I’d like to think more about something that happened this evening… any comments gratefully received…
Me and a mate went for a drink after work, catching up about the summer… at the end of our catch up, the pub was getting busy (noisy) so we headed outside to pray… found some seats in a quiet spot… off the street… We're praying and we're interrupted by a homeless guy, who wants to pray with us… we invite him, and he'd like us to pray for him, that he would stay off drugs (he was currently off drugs)… we prayed for him, attempting to get the Gospel in as we did, and he prayed too… He then asks "why did Jesus die for me?"… We explain, attempting to make it as simple as possible… The guy said that he prays each night… We get talking about whether he had somewhere to stay that night… and he didn’t… he needed money to stay in a hostel (I still don’t quite understand how homeless shelters charge for people to stay - maybe they don't - hence this post)… he then asks if we could help him out…
A number of things run through my head…
Has this praying and chat just been for him to get to this question… is that a realistic thing to think? is it me being sinfully judgemental? Maybe bit of both?
What do we do in those situations?
It happens a fair bit, walking past a homeless guy, and they ask for money… sometimes if there's somewhere nearby, I might offer to buy them some food or a drink… but the response is sometimes "I need money so I can stay in a hostel"… how should we balance Christian giving and charity, when we're not totally sure how the money will be used… should we be giving money if it's only going to be used on drugs or something, and not for a hostel? Have I not let the Gospel transform my thinking, or am I right to be suspicious?
Of course, theirs, as much as the top City professional going home to a large house in the country, only has one ultimate need, and that is to come to know Jesus and the forgiveness he offers at the Cross… certainly the priority in our conversation with this man.
As we leave him (my mate giving him some money) we hand him a copy of Mark's Gospel… we've only got an ESV… I think to myself: that's not exactly your easy-going translation (has our desire for accuracy made a less accessible Gospel? Can I even dare ask that????), but maybe coz it's narrative it'll be ok… then I had Acts 8:30-31 ringing in my ears. That then led me on to thinking: he needs to come to church… but I couldn't help thinking: would he feel comfortable, would he understand the sermon when basically it's aimed at graduates… and I just wasn't sure… and that's where I'm left… a bit tied up in my thoughts… (Greg is very much missing his sounding board)
Friday 29 August 2008
A Gospel Chat leaving me with more questions than answers
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2 comments:
Pete Myers who used to be in London has had some experience with this kind of thing... hence I emailed him my posting...
His full and Pete-like response ;-) is here:
http://metepyers.blogspot.com/2008/08/youll-always-have-poor.html
But if you haven't much time, his main points in summary are:
But in a nutshell, how to be a loving Christian to those on the street in London?
Tell them the whole gospel... which means challenging them to repent from their idolatry, not just to "believe in Jesus". And if people you know on the street claim to be Christians, then hold them to it - challenge them when they sin. Obviously do that graciously, but if they're real Christians, the worst you can do is make them more holy.
Be as wise as a serpent... which means acknowledging that the vast majority on the streets are there for a reason. In the history of the world, we have one of the greatest social security networks since the Fall, very rarely are people on the street because they're a downtrodden individual who's cruelly not been given the "one helping hand they need". So don't give money - buy them food. Don't give people items they can sell for drugs. Why do you need a mobile if you haven't got enough to eat? etc. etc.
Love them. Ask their name, about their past, pray for them when you're alone, and when you don't feel like doing so.
Use a different translation for handing out... NIV or Good News... genius!!
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