Encountering Christ in the Darkest Places.
This weekend I am in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. If you remember, I am sponsoring my friend Christine to go through a program called Discovery. I dropped her off on Friday morning and have hanging out with Chris and Jolene (Ben's second cousins from Oregon) and with Jolene's friend, Heather from Oregon. I have had a lot of fun with them. I feel like I have been reliving some college past times. It's been refreshing.
We were out at Pete's Piano Bar in Fort Worth until 1:30am. No... not getting drunk. We were enjoying the music, enjoying each other and being blessed. It was a really neat time for me.
Our society is so messed up. As we walked through Downtown Forth Worth at such a late hour, I took note of all the bars that were packed full of people pouring out tons of money on mind altering substances (aka... alcohol). I see a lot of Christians push away from this scene. I don't think that Christian's should be out at bar getting drunk and "living" this secular scene. Please don't think that I am a hypocritical Christian that gets drunk on Saturday nights and then takes an Advil and goes to church on Sunday mornings. That is not this girl. But I do think that as Christians we have completely rejected this culture to the point of looking down on this life style. We have put ourselves above them. Thinking we are better than them and criticizing them right to their faces. We avoid them like the plague and at the same time we will say in oh-such-a-godly-way, "they need Jesus".
But do we really believe they need Jesus? Do we really believe they need Christ so desperately in their lives that it is Hell without Him? I think if we really believed that we would have a different attitude towards them. Not an attitude like they are the plague. Not an attitude that we are better than them... but an attitude of desperate hope. Not slapping them on the head with our bibles and telling them they are living their lives in sin but being a light in their lives.
We (Christ followers) hate these people. We don't verbally say we hate them but with our actions we do.

"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness."
1 John 2:9
ouch, huh?

Why is it that in the "darkest" places there is no "light". I am speaking symbolically. In the cracks of cities where people are broken and living in sin there is no sign of Christ's people. Instead, Christian's build their own little "hang outs" far away from the darkness as possible. We have built our own little Christian superstores, cafes, and coffee houses. We have pulled away from darkness (people who need Christ) and become so self absorbed in our own Christian Uptopia. We have taken the verse "...Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world..." way too far. We have pushed away so far from darkness that our light can't even be seen. We are told to "...not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you" (Romans 12:1-3). We think so highly of ourselves. We have separated ourselves so much from non-Christians. I urge you to rethink your life. Are you living missionally? Are you living in view of eternity? Not your eternity... but others. If you are secure in your faith then why not share that hope? Why keep it to yourself and try to "protect" yourself so much that you live in a Christian box? Do you really believe that those who are "lost" need Christ so desperately?
Last night was a neat time for me. I hung out at a bar until 1:30am and smelled like an ash tray afterwards. I enjoyed a drink. One drink... not six. Just one. I am honored to have been there. I am honored to have been there to pray. I feel like that is why God took me to Pete's Piano Bar. To pray, to be a light, to offer hope and acceptance (NOT tolerance) to people who are lost. I wonder where God is trying to take you but you have such a black and white view. Your black and white view is pushing the darkness so far away. Your attitude of superiority has prevented you from living a missional life. You are so caught up in right and wrong that you have neglected to share God's hope with people who really need it. We have separated Christians so much from the secular world that instead of shinning light we have actaully become darkness.
Go ahead... hang out at your Christian Coffee Shop and buy your Holy Mocha. Buy your Christian Stapler at your Christian book store and while your at it, boycott everything that is "non-Christian". Because yea, that's what God called you to do, right? And we do that, don't we? I hate the Christian Republican chain e-mails I get telling me about how Wal-Mart is the devil because they donated $10000 to a gay organization last year. They tell you to boycott Wal-Mart and be bitter. Blah! What about the $296 Million that Wal-Mart gave back to the community in 2007? We place things as being bad and of the devil just because of a few things they support. I am so glad this is not how Christ is. I have sin in my life... yet Christ offers hope and reconciliation. The Church has sin in it... and I am so glad that Christ has not left us out for the dogs to eat. But why are we so quick to judge and push things away that are not of Christ? Who will offer them hope, forgiveness and reconciliation?
Last night I had an encounter with Christ. I saw His love for the people of Downtown Fort Worth. The people YOU try to avoid so much. The people you push away because they have sin in their lives. He gave me a heart to pray for those people and love them.
I thank God that He would meet me in Pete's Piano Bar.