Jump Start # 1619

1 Corinthians 6:11 “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

I have a friend who has a friend who is homosexual. He knows if things remain as they are, his friend will not go to Heaven. He wants to talk to him but is unsure about how to do this. He asked me to give him some suggestions. Concern and prayerful thought must be put into this. Some would suggest, “Just tell him that he’s going to Hell.” That approach has been used for years. Most can see that from the results that was not effective at all. Certainly, you are telling the truth and you are not holding anything back, but put yourselves on the receiving end of that message. It is offensive and causes a toxic response and not a change in behavior.

Our verse today, reveals that many of the Corinthian believers were originally immoral and corrupt. The list is long and sordid. It includes idolatry, fornication, adultery, effeminate, homosexuality, drunkards, swindlers, thieves and covetous. Messy lives. Immoral people. Folks without any compass in their lives. Yet they changed. They didn’t have intense therapy or counseling back then. There was no AA for the drunks or exit programs for the homosexuals. They did it because of Jesus. It is possible, because God shows us that.

The conversation is hard when the person you are talking to is happy and content in their immoral lifestyle. It is hard to bring God into the picture when they believe God approves and worse, they believe God made them the way that they are. Some have twisted Scriptures to make it sound as if God is ok with someone being gay. You find someone who is miserable, unhappy and upset and you have something to start with. You begin with a happy homosexual and your work is cut out for you. But powerful are the Scriptures. Believe that.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Always pray hard about the person and what you are going to say. You need God’s help. Pray for listening ears. Pray for an honest and good heart. Pray that you will find the right words to say.

2. Find an appropriate time to talk with him. Choose a setting that invites conversation. You don’t want your conversation to be interrupted and the flow of conversation to be derailed. Park the cell phones. Don’t begin the conversation in the attack mode. Talk freely, kindly. You are trying to help, not destroy.

3. Use yourself as a starting point. “I want to tell you my story…”  This may be painful but it’s honesty and truthfulness that you are establishing. Talk about what your life was like before Jesus. For some it was footloose and fancy free. Living the dream. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. But it was only a dream. It was living with a bunch of lies. The drinking, the running around, the irresponsibility—it’s all a lie. Someone came into your life and they were different. They didn’t live that way. They were calm, they were sure, they seemed to have a sense of worth and purpose in their life. They weren’t hiding behind these artificial things. In time, that person talked to you about Jesus. Tell your friend, your first reaction. Be honest. Tell him what it was like the first time you worshipped with people who were serious about the Bible. From that a Bible study started. You saw that Jesus really loved you and wanted you to live differently and better. He made you for better things. Those studies lead you to realizing that you were not a Christian and you were not going to Heaven. You were baptized. You changed. Tell him how remarkable your journey with the Lord has been. Be honest. Be positive.

4. From that, tell your friend, I would like to show you in the Bible what I found in Jesus. I want you to have what I have found. I want you to go to Heaven. Can I show you?

It is at that point, based upon the person’s heart that they will agree to let you have a Bible study with them or they will close the door. Some are not interested. Some do not want to know. Some, may know and do not want to admit it. How do you get people to be interested is a question that is hard to answer. Some are not interested. Some will not change because they do not want to change.

The obvious sin we witness in someone’s life, homosexuality, drug abuse, drinking, adultery—isn’t the real problem. It’s living without Jesus. Those things are simply ways that living without Jesus is manifested. We want to stop the drinking. What we really want is for them to become a disciple of Jesus. Stopping a certain sin without the change of heart, the putting away of the old man, usually won’t last long. They will slip back into old ways and old habits. There is a re-wring of their thinking that must take place. Until they are ready for that, the little changes that you see, do not mean much.

What are you to do if a person doesn’t want to talk or have that Bible study? Keep praying. Keep looking for another opportunity. Keep being their friend. Don’t toss them overboard if they say “no.” Don’t take it personal if they want nothing to do with Jesus. Many have had a bad experience. They may have been told in the past that they are headed to hell. That’s enough for them to be done once and for all with religion.

Patience is a must. This is a journey. Keep your light shinning. They will be watching you. They may even test you.

It is amazing that we can be more concerned about someone’s soul than they are. It is amazing that we may want them in Heaven more than they do.

If a Bible study begins, don’t start with jumping on their sin. Talk about the Scriptures and why God has given us the Bible. In that, you are establishing authority and Bible only as the rule of faith. From that, talk about and show what God wants from us. That of course, is to be like Jesus. It’s a journey. It’s more than just going to church on Sunday. Anticipate more than one study. Take time. Build Jesus in their hearts. Show the goodness, mercy and love of God. Start with Adam. Talk about Cain and worship. Talk about failures and departures. You are wanting him to see Christ. Talk about blueprints. God has plans for us. If we do what the blueprint says, we will be what God wants.

This isn’t easy, but it may be God has caused your lives to intersect just for this reason.

I will pray for you.

Roger