exodus youth

If you’ve decided to participate in the Day of Truth, you know the importance of addressing homosexuality.  What a great way to bring a biblical response to this controversial and potentially divisive topic. Participating in this event is simply a time of intentional action: bringing awareness and offering a different viewpoint from the Day of Silence.  However, we must remember that observing one day of intentionality isn’t going to bring all the gay-identified students to desire change.  This one-day event merely provides the groundwork and opens opportunities to share the life-changing power and love of Jesus Christ.

Building Bridges and Crossing Them
Participation in the Day of Truth (DoT) can be the open door to building relationships with those on the “other side” of this conversation.  As you talk to other students, DoT can be a gateway for connecting with gay-identified peers or those who are secretly struggling in your school.  As you begin “an honest discussion about homosexuality”, you are showing them that you care about them as individuals and their relationship with Christ.

As the Day of Truth comes and goes, what will you do to remain a positive and effective light in your school?  Now that bridges have been built, meet them where they are and not where you want them to be.  Your goal, or strategy, should not be to win an argument – people are involved.  Their emotions are involved and their souls are involved.  Don’t begin relationships and make the focus exclusively about homosexuality.

You can’t force people to change
If they don’t have a personal relationship with Christ, their identity, beliefs and values are found in their sexuality.  This is where your real challenge lies.  If their eyes haven’t been open to the truth, they will have little to no conviction about their behavior or sin.  That certainly was the case for me.  For a while, I was quite content in my identity as a homosexual and saw no need to change.  If someone made our friendship solely based on my same-sex attractions, I know I would have rejected them and anything they they might have tried to share with me.

Most gay-identified people are so wrapped up in their homosexual identity, that it’s important for you to not allow that to be the central focus of your conversation or relationship.  Let them know through your friendship that you see beyond their gay identity; just as there is more to you than your struggles, attractions, and feelings.  We’ll explore more about this in future articles.

Need Some Encouragement?
As the Day of Truth approaches, look at it as just the beginning.  Allow this day to be an open door into establishing and building relationships.   Don’t make this about one day of sharing biblical truth with other students, but about a long-term investment into the lives of other sons and daughters God loves very much.  This is only the beginning! If you dive in with faith,  trust and see what the Lord can do in and through you!

In the coming weeks, we will be providing some practical steps and insight on how to effectively reach your friends and peers with the truth and love of Christ.