How To Respond To My Pride-Loving Friends

How to Respond to My Pride-Loving Friends

How to Respond to My Pride-Loving Friends (Luke 6:27-36), is the second in a series of sermons on “How to Engage with My Spiritual Friends.” The point of these sermons is to identify different groups of people, whom you and I have a challenge to build relationships with. In this sermon, let us address our PRIDE-loving friends. June is considered PRIDE month.

Introduction

The world around us looks to this month as a celebration of a group of people. They consider this month and its celebration the same way the world looks at Christmas and Easter. It’s a time to have fun and celebrate a kind of diversity.

First, Let me say that I am going to address these names and it will probably offend you if I talk about them in the pulpit, and especially the way I am going to talk about them. If so, then that is the point you need to get across.

Second, the word homosexual is offensive. It is used as a word in the Bible, but to be honest, it’s not in the original Greek. It’s not in the King James. It’s not even in the Christian Standard Bible. But it is in some modern translations.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,” (1 Corinthians 6:9, AV)

“Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males,” (1 Corinthians 6:9, CSB)

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Neither sexually immoral people, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor passive homosexual partners, nor dominant homosexual partners,” (1 Corinthians 6:9, LEB)

I’m bringing this up to tell you that one of the barriers we put up is with our language with others. Just be aware of that issue. Let me give you a vocabulary list of words that you will hear from the PRIDE-loving community.

LGBTQIA+

Lesbian – female attracted to females

Gay – males attracted to males

Bisexual – male or females who are attracted to both sexes

Transgender – a person of one gender who identifies as a person of another gender

Queer/Questioning – a person who is questioning their gender and sexual identity

Intersex – hermaphrodites, eunuchs

Asexual/Aromantic/Affirming – no attraction to sex activity, to romance, or a person who are friends with the PRIDE community

Next, let me give you another acronym.

LDBPGLS+

These are acronyms from a Christ-loving community that illustrate how you and I should respond to our pride loving friends.

LOVE (Luke 6:27, Luke 6:32-33)

““But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you,” (Luke 6:27, CSB)

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” (Luke 6:32–33, CSB)

In this context, remember that we love those who hate us. The world is changing its perspective about the sins we abhor. As a result, they will hate you for standing with God’s word. Now I personally believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. Jesus said that in Mark 10:6-8.

“But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” (Mark 10:6–8, CSB)

But many people look at things differently. The key is that there is an animosity and hatred toward you as a Christian because of the way you follow Jesus. How should you respond? You respond with love. How does that play out?

DO GOOD (Luke 6:27, Luke 6:32-33)

““But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you,” (Luke 6:27, CSB)

Doing good is a simple act of love. It’s so simple, that sinners can do it. So it should not be hard for Christians. It’s a basic thing. Do good for those who hate you. Do good for those whom you disagree with you. Their sin should not stop you from doing good. But you need to go further.

BLESS (Luke 6:28, Luke 6:32-33)

“bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:28, CSB)

You need to bless those who curse you. Ask for God’s divine favor on them. Don’t curse them and ask for God to strike them down with a fire and brimstone. We have a habit of asking for bad things for people whom we disagree with. Instead, you need to bless. Ask God to help them.

Everywhere in the Bible, when people asked a prophet or Jesus for help, they expected these people of God to speak to God on their behalf. In the Old Testament, they would ask for a blessing. Other people will ask you for that blessing. Jesus says don’t decline it. If you choose to not bless people who are different from you, you are closing the door for God to work in their life with you. They will find it from somewhere else.

PRAY (Luke 6:28)

“bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:28, CSB)

Related to blessing others is to pray for them. If someone who is pride-loving comes to you and asks you to pray for them, do it, even if they mistreat you. They spew hate or they talk about you being narrow-minded, or unloving. Don’t worry about it. Pray for them. If they attack you, pray for them. If you are upset about them, pray for them.

The response can move to a different level. It’s easy to give a blessing and a prayer. Yet, it may seem hard to give them something that you own.

GIVE/LEND (Luke 6:29-30, Luke 6:35)

“If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back.” (Luke 6:29–30, CSB)

“But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil.” (Luke 6:35, CSB)

Here we see the negative of giving. First, don’t strike back. Don’t strike back with words. Don’t strike back with fists. If they steal from you, just let them have it. But to be honest, you may not encounter that. Instead, you may encounter someone who identifies with the PRIDE-loving community who is in need.

Go ahead and give if they ask just as you would someone else. You should not expect payment in return, because they deserve dignity. We are all created in the image of God. People all have a sense of worth. You don’t need to belittle someone because they have a different view about love and relationships than you do. That’s the reason you need to show some mercy.

SHOW MERCY (Luke 6:36)

“Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36, CSB)

God shows mercy to everyone, the just and the unjust. We should do the same. Be kind. You don’t know what kind of challenges they are dealing with, or how much hate and prejudice others are feeling toward them. Don’t need to be the jerk. That leads me to the plus sign in this group of instructions that Jesus gives us.

+ (Luke 6:31)

“Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.” (Luke 6:31, CSB)

“Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, CSB)

This verse in Luke is similar to the Gold Rule in Matthew. The plus sign means that as a Christian, we identify showing our love for others and for God in many ways. If you want to respond to your pride-loving friends, you need to first reach out and become a friend.

Finally, I know some of you have a problem with that. Obviously, you think that they should change first and then you can be friends. But simply put, without the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, that will never happen. You need to show the love of God first, and then let the Spirit work.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash