Would Jesus be welcome in your church? In most cases, probably not; yet, there are still some churches that accept “those kind of people”.

Which one is your church?

I know a guy living in Prescott Valley, Arizona. He is about as good a Christian as you’ll find and probably a better one than most. He has dedicated his life to Christ. His final goal is to work fulltime in missionary work. If he knows someone is hungry, he’ll do his best to feed them. If he knows someone who is hurt, he’ll comfort them. If he knows someone is in trouble, he will help them. Not once have I seen him turn his back on anyone; he couldn’t. However, he is not the kind of person most people want coming to their church. He belongs to a motorcycle gang, but this gang is called Gospel Riders. He has a beard, wears bike colors, often old clothes, and even a head band. Several churches in the Prescott Valley area asked him to leave, saying that his kind was not welcome. The funny thing is the same people that don’t want him all too often turn their back on the poor and afflicted. They don’t want to be around them. They don’t want to reach out and help them. So, who is doing God’s work?

It’s actually ironic how the Bible is full of “those kind of people”. Moses killed someone, he was tongue tied, couldn’t speak well, and yet God chose him to lead His people out of slavery. Paul was a killer, a killer of Christians. However, one day, he was converted and became a great evangelist who gave the Good News to many. And many of the Old Testament prophets were not the type of person you’d invite over to dinner.

If you think about it Jesus was “that kind of person” – a true non-conformist. He didn’t get caught up in appearances or what people thought about him. Jesus himself did not wear fine clothes. He was not dressed like a priest of the temple. He had no money and tried to give away his only coat. He was probably often covered with sand, unshaven, and no haircut. So, would Jesus be welcome in you’re church?

God has commanded us to go about doing His work, reaching out to the poor and afflicted in body and spirit. He has asked us to help the poor recover and to learn the peace that comes with knowing God.

I’ve seen people all too often turn their back on others. When someone who is having problems asks for help, I’ve seen others simply say “we can’t” or “we don’t have the money”, without even listening to the problem. Often we can help, if nothing more, simply by listening. We may not have the money to help, but we might help find the money. We may not have the food to spare, but we can help them find the food. The real problem is when someone simply says “I can’t help”. They turn their back and walk off. What they should be saying is “let me see how I can help”. Maybe it’s only listening, maybe it’s only comforting and maybe it’s a few phone calls. But, at least, it shows the person that we do care and we will try. The biker above has never told anyone he can’t. He only says “I’ll try”.

Who is on the other end of the phone when you answer and they are asking for help? Who is the beggar on the street? Who sent the person to your church? Perhaps it’s God finding out if He’d be welcome.