“How Are Christians To Interact With LBGTQ+

I am often asked, “How are we as Christians to interact with the LBGTQ+ community”? It’s a simple but still difficult question to answer because we create a self-inflicting war in our minds and hearts between God’s Word, His law, His grace and his love. Let’s first establish that all of us, more often than not, EXPECT and ask God for His grace upon and within our own lives but demand justice upon others. Please give that some thought.

ARE WE TO COMPROMISE OUR BIBLICAL BELIEFS AND CONVICTIONS AND AFFIRM THE GAY LIFE STYLE IN ANY WAY OR FORM IN LIGHT OF BIBLICAL TEACHING? No, we are NOT to affirm the gay lifestyle, but we are called to love LBGTQ+ people, individuals, and as creations of God-made in His image. Let's also make it a point to underst that in most cases, they are hurting people (much like you and I in many cases). It’s very tempting to feel as though we must compromise our biblical convictions to accommodate that community of people, but that is simply untrue. Loving anyone in light of their status, whether gay, a gossiper, a thief, and adulterer, and the list goes, on does not make us affirming of their actions or beliefs. We need to love them as people created in the image of God. So, how can we better do this?

FIRST: We need to let our LBGQ friends know that we love them unconditionally. No strings attached. This is difficult for us to do, but I challenge each one of you to reflect upon your own life and ask if you sinned today and how you can help others in light of your own inperfections?

SECOND: We should be praying for them daily, asking if we can pray for them, for their needs, and struggles; as we all have needs and struggles in our life, and they are no different than us in that way.

THIRD: We need to affirm that we are there for them UNCONDITIONALLY (BE THERE). Nothing speaks more to what you and I say-than how we act (and react to them) in love and selflessness. We will earn the right be heard once we have taken the time to sincerely listen.

FOURTH: When you and I have the opportunity to encourage folks in that community, we will find the God provided opportunity at some point to share the fact that God has so much for all of us as humans, in light of God's purpose for our lives when we seek a right relationship with God. Most people struggle with issue.

FIFTH and LASTLY: Let's keep in mind that we are no different today than in biblical times. During biblical, Roman culture, when the church was birthed (that’s right-when the church was birthed in God’s perfect timing), culture was a totally pro-gay culture. Remember what Greek culture was like in biblical times? Paul spoke to this and we need to recognize we are here as God's agents to transform people’s lives with the love, power and truth of Jesus Christ. Let’s not forget any one of those components. This is where we are at today. We need to understand that God so loved the world (everyone) that He gave his only begotten Son-so that we (all of us, not just a select few) might have every lasting life (John 3:16). We all need that redemption to heal us as people, as a culture, and as a nation. By doing so, God will usher us into a new time in history with Jesus more so at the forefront. Please let me leave you with one simple verse to ponder in light of today’s entry: “And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others” (Mt. 5:47). And this is how we as Christians can and ought to interact with the LBGTQ+ community

“THE TONGUE IS YOUR BEST DEFENSE”

All human beings who have the ability to speak have the choice to use their words (tongue) to speak good or evil, blessing or curse, to uplift or tear down. “Death and life are the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21).

Today, I want to show you that in our sinful and dangerous world, that the tongue is often our best source of self-defense. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15;1).

A couple of years ago, I experienced road rage while in route to a speaking engagement. I was scheduled as one of the first speakers that morning and was in a bit of a hurry. At a very busy intersection, I didn’t see the car behind the car in front of me on the other side of the road and accidentally cut off the gentleman driving that car. As a result, the man became unhinged in a way I had not seen since my college days. The man was cursing me with the most foul language as he passed me on the opposite side of the road and tried to pull me over and force me to stop. At one point, he stopped in the middle of the road (in front of a school) and tried to stop my vehicle, forcing me to drive around him on the opposite side of the road in the school zone. A short time later, at a very busy, major intersection in rush hour traffic with packed with cars, the light was red. The man unwisely got out of his car and approached my vehicle. I had thought through and rehearsed in my mind many times over what what I would do in a such a scenario (from a self-defence perspective) due to the fact that I am licensed to carry a weapon through the State of North Carolina.

