This article was originally published in the January, 2006 Exodus Impact. 

“If you are going to join this battle against HIV/AIDS, it has to start in the heart – you have to care. One day you are going to be judged by how you treated other people. You may not be able to change the world, but you can change the world for somebody.”  - Rick Warren

In early December, I attended a conference on AIDS/HIV at Saddleback Church called “Disturbing Voices.”  Kay and Rick Warren called upon the Church to reclaim the ‘ministry’ the church has abdicated to many other organizations, and cast a wonderful vision for pure ministry to those impacted by HIV/AIDS.  I was moved as I thought of my friends who have died from AIDS, and as I thought of the many people I have met through Exodus who are living life under the cloud of HIV/AIDS. 

More than anything, the conference fanned the fire inside of me for the church to be the place where real ministry happens and reminded me of the power of unconditional love.  Often times the church engages in activities – good, necessary activities – that may contain elements of ministry but are not pure ministry.  Pure ministry is ministry for ministry’s sake, not ministry designed to get people in the church and not ministry designed to get people ‘on board’ for an idea or vision.  Pure ministry is simply service done out of the pure motive of love. 

As we kick off the Exodus Church Network, it has been exciting to talk to pastors who not only want to stand firm on the Truth of Scripture and minister to people dealing with unwanted same sex attractions, but who also desperately want to bridge the gap between the church and the gay community and who want the gay community to know that the church loves them, no matter the paths their lives may take.  The church is realizing that manipulation does not work – but that true, unconditional love DOES work and, as it did in Jesus’ day, it draws people to Jesus.  We love as we are commanded to love and the Holy Spirit does the rest.

When I was living homosexually, I often wondered if my family and friends were being nice to me just to get me to do what they wanted me to do.  Often times their gestures of love were accompanied by some sort of admonition to ‘do the right thing’ and I was  skeptical and guarded around them.  But twice I got letters full of love and lacking in any admonition.   One was from my ‘Nanny,’ and one was from a good friend.  Those letters moved me, and I wondered if it was possible that Nanny and Shane really cared about me without regard for what I was doing.  Those letters ultimately helped me see the magnitude of the unconditional love Christ has for me.  And THAT love is what drew me home and back to the Lord.  Kay Warren reminded us that Jesus never asked the people He healed why they were sick – He simply loved them, and healed them, and they were transformed.  Jesus certainly cared about sin, but He never conditioned his love for people on their response to Him.

I believe revival is happening in the evangelical church.  Paradigms are shifting and changing.  The church is getting more bold and stronger on building community and growing disciples within the church.  It is also getting wiser and more merciful in its efforts to share Jesus with the world.  The world is not only hearing of Jesus from the church – it is seeing Jesus THROUGH the church.  We are learning how to share truth and love at the same time. I am thrilled that Exodus has even a small part in this revival.  How powerful an army the Body of Christ will be if our weapon is love from a pure heart, with pure motives, doing pure ministry. 

USA Today reported that nearly 2,000 pastors met at the Saddleback Church conference named “Disturbing Voices.”  Best selling author and pastor, Rick Warren and his wife, Kay, are excited about challenging the church to minister to those who are dealing with AIDS in their own backyards. 

“The evangelical church has pretty much had fingers in our ears, hands over our eyes and mouths shut completely,” said Kay Warren. “We’re not comfortable talking about sex in general and certainly not comfortable about talking about homosexuality — and you can’t talk about HIV without talking about both of those things.”

“The church has the moral authority to say, ‘Hey, it’s not a sin to be sick,’” said Warren. “The Gospels repeatedly show that Jesus loved, touched, and cared for lepers — the diseased outcasts of his day. Today’s ‘lepers’ are those who have HIV/AIDS.”