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Theological term

Gospel Witness

2 sermons · All terms

Nov 20, 2024

Ask FGBC #26: How to witness to homosexual neighbours?

Jim Butler

A pastoral question-and-answer exchange addresses how believers should relate to homosexual neighbours — including neighbours pursuing same-sex IVF — without either withdrawing from the world or condoning sin. Drawing on 1 Corinthians 5 and Romans 1, the speakers argue that homosexuality is one sin among many, that the root problem is man's estrangement from God, and that genuine friendship and neighbourly kindness are the proper soil in which gospel witness grows. Practical boundaries are discussed alongside the call to be ready to give a reasoned defence of what Scripture says.

Audio
May 29, 2016

Spiritual Discernment and the Limits of Judgment

Jim Butler

Matthew 7:6 — 'Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine' — is not a withdrawal from gospel witness but a call to Spirit-given discrimination between brothers in Christ and hardened enemies of the gospel. The sermon works through the contrast between Matthew 7:1–5 (censorious judgment toward brothers) and 7:6 (the prohibition against treating dogs and pigs as brothers, and vice versa), showing that the same Jesus who forbids a judgmental spirit also forbids a naive one. Drawing on Calvin, Spurgeon, and the apostolic precedents in Acts and the Pauline epistles, the exposition applies the text in three directions: guard against judgmentalism toward brethren, remove your own plank before correcting others, and seek wisdom to identify genuine enemies of the gospel without lazily writing off ordinary sinners.