I have had my carry and conceal license for over 20 years and have thought through when-if ever, I might draw my weapon (pistol) in self defense when/while in my vehicle. My plan was clear in that I would never draw my pistol unless I had no other option, meaning that I could not get away from, or escape the threat. In my motor vehicle, this meant that I would only draw my weapon if I was unable to move my car forwards, backward, left or right. In this case, I was boxed in by traffic and had no where to go. The man physically approached my car and started taking pictures and yelling at the top of his lungs at me. With nowhere to go, I very calmly drew my pistol from my holster but did NOT point it at him. With finger off the trigger (on the slide), I rolled my window down so that he could see my face, giving him the ability to be heard verbally and communicate with me if he wished, I in turn communicated two things. First, I was remaining calm and would not return insult "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:9).

Second, I wanted him tounderstand that he clearly had become a physical threat to me in an effort to de-escalate and stop his rampage from moving to a physically violent level. Had I cursed him back, he may have stopped as most bullies do, but it very well may have caused him to increase in anger. Saying not a word, I calmly put the pistol sideways on my chest pointing down again not pointing it at him or in the direction of any other cars or pedestrians-safely signaling to the gentleman that I was armed should he decide to escalate and physically attack me.

Thankfully he immediately stopped in his tracks and backed up, realizing that he had become emotionally unhinged in front of countless people in cars all around us who were now loudly beeping their horns at him. While still screaming at me, he retreated to his vehicle as I remained perfectly calm. I would have and would have called the police if I had to point the weapon and I had to speak in 90 minutes so I let it go and went onto my speaking engagement.

When I got home that night I told my wife that I didn’t think this man was a bad guy, but a guy under serious emotional distress (possibly with some serious anger issues) from the world pressures and stress-of a post Covid world and an economy in shambles. I prayed about it quite often and the Lord gave me the sense that I would bump into this gentleman again at some point; and that I was to share the gospel with him if God was to open that door. Sure enough, a month later, while coming out of supermarket, I came out carrying two bags of grocery, and what do you know, he was parked right next to my car. His trunk was up so as to not expose his license plate (which I had obtained already at the original incident). I am confident he knew it was my vehicle.

I got into my car as he was on his cell phone, leaving his trunk up the whole time looking periodically over at me. As I proceeded to drive away , I went about 50 feet or so I felt the Lord signaling for me to turn around and speak withthisnman. I circled around and rolled my windows down and kindly said to him with a soft-smile and a "soft tongue", “Are you the gentleman that I accidentally cut off in traffic”?

I remembered God’s wisdom that a gentle tongue has the ability to calm anger and thwart threats. In my opinion, it didn’t really matter who cut who off but now the situation would be handled and of God would be glorified in such an extreme moment. I spoke to him with a calm and loving spirit, as I knew he was wrong in how he had reacted. While I cut him off, I had not done so on purpose. The intersection is a very bad and confusing intersection to say the least.

I was pleasantly surprised as to his response in that he immediately started apologizing. He made the point to communicate that his family escaped from Cuba and lost every thing they to start over. He said this because (most likely) for two reasons. First, my ministry website states that my father came from Sicily to start a new life in America for much the same reason. Second, I saw his response in part as part of his emotional stress regarding all things political and economical going on in  our country. He continued to authentically apologize and I apologized to him for accidentally cutting him off.

He said that he had pulled his car over after the event and prayed. I gave him a big hug, my business card, a copy of my book, “All Roads Don’t Lead To Heaven” with a smile and asked him to please contact me some time so that we can grab a coffee. A guy who owns up to such an incident is a guy I can respect. The main thing at that point was my witness for Jesus Christ. He still has not called me, but if he does, I will join him for a coffee. Isn’t that what Jesus would do?

SO WHAT?

In application for you and I today, the lesson is that sometimes a harsh answer is in line when in a dangerous situation but in most cases a gentle word turns away and stops a threat. For example, a person is about to get hit by a car or in a split moment-you have to yell at them to stop them from physical or verbal harm. Sometimes the tongue needs to be loud and firm-but not disrespectful in a wrong way. When physically threatened a soft tongue may or may not be the best response. I personally have been in numerous self-defense situations where I have was taken off guard and had to use a harsh-quick tongue (but very rarely). Ninety five percent of the time or more, a soft, focussed tongue can defuse, redirect or even eliminate a threat.

This begs the question as to what is a “soft tongue”. A soft tongue is not passive in a way that provokes an attacker to see you as weak. A soft answer, when focussed, stern, and not angry or provoking can be very effective in neutralizing a threat. A CALM RATIONAL answer that is STERN will project an inner strength and confidence that often distills the situation and instills a sense of equilibrium in the other person.

