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both grace and truth?I remember a time where the truth was thundered from the pulpit but lacked grace and was very judgmental. I was talking to my wife whom I have been married to pushing 30 years and we cannot remember a time in church where that issue was presented in a loving manner and the truth of God's Word was extended with grace. I've heard pastors in private or in small groups that was eloquent and totally amazed me.....but it did not any farther.

Honestly, we do the best we can but probably still not good enough. The difficulty with the LGBT community is that they have declared war on conservative values. Such is not the case with other sins. Adulterers don’t champion their rights on social media. Murderers don’t parade in the streets. Thieves and liars don’t design their own flags and logos to be flown over state capitols. The drunkard doesn’t demand that the Bible be rewritten so that his sin is no longer sin.

Last year sometime I was contacted via Facebook messenger from a person who asked me if our church accepted homosexuals and gay couples...This was my response...I did not know the person.Within a couple of weeks I addressed this reality in our church - again. I shared this publicly and offered some additional teaching.My reply is what follows:Hi ……. ,This is Pastor Tom Sterbens - I am the lead pastor at New Hope Church.Your question is one I/we are asked regularly these days and I am asked from both sides of the ongoing discussion. It is a question I answer with passionate clarity...and often end up being shot at from both sides of the conversation. You see, I never know if someone is quizzing me to see if I am really theologically conservative or whether the questioning is to determine if I am a really a religious bigot. Nonetheless, here goes...At New Hope Church - and I would pray at every church - we meet people right where they are and how they are.Period.We love people right where they are and how they are.Period.That being said: Do I believe that God's intention for human wholeness is found in a gay identity? No, I don't. (PAUSE: if you should happen to disagree with that statement - please, please don't shut me off at this point... Or if you heard what I said as some sort of careless gavel strike of judgment one way or the other...please read the words that follow)Having said what I just wrote above, and knowing that I have been excerpted many times before...I continue to risk these written Q&A encounters...I am not a gay basher nor am I some type of hyper-religious homophobic hater. And because I am aware there are few things more fragile or painful than having someone seemingly reject our own sense of self-identity - I approach these conversations with a type of holy hesitation. I do that because Jesus came to provide the clearest path to human wholeness and worth - and He would engage each person at the point of their own self-perception. The Bible says He was touched by the realities of every person. Very often He would inform them of the limitations of their self-perception and direct them toward the reality that God's intentions for them were more, not less. Now - if you have actually read my rambling novel this far (smile) let me just stop and say right here - these words written in black and white can, in no way, reflect the reinforcement of a tone of voice and reflections of a face or body language...those things only happen when people talk face to face. If that is something you would like to do - I would be more than happy to do that... What I believe you WOULD NOT see is an arrogant or judgmental posture on my part. What I believe you WOULD see is a simple faith-commitment to the power of the Word of God and a genuine love for people.Thanks for reaching out...

I have found, any people that have been discriminated against in the past, can sense discrimination in conversing with people. They know if you are judging them.I'm not talking about what is shown on tv, and the over the top rhetoric there.I am talking about one-on-one interactions with them. They can feel it. And a person who does as Tom describes - they know Tom accepts them They can feel it. Tom's words on paper can be misconstrued. Tom's actions in person are easily seen and felt. I had a good friend of mine (who is African American) show me the ways he can tell people judge him for being black. It is obvious when you see it in person. Most blacks, most gays, want to feel accepted - the same as all of us do. They can sense it if you do not accept them.Christians ought to lead the way here

I can pretty easily tell is someone is black or not...usually. How am I to know someone is a homosexual unless they tell me? That being said, if ministers would concentrate on preaching the gospel they would do well. The gospel and the Holy Spirit will take care of all of it. Jesus did not say, go out a preach prosperity or against this or that...just preach the gospel and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

Read the book God and the Transgender Debate.. Good stuff ---------My Facebook www.facebook.com/theB3

Yes. What happens when they ask point blank if gay is ok?

Yes. What happens when they ask point blank if gay is ok? If they ask me, I must tell the truth. I suppose I would then ask them to tell me what they mean by gay? I mean if they want me to answer a question, then I want the terms defined clearly. Is it just same sex attraction or is it sex between same sexes. Then I would proceed to show what the perfect plan of God is...sex inside of marriage. And of course define marriage as God defines it. Man and woman. If that is offensive, then I must point out that it is God who defines the terms, since He created the male and the female. But even here there is the chance to preach the gospel. Sin is doing things out side of God's will...rebelling against Him. So, the real issue is sin. All have sinned and there is only one solution to cleanse you of sin and the penalty of sin is death, not my penalty but God's. But he has sent His son to pay your penalty through his death on the cross! And Jesus lives so that you can live and not live in sin! Of course I agree with you. Just let me play the devil's advocate the way I understand the current militant LGBTQ movement. What you've said is hate-speech. You don't really love people the way God does. God accepts me. Calling it sin is wrong because you can fulfill your sex drive in a way that is not sin, but I cannot. That's unfair and it can't be from a 'good God'. There are plenty of churches that say its fine so you must be wrong. I can't wait until you and your old generation is dead. You are on the wrong side of history. I'm getting all my gay friends to come distrupt your service next week.All of these things have happened to churches in my area very recently. This goes WAY beyond civil discord now. I have no idea how much further it will go, but there's a good chance that the LGBTQ issue is what ends religious freedom as we know it today and creates the world where the book of Revelation is possible (I've often thought that very little of the actions in Revelation would be possible in a world led by American freedom of religion, so at some point it has to go away).

Yes. What happens when they ask point blank if gay is ok? If they ask me, I must tell the truth. I suppose I would then ask them to tell me what they mean by gay? I mean if they want me to answer a question, then I want the terms defined clearly. Is it just same sex attraction or is it sex between same sexes. Then I would proceed to show what the perfect plan of God is...sex inside of marriage. And of course define marriage as God defines it. Man and woman. If that is offensive, then I must point out that it is God who defines the terms, since He created the male and the female. But even here there is the chance to preach the gospel. Sin is doing things out side of God's will...rebelling against Him. So, the real issue is sin. All have sinned and there is only one solution to cleanse you of sin and the penalty of sin is death, not my penalty but God's. But he has sent His son to pay your penalty through his death on the cross! And Jesus lives so that you can live and not live in sin! Of course I agree with you. Just let me play the devil's advocate the way I understand the current militant LGBTQ movement. What you've said is hate-speech. You don't really love people the way God does. God accepts me. Calling it sin is wrong because you can fulfill your sex drive in a way that is not sin, but I cannot. That's unfair and it can't be from a 'good God'. There are plenty of churches that say its fine so you must be wrong. I can't wait until you and your old generation is dead. You are on the wrong side of history. I'm getting all my gay friends to come distrupt your service next week.All of these things have happened to churches in my area very recently. This goes WAY beyond civil discord now. I have no idea how much further it will go, but there's a good chance that the LGBTQ issue is what ends religious freedom as we know it today and creates the world where the book of Revelation is possible (I've often thought that very little of the actions in Revelation would be possible in a world led by American freedom of religion, so at some point it has to go away).Meanwhile, of course I believe we need to try to reach and save all that we can and less hateful rhetoric from the pulpit is CRUCIAL at this time.