Messages from Potholes and Absent Fathers

All the signs on the corner advertise liquor. The radio stations bump music appointing money and sex as king and queen. And all the boys on my baseball team know the smell of good cush like the back of their hand. This is my neighborhood and Jesus Christ is present here.

There is a generation growing up in my neighborhood right now that is walking in the footsteps of the generation before. Drug dealing is not a crime, it is a job opportunity. Fatherhood is merely an option to consider, not a responsibility to cherish. And hustling is a way of life. The streets are littered with garbage and the potholes are never fixed and it all sends one message: we don't care about you. Even the ones on the block who are fighting to provide for their families and to make a better life for themselves find it infinitely more difficult because of the hole society and sin has dug for them.

The only answer for them is Christ. Now, you may be nodding your head in agreement, but before you agree to the previous statement may I explain to you what agreement entails?

Agreeing that the answer is Christ makes you and I responsible 

We are responsible for the knowledge we possess. As Christians we know the way that leads to life and we not only know, we believe. Unfortunately, I worry that we easily forget the genesis of our salvation: grace. I am concerned with the perspective I see many, including myself at times, have lost: the grace we have received is the same grace others need, no matter who they are. We all too often act like we did something to deserve the grace God has shown us. We would never say anything like that, but we act like it. Do we think that because we were born in a certain place or to certain parents that we are blessed because of something we did? We have been shown grace and grace must be shown to the thug, the drug dealer, and the person we wouldn't expect could come to Christ. We are responsible to believe in the gospel we say we believe.

Agreeing that the answer is Christ frees us from responsibility

Wait, what? Yes, it also frees us from responsibility. The answer is not us, it is Him. We are not the "great white hope". It is not an us and them mentality. It is a collective perspective that must accompany the preaching of the gospel. It is not the saved saving the unsaved. It is the sinner presenting to the other sinner the way of life. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to save, not yours. You are a vessel. You point to Christ. It is not your money or your resources or your intellect or your truth or your love that will save anyone. Your money and resources can aid these people. Your intellect, truth and love, can provide evidence of what Christ has done and is doing in you. But at the end of the day, Christ saves these people. Christ will draw all men to Himself when He is lifted up (Jn. 12:32).

Agreeing that the answer is Christ keeps us on track

This goes along with the previous point. The ultimate goal is not what you can bring to the table. It is not better housing, education, or healthcare. No, my friend, the ultimate goal of the Christian on mission is the salvation of the soul of the people you interact with. Yes, love the people you are with. Invite them to dinner. Advocate for their children in the public school system. Help them move when they are evicted. However, at the end of the day we must not forget that because the answer is Christ, the end-all, be-all is the rescue of the soul of the person, not the care of the body.

We are responsible to act like we believe, we are not responsible to save, and we are always single-minded, focused on salvation. This is life borne out of belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Life borne out of belief in the gospel is real and gritty. It recognizes the attempt that my community is making at building bonds when they open up the fire hydrant. It is hot on my block and people tend to open the fire hydrant so that the kids on the block can have a place to play. The people still sit on their front steps and they wave at me as I pass by. Families are still here. Kids are still growing up. I must recognize this, you must recognize this on your block.

A new generation is being cultivated before my very eyes on my block, before your very eyes on your block. Who will sacrifice a comfortable way of life to bring them the truth of Jesus Christ? Will you?

The gospel is needed on my block and it is needed on your block. Do not close your eyes to the people you would not expect would be receptive to the gospel in your neighborhood. God sets things up. He did it for Peter and Cornelius. He will do it for you. You just have to believe in the gospel you say you believe. It is powerful enough to save the drug dealer, the thug, the old man, and the single mother. It is powerful enough to save the perfect family of four who does not think their life needs anything else. It erupts into the lives of people and destroys any sense of fake wholeness that they have created for themselves. Believe and act like you believe. If you believe that what you believe is really real, you will act like it. So, sacrifice your safety, your comfort, your perspective on people so that the gospel may spread. People are dying in need of the gospel you believe.