A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege to attend my first in-person HOPE Conference. The HOPE conference, which is held by Restored Hope Network (RHN)*, is a wonderful time of worship, testimonies, and receiving from the Lord. As one of the attendees put it, it is quite the experience to be somewhere where everyone understands each other and is able to go deep with one another. One of the most impactful experiences for me, though, was the pre-conference RHN member’s day. We had the opportunity to come together as members of the network for business, sharing, and prayer. What really stuck out to me was when one of the pastoral affiliates got to speak. His main message was affirming the courage of what ministries like Outpost do. He reminded us “that kind of courage is contagious.”
The courage to be compassionate without compromising is a key issue when it comes to Christians and our relationships with those who identify as LGBTQ+. It takes a lot of courage, and great security in God, to engage with people lovingly in the truth of God and His Word. Rather than passively doing what is the most comfortable or “safe,” we choose to speak life into the lives of men and women walking out of sexual and relational brokenness.
It also takes courage to meet people who are seeking God after having walked a life contrary to His will. One of the keynote speakers had a very powerful, and convicting, word for us: “If we are praying for those who identify as LGBTQ+ to come to Jesus, are we ready for those walking away from that identity to come in our church doors?” We may pray that many who identify as LGBTQ+ repent and come into right relationship with God through accepting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But are we ready for someone seeking Jesus who appears non-conforming, or who appears or acts a bit different from a “typical” man or woman, to come in our church? Do we have a compassionate but clear bathroom policy? Are we willing and ready to have conversations with our kids or grandkids who ask about someone’s appearance? Ultimately, are we willing—by the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit—to embrace discipling those who have walked a different path than us? And are we willing to embrace the messiness of discipleship, sacrificing our own comforts for the sake of seeing Christ grow in others?
It is my prayer that the Church grows in bold humility, excelling in compassion without compromise. It is my prayer that the Church steps out of passivity into joyful obedience to its Savior. The question is, how is God calling you into deeper faith and action rooted in the Gospel? What is your next step to follow God at any cost, knowing that it is only in the Cross that you are free? May we come together as the Body of Christ and walk as the redeemed whom God uses to share His truth of His immense love and sacrifice.
*RHN is the national network of ministries like Outpost. We gather once a year for teaching, encouragement, and fellowship. Next year, the conference will be held online in the early part of June.
