Get Dirty

In my last post I talked about the parable of the farmer scattering seed amongst the 4 different types of soil. I ended with a comment about assuming we know what lies beneath the surface of the soil in which we try to plant the seed of Christ. This created a segue into one of the biggest problems I've witnessed amongst Christians in the field.

Far too many people who claim to be Christ-followers never pick up the plow and answer the call to be farmers of men. We are called to scatter the seed that was planted, and thankfully grew, within us. It's a simple calling, so why don't we? I believe there are several reasons (i.e. fear, laziness) but these days there's one that really tears me apart inside. It's the same reason the Pharisees had for never reaching out to the prostitutes, lepers, adulterers, and other various "sinners". They looked out over the land of God and saw that some soil was not fit to be plowed. They judged not only the quality of what God had created but also His ability to redeem it. If this doesn't sound eerily familiar than you haven't been observing Christian culture for very long.

Think of what the reaction would be if a woman walked into your church with pink hair, piercings all over her face, tattoos down both arms, leather boots, and a torn Rolling Stones t-shirt. Would you focus more on the exterior of her body than the interior of her heart which led her to walk cautiously through the doors of your church? Luke 11:39-41 "Then the Lord said to him, 'Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.'" I'm not saying it's unnatural to be surprised by the look of someone who is completely different than you, but I am saying it is completely unnatural to God's heart to look at a person and base their soul worth on the exterior of their cup. 

Too often we dehumanize people by looking at them as 'completely hopeless' or as lost in a world of sin out of which no one could ever bring them. To use extreme examples, look at people like Paris Hilton or Hugh Hefner. I know the web of sex, power, and wealth creates a difficult road to salvation, but that's not for us to judge. I believe all too often we encounter people who disagree with our faith and lifestyles so we put them into categories of 'unreachable'. Once we've categorized these people in our minds as 'unreachable sinners' we put ourselves in the place of the Pharisee. The scary thing is that we can easily go from putting particular people in this category to putting whole nations, religions, or cultures in it. Someone who thinks or behaves in this way has no comprehension of the Gospel. 

I know it's easier to write someone off as unreachable because it puts us off the hook and we feel better about ourselves. But we are never off the hook. Our work is never finished and by no means is there ever a soul that is unreachable for God. The only thing that would ever make anyone remotely unreachable is our own personal doubt that prevents us from going after them, learning about their lives/struggles, showering them with love, and focusing our prayers on their salvation. Galatians 6:9-10 says "So let us never get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessings if we do not give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone..."

Trust me, I know how wearing it is to minister to people year after year with no results. I know the exhaustion that comes from sharing the most convincing, relevant, impacting story of Christ you possibly can and to receive nothing back but suspicious smiles or angry words ridden with animosity and doubt. I look out at American culture almost daily and am overwhelmed by the work that must be done. Oswald Chambers writes about this feeling, saying "Our fear is that the very things our Lord stood for— love, justice, forgiveness, and kindness among men— will not win out in the end and will represent an unattainable goal for us. Then there is the call to spiritual perseverance. A call not to hang on and do nothing, but to work deliberately, knowing with certainty that God will never be defeated."

As I'm writing this, I'm reminded that I entitled the last post "The Peril of the Planter". I'm convicted by my own tendency to have a bleak outlook on the work that God has set before me. It's hard, as a farmer, to look out at the field and not think about all the rocks, thorns, birds, and every other possible source of harm that will prevent the seed I'm trying to plant from growing...The soil we are called to work with comes in every shape and size, and may seem to be of various qualities. However, God sees it all as equal. That's because only God can see to the depths of the land He has sent us into. We do not have the luxury of having God's vision, so it becomes our duty to roll up our sleeves, reach down in the dirt and get busy planting the seed of the Gospel in as much of the land as possible.