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Can Your Kids Have Gay Friends?


The Glory Land

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I'm not debating the fact that Jesus Christ ate with publicans and sinners; however, there is one point about this that people seem to miss. Yes, the Lord did spend time with them; however, please notice why...

 

Mark 2:15
And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
 
They were following Christ.
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We have peoples opinions and their own viewpoints, and then we have the Word of God which tells us not to be unequally yoked, that bad company corrupts, that we are not to be entangled with the world, that those we are close to are to be Christians. Scripture also informs us that God's ways are above our ways and we are called to obey God.

 

Should we obey God and trust Him with the outcome or should we do what we feel?

 

Where is "Jesus friend of sinners" in Scripture? Even an internet search for such turns up a Casting Crowns song, not a Bible verse.

 

As mentioned above, some of the lost sought out Jesus and He shared the Gospel with them. He didn't make sinners His friends, He didn't pal around with sinners. According to Scripture, Jesus' closest friends were Peter, James and John.

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I guess I am strange but I find it very difficult to trust a person who I know beyond a doubt is a self admitted or obvious liar, thief, murderer, drunkard, adulterer, or homosexual.  I can be an aquaintance of such a person, but I cannot be a friend.  Trust is required in a friendship.  :umno:

God bless,

Larry

 

Amen, Pilgrim!  I believe you hit the nail on the head.  I do not make the unsaved my friends.  They are aquaintances.  Facebook calls them "friends" but I call them "aquaintances" as I am planting seeds to them on my Timeline, hoping they are led to Christ as Jesus does the saving not me.  This was mentioned in a post above.  I will say I believe unsaved family is a whole different thing.  I am a witness and a testimony to them.  Although, none of my family members are homosexuals.  They are lost sinners.  I DO NOT share in their sinful lifestyle.  

Back to the OP.  My son does not have any homosexual friends.  My hair stylist is a homosexual, though.  However, he is an aquaintance of mine, not a friend.  I am currently reading a book on how to witness to homosexuals.  He believes in God, but is caught up in the sin of homosexuality and doesn't know how to be saved.  I also believe it is easier for me, as a woman, to witness to this man.  

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I came to faith by a stranger who gave me a gospel tract, whom I did not have a conversation with and never saw again. So there does not seem to be any solid proof that most people come to faith by someone they know. We cannot know the true statistics.

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I was being spiritually drawn in 1997.  I was a single mom, at that time.  A friend shared the gospel with me.  This friend, from grade school, was a wild one his whole life.  I could see a huge change in him.  He told me that Jesus transformed his life and that he was a child of God now.  He witnessed to me, we read the Bible, and had me do the sinner's prayer.  I thought I was saved in 1998.  My MIL saw that I had an interest in spiritual things in 1999.  I told her that I was saved, though.  She began to share the word of God with me, as she thought I wasn't grounded in God's word.  I was studying the word of God with this friend from grade school. 

Anyway, I was taking courses to get my master's degree that summer.  My ex husband was no where to be found.  He was out west somewhere with his brother.  I was in a bind that week, as I had no one to watch my son and I needed to take my courses for my degree.  I asked a neighbor, across the street from me, if she could watch my son one night.  She had two boys, at the time, whom my son was friends with.  She told me that her boys were going to VBS at the little church in town, which was my IFB church (the old building).  She explained what VBS was.  I told her "yes."  I said, that my son needed a little religion.  He was 7.  He went to VBS for the week.  He loved it!  He talked about a man named Mr. Joe who was the Sunday School director and was also in charge of VBS.  I took all the boys, one night, and met Mr. Joe (my husband) on the stairwell on a Wednesday night.  In October of 1999, the church had a missions conference.  My MIL invited me.  I went to morning service.  My son was with his dad that weekend.  My church had a fellowship afterwards.  My husband and I just happened to sit at the same table together.  We started talking.  We had our first date, a month later, and married in November of 2000.  We have been married for over twelve years.  

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We have gay friends.  My children are friends with their children.  We love and befriend those in our circles of influence.  We have gay friends, straight friends, Christian friends, pagan friends, and friends with no known religious affiliation.   We let the love of CHrist shine through our lives, and love them as we love everyone we come into contact with.  Being human, our love is not perfect, but God commands us to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.  This command did not say love your neighbor.....unless they are gay and then you can't be their friend.

