Christian man prosecuted over ex-gay testimony urges Europe’s Christians to take a daring stand for truth

A Christian man in Malta who was repeatedly dragged into court over three years for giving his testimony about leaving the homosexual lifestyle urged his fellow Christians to face boldly for Jesus Christ amid rising cultural hostility.

Matthew Grech, 36, told The Christian Post in a recent interview that he believes the Lord was with him throughout his legal ordeal, which drew international attention and ultimately led to his acquittal last month.

Grech first fell afoul of Malta’s ban on so-called “conversion therapy” in 2022, when he was slapped with criminal charges for allegedly discussing and promoting conversion practices in violation of Article 3 of Malta’s Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act.

The charges stemmed from an interview he gave that April with PMnews Malta, an independent outlet that invited him on to debate his views on conversion therapy bans.

In 2016, Malta became the primary European nation to criminalize practices endeavoring to “change, repress or eliminate an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression,” and similar laws has since proliferated throughout the Western world.

Shortly after offering his personal testimony to PMNews Malta, police showed up at Grech’s home on a Sunday to serve him with a prosecution order summoning him to court. He appeared in court 17 times over the costs, which carried €5,000 (greater than $5,700) in fines or as much as five months in prison.

Grech told CP that while his journey of repentance has cost him and never been easy, it has brought spiritual freedom.

Grech said he never fell right into a “hardcore” homosexual lifestyle and was more excited by “a loving and faithful relationship,” but he became spiritually convicted when he became a Christian that even his desire for meaningful sexual partnership with one other man was against God’s design.

“I had an encounter with Jesus after I was 19 years old, and He took center stage in my life, and the Word of God took center stage,” he said. “I discovered Paul’s verses about homosexuality, and I used to be convicted, and I prayed and I asked God, since it was very personal.”

Grech said he got here to grasp God’s love for him, and that it was out of affection that God prohibits sexual immorality and demands repentance. Since leaving homosexuality behind, he said he has been capable of develop a healthier understanding of his masculine identity.

“God helped me understand that He loves me but hates my sin, since it does bring a perversion to His sacred design for humanity. So I repented. I finished the connection that I used to be in. I used to be with a partner for just over a year-and-a-half.

“It was so amazing to be at liberty to find my manhood, my masculinity; God’s purpose for my life,” he said. “It hasn’t been a straightforward journey navigating same-sex feelings and understanding the depth of that, the roots of that I feel mainstream culture hides from us.”

“But it has been one of the best journey to be the person that I all the time desired to be,” he continued, adding that the Word of God has given him hope, joy and peace that he wouldn’t otherwise have.

Grech said the Maltese government has been working with gay rights activists within the country to silence the testimonies of Christians who repent of homosexuality, which he suggested is the tip goal of conversion therapy ban laws, even when its proponents claim otherwise.

After leaving the life-style, Grech became involved with the U.K.-based International Federation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice (IFTCC), a nonprofit organization that goals “to advertise a caring, nonjudgmental environment where individuals who select to maneuver away from their unwanted feelings and behaviors can find the support they’re looking for,” in keeping with its website.

Grech, who noted his previous public interviews about his personal selections never led to prosecution, speculated that his interview with PMNews Malta was targeted because he mentioned IFTCC.

“What I did in another way this time was that I discussed a corporation that apparently was a threat to them and their false, unscientific ideology, and so that they organized themselves,” he said of the activists who reported him to the police.

PMNews Malta, whose journalists were also charged for his or her role in conducting the interview, discovered that the police grievance against Grech was filed by Silvan Agius, an LGBT activist from Malta who helped draft the conversion therapy ban laws; Christian Attard, a founding member of the Malta LGTBIQ Rights Movement; and Cynthia Chircop, who co-chaired the organization.

Grech said the potential five months of prison time he faced for a conversation was “ridiculous” and indicates a worrying trend for the liberty of speech within the West. Despite his legal victory, he said the chilling effect of his case has been successful.

“I was invited on TV every month … sometimes greater than once a month in Malta,” he said. “And ever since this court case got here about, I’ve been completely silenced. Nobody interviews me anymore around the topic.”

“I probably think that TV hosts have orders from the highest to not mention the opposite side of the story, and so this law has been really used to monopolize the culture and conversation around sexuality and gender.”

Grech said such a development is “very sad,” and that his generation deserves to have robust and open debate about such vital topics. He expressed optimism that the tide appears to be turning within the United States, where the U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned a Colorado state law banning therapy for minors that doesn’t endorse homosexuality and transgenderism.

“I like Christians who’re standing up within the U.S., and I would like that to occur in Europe and in Malta, as well,” he said.

Regarding what he would say to Christians who might feel crippled by fear amid growing cultural animosity toward Christian faith and morality within the Western world, Grech urged them to recollect the words of Jesus within the Sermon on the Mount.

“Jesus said, ‘Rejoice if you end up persecuted for the Kingdom of Heaven, because great is your reward.’ You would not be afraid of something that brings you joy. So when we have now a revelation as Christians, we should always dive straight into preaching the Gospel and sharing our testimonies and trust within the Lord in the method,” he said.

While his three-year legal battle felt at times like a punishment, Grech said he stays thankful for it because God used it for His glory. He exhorted Christians to withstand sin and the devil while taking courage within the Lord’s faithfulness, even in the event that they are called to suffer for His sake.

“I didn’t endure this as a criminal,” he said. “I endured this as a Bible-believing Christian. So, allow us to rejoice together and allow us to not undergo Jezebel. Jezebel is a loser. The devil is a loser. We love Jesus and we hate the devil. We’re here to destroy the works of the devil.”

“And so, we won’t allow fear to take hold, since the Lord will probably be with us. Just as God told Paul, ‘I even have many individuals on this city, so don’t be afraid.’ And I would like to let you know, wherever you might be on the earth watching immediately, there are lots of people in your city that should come to the Kingdom.”

“So due to this fact, be daring, because if we’re ashamed of the words of Jesus, if we’re ashamed of His testimony, Jesus will probably be ashamed of us at His appearing. So we will do that, let’s come together,” he added.

© The Christian Post