Mark Twain once said "It's not the parts of the Bible I don't understand that scare me, but the parts I do"
Maybe this is why Jesus says to the religious folks "the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you"(Matt 21:31).
A couple of days ago I was talking to a friend who I reconnected with for the first time in a few years. She has stopped going to church, pretty much put God on the back burner. She has been through a lot. She had really felt like God had abandon her. Towards the end of our conversation, she realized that it was not God who had abandon her, but her Christian friends. Those who could not or did not understand what she was going through. Those who instead of lovingly wanting to guide her through that dark time in her life and just be there for her, walked away. I was one of those Christian friends!
We reconnected on a facebook page that both of us frequent. She seen a comment that I had posted about doing an outreach in Miami for girls working in clubs and on the streets. There was a group here last weekend doing a training with people who are interested in doing outreach to prostitutes and to girls working in strip clubs. They were asking for suggestions on the kinds of outreach that would minister to and help these girls feel like God really loves them. I suggested we offer free childcare to these ladies. That we start putting together a list of ladies that would be interested in offering this kind of support. As a former childcare provider, I know just how difficult paying for childcare can be for a single mom. Many of them have to make the choice to leave their children in dangerous situations because they can't afford to pay for childcare. Many of them make the choice to work the job they do just to be able to afford to pay for quality childcare.
After our chat back and forth. Another lady chimed in, I am sure in her mind her intentions were good, but were they? I almost started to get into an argument with her on facebook(If you know me you know I can do that pretty easy and without thinking). One comment she made really hit me, she said, "you know that this is how the enemy(The devil) infiltrates our lives, when we become intermingled with people who are living that lifestyle. This is how the enemy disguises himself!"
My friend had chimed back to her that this is how she had come back to God. A few ladies at a local church had volunteered to help single moms with childcare while they worked. I did not have to say anything after that. Having experienced God's love in action made all of the difference in this lady finding her way back to God. I hope that it resounded with the other lady on the other end.
Yesterday, I was thinking about this conversation again. Knowing how I acted so wrongly towards my friend, how "Christian" I was with her, made me wonder if that is how we really think? As Christians do we believe that by steering clear of that area of society, it will keep us away from evil? Will it keep us out of the enemy's trap? I don't know?
I do know this is what Jesus said about it in Matthew 25:
34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
So could it be that these ladies are Jesus in disguise?
Showing God's love to these women in practical ways is something that has been on my heart for a while. Please pray for our housing needs. The sooner we are in a more suitable place the sooner we can get going on the things God sent us here to do!
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