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The Dart Test
“Those who put their trust in Christ are not to be enslaved by any hereditary or cultivated habit or tendency. Instead of being held in bondage to the lower nature, they are to rule every appetite and passion. God has not left us to battle with evil in our own finite strength. Whatever may be our inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong, we can overcome through the power that He is ready to impart” (God’s Amazing Grace, p. 254).
“Many claim to love God while they fail to cherish love toward their brethren; but genuine love to God will testify to its real existence by love to our fellow-men. Those who love God will reveal the tender, compassionate spirit of Jesus to all that are around them. They will love their brethren, because they are the members of the body of Christ. They will love the sinner, because he is the purchase of the blood of Christ; and this love, abiding in the heart, will display itself by earnest labor to benefit and bless all with whom they associate. They will yearn for the salvation of men, and will lead others to the fountain that has refreshed their own souls” (The Signs of the Times, January 13, 1888).
THE DART TEST
Story One. One day Sally walked into class and immediately knew that the day’s lesson was going to be fun. Her teacher, Mr. Smith, was always coming up with new, creative ways to make his point. Today there was a big target on the wall, and Mr. Smith invited the students to draw pictures of someone who made them angry to place on the target, then they would throw darts at their own drawings.
One of Sally’s friends drew a picture of a girl who had “stolen” her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, going into great detail, to the point of drawing the pimples on her face.
Then the class members lined up and began throwing darts at the targets. As Sally got near the front of the line, Mr. Smith announced that thy had run out of time, and everyone returned to their seats, leaving Sally frustrated that she hadn’t had a chance to throw darts at the picture of her “friend.”
When everyone was back at their desks, Mr. Smith removed the target from the wall. Underneath it was a poster of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture.
Then Mr. Smith read from the Bible, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40, NRSV).
Story Two. One day after school, Chris, a fifth grader, came home and asked his mother, “Mom, what does ‘fag’ mean?”
“I’m not sure,” she answered honestly.
“It must mean something bad,” Chris said, “the way the kids say it.”
Chris’s mother went to see the principal and asked for an explanation. “Well,” he said, “I’m embarrassed to say it, but . . . . . it’s a slang term for a homosexual.”
Later, on a weekend Pathfinder outing, as the group unloaded supplies into the school where they would be staying, someone had written on the blackboard in large letters, “Chris is a fag!”
We all know that it’s rude and un-Christlike to call people names, but when it comes to kids who are “different” because they appear to have a confused sexual orientation, some assume that’s all right. After all doesn’t God hate homosexuals?
The answer is “No, He does not.” God loves everyone, and every unkind word or act, no matter to whom it’s directed, is an attack against Christ Himself. Jesus never confused the sinner for the sin!
Kind of makes you stop and think, doesn’t it?
- These stories are trying to help make a point. What is the point in the first story? Can you think of a Bible text to go with the story?
- What is the point of the second story? Can you think of a Bible text to go with it?
- Last week the lesson was about gossip. Is there anything from that lesson that we could apply to this one? Explain.
“With the rich promises of the Bible before you, can you give place to doubt? Can you believe that when the poor sinner longs to return, longs to forsake his sins, the Lord sternly withholds him from coming to His feet in repentance? Away with such thoughts! Nothing can hurt your own soul more than to entertain such a conception of our heavenly Father. He hates sin, but He loves the sinner. . . . As you read the promises, remember they are the expression of unutterable love and pity. The great heart of Infinite Love is drawn toward the sinner with boundless compassion. . . . He wants to restore His moral image in man. As you draw near to Him with confession and repentance, He will draw near to you with mercy and forgiveness” (God’s Amazing Grace, p. 82).
Here’s What I Think
“Just look at today’s television programs,” said the radio preacher. “It seems like all of the sitcoms have gay characters; like we’re suppose to accept them as normal. Well, the Bible says God hates the homosexuals! Hollywood and all its gay characters are going to burn in hell.”
Do you think that God feels different about a homosexual person than a heterosexual person? What scripture could back you up in your belief? What scriptures indicate His feelings toward a gay lifestyle?
Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and honest. Say what you think. The lines below are provided as an alternative to posting. You may want to share your thoughts with your class later.
Decode the message by finding each substitute letter or symbol.
“These souls whom you despise, said Jesus, are the property of God. By creation and by redemption they are His, and they are of value in His sight. As the shepherd loves his sheep, and cannot rest if even one be missing, so, in an infinitely higher degree, does God love every outcast soul. Men may deny the claim of His love, they may wander from Him, they may choose another master; yet they are God's, and He longs to recover His own. He says, ‘As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day’ (Ezekiel 34:12).
“Many will allow a brother or a neighbor to struggle unaided under adverse circumstances. Because they profess to be Christians he may be led to think that in their cold selfishness they are representing Christ. Because the Lord's professed servants are not in co-operation with Him, the love of God, which should flow forth from them, is in great degree cut off from their fellow men. And a large revenue of praise and thanksgiving from human hearts and human lips is prevented from flowing back to God. He is robbed of the glory due to His holy name. He is robbed of the souls for whom Christ died, souls whom He longs to bring into His kingdom to dwell in His presence through endless ages” (Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 187, 383).
So What?
You’ve heard the expression “God hates the sin, but loves the sinner”; that’s a lot easier to say than to put into practice—especially when it comes to homosexuality.
