“Is there any way I can help my lesbian daughter – without Jesus Christ?”
Standing before several hundred people in a Christian church in Hong Kong, I grappled with how to answer this non-Christian mother’s question.
Of Hong Kong’s almost 7.5 million people, less than 1 million (about 11%) are Christian protestants.
I eventually answered her query, but later thought, “This mother has put into words what is often suggested by some people – a ‘Christ-less Christianity.’”
Some people speak of their faith as a “thing.” Several years ago, a woman told me she had shared her “faith” with a gay couple in her neighborhood. When I asked how the neighbors responded to Jesus Christ, she said “Oh, I did not talk about Jesus Christ; I only talked about my faith.”
How does one do that? How do you talk about astronomy without addressing celestial bodies? How do you talk about baking without mentioning flour?
Speaking with a friend, who was once involved in homosexuality, she asked if she could “test” her upcoming testimony on me; she had been invited to speak at a support group. I listened closely. As she reached a crucial point, I suggested, “This may be the moment you throw the spotlight on Jesus Christ.” Her answer concerned me, “Oh, the support group’s leadership wants me to promote the ministry.”
I was left wondering if I had misread Psalm 121:2. “My help comes from the Lord.” If a blurb of spoken words fails to highlight Jesus Christ, a testimony has not been shared; only a story has been told.
Revelation 12:11 reads, “They triumphed … by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…”
Possibly the best definition of a testimony comes from Jesus Himself after He healed the man from Gadara as recorded in Mark 5. “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man … begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’” (Vs 18-19)
I began sharing my testimony of freedom from homosexuality publicly in 1996. By the way, my testimony is not unusual; what’s unusual is that I broadcast it widely.
“Christ-less Christianity” is not a new concept; it reaches back to the life of Christ. After Jesus fed a multitude miraculously, some Pharisees asked Jesus to show them “a sign from heaven” (Mark 8:11). Ironically, The “Sign from heaven” was standing in front of them.
A testimony of God’s mercy always centers on Jesus Christ. An old spiritual both asks and answers a question — “Where can I go, but to the Lord.”
Blessed is the man or woman who admits they need help and finds it in Christ Jesus.
This article is adapted from Tim Wilkins’ book – MORE THAN WORDS: Walking with Talking at your LGBTQ friends.
Inside MORE THAN WORDS
Another defining moment for me was when I moved beyond reading the Bible just for answers. You ask, “For what reason would you read the Bible if not for answers?” I began looking for Jesus Christ behind every part of speech – nouns and pronouns, verbs and ad-verbs, prepositions, articles (“a”, “an”, and “the”), adjectives and conjunctions. I stopped looking for answers and began looking for the answer. Because “when answers aren’t enough, there is Jesus.”
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