I was having a late night(ish) conversation with my friends. They were telling me of their trip to Costa Rica with the church. One of the rules made me laugh as I thought "where is the fun?" and I unknowingly dropped a profound statement that I didn't get until later that night.
The kids were not allowed to go to bars while on the trip. Understandable since it is a foreign country and safety is important. I made a joke of sneaking out and hanging at the bar at night, then inviting the entire gamut of bar folk to church the next day. I did a speech that went something like this:
"What if I just pulled my usual tactic? 'Can this guy come?' 'Yes.' 'What about this guy?' 'Sure.' 'And these ladies?' 'Where did you find all these people?' 'If I told you, you'd get mad'"
"You hit the needle on the head, sir!" my friend said to me through a laugh.
I didn't get it at first because I am simple. It dawned on me however when I thought back to my friend and I talking about my adventures at a Gay Bar with my Friend and my Mother. While it was a wild place to be, I had a lot of fun and, had it not been for my mom, I would have invited several of the people there to church for the next morning. Upon hearing "Gay Bar" he got uneasy.
If we are called to spread the good news, shouldn't we be diving head first into the places that would "need" it most?? Personally, I don't mind bars. The cigarette smell is the only thing I really can't stand but I would personally love the chance to show love to people who might not be finding it in the bottom of the glass or a bottle.
While I know God has issue with certain acts, I am not so eager to change my personal view on them. That is mainly because I don't know the story behind the action. If someone wants to do porn or be a stripper or sell their body, they could have an entirely convincing reason. It would be great if they didn't have to but this isn't a perfect world. The "sin industry" is so big for a reason.
I guess the point is that Jesus loves porn stars. We should start hitting up these places that people go to and start showing people love. Bring a friend or friends if it makes you feel comfortable.
The key is to show up with the intent to
SHOW LOVE and not point fingers and cast judgment. If after going to this bar leads to at least 1 person wanting to learn about Jesus, then I'll have something to show for it.
I won't be showing up wearing a sign or passing out flyers or even throwing Jesus into the equation right off the bat. I'd like to just talk to the people about what is going on in their lives and maybe answer questions they have. I don't care what they do to support themselves...That is between them and God. All I want to do is start a relationship. I don't need to tell people that they are strippers or porn stars or anything.
It doesn't matter where they come from...just where they are going.
If someone reads this, PLEASE leave a comment. I'd like to hear some feed back on this one.
Comments (1)
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin,
you who are spiritual should restore him gently.
But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.”
- Galatians 6:1
other then that, i agree whole heartedly.love is what people need.