Tonight, in ‘youth group’ we are going to be talking about same-sex marriage. At least that is what it started out as… but we’re trying to shift the focus away from a particular moral hot-topic/issue, and focus more on how Christians should be responding to any of the multitude of things God says not to do. Specifically how we respond to Christians and/or Non-Christians. So after reading four different scenarios that deal with brokenness in relationships, (whether homosexual relationships or not) we are asking the kids to think about how we are to respond to those couples if (a) they are Christians or (b) not Christians. Anyway, here are some of my thoughts so far:
LAWS YOU MUST FOLLOW
or God’s Love
God is love. God loves us. God doesn’t want us to hurt. God knows us well enough to know what hurts us. God tells us about the things which can hurt us, and tells us to avoid them. Because He loves us.
Drowning
We put up signs around pools that say, “Warning: NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY swim at your own risk.” Parent’s tell their kids not to run around the pool, because they don’t want their kid to slip and hit their head and fall in the water and drown. There are laws about wearing Life Jackets, or at least having them available when you go out on a boat. We do things things to keep people from getting hurt if at all possible.
But when someone is in the water already drowning, we do not give them a lecture about how they shouldn’t have gone swimming without a buddy. We don’t yell at them for swimming after dark. We pull them out of the water, give them CPR, hold them and tell them how scared we were. THEN, we might tell them ways to avoid this situation in the future.
Your Sins are Forgiven
now go and sin no more
When a woman accused of adultery and prostitution is brought before Jesus, He convicts the religious people who drug her to him saying, “Whomever among you has never sinned should cast the first stone.” One by one they leave and Jesus says to the woman, “Where are your accusers? They have not condemned you, and neither do I. Your sins are forgiven… now go and sin no more.”
Notice how Jesus didn’t say, “Well, if you stop sinning, I’ll forgive you.” Yet, many times those of us in the Body of Christ, take that stance with the lost and hurting people in the world. We must learn how to first of all be forgiving and loving to those outside of The Church, pull them out of the water, to save them, to meet them where they are at, but then love them enough not to leave them there.
Admonish, Convict, Encourage, Help, Support
For the people in the body, for those who are saved we must love them enough to admonish, convict, encourage, help, and support them as they grow in their faith and learn what it means to follow Christ. We all need help learning how to live our lives in a way that reflect our relationship with our Savior.
Explore God’s Word
Leviticus 18; 1 Corinthians 5; Deuteronomy 20:13-30; Colossians 2; 1 John 3; more?
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