Really, I will share why I started this thread. No child ever says that they want to grow up and be a drug addict, alcoholic, homeless, raped or many other things. You know what the top ministering to these people are when seeking help from Christians in America are? They are most often told they should not have put themselves in that situation. Do people know what most of these people are suffering from or what is hurting them so bad that they are allowing it to hold them down or back. Many claiming Christians in America are the cruelest most ignorant people I have ever met. No not all are like this but it does seem to be the majority. It is not what people think it is how it is. Just like the people eating in a restaurant and had a homosexual waiter and left them a hateful note about why they did not tip them. Or the Christians holding up signs about God hates homos and they are all burning in hell. Take a look around.
It's a fact, there is sin in the world. Many times people are victims of sin, but many times they are perpetrators of sin. (Everyone has sinned at some point).
This world is full of broken, hurting people. Some are looking for help, for answers, for love, maybe approval and fulfillment, maybe even God.
What should we do with these people? Love them? Certainly we should, but then what?
Not everyone is looking God/Jesus salvation. Does that mean we should loving them? No, but what else can we give them to change their lives (we can pray)?
Some are just looking for approval and fulfillment. Some are just looking for next (bottle of wine, joint to smoke, woman to sleep with, etc.. )
My experience with homosexuals is that most of them want approval, not only only for themselves as a person, but they want you to approve of what they are doing.
It is difficult to love someone, and yet not approve of their lifestyle, (we could say the same for fornication and adultery, alcoholics and child-molesters, etc..)
How ever usually those people don't need you to approve of what they are doing, simply to love them. I've never seen an "adultery-pride" or "pedophile-pride"
parade, but here in Seattle I've seen dozens of "gay-pride" rally's and parades, many business's here have "gay-friendly" signs up.
Some alcoholics joke about being drunk all the time and wear t-shirts that make fun of themselves and alcohol, but when they're sober enough to really talk to at a heart to heart level,
almost all of them really want to quit, but like other drugs and pornography, they are powerless against these things on their own (some just don't want to quit "bad-enough")
We can love sinners, I doubt there is very few of us that don't know someone who is hurting, broken and needs Jesus. Taking the time to be a witness and a part of their lives
is difficult, but has awesome rewards (not just in heaven, but in your heart right now). Yes some of us put the cart before the horse and say a lifestyle change is required to come to Jesus,
but that's backwards (we have no power to change our lives on our own). Come to Jesus first and he will you make the changes you need to make. How do we get them to do that?
Most often it's by our witness, not so much what we say, as how we live and show love to others. (especially "them").
Matt 5:46;
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Matt 5:47;
"If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
We need to reach out to hurting people, try to lead them to Jesus. But if they reject this (sometimes it's immediate, but sometimes it's rejection after you have spent weeks
and month of your heart and resources and time on this person), I think all that's left is that we need to tell them the penalty for their choices, that includes burning in hell.
That may not lead them to Jesus, but at that point they have already rejected Him.
The other problem with "being in the world" is keeping yourself "not OF the world". Some Christians aren't strong enough to be around those who drink and fornicate
without being drawn into that life style. We need to warn these people also.