I think given today's climate in America and in the church, the proper groundwork has to be laid in addressing this issue from the pulpit. As I've shared before, many pastors are unaware of the presence in their own congregations of men and women who struggle with same-sex attraction. Youth group leaders may tell anti-gay jokes. Mothers and dads with gay sons and daughters are embarrassed to share with their brothers and sisters in Christ because they fear the attitude they'll encounter. Churches who want to tackle this issue need to be supportive of ministries to homosexuals. Pastors need to educate themselves about the issue--and how to counsel someone who wants to leave the lifestyle. They need to invite speakers who are dealing with SSA to give their testimony from the pulpit and to the youth group. Right now, the depth of discussion on this topic in churches usually is simply summarized as "I love the sinner, but hate the sin."
What people need is to be taught how to allow the Holy Spirit to live within them which can only be done by accepting and walking in what the written Word of God teaches.
This will help with any addiction, not to mention the works of the flesh must be identified as being sin and not just some "struggle". It's satan and the flesh acting in concert to choke out the Word of God from people's lives regardless of what addiction it is.
And, people need to be taught that what they watch and listen to in the media / entertainment feeds the works of the flesh which is how people get same sex attraction in the first place. It always starts with a seed that gets watered.
It's gotten to the point now where fewer and fewer people doing the gay thing will be willing to think anything is wrong with it since the entire world is screaming that being gay is A-OK. God says man is without excuse so it's not like the Lord has not given all people opportunity to know what is right and what is wrong.
It's sad that many in the church now want to embrace the works of the flesh and still claim to be going to Heaven when the Word of God clearly teaches that a sinful lifestyle will prevent one from spending eternity with the Father.
Ezekiel 33 (08-04-2016)
My old pastor in ATL has been preaching the biblical truth on this issue boldly for years. Anybody who would have walked out probably did 15 years ago.
Ezekiel 33 (08-04-2016)
It's not about wanting to "tackle this issue" bro. We are to preach God's word about sin. I include homosexuality right along with fornication and adultery when I preach. Why? Because that is where God puts it. It is a sexual perversion, just like fornication, adultery and any other thing that perverts what God intended for sex to be.
I agree in the sense that many are not taught the Biblical truth about the power of God to produce deliverance and transformation and how to get there.....the fundamental help we ALL need to overcome our sinful carnal nature and become Christlike..it is truly not enough to preach this or that is sin...
In this case we don't know...some may have been sitting there struggling and some may have been there as leaven...
While also pointing out the power of God to overcome, I feel sure...there are some who preach against sin but don't preach and teach how to overcome...in those situations some may struggle to overcome or at least hide their sin to void rejection and hoping to be free someday..
Bookman (08-04-2016), curly sue (08-04-2016), Ezekiel 33 (08-04-2016)
Yes, that's it. Pastors who preach against homosexuality...are they also willing to walk with the person through the process to change? Many homosexuals who become Christians in an effort to change their orientation eventually go back, feeling letdown by God and by the church. They need real discipleship...but do churches do discipleship anymore? Maybe they do.
Another aspect here...someone, pastor maybe, should make themselves available for one on one conversation...could be they don't ask for that personal, 'come along side to help me' due to shame or fear of rejection...so the message has to be clear..maybe have a new believer's overcoming class for ALL sin struggles that does not single out anyone yet still guides through prayer and truth in that process of learning how to...
And... they need to be taught how to walk after the Spirit which can only be done by allowing the Spirit to live and walk in us.
And... they need to be taught that satan is going to ALWAYS be gunning to choke God's Word out of them (Mark 4:14-20) and what to do about it.
curly sue (08-04-2016), Ezekiel 33 (08-04-2016), Quest (08-04-2016)