I know before I write this that what I’m about to share is controversial. I know some will read it through their own filters and see things differently than what I’m interpreting this from this event. But I am willing to take that risk. My eyes have been opening up in the past year or more to the workings of the Holy Spirit and I’m more willing to see His work in ways that I wasn’t prepared to see in the past.
We had a walk in visitor to our church last Sabbath. He just walked in during our Bible study time (Sabbath school class) and asked us if this was church. We invited him in and tried to integrate him into the lesson study. He seemed somewhat disoriented and it may have been because of drugs or a mental condition it was hard to tell. He seemed to have a hard time following the discussion.
Suddenly, without warning, he burst out in a diatribe of accusations against God’s character that would make a committed Christian cringe! He said God only loved special people, not everyone. He inferred that he, himself was not one of the special people that God loved and he based this on the fact that God hadn’t chosen to make his life easy. He inferred that if God loved him He would have taken away his alcoholic tendencies. He also referred to natural calamities as evidence that God doesn’t love everyone.
Listening to his complaints was hard and the first reaction was to defend God’s character. But as some tried to defend God, this young man’s agitation grew. He couldn’t see beyond his own pain to hear anyone’s rebuttal. Several people tried to explain their own journey with this young man to describe how God had loved them into His kingdom. He responded that no one could possibly know his life and his trials and therefore had no right to justify God’s actions. One person, a recent convert not yet baptized, was in tears as he shared how God had removed his addiction to weed that he had for 20 years as justification of God’s love for him.
It was interesting to watch as this new convert was literally in this young man’s shoes not six months before this time. Now he was defending God! There were three people who adamantly defended God verbally through rational, Biblical and testimonial evidence to no avail. I watched as all this unfolded and I saw in action something I have been preaching on for months. I saw something that has taken me years for fully comprehend. All the talk in the world has little effect until people see a difference in our actions and our lives.
The reason this young man came to church that particular Sabbath morning was he was hungry. He was out of work, out of money and out of food and he came with the hope that we had donuts and coffee. We found that out through his conversation and immediately we worked to get him some food from out food bank and we promised him lunch if he could stay till after the service.
He did stay and I was pleased at how the church treated him. Not with contempt or scorn but with genuine concern and love. I don’t know if he heard anything from the lesson or sermon, but he did see Jesus in the way people treated him.
No problems so far right? Now is when you will have to put on your sanctified vision of God’s love in operation. Very little of what transpired in worship and study affected him. But after church he stepped out on the front steps of the church. There stood another new attendee not baptized. This person I will call Jim was recently released from prison. His wife is a member and the church supported her while he was gone. The church also supported him while he was in prison with cards and visitation. He was trying to turn over a new leaf in his life and was attending church with his wife and kids. He was standing on the front steps having a cigarette.
The new visitor bummed a cigarette off of Jim and then Jim began to tell the visitor his story of drug use, prison time and the history of his failed life. He then told the young man, this church accepted me and cares for me, and they will do the same for you if you let them. Jim was witnessing for Jesus while smoking a cigarette with this man. Now you may not think much of his actions and look down on him for smoking, but that day, on the steps of an Adventist congregation, God reached out to connect with a young man where he was in order to show him how much God cares.
God loves humanity too much to not reach out to us at our level. But He also loves us so much that He won’t leave us in the pig sty either.
We had a walk in visitor to our church last Sabbath. He just walked in during our Bible study time (Sabbath school class) and asked us if this was church. We invited him in and tried to integrate him into the lesson study. He seemed somewhat disoriented and it may have been because of drugs or a mental condition it was hard to tell. He seemed to have a hard time following the discussion.
Suddenly, without warning, he burst out in a diatribe of accusations against God’s character that would make a committed Christian cringe! He said God only loved special people, not everyone. He inferred that he, himself was not one of the special people that God loved and he based this on the fact that God hadn’t chosen to make his life easy. He inferred that if God loved him He would have taken away his alcoholic tendencies. He also referred to natural calamities as evidence that God doesn’t love everyone.
Listening to his complaints was hard and the first reaction was to defend God’s character. But as some tried to defend God, this young man’s agitation grew. He couldn’t see beyond his own pain to hear anyone’s rebuttal. Several people tried to explain their own journey with this young man to describe how God had loved them into His kingdom. He responded that no one could possibly know his life and his trials and therefore had no right to justify God’s actions. One person, a recent convert not yet baptized, was in tears as he shared how God had removed his addiction to weed that he had for 20 years as justification of God’s love for him.
It was interesting to watch as this new convert was literally in this young man’s shoes not six months before this time. Now he was defending God! There were three people who adamantly defended God verbally through rational, Biblical and testimonial evidence to no avail. I watched as all this unfolded and I saw in action something I have been preaching on for months. I saw something that has taken me years for fully comprehend. All the talk in the world has little effect until people see a difference in our actions and our lives.
The reason this young man came to church that particular Sabbath morning was he was hungry. He was out of work, out of money and out of food and he came with the hope that we had donuts and coffee. We found that out through his conversation and immediately we worked to get him some food from out food bank and we promised him lunch if he could stay till after the service.
He did stay and I was pleased at how the church treated him. Not with contempt or scorn but with genuine concern and love. I don’t know if he heard anything from the lesson or sermon, but he did see Jesus in the way people treated him.
No problems so far right? Now is when you will have to put on your sanctified vision of God’s love in operation. Very little of what transpired in worship and study affected him. But after church he stepped out on the front steps of the church. There stood another new attendee not baptized. This person I will call Jim was recently released from prison. His wife is a member and the church supported her while he was gone. The church also supported him while he was in prison with cards and visitation. He was trying to turn over a new leaf in his life and was attending church with his wife and kids. He was standing on the front steps having a cigarette.
The new visitor bummed a cigarette off of Jim and then Jim began to tell the visitor his story of drug use, prison time and the history of his failed life. He then told the young man, this church accepted me and cares for me, and they will do the same for you if you let them. Jim was witnessing for Jesus while smoking a cigarette with this man. Now you may not think much of his actions and look down on him for smoking, but that day, on the steps of an Adventist congregation, God reached out to connect with a young man where he was in order to show him how much God cares.
God loves humanity too much to not reach out to us at our level. But He also loves us so much that He won’t leave us in the pig sty either.
2 comments:
Hmmm..... perhaps you should get an astray for your church's front steps :)
I'm not sure if it's still there (because I haven't paid attention), but there is an astray near one of the entrances of New Hope Adventist Church's campus.
(www.lookingforachurch.org)
Funny, but there is an important life lesson here for each and every one of us: God can use anyone for His glory....anyone!
Disclaimer: I am not endorsing smoking
I loved this blog...that I just finally read by the way. Your last thought really got my attention:
"God loves humanity too much to not reach out to us at our level. But He also loves us so much that He won’t leave us in the pig sty either."----keep this in mind especially Sun morning:)
Lisa
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