UnChristian: Anti-Homosexual
Colossians 4:5,6 and Selected Scriptures
Connect:
Share how you have seen God in the Highs and Lows of your week.
Discuss how resolutions made last week in “growing more like Jesus” worked themselves out – what God did in and through you (Phil. 2:13) Celebrate and thank God for those together and pray with those who experienced some “Lows” this week, for God’s encouragement for them.
Prayer:
Pray that God would lead your discussion time and bring fresh insight, conviction, and hope through your time together.
Review:
We are launching into a new series looking at ways that Christian engagement in politics is perceived by those who do not believe in Jesus Christ. Each week we are taking a key aspect of reputation, grounded on research of the Barna group, and looking at this while avoiding defensiveness, seeking to understand, and engaging authentically in the conversation.
In the last couple of weeks we looked at hypocrisy, political engagement, the manner of our witness… and this week we talked about the perception that Christians are “Anti-homosexual”.
The Grand Tour of the message: Thinking back on what you heard this Sunday…
o What did you learn about God?
o What did you learn about people?
o What did you learn about yourself?
o What do you want to commit to putting into practice?
Reflect:
Describe what you feel/think when interacting with a person who lives out an active homosexual lifestyle. What goes through our mind/ our heart in that interaction?
Discuss the following Scriptures and read the verses in context:
What is God's plan for His creation of a man and a woman? ( Genesis 1:27-28, Malachi 2:15, Matthew 19:4-6,)
How do the following Scriptures help each one of us remember our own need for God's mercy? ( Romans 3:23-24 and 6:23, Ephesians 2:1-5 and 8-9, James 2:10-11 and 4:17,)
Is homosexuality singled out in the Bible as worse than other types of sexual immorality that are more 'acceptable' to us today? ( Exodus 20:14, Matthew 5:27-28, Mark 7:21-23, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:3-5, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,and 18-20,)
How did Jesus respond to sinners? John 1:14 and 16-17, John 8:3-11, Romans 5:6-8,)
How are we to reflect His grace and truth in our interactions and counsel to those struggling with homosexuality? ( 1 Peter 3:15-16, Ephesians 4:15-16, Philippians 2:13,)
Respond:
Scott ended the message this week with a plea to offer our hearts to God so that He can take us, transform us, renew us, equip us and fill us with His joy, His power, His truth and His presence. Spend some time now recommitting your life to the Lord for His purposes in and through you.
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