I am convinced that Jesus dealt in mess more than he dealt with the nice and neat. I am also convinced that He called his Church to mess instead of the nice and neat. Yet, how would you feel if you caught your pastor hanging out at the local bar or casino? Maybe worse, what if he/she where spending time with Tiger Woods or Obama right now? A few years back I got to meet with a pretty high profile Christian author/speaker. (sorry I don’t like to name drop…)  When I asked him about meeting with President Clinton during his scandal with Monica Lewinsky he said, “The most amazing part about it was how the Christian church responded to me trying to help the President through his mess.” Needless to say their response erred on the side of judgement instead of encouragement.

Why is this? In Mark 2:17,  Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” How many of our lives and how many of our churches are concentrating on the righteous more than the sick? How many of us turn a nose to the sick because they are messy, but feel very comfortable sitting in our churches with the righteous? How many of us have become Pharisees? On the outside we say the right things, do the right things, and hang-out with the right people yet inside we are full of ourselves. I am guilty as charged! In fact, I hate this about myself. I am a selfish nose turner that loves the comfort of my chair (not my pew, we are to contemporary for those…) in my church. I have become to comfortable.

So here are the tough questions I must ask myself and ask you… 1) If Christ called us to the sick then why are hanging out with the righteous? 2) Are we hanging-out in the right places? 3) How would you feel if your pastor were caught hanging out in a bar or casino?

P.S. — Pastor Dave if you are reading this I would applaud your efforts in reaching people for Christ. In fact, I might just join you….