Perplexed

By Vince Antonucci

“Hi, I heard your radio ad and I was wondering if I can come to your church? You see, I”m gay, but you seem like a church that might welcome everyone. Thanks, Annette.”

We promoted our church”s opening day with radio ads on secular rock stations. I received that question from Annette, and my in-box quickly filled with e-mails asking the same question.

I am perplexed. I want to e-mail my own question to churches: Why do gay people need to ask this question?

God Incarnate

Recently, I received another e-mail. It was from the CHRISTIAN STANDARD: Would I consider writing an article about our church”s “ministry to homosexuals.” I stared at the sentence. Again I was perplexed. It had never occurred to me that our church had a ministry to homosexuals.

Our church”s ministry is to be God incarnate. Jesus came as God in a body. He exactly represented who God is (Colossians 1:15). The church is to be Jesus in a body (1 Corinthians 12:27). We are to exactly represent who he is.

Jesus” ministry was to seek and save the lost. People drawn to Jesus” ministry were those deemed the most sinful by society.

The church”s ministry is to seek and save the lost. Those drawn to our ministry should be those deemed the most sinful by society. In our culture, this will include homosexuals.

Why were the “sinners” drawn to Jesus? I think it”s because in Jesus they heard the truth they needed, but also experienced the love they longed for.

When will the “sinners” of our society (including homosexuals) be drawn to us? When will “speaking the truth in love” not be a cliché we talk about but a reality we live out?

True Identity

I told Annette she was welcome in our church. But I explained that we are a Bible-based church and the Bible is clear that because of his love, God has a perfect will for our lives. His perfect will does not include homosexual behavior. In fact, it is sin and is to be strictly avoided.

But I told Annette the Bible does not highlight homosexuality as a sin deserving greater condemnation from God or his people. Homosexuality is lumped into lists including a variety of other sins (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) some of which I have been guilty. I explained that I lovingly try to convince everyone at our church that God has a better life for them, and I invite them to lovingly convince me of the same.

I let Annette know that I don”t think God”s primary objective in her life is to change her behavior. Instead, I think God wants her to truly experience his love, and to find her true identity in him. If that were to happen, I think the change in behavior would follow. And that this is what I”ve been experiencing in my life.

Love . . . and Truth

Sending an e-mail is easy. Living out the implications of having homosexuals in your church is not. Not only will you be judged by Christians, you will face some perplexing situations.

One Sunday I walked in and saw a gay couple working at our “Welcome Table” in the lobby. I thought, Oh, that”s not good.

We met and I explained that they are welcome to attend our church, but could not volunteer at the “Welcome Table.” It gave the impression that they represented our church. But as two people who continued to live out a homosexual lifestyle, they do not.

I expected, “Forget you, we”re out of here!” But they said, “OK. Where can we serve?” And now they show up every Sunday at 8:00 am for set-up. Why? Because although they heard painful truth, at our church they have always experienced overwhelming love.

I”ve also sat across a table in the food court of the mall and explained to an actively gay man that he could not go on a mission trip. It was painful, but I had to speak the truth. And he continues to attend our church, because he knows he”s loved.

Pride and Joy

In his book What”s So Amazing About Grace? Philip Yancey illustrates both the truth and the love on this issue. He tells the story of Mel White, who used to be a prominent Christian author, but then admitted to the world that he is gay. He left his wife, kids, and ministry to embrace a homosexual lifestyle.

A network news show did a piece on Mel White. They interviewed his parents, who were conservative Christians and disagreed with Mel”s decision. The interviewer said, “You know what other Christians are saying about your son. They say he”s an abomination. What do you think about that?”

With a quivering voice his mom answered, “He may be an abomination, but he”s still our pride and joy.”

That”s what I would say about the gay people in our church. It”s also what God would say about me. I am an abomination. But I am also God”s pride and joy. My life has been changed by the radical, perplexing grace of God.

The homosexual people in our communities will have their lives transformed when they experience the radical, perplexing grace of God. But they will experience it only if we speak the truth in overwhelming love.

 

 

Vince Antonucci is lead pastor at Forefront Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia.