Heard Pastor Francis Chan share a story about a young gang member he met.
This young man started coming to his church and was taken in by the stories of love and acceptance of Jesus Christ. He couldn't get enough of Jesus. He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and wanted nothing more than to be baptized and forgo his life as a gang banger.
This young man showed up every Sunday for worship, was at the Bible Studies through the week, and wanted to be around Christians 24/7.
After being baptized, however, the young man began not showing up as much. And then one day, he just stopped.
Francis Chan met up with this young man a few months later and asked why he had stopped coming to church.
What this young man told Francis continues to haunt me.
He said when he became a Christian, he really thought that it would be like being jumped by the gang, that after baptism that Christian folk would be with him 24/7 and the church folks would always have his back. But after baptism, he realized he had it all wrong. And he sheepishly confessed that he misunderstood what this church thing would be like.
Misunderstood?
That's community! That's the church!
He's not wrong. Somehow, we've got it all wrong!
How is it that the gangs have community down better than the church?
How is that this young man's view of church and community is so dead on, and what we are providing in the church under the guise of fellowship and community is so shallow?
Where have we gone wrong?
How can we become the type of community where we've got each other's back 24/7?
1 comment:
I can always appreciate Francis Chan's perspective. He makes me squirm in my seat a little (or a lot). Have you read his "Basic" series? I've been curious about it.
Post a Comment