How To Interact With Gay Relatives. Part [8] 06/13/2024 (Morning thought)

1st Samuel 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

[D.A. pp 435] The strife for the highest place was the outworking of that same spirit which was the beginning of the great controversy in the worlds above, and which had brought Christ from heaven to die. The kingdom of Satan is a kingdom of force; every individual regards every other as an obstacle in the way of his own advancement, or a steppingstone on which he himself may climb to a higher place.

[3] Attending weddings of family members who are gay. This particular issue is very delicate, because it has the potential to divide families for life, and thus, it is to be approached with the understanding. If a son or daughter who is gay, invites parents, and family members to their wedding, the families reserve the right to choose to go, or to refrain from doing so. It goes back to the former issues we discussed, as it pertains to respecting your God-given freedom of choice.

However, the question of whether or not God will be pleased with such a course of action, is another matter altogether. The fact of the matter is that, as a Christian, there are certain things you would not be able to do and participate in and there are certain places, functions or celebrations that you cannot be involved with in a clear conscience. That’s just a fact of Christianity, without any bad feelings.

Galatians 6:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!

How To Interact With Gay Relatives. Part [7] 06/13/2024 (Evening thought)

James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 8 If you fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, you do well: 9 But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

Gay family members and friends should display mutual respect, if other folks may differ in their persuasions. The word “Mutual” means to have a common understanding, or action between two or more persons, and especially in the context of courtesy. Therefore, we should respect the views, opinions, and perspectives of those whose actions might not necessarily be in harmony with what the word of God says.

 [2] Respecting one’s freedom of choice. Next, the Christian must always be willing to respect a person’s God- given freedom of choice. The genius of Christianity is that it allows persons of different persuasions to live on the same street. We are free moral agents, and it is true that persons use that freedom to choose good or evil. Thus, we must be very careful not to encroach upon another person’s choices, if we may choose to do differently.

Both straight and gay, adult family members should respect the God-given freedom of choice, and even though efforts should be made for the salvation of one and all, yet, there’s a red line drawn in the sand over which we must never cross. God could have forced Eve not to eat of the fruit, or He could have prevented Adam from making that fatal mistake, but He doesn’t deal in the currency of force. That belongs to satan’s kingdom, and thus, if a person is not persuaded, they could be prayed for, at the same time leaving their choice untrammeled.

Joshua 24: 15 And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!