us become a spacious place, albeit a messy place, but a place where everyone knows that Jesus loves them and a place where all are welcomed to come and meet with Jesus as often as they want to in an environment that fosters breathing space with God.
Recent
Archive
2024
February
2023
January
February
March
August
September
November
2022
September
October
November
Categories
Tags
1 Corinthians 6
24 hours of prayer
Baptism
Bible teaching
Christian art
Christian
Church
CofE
Daniel 4
Emily Sargent
Fitting in
Highest authority
Jesus is the way
John 8
LGBTQ+
LGBT
Leicester
New Creation
Progress Pride Flag
Pure Joy
Rev12 Project
SSA Christians
SSA Christian
SSA teenagers
SSA
TBGL
The Times
abbas heart
accountability
affirming church
bible study for parents
biblical sexual ethic
blessed
born gay
born this way
brotherlylove
build the wall
calling
celibate christian
children and pride
christian parents
christian response to Pride
christian teenagers
christian teen
church and same sex marriage
church and sexuality
church deceived
church leaders
church training
codependency
come out
coming out
conversations about sexuality
conversion therapy ban
conversion therapy
discipleship
emotional dependency
faith and sexuality
false teaching
find Jesus
former LGBTQ
former LGBTQ
freedom in christ
freedom of religion
gay affirming
gay celibate christian
gay children
gay christian
gay teenager
glory to glory
hell
homosexuality
hope shouts louder
humility
idolatry
inclusive church
indoctrination
intercessory prayer
jesus
joanne highley
john 1:2-4
john 3:16
justiceforchristians
labels
lgbtq prodigals
lgbtq
love is love
love your neighbour
matthew 5:11
ministry
new identity
once gay
overcoming sin
parenting in faith
parents of prodigals
pastoral care
peer support
persecution
powerofprayer
poweroftestimony
prayer wall
prayer
praying for LGBTQ
praying for our children
praying for prodigals
pride
prodigals
prodigal
progressive church
psalm 18
reflecting god
relative truth
responding to Pride
retreat
rev12project
rev12
roots of SSA
safe and welcoming church
same sex attraction
same sex marriage
same sex relationships
samesexfriendship
sex and relationships
sexual fluidity
sexual identity
sexual immorality
sexual sin
sexuality and faith questions
sexuality and faith
side a christian
side b christian
single friendly church
small group
smoke and mirrors
space to meet God
spacious place training
spacious place
spiritual armor
spiritual armour
spiritual warfare
such a time as this
such were some of you
teenager
temptation
testimony
thinking straight
transformation
transformed by gods love
transformed family
transformed international
transformed ministries
transformedbygodslove
transformedministries
transformed
transgender in church
transgender
trans
true freedom
truth
uncommon love bible study
uncommon love
welcome church
what did Jesus say
what is truth
why me
woman in adultery