From the Supreme Court

My heart is broken and, to be honest, I'm a little angry, but not with the Supreme Court. This is no longer a Christian nation, and I don't expect our government to make Biblical decisions. 

But, as much as I don't like to say it, I'm upset with the church. Not my church specifically, but not excluding it. The American Church as a whole is making some huge mistakes, and they're reaching much farther than we'd expect. 

This is not about whether homosexuality is right or wrong. That's not a question for me. The Bible is the ultimate authority and it's far more straightforward than some would have us believe. God made marriage to work one way, and it's automatically the best way because He made it. Anything else is an affront to His authority and it's sin, plain and simple. 

My problem is that we've stopped right there and used the beautiful truth of God's Word as a weapon to hurt the very people Jesus came to save. We've decided that because the LGBT community is celebrating sin that we can do whatever it takes to make sure they know the truth. And can I tell you something? They know. They know what we have to say. They know where we stand. That's no longer the issue. 

The issue is that we're attacking lost people...for acting like lost people. We expect them to live up to our moral standards without ever having their hearts changed by Christ. 

These are people we're talking about. They're not a faceless mass. They have names, hearts, stories, fears, dreams. These are people that have grown up feeling rejected, isolated, lonely, attacked, misunderstood, unknowable, unloved. These are the very people that Christ came to save. 

And now you and I, the children of God, the ones who should have the most motivation to love these people, we're the ones throwing stones. 

In John 8 we see Jesus's encounter with the woman caught in adultery. He doesn't start out by spelling out what she's done wrong and how dirty this makes her. I'm sure in the midst of the religious Pharisees she already feels dirty enough. 

No, with some writing in the dirt and a single sentence He sends her accusers away. "Let him who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." 

Not one man is left. And then He tells her to go and sin no more. 

I'm not saying that Christ will just casually love you and let you chill in your homosexuality. But He won't let me stay in my lying, in my unforgiveness, in my rebellious heart. 

He loves you and I so powerfully that He will make us His, call us loved, and then begin making us more like Him. 

This Supreme Court decision is one of the greatest opportunities this church will have to minister to the LGBT people. They're watching us, seeing how we react. And unfortunately most of them are seeing that this Jesus we're supposed to be representing is not anyone they'd be interested in. 

When they look at our facebook posts and hear our conversations, they see a "Jesus" that is disgusted by them. That hates them. That thinks they are the scum of the earth, the downfall of the entire country. 

That's not my Jesus. That's not the Jesus of the Bible. 

Because the Jesus I know, the One that I love and trust to save my life, He died for me while I was still a sinner. He takes me back after my every rebellion, and breaks the strongholds of sin in my life. He comforts me when I'm lonely. He gives me wisdom, grace, infinite mercy. The Jesus I know is a good Father, a righteous Judge, a perfect Counselor, a faithful Friend. 

So to anyone who's been hurt by the church's response, I'm sorry. We are nothing more than sinners saved by grace, and He's still working on us. We don't always get it right, and our sin has hurt you. But know that Jesus won't fail you or hurt you. Know that He'll take you in right where you are. You don't have to clean up for Him. Know that He loves you immensely, infinitely, and unconditionally. He can and will save you. Yes, you will change, but only because He knows what's best for you. And He'll walk with you through it. I promise that if you get to know Jesus for who the Bible says He is, you'll see that He's the answer to everything you've been searching for. All your wounds can be healed. Your loneliness and pain redeemed. He sees you and knows you. You matter to him. 

And, although it may take some courage, come to the church. You'll realize that we're not perfect, but He is, and He'll help us love each other. We want you to live life with us. We want you to help us be more compassionate. The church is not for super-Christians, it's for the broken who need God (P.S. That's all of us), regardless of your past or your struggles. I think you'll realize that we're not so different. 

And to the church, know that I love you. I love the church. This is not a bash-the-church post. The church is chosen by God as His means of reaching the nations. I only aim to encourage you when I say that we've messed up, but God is greater than our weakness. He uses it. And He will not abandon us now. As He has been faithful, He will be faithful. We need to show people who Christ is. We have brothers and sisters who haven't been adopted yet, and they have to be told that their Father loves them. 

Because, friends, we're going home. And when we get to Heaven, we'll see that God's church is not limited to us conservative, middle-class Southerners. The church is simply those who have been made alive by Christ. And if His family isn't divided there, why can't we reach across borders here and live out the love that we've been given?

Christ is enough for us. All of us.