Once more, on Saturday night, I visited another ‘rough’ part of town – Adamsville, a suburb of Atlanta. And, again, I was continually warned by the residents that I shouldn’t be there. I would always ask them, “If I didn’t come, who would? Who would share the love of Christ?”
It amazes me how dark the community is. The presence of evil was so thick. It’s so humbling to be there knowing that the people you are talking to are hurting and need the Light that you are bringing. I am blessed to be used by God to carry the Gospel to these places.
Later, I really started thinking about guys. I think guys, in general, like watching movies with drugs, sex, and violence because there’s something intriguing about it – there’s an element of the unknown. It is like what John Eldredge wrote about in “Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul”. We were created for an adventure. Most guys don’t know about the violence first-hand, instead, they hear about it in the news or read it in the paper. They still, however, long to be a part of something exciting–something more than their life is only about clocking in and out every day at the office. Therefore, most guys watch these movies and put themselves in the place of the “hero.” Why? Because God created us all to be heroes. God created us to fight for lives. We are in a real-life drama filled with drugs, sex, and violence; we are already in a battle. We are already heroes. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t living up to our potential.
As for me, I venture to these dark places for a few reasons. First, as I share the Gospel of Christ, I really do grow in my understanding of every good thing I have in Christ (see Phil 1:6). Second, I love to love people. For me, there is no fear as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death because God is with me and His perfect love drives out all fear. Again, while it’s my God-ordained adventure, the people I serve still humble me.
For you, however, you don’t have to visit the inner city of Atlanta in order to challenge your own comfort level. While I’m called and commanded to enter these neighborhoods, your ‘battleground’ may be where you work or your family situation. I admit it takes more guts to share the Gospel with people that you come in constant contact with than with seemingly ‘random’ people on the streets. I applaud those of you who share your faith where you are at. Keep running the race! We need more people like you! Because, remember, if you don’t share Jesus Christ, who will?
Finally, a side note… Before I went out Saturday night, my family and I went out to eat. As I was waiting for a table to be cleared, I tried to witness to two couples who were talking to each other. One of the gentlemen became very angry and said, “Man, all four of us go to the same church. So take your butt and go over, sit down and leave us alone.” I replied, “Sir, Jesus Christ doesn’t care what church you go to.” He again, repeated, “Take your butt over there, sit down and leave us alone.” It’s ironic that I’m accepted in the hood–the “dangerous” part of town, but rejected in “safe” white suburbia. As Os Guinness wrote, “In a land of material plenty, we are living in spiritual poverty.”
Be blessed and keep loving people.
