Everyday Evangelism - Dealing with the Homosexual

I have been hearing a lot of talk about homosexualism lately, which brings to my attention the fact that at some point in our evangelizing, we will come in contact with a homosexual or lesbian. Don't panic when this happens. I have not run into too many of them, or if I did, the issue didn't come up. There is some wisdom I would like to have when dealing with homosexuals, and I would like to communicate a few things that would help to know beforehand.
   I have been taking mental notes of the situation of the Gay community that is evolving. I also think that 20-30 years ago, I would have found these people repulsive, and probably would have not looked at them as sinful people who need to be saved from their sins, just like we do. I might have thought that their sin was too great for God to deal with or care about. I don't know, but I see now, looking back, that I was not a compassionate person toward other people who are in darkness. I had not yet heard the phrase (which makes really good sense) "I am just one beggar, telling other beggars where to find bread". Now that I can see the depth of my sin more clearly, I can help other people to get help for their sin.
   There are groups of professing Christians (I think) who are preaching something (not sure what it is yet), but in their messages, they tell the Gay person that 'God hates fags'. I really don't understand what the purpose of their message is, for if God hates fags, as they say, what good is it to tell them? It doesn't make sense, unless it caters to their pride. It is similar to racial strife. In America, it has gone back and forth, like a feud, between the white people and the black people. When America was a young country, many people 'owned' slaves. Many of these slaves were part of the slave trade industry. Some of them were brought on ships from Africa. Can you imagine watching your family boarding a ship because a cruel taskmaster was over the people making them get on the ship. Many never even made it to the destination because they were not taken care of when they got sick on the ship.
   You probably would feel pretty angry if you were a black person living in early America. Some of the slave owners were very cruel to their slaves. Some of them were kind though, and treated their slaves fairly.
   I am sure when the slaves were free, a lot of white people were angry. Many of the white people treated them like dirt. So, in turn, the black people were not happy with the white people, and it goes back and forth like this for years. On top of this, the misunderstanding that was brought about by Darwin and his theory on evolution didn't help. He actually wrote in his book that the black people were less developed humans than the white people. And that women were less developed humans than men. So, we have a society that really doesn't believe certain groups of people were totally human. I guess they assumed we can treat other people like animals if we want. If we have more power over them (money), than we can own them and use them at our disposal.
  So by the time we get to the twentieth century, this feud is still going on. Black people have a hard time getting jobs. Black women especially suffer. You really have to understand why the black people hated the white people at this point.
   I said all this to say that somehow we believe we can treat other people, or the ones not like us, like trash. Today, we are not in as much tension with the black people as we were, but there is still prejudice in our society. It's our pride that makes us think we are better than someone else. When a person comes to Christ, humility should mark that person's life, not pride. If a person really 'gets' the Gospel, he or she will be humbled and will be able to see the pride in their own hearts.
   Jesus was a friend to 'sinners', yet He never condoned or participated in their sins. How can we love the unlovely? One way is to see the sin that God delivered us from. It will help us to love others and help them be free from their sins (See Matthew 7).
   Does name calling and threatening God's judgement help someone come to Christ? I doubt it. How would you feel if someone that you didn't know came up to you and told you that God was going to judge you for (fill in the blank). Would you want to listen to that person to get help? I doubt it. That person who came to you was proud. He is being a bully to you. Who listens to bullies? No one would. But there are many people who do 'evangelism' this way. They think by throwing Bible verses out about God's judgment will let the hearer be informed of God's judgment on him or her. How do we tell other people about God's judgment then? We do it with compassion and a broken heart. We grieve when people are enslaved in sin. We let people talk and express themselves and listen to what is in their hearts. Could it be that some people really would want to be free from the bondage of homosexualism, but whenever they try to get help, someone blasts them because of their sin? We want people to receive help not run away from the Gospel. If we are not inviting to them, they will run away, and probably avoid Christians at all costs, for they will assume the next one will do the same thing. We are good at telling people when they are wrong, but do we continue and show them the hope so they won't have to continue in their sin? Do we treat them like a human being created in God's image, or do we look at them as trash?
   I think we need to look at our own hearts and ask God to help us. There is a world of people out there that need ministry, and we need to be ready and available to help them. If we don't deal with our own hearts first, we could end up being motivated by pride, and come across in a prideful way when we are ministering to people.
  I am concerned about the bad name this whole activity has given to Christianity. Many people associate the Westboro group as Christians who are preaching the Gospel. If that is so, no wonder people are angry with the church. If 'Christians' continue to behave like they do, we could end up in trouble legally someday, having laws passed that will prevent Christians from preaching the true Gospel, because it would be considered 'harassment'. If the standard for preaching the Gospel is defined by name calling, we won't have a chance to do it right. Let's get it right in our own hearts so we can minister the Gospel to a lost and dying world before it is too late.
   Also, the Gay community has reacted violently to these attacks on them by the 'Christians' and forming a strong community. They are building defenses and working in the legal system to create advantages for themselves. This is a result of the church not handling the issue of homosexualism correctly. Homosexuals are human beings, and, they already have the same rights provided for them in the Constitution, that we have. They are just taking things further now, and creating new laws to be passed so that they can advance their kingdom. This is sad, and also, I believe it is a result of the church not handling them properly. The church, at times, has treated these people much like the slaves of early America were treated. I am not saying that we should give special treatment or preferential treatment to these people, but we have taken away some of their rights, just as human beings, because of their being Gay/Lesbian. Now that it has gone this far, they have been able to work the legal system to their advantage.
  No, they don't have any rights that anyone else doesn't have. They should be treated like human beings, yet they need to hear the Gospel desperately, as all of us do. We should do as Mark Cahill does, and talk with these people, and let them speak. Treat them like humans with kindness. Out of love and care, help them see the Gospel. Show them that homosexualism isn't part of God's design (see Apologetic Musings). They need to see God's holiness. They need to understand His justice. They need to repent of their sins, not just homosexualism. We don't want to give them a reason to react to Christianity in a wrong way. We can have compassion on this person, without condoning homosexualism. They need to see that God did not make them this way. They believe that because they want to hold onto something that will give them the 'right' to stay homosexual.
   We could come to the day when pastors won't be allowed to preach against homosexualism in the pulpit anymore. Again it will be because people have resorted to name calling and bullying the homosexual. Let's show the love of Christ to people who are lost and dying.
2 Corinthians 5

¹² For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

¹³ For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.

¹⁴ For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

¹⁵ And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.