Right and Wrong vs. Life and Death

Years ago a women at a church I consulted with asked me to meet with a friend of hers. I said sure I would be at the church next Tuesday and she could meet me there. The person told me she would not be comfortable meeting me there and would I meet her down the street at a coffee shop? I was not too excited about that, but this lady begged me. I didn’t have the boundaries I do today and agreed. This young woman showed up and began to tell me of her heroin addiction. One hour turned into three and by the end of our time together she committed her life to Christ. I was thrilled for her and the Kingdom. Almost at the end of our time I asked what she did for a living. She said she was a dancer and it hit me like a brick, here I was sitting outside two blocks from a church I am working with, with a stripper and heroin addict. I knew my wife would kill me and I was sure I would be fired by the church, just then my self reflection was brought back to reality by a question from her, “Does this mean I am going to have to quit dancing?” I was on the spot, I knew that of course it does, but for some reason said to her that will be decided between you and God. She was relieved and to this day I am haunted by that question and answer, but within a few weeks she called me and said, “Rich, God wants me to stop dancing.” Eight months later I preformed her wedding. What a changed life.

Relationships with non-Christians are the vanguard of Mission. Our relationship with God is what Worship is all about, and our relationships with both God and other Christians are what Edification is all about.

Throughout his ministry Jesus was hassled by a group of Jewish Fundamentalists called the Pharisees. They were not very relational; they were too busy policing the strict enforcement of both their theological distinctives and their behavior codes. When Jesus had dinner with the tax collector, Matthew, the Pharisees asked his disciples why their master associated with riff raff like Mathew. Of course Jesus engaged Matthew over the life and death issue of his lost soul. Jesus was always more concerned about life and death than He was about right and wrong. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Luke 5:27-30

Certainly Jesus felt that right and wrong was important, but right and wrong could be dealt with latter. Initially it was more important to connect with someone than it was to hammer them about how wrong they were. Jesus made it a priority to meet people where they were, even if they were in a bad place. In fact the worse their place, the more likely he was to connect with them.