Weenie Jesus
I had the honor fairly recently to speak to a group of prisoners and what struck me about them the most was not the crimes they’d committed to get themselves in that situation. What struck me was the fact that they were just like me. They just got caught. I’ve never made Meth in my basement or robbed a mini-mart, but they’re no worse than I am. And that was such an amazing experience to be a part of. That church service was the most amazing one I’ve ever been a part of because I felt like nobody was wearing masks, they couldn’t. So, neither did I.
I used to write a newsletter some of you might have gotten called ‘The Weekly Chad.’ The title had nothing to do with my vanity, but rather with my stated intention of being as honest as I could possibly be about my own sin and failure to live up to who God wants me to be, because I often lie to myself. This, not as a means to seem humble, but as a means to give hope—show the redemption of Jesus that follows failure—because God seems to love a screw-up, and not many of us seem to be aware of that. I was reminded of this goal after that night in prison.
It troubles me that we don’t seem to believe in the power of redemption. We say, "I can be saved because, well, I’m not that bad of a human being. I only needed salvation in theory, and I’m past all that sin stuff, right?" Well, they’re making amazing advances in medicine for those experiencing delusions. In truth, we are all in need of redemption and we are all powerless sinners (without the Power of Jesus in us). If God cannot redeem Adolf Hitler or the Unabomber, then I certainly have no hope from such a weak Savior.
Some of us don’t mind visiting these poor souls, but we certainly don’t want them in our churches, or homes or bringing potato salad to our potlucks! If we do not recognize the power of God to change lives, we breed unbelief and psychologically weaken the image of God in those around us. So, stand up, admit that you’re a relentless sinner, and go. Go and love.
I used to write a newsletter some of you might have gotten called ‘The Weekly Chad.’ The title had nothing to do with my vanity, but rather with my stated intention of being as honest as I could possibly be about my own sin and failure to live up to who God wants me to be, because I often lie to myself. This, not as a means to seem humble, but as a means to give hope—show the redemption of Jesus that follows failure—because God seems to love a screw-up, and not many of us seem to be aware of that. I was reminded of this goal after that night in prison.
It troubles me that we don’t seem to believe in the power of redemption. We say, "I can be saved because, well, I’m not that bad of a human being. I only needed salvation in theory, and I’m past all that sin stuff, right?" Well, they’re making amazing advances in medicine for those experiencing delusions. In truth, we are all in need of redemption and we are all powerless sinners (without the Power of Jesus in us). If God cannot redeem Adolf Hitler or the Unabomber, then I certainly have no hope from such a weak Savior.
Some of us don’t mind visiting these poor souls, but we certainly don’t want them in our churches, or homes or bringing potato salad to our potlucks! If we do not recognize the power of God to change lives, we breed unbelief and psychologically weaken the image of God in those around us. So, stand up, admit that you’re a relentless sinner, and go. Go and love.
