How Should the Church Treat Gays?
Pull them aside for a frank discussion where you show them what God says in His Word about this lifestyle being sinful, and prayerfull listen to their feed back to see if they know it's wrong and they want help.
The ones that are out and proud and are un-repentant... kick them out and tell them to come back when they want to be delivered, till them no you are NOT welcome to come here and corrupt others in the congregation
A true Shepard would do this, while a wolf would let them come right on in and taint the entire congregation bringing sin in to the camp. Shameful!
The Apostle Paul... under the leading of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ... kicked out a man that was engaging in sexual perversion due to being un-repentant (he was actively engaging in his sin)... and we should do the same as this is our biblical example.
The guy was let back in when he repented and quit his sin.
you want to avoid the hypocrisy of claiming that the sin of homosexuality is a worse sin than other forms of adulterous behavior.
God's Word never says adultery is an obamanation... but it does teach that the gay thing is in fact an obamanation
Are you suggesting we should ignore God's Word on this?
If gays cannot attend a certain Church,then why can the fornicator,and money grubber,and stealer,be there that the preacher knows about.
They shouldn't... but most preachers don't want their offerings to go down so... you know...
First off, being a believer of Jesus Christ from a young age I can tell you how horribly it affected me hearing my pastor say that being gay is an abomination.
Your pastor did not say this... God said it.
The pastor was simply reading what God said in His Word on this subject.
I'm scared I'm going to walk in and everyone is going to know I struggle with same sex attraction
Why keep saying that? As you continually say that, you continually believe that instead of what God says about those that have been born again:
2 Corinthians 5:17,18
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ
How long have you said this verse of scripture about yourself, praising the Lord that His Word is true for you... now? This is God's Word... what He says has POWER to change your mind and how you think, speak, act, and feel.... but you can't ever stop! Neither can any of us lest we slip back to our old sinful ways.
You have been trained to believe what you see and feel rather than what God says which will change what you see and feel. This is one of satan's tricks is stronghold thoughts that we accept and believe. This is how people becomes gay because... nobody is born gay, or a drug addict, or a theif or whatever. It's learned behavior that we accept and it becomes rooted and grounded in us as we continually reinforce it by speaking it, acting on it, thinking on it, imagining it.
satan wants you to continually say "I struggle with same sex attraction" which keeps the door open for him to continually bring thoughts, imaginations to you about this which brings forth feelings and emotions that agree with this.
Make the decision to walk with God by faith rather than walking after the flesh with feelings of same sex attraction.
It's the same for the crack addict, the heroin addict, the shoplifter, the over eater, the worry wart, etc, etc.
You have to decide that you are now in Christ and allow Christ the live ibn you and walk in you (2 Corinthians 6:16) and be led by His Spirit (Romans 8:14) and no longer yeild to the leading of the flesh whether it be same sex whatever, shoplifting, over treating, cursing, or any other thing the devil likes to temp people with.
You would need to cut yourself off from this world's narrative concerning this issues for a long, long season cause they make it sounds like a "right" to be gay... God says it's a work of the flesh and those that walk after the flesh reap corruption and do not spend eternity with Him.
It's a simple matter of renewing your mind... and yeah, I was a drug addict back in the day on some stuff that drives people much harder than the gay thing so I know what it's like to be bombarded with thoughts screaming that I'm different than what God says I am.
The question is... will you agree with God and throw everything else out???
And the vast majority of the mind renewing and growing spiritually is done privately between you and the Lord... not in church. So... find a good church and when you walk in and thoughts come saying "they know I'm struggling with whatever"... know and understand that is a devil bringing that thought to you, not the Lord so cast it down and cast the devil out and REBEL against the forces of heLL!