Yesterday here in the ‘boro of Greens it was another semester kicking off at UNCG. Which means the gatherings of campus ministry. I spent most of the morning with fellow friends spread out about campus handing out flyer’s informing others of our gatherings on Monday evenings to worship and celebrate the creator of the universe. The only problem is it drives me crazy.
I think its because I think too much. As I stand in the masses of people I stand constantly questioning. Who do I approach? What do I say? How come I didn’t approach the person that just passed me? Should I approach people on cell phones? Do I want to interrupt? Is Jesus more important then a phone call? More important to them anyway? Is He important to me? Are these people important to me? Do they care? Do I care? Is it okay if I don’t care? Does Jesus find this as impersonal as I do? How can I possibly talk to all these people? Four more people just walked behind me because I’ve been talking to this person for the last 5 minutes! Did I just send them to hell? Now to mention the constant feeling in the pit of my stomach that makes me feel like i am in some way prostituting Jesus.
Which I think was really my problem. Now, I’m all about reaching the lost. Im pretty confident its the only reason to be a follower of The Way. However as much has I hate cliche’s is this really what Jesus would have done? Furthermore I’m not one of those people that feels if you don’t do everything the way Jesus did it your wrong. However, there are two things in my mind that Jesus was always about. The lost and relationships and intertwining the two. Jesus never handed out flyers… because everyone does that. There is nothing relational or life giving about it. Instead He would share a meal, His time, He would share His gifts. Jesus was always about sharing His life. and Life always comes through personal relationships whether it be Jesus or anyone else.
Spiritual prostitution as I will call it in this blog is when we present God… without actually presenting God. Kind of like sex presents love… without actually presenting love. Sure we presented God on a card… But did it make any relational difference in the lives of the people that threw the invitation away? Did we really go out of our way to reach the lost… Or did we just make it more convenient? Are we really showing them The Way, The Truth, and The Life?
remember that Jesus did go around preaching that the kingdom of God had arrived and that it was time to repent. That was His message. The reason that He got to be in peoples’ lives in that way is simply because He caught peoples’ attention with His message.
so I guess the most important question (just to reiterate what you’ve already said) is what was the message that you were giving when handing out flyers?
Comment by eternityinemptiness — August 28, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
[...] My friend Mike’s blog about spiritual prostitution. [...]
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