One time when I was about 20 years old I was walking through Jackson Square in the French Quarter of New Orleans. A street preacher was standing on a crate preaching and when I walked by with my long hair, street clothes, and dark sunglasses, he pointed at me and yelled out, “If you don’t change your ways, you’re going to Hell!”
I looked around and saw that he was talking to me and I walked over to him and viciously hit him in the mouth as hard as I could, knocking him off the box. I quickly pulled out my .357 magnum, cocked it, and aimed it right between his eyes and through gritted teeth angrily told him, “If you ever say that to me again, I’ll kill you”.
I meant every word of it and I still shudder to think how close I came to killing that man standing there in a rage with my finger tightly held on that cocked trigger of that cannon.
A couple of days ago I went down to a conference on church planting in Orlando. It was conducted in the 16,000 member 1st Baptist Church of Orlando and the Pastor, (David Uth), is a friend of mine. While I was there Pastor David urged me to come to his staff meeting and meet his huge staff. When I got there he asked me to explain in part why I was so against religion when I was young.
The story of the preacher in Jackson Square was one example that came to mind of a bad experience with religious people. That preacher didn’t even know me. True enough my sins had not been forgiven by Jesus at the time, but he had no way of knowing that. He condemned me simply by my outward appearance and his judgmental attitude. This was but one example, actually people had looked down on me all of my life and told me that I would never amount to anything and religious folks were undoubtedly the worst of the lot. I ended up hating religion and religious people because of it.
It should have been just the opposite. The Christians that I came into contact with should have been the encouragers and the ones demonstrating Godly love by encouraging me to “go for the gold” instead of constantly criticizing and berating me.
There would have been a far different result had that preacher said, “Hey man, you look hungry, how bout’ you let me buy you a bowl of red beans and rice and a glass of sweet tea?” Or perhaps, “Hey man you look like you have the weight of the world on your mind, want to grab a cup of coffee and see if I can help you somehow? Or how about simply asking, “Man you look really down and out, would you mind if I prayed for you?”
I have no doubt, (based upon my Bible study), that Jesus would have said something similar, because His ministry was one of love and not condemnation or passing judgment.
Pastor David has asked me to speak at all three of his services in Orlando in the near future, and before I left to return to Honey Lake he asked me to get across the point of love versus legalism to his congregation when I stand in his pulpit.
I agreed to do that and added that I think most people have no concept of the incomprehensible love of Jesus Christ. Jesus was all about love and compassion and He didn’t go around condemning people; he accepted them as they were. His harshest criticism was hurled at the Pharisees because their religiosity, and legalistic demands of strict adherence to every jot and tittle of the law, (something none of us can do), and hypocritical attitudes drove ordinary folks away from Him and His message of love, mercy, forgiveness, and hope.
Nowhere do you see this attitude more prevalent than when speaking to folks about supporting prison ministry. So what do you think about those murderers, thieves, drug addicts, and pedophiles that are locked up and rotting away in our prison system?
“Those wretches deserve what they’re getting and I’m not wasting my time or money on those scumbags!”
Uh huh . . .
I don’t like sin because I know how it can destroy our lives. I am a Christian, but I’m still a sinner. According to the Bible, so are you. It’s difficult to hate sinners when you are one yourself. The difference between “us” and “them” is merely that as Christians our sins are forgiven by Christ. We are no better than they are . . .
Yes, Jesus made it clear that there are degrees of sin and some are greater than others, (Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” John 19:11); however a lesser sin does not exonerate the guilty, we are still guilty. Judgmental authority including even the condemned comes from God alone.
Jesus said when we pour out our love on the downtrodden (and even to include those wretched prisoners), we are pouring it on Him.
Two verses that illustrate this point are as follows:
Matthew 25:36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
Hebrews 13:3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Does the thought of visiting those in prison nauseate you? Then read this and think about who it is exactly that you are visiting:
Matt. 25:37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?
Matthew 25:40 And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
I was drawn to Jesus because of His compassion for me as a hopeless sinner. Jesus did not come to condemn my sins or yours, but to save the world from our sins. We as Christians should be of the same persuasion. Let your love so shine that someone will WANT what you have obtained through the mercy of Jesus Christ.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.