Jesus Loves the Outcast. Do I?

This morning’s service really challenged me, even though it’s one of my passions. How did it challenge me? We’ll get there. But first some background information.

Our church recently started small groups for our growing number of adults, and we have been talking about the vision of our particular church, which is Loving, Reaching, Growing. The first two weeks were on loving. Loving God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and translating that into real-life. It was an awesome two weeks.

Today is the third week and the start of the second area, Reaching. I came from a very evangelistic church, so “reaching” is sort of in my blood. But recently, that task has slowly become secondary, and not a primary function of who I am as a follower of Christ.

This morning, Pastor Scott showed a video that I sent him called Jesus Loves the Outcast. In the video, Jason Harper, outreach pastor at Capital Christian Center discusses his relationship with a man he calls “Gay Joe.” Through his friendship with “Gay Joe,” he has broken down many of the stereotypes that Joe had/has of Christians because of his sexual orientation. I love the video, because it truly displays the heart of Christ. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” That rings true in the video, and it rings true for all mankind.

I loved the video because of it’s about something that is very real, loving homosexuals. I also hate it because it makes me ask what kind of outcasts am I loving? Who am I reaching? I mean, I am a pastor, it should come even easier! But the truth is, it isn’t. I was personally convicted, thinking, “How many people in my apartment complex even know that I am a pastor? How many have I talked to about Christ, let alone talk to at all?

I’m glad my senior pastor has the guts to show a video like that to our church. Sometimes believers need to be rocked out of their comfort zones and even have some of their paradigms challenged. We say, “Love the sinner, hate the sin!” But more often than not, it’s easier to hate the sin than it is to love the sinner. It’s easier to cast judgment and label someone than it is to actually get down with them, enter their world, and love them the way Jesus does.

My wife and I had a great conversation about it afterwards. Sometimes we think evangelism is a huge event or witnessing on the street. That isn’t to say that God can’t use those methods, He certainly does. My life was changed at a huge event. But I think the downfall to those methods is that it can cause the believers to place themselves above the sinner. I love the relational approach because it builds an environment of trust. And that environment is far more fertile soil than a tract, an event, or a street evangelist. As my good friend and mentor Jeanne Mayo says, “Friendship is often the highway the Holy Spirit travels on most.”