"Two men went to church on a Sunday morning. One was a deacon and the other a closet homosexual. The deacon called the service to order and prayed, "God, I thank you that we are a strong and growing church that is unashamed to take a stand on abortion, X-rated movies, and divorce. We fear for our country, Lord, with all the blatant homosexuality being glamorized in the media and defended by our politicians. I'm truly grateful for the youth ministry here and that you have taught us to be generous enough to send our teens to help rebuild a school in quake-ravaged Haiti."
Meanwhile, the gay man was sitting toward the back of the sanctuary and didn't think he was good enough even to join in the prayer. He was so miserable over the conflicts in his heart and life that he could only whisper, as a tear rolled down his cheek, "God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner.
Then Jesus said, "When the two men went home that day, it was the homosexual and not the deacon who was pleasing to God. If you put yourselves above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored."
This is Rubel Shelley's paraphrase of Luke 18:10-14 (I Knew Jesus Before He Was a Christian, 2011). Yes, it offends our modern (Christian) sensibilities. I think probably the original offended the Pharisaically modern sensibilities of the day.
Imagine, the scandal of the gospel, that sinners could be made right with God under the blood of Christ, and can continually be brought to humility and repentance until that day when the faith will be made sight.
If that is the hope we communicate, then the 25000 reasons in our county that are walking without or away because they misunderstand the gospel of peace will be drawn back by messengers (us'n's) who are transformed by the message - or, even better, have become the Message.
If we remember our first love (Jesus), we can't help but get that message out there. But if our message is simply, "You can get socially acceptable and cleaned up by respectable society's standards," we've lost the heart of the gospel - that The One True God reached into us and said, "I want you. I call you Sonny not because you shine, but because you are mine," (James Ford, Jr.).
So - this is not a blog about gay rights (the homosexual was repentant), church piety (the deacon was puffed up), etc, this is a blog about you and me being the transmitters of eternal hope. Evangelism isn't a program for participants to choose, its life to the lost, and each of us were that at some point.
Grab hold anew of the life raft, and extend a hand to others!
in Christ,
Jim
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