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My post isn't about what the OP asked to talk about.  It is part of my testimony.  Although, this thread has already been hijacked anyway.  LOL  I was already friends with this man, since grade school.  We just connected again.  Also, there was no romantic involvement, either.  Just so you all know.  ;)  He friended me and shared the gospel with me.  He knew I wasn't saved.  He is a Baptist, not IFB.  Had he not friended me, I might not be saved today.  I think GS, Jeffrey and KOB have a point in their posts.

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I guess the word "friend" means something different to different people. Jesus drew sinners unto himself. That's why they followed him.  He not only drew them, but he sought them out.  Luke 19:10  (And I'm not suggesting we go to bars as mentioned in above posts).  And he used his time with them to teach about salvation.  How do we seek and draw people when we're in our own little groups?  What is it about us that the lost would want to have part of if we don't let them in our lives to some extent and gain their trust?  1 cor 10:27

 

Unequally yoked means not to form unions or be bound to unbelievers.  We should not be controlled by what they are or embrace their beliefs or head into their direction.  It doesn't mean we can't have a friendship. The command not to be unequally yoked was given to prohibit close relationships with nonbelievers where camaraderie was the highest goal.

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If a person doesn't have a bond with a "friend" then they really aren't friends.

 

The worldly views and lives all those professing Christians I know of who hold to the "we can be friends with sinners" and "there's nothing wrong with our children having lost friends" gives clear example as to why Scripture makes it clear such isn't right.

 

Scripture is more than clear that our close associations should only be with other believers and warns of the consequences of bonding with the lost.

 

God leaves the choice up to us as to whether or not we will obey Him or do our own thing. We can walk in obedience to His Word or we can choose to do as we please and walk in sin.

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Where is "Jesus friend of sinners" in Scripture? Even an internet search for such turns up a Casting Crowns song, not a Bible verse.

 

Actually, it is found twice in scripture (Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:34)...however, it's said by those who were opposed to Christ and wanted to discredit him...those who hated Christ accused him of being a friend of publicans and sinners.

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Indeed, that's the lost casting false accusations against Christ. Scripture doesn't say that Jesus WAS a friend of sinners. It's only recorded that those against Him made such an accusation.

 

Unfortunately many today take this to mean Jesus was actually friends with sinners and even some pastors declare from their pulpit that Jesus was always hanging out with and being buddies with sinners. So many today embrace this without even a thought and they plunge further into the world.

 

Professing Christians point to this as why they go to bars with their lost friends, attend secular rock concerts, go to raunchy movies, cuss, dress like the lost, etc.

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I am astonished by those who say we should not have a "bond" or friendship with those who do not know Christ.  How can we "love our neighbor as ourselves" if we do not form a friendship?  We can't.

 

I'm not saying a Christian should go "hang out" with non believers in situations where they are tempted or in which they are asked to violate what they believe.  I'm saying we should go to their house for dinner if invited.  We should welcome them into our homes for dinner.  I we learn a friend fall ill, we should care for them and take them food, learn their concerns and help address those concerns.  If a friend, lost or saved, loses someone close to them (that includes a gay partner), I will be there to comfort them and learn about their needs and how I might fill those needs.  That is showing that love of Christ.  It is only when we love do we earn the right to share our beliefs with them.  If we do not show love in our actions, they will not listen.  We are to genuinely care for people..  That is being a friend.  And yes, we will form emotional bonds with our friends.  That isn't being unequally yoked.  that would involve some sort of legal contract.  

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If a person doesn't have a bond with a "friend" then they really aren't friends.

 

The worldly views and lives all those professing Christians I know of who hold to the "we can be friends with sinners" and "there's nothing wrong with our children having lost friends" gives clear example as to why Scripture makes it clear such isn't right.

 

Scripture is more than clear that our close associations should only be with other believers and warns of the consequences of bonding with the lost.

 

God leaves the choice up to us as to whether or not we will obey Him or do our own thing. We can walk in obedience to His Word or we can choose to do as we please and walk in sin.

So if an unsaved "friend" invited you to enjoy dinner with him, would you decline the invitation because you wouldn't want to bond with him?  Wouldn't it be a good opportunity to share your faith?

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