Block change

Rap artist Lecrae has a song called 'Send Me'. Amoungst the gritty real life lyrics there are these few pointed lines:

hey! After, 1,000 years in the west and the churches
get'n bigger daily without understand'n worship. (say what?)
Some regenerate but a lot ain't saved.
You walk outside and be surprised cuz the block ain't changed.

I met a guy named Eddy a few weeks ago. Eddy stands in front of the local grocery store from time to time and asks people for food or cash donations to help feed hungry families. Eddy is an employed individual who volunteers his time to change his 'block'.

I am reading a book called "Community: Taking your small group off life support" by Brad House. This morning I came across this:

"Jesus rebukes religious people who see the culture's needs and do nothing to meet them. Too often, the people of God justify ignoring the needs of others. We offer our sympathy and prayers, but don't actually pray nor do we try to help. We assume it is someone else's responsibility. Others just pretend the problems don't exist. We hide behind ignorance. We don't know what the needs are in our community because we don't want to know."

Next time you attend church take a second to stand in the parking lot and take a look at (1) your church building/grounds and then (2) the greater area around your church. Has the group of people known as the 'Church' done anything to change the 'block'? Does the group of people who claim to follow Christ (known as the Church) have any awareness of the needs of the community? Or do things like personal safety, boundaries, race, religion, political affiliation, pet theologies, education (too much or not enough), religious practice, time, etc. serve as feeble barriers to carrying out the Great Commission?

Survey the 'blocks' in your life: work, church, neighborhood. church. Now, through the work of the Holy Spirit, how can you help change those blocks?

Grace & Justice

We thirst for justice... if you doubt me just look at the number of shows on tv dedicated to solving & prosecuting crime.

What if you heard a story of a witch doctor in another country who was in the business of selling body parts. Disgusting huh? Now, what if you knew this witch doctor had literally, physically emasculated a young boy and sold what he had cut off? What goes through your mind? I can tell you what goes through mine: Justice in the form of give-me-12-seconds-and-a-Louisville-Slugger-and-this-dude-woudn't-have-the-mental-or-physical-capability-to-cut-anything-off-again----every kind of justice.

Of course that is humanity talking. It is not my job to avenge - "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19. In fact the next verse goes on to talk about blessing your enemy. "To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Okay, so the story isn't over. The young boy who was the victim in the story was adopted by a man from outside his country who loved Jesus. (I don't use the term Christian because that term has become so overused & watered down) The witch doctor had also been legally prosecuted for his actions and was actually imprisoned for his disgusting crimes. So this young boy's adopted dad went and found this witch doctor in prison.... and he didn't take a baseball bat with him, but shared the love of Christ with the man..... and the witch doctor gave his life to Christ.
This is where the death of Christ on the cross covered the sins of that witch doctor. This is grace. This is what's hard for our finite minds to understand. Jesus took his & our place and paid the price for our sins.... so we can be free when we don't deserve it!
This doesn't mean the (former) witch doctor is given a get-out-of-jail-free card. I am sure he still served his time (although that part of the story was not specified).

One more cool part to this story. The young boy was able to receive medical attention and through some surgical procedure(s) the physical damage done by the (former) witch doctor was repaired.

Praise God for His justice and grace!