Author Alan Shlemon
Published on 09/07/2020
Christian Living

Make Relationships with Your LGBT Friends a High Priority

Alan shares how you can make the most impact in the lives of your LGBT friends and family.


Transcript

Now that you know the truth, or some truth about this subject, I hope you can see why we need compassion for these people. So here are some principles that might help.

Number one, make your relationship with your person who identifies as gay or lesbian, or who says they’re transgender, make your relationship with them a high priority. I’m not saying it’s a top priority. Obviously, your relationship with God and your family should be the highest priority. But make it a high priority.

Because, as I said, it’s through relationships that we can show love, compassion, truth, share the gospel, right? This is why we want to do that. Your ability to speak truth in their lives will be a function of your relationship with them. And I believe the Bible is clear about how we should pursue those people who might consider to be outcasts of our society or our culture, meaning our Christian culture.

Think of the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 or so, right? Zacchaeus was an outcast by the Jewish community because he was stealing from his own fellow Jews. Jesus comes, sees this guy who’s basically a criminal, and says—notice, he doesn’t start with a sermon on tax collecting and the sin of it—he says, Zacchaeus, I’m coming over to your house to have a meal, right? Now, to Middle Eastern ears, this is a sign of acceptance, and love, and relationship, and friendship. Jesus goes to his house, builds a relationship with him, and later on says, “Salvation has come to this house,” to this man.

So it’s through our love that we can actually have an effect in their lives. So that’s why you should maintain your relationship with them.