To be fair, there are times that, despite how you respond, the other person will continue to come after you. This may be a person who may be: Under severe stress; under the influence of drugs or alcohol; emotionally unstable; or one who feels that you offended or mistreated them to the point that they are no longer in control of their emotions.

The Bible instructs us clearly on how best to handle such people and such situations. I selected Proverbs 15 today as our main text because the Proverbs are “wisdom literature”. Wisdom literature does not mean "IF” you do X “THAN” you will get Y. It simply means that in general it’s wise to act in this way. And, if you do so, the likely outcome will most likely be the best outcome in the way the Bible describes. Remember,  “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

LET'S RECAP:

FIRST: We talked lead about a “SOFT” or better yet, calm, rational, stern but strong answer as being the best-first response to a threat or a person treating you unfairly or aggressively when and if possible.

SECOND: By having thought out in advance what you might or might not do in certain self-defense situations, you will be much more logical, rational and calm as opposed to emotional in your response. In most cases, an emotionally out of control person is not being driven by facts, character, or a true understanding or knowledge of the Scriptures. We must be aware that there are criminals who seek out people who are not paying attention to or aware of their surrounds in an effort to take them off-guard and evoke in them a sense of helplessness. We should all be aware of our surroundings all times when in public.

THIRD AND LASTLY: it’s impossible in a self-defense situation to think through every single scenario; but we can do our best for when (not if) such a time comes.

The moral of this story is this: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). In the case of the road rage I experienced, I am glad that by God's Grace, I chose a soft but firm answer as opposed to an angry one. I credit the power and God and presence of the Holy Spirit as being with me in that moment. The serious truth is that an angry person with an out of control anger issue can be dangerous. Two angry people are even worst because there is nothing to keep either tongue in check. As a result, things can quickly escalate and lead to a physical altercation and harm. As Christians, let’s make sure that we are ready to use our tongue to as our first line of defense in all cases.

By doing so this will lead us honor God before others and give us a powerful witness for Jesus Christ. It will also protect us from a moral and physical error-physically, spiritually and emotionally. The second verse in Proverbs 15 goes on to say, “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly”. The words “commends knowledge” means to use our words skillfully. For by dong so, we make them desirable. We are to use our words skillfully, making them desirable whenever possible, even when we are opposed. Finally, verse four goes on to say that, “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit”. The word “gentle” literally means “healing”, like the tree of life (see 3:18). In other words, we can bring healing to the other person by modeling a calm spirit by the Power of God, through Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit. And that should be the goal for all of us.

In conclusion, the tongue in most cases is our living witness to an unsaved world. James 1:26 says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless”. More simply put, if we don’t bridle out tongue, we lose our witness for Jesus Christ and will be accountable before God for doing so. In our sinful and sometimes dangerous world, the tongue is our best first line-mode of self-defense when used properly (biblically). Sometimes a harsh answer is in line when in a dangerous situation, but in many if not most cases, a soft, focussed tongue can defuse, redirect and even stop a threat. I want to reiterate that a “soft tongue” is not passive in a way that would provoke an attacker to verbally or physically become more aggressive towards us. A soft answer simply put, is focussed, stern, and not angry or provoking. It’s means having a CALM and RATIONAL spirit that projects a biblical strength and  spirit that is filled with the Holy Spirit that gives us an inner strength and confidence that can produce a calmness in the other person.

Keep in mind that there are times that, despite how we respond, the other person may continue to come after us verbally or even physically. Let’s take into account that such a person may be under severe stress, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, emotionally unstable, or may have been offended by something they perceive as offensive to them. Our response needs to be in line with God’s Word. And if necessary, we may need to escalate if necessary to protect ourselves or those around us.

The GOOD NEWS is that the Bible clearly instructs us how to act and react, and how best to handle people in such situations. The tongue is not always able to calm an angry heart and mind-that is a subject all its own. What we see in God’s Word through Proverbs is the age old wisdom that “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”. If we are willing and able to do this, the likely outcome in many if not most cases will be the best outcome for us, the other person, and to the the glory of God.

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When asked, ,"Who Is the Greatest to ever live", the world has many answers; but only one can be the truth. And today, we will learn the truth-and that the truth is exclusive to just one Person.

I googled  “Who is the greatest individual of all time?” And upcoming this from school connect.com: “Muhammad: HE is frequently recognized as the greatest person to ever exist. It's not surprising to see upper education promoting Islam above Christianity due to the Christian withdrawal from the public and Ivy League educational institutions. The article went on to clarify that this was the prophet Muhammad who "is said to have been born in Mecca (now Saudi’s Arabia) in 570 A.D…" In another online article titled “Top ten best humans in the world” by the same website, ischoolconnect.com, published May 12, 2023, they listed Muhammad bin Abdullah (Muhammad, prophet of Islam) a prominent figure in politics, religion, and society. Second was Isaac Newton, famous mathematician who discovered gravity and who passed away in Florence Italy in 1642. And then finally, they listed Jesus as number three. They didn’t name him as "Jesus Christ", but only Jesus. With Muhammad, they referred to him not as "Muhammad" but as, Muhammad ibn Abdullah. This is a great disrespect to Jesus Christ and Christians around the world in more than one way; but to be expected from Islamic scholars. Fourth was Buddha followed by Confucius at number five and so on.

Www.iSchoolconnect.com is an online resource for Ivy League schools, obviously run by a Muslim person or group of people. ISchoolConnect under their “About Us” tab, “is the simple one stop shop for all your higher education requirements”, stating, “We desire to be the most beloved student mobility solution on earth…Making the admissions process globally accessible and hassle-free for every student”. The only problem is that they got it wrong and untrue at the center core of their understanding of the truth-hence they got it wrong there forward. It is a fact that Jesus Christ throughout the entire world has been hailed the greatest person to ever live and who will ever live.

Quora.com, in an entry titled, “What made Jesus Christ the greatest person in history?”,published March 17, 2018 gives countless reasons as to why that is a fact. In an article entitled “Ten Reasons Jesus is the Most Influential Person in history”, by Kurt Mahlburg at www.Kurtmahlburg.blog published in 2019 shows why Jesus is the greatest person to ever live. Some of the reasons include: Jesus is permanently world famous; Jesus launched an equality revolution; Jesus redefined hero; Jesus inspired universal literacy; Jesus is the Star of ancient history; Jesus’ followers discovered science (not Muhammad or the religion of Islam); Jesus is the world’s greatest force for compassion; Jesus paved the way for democracy; Jesus and His church are the most hated people on the earth (When a single faith is the target of so much worldwide opposition-and this despite the many benefits it has brought the world-it should get our attention. Jesus really came to rescue humanity from its deep hostility towards God-Jesus as God loved us while we still hated Him.  Tenth and lastly, Jesus’ claim to be God was unique, unlike Muhammad who never did that, as he self-proclaimed to be a prophet (not God or Allah), referring to Allah as God and not himself. https://kurtmahlburg.blog/2019/03/25/jesus-is-the-most-influential-person-in-history/amp/

Lastly: What the Bible Says About Who Is The Greatest:

The Bible through the words of Jesus Christ answers our question: Jesus, when asked the question by His disciples as to: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Breaks His answer down as follows:

1. First Jesus called a “child” and put that child in front of them to make His point.
2. Then Jesus said to them that if they do not and will not become just like this child (children did not have the esteem in biblical times we assign to them in the modern age), that they as adults will NEVER enter the kingdom of heaven.
3. Jesus then further clarifies what He means by that in saying, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”.
4. Jesus goes on to further clarify the greatest as being those who “receive” one such child in the name of Jesus Christ as one who literally receives Jesus him or herself.
5. Then Jesus sobers the world up in making clear that throw who CAUSE just one such child who believes in Jesus to sin, that it would be better for him or her to have a great millstone tied around their neck (weighing hundreds of pounds) and be thrown into the depth of the sea. Some people would proclaim this as cruel and wrong. Such thinking is very postmodern and incorrect. Jesus as God and man is the truth and says what “is”, what is “right”, and what “will be”. Here is Jesus said in His own words:

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,[a] it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:1-6)

In closing, who is the greatest? Jesus of course. But we can as authentic followers of Jesus Christ-emulate and live out that greatness  in light His the words, commands and how Jesus live out his life. This includes humbling ourselves (vs.4); meaning that whoever humbles himself until he becomes as innocent and pure in their faith-exhibiting trust, openness, and eagerness to learn-these are the childlike qualities that constitute true greatness. You and I can be among the greatest to ever live as we live out this command-mission Jesus lesson. Once we do this, the rest will follow. And the rest is up to you and I-with the help of God’s Word (the Bible) and the Holy Spirit.