Often Christians assume that homosexuality is something that can be “given up,” like an overweight person who loses weight if he or she just stops eating desserts. But homosexuals (estimates run from one to 10 percent of the population) face a lifetime struggle with their sexual orientation. Some embrace it and say, “This is who I am.” Others continue to pray for deliverance from their feelings.
Some Christians adopt the attitude “Stay away until you change.” One can hardly imagine Jesus saying something like that. He always welcomed people, no matter their age, gender, ethnic background, or sexual orientation. He still does today.
Odds are that you’re not a homosexual, but you may be related to one (and not know it); you may go to school with one (and not know it). Many Christians see homosexuality as a sign of society’s moral decay and assume it is their duty to rid society of its influence—to force gays back “into the closet.”
But Christians have a much more important role in this issue: that is to reflect Jesus’ attitude toward homosexuals. Homosexuality is not contagious; you can’t catch it. But if you’re not careful, you can become condemning and critical of those who are gay and lesbian—and that would hardly reflect well on Jesus Christ, who said, “Whoever comes to meI will never drive away” (John 6:37, NIV)
- What makes us feel that one type of sin is so much more detestable than another type of sin?
- Is sin something that you can catch like a disease or illness?
- What does God say about sin? Are just some of us sinners? Is there a Bible verse to back up your answer?
- Should we treat homosexuals different than we treat others? Explain.
Fill in the blanks.
1. “[God] causes his sun to rise on the _________ and the good, and sends rain on the________________ and the _________________. . . . Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:45-48, NIV).
2. “In everything, do to _________what you would have them do to ___________” (Matthew 7:12, NIV).
3. “Whatever you did for __________ of the ________ of __________ brothers of mine you did for me” (Matthew 25:40, NIV).
4. “Now the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the ___________ and the _______________ of the law muttered, ‘This man _______________ sinners and ________with them’ (Luke 15:1, 2, NIV).
5. “For [God] says to Moses, ‘I will have ___________ on whom I have ________________ and I will have _____________ on whom I have ___________________” (Romans 9:15, NIV).
6. “The Lord is full of ______________ and _______________” (James 5:11, NIV).
“God celebrated the first marriage. Thus the institution has for its originator the Creator of the universe. ‘Marriage is honorable" (Hebrews. 13:4); it was one of the first gifts of God to man, and it is one of the two institutions that, after the Fall, Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise. When the divine principles are recognized and obeyed in this relation, marriage is a blessing; it guards the purity and happiness of the race, it provides for man's social needs, it elevates the physical, the intellectual, and the moral nature.
“The family tie is the closest, the most tender and sacred, of any on earth. It was designed to be a blessing to mankind. And it is a blessing wherever the marriage covenant is entered into intelligently, in the fear of God, and with due consideration for its responsibilities (The Faith I Live By, p. 251).
“He who gave Eve to Adam as a helpmeet performed His first miracle at a marriage festival. In the festal hall where friends and kindred rejoiced together, Christ began His public ministry. Thus He sanctioned marriage, recognizing it as an institution that He Himself had established. . . .
“Christ honored the marriage relation by making it also a symbol of the union between Him and His redeemed ones. He Himself is the Bridegroom; the bride is the church, of which, as His chosen one, He says, ‘Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee’ (The Adventist Home, p. 26).
What Does This Have to Do With Me?
Sex is good. That’s right; God created us to be happy, and part of that is being attracted to people of the opposite sex. But sometimes, for reasons nobody can fully explain, people find themselves being attracted to someone of the same sex.
If you know someone who struggles with this issue, do not make fun of them or call them names; do not start rumors or talk about them behind their backs; urge them to talk to someone who will be helpful without being judgmental. And remind them that they can always count on your friendship. Remember: “Some friends play at friendship but a true friend sticks closer than one’s nearest kin” (Proverbs 18:24, NRSV).
Most of all help your friend understand that God never asks anything of us that He does not give us power to cope with.
- Has Satan tried to counterfeit all the good things God created?
- Would it be fair to say that homosexuality is another one of Satan’s counterfeits? What is Satan trying to counterfeit?
- Will ridiculing people that are being fooled by Satan bring them around to the way things really are? Explain what we as Christians should do.
“Adam was surrounded with everything his heart could wish. Every want was supplied. There were no sin and no signs of decay in glorious Eden. Angels of God conversed freely and lovingly with the holy pair. The happy songsters caroled forth their free, joyous songs of praise to their Creator. The peaceful beasts in happy innocence played about Adam and Eve, obedient to their word. Adam was in the perfection of manhood, the noblest of the Creator's work.
“Not a shadow interposed between them and their Creator. They knew God as their beneficent Father, and in all things their will was conformed to the will of God. And God's character was reflected in the character of Adam. His glory was revealed in every object of nature” (The Adventist Home, pp. 26, 27).
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV).
How Does It Work?
Write a letter to someone who is gay. (If you don’t know someone personally, imagine a well-known public figure, such as Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, or Ellen DeGeneres.) Pretend that you’re writing on God’s behalf, that you have a message they need to read.
After you write the letter, put it in an envelope, address it to yourself, and mail it. In a day or two, when you get it in the mail, pretend that you’re the person to whom the letter is addressed. Ask yourself: Is this message helpful? Would it draw me closer to God, or push me farther away? What could I have said differently?