Junk in Our Trunk - Part 2

Well, here's the second installment of Junk in Our Trunk.

God gave me a message several months back. I wrote it down in my journal and haven't shared it with many people. . .until now. I'm still hesitant, but in lieu of the burden God has placed upon my heart for His church and how it/we treat people in the church and outside of it I think it may be time.

There's a story in the New Testament (John 8:1-11) where Jesus was teaching one day in the local synagogue (our church today) and in the middle of his lesson a woman who had been caught in an adulterous relationsip was brought to him by the church leaders (funny how they didn't bring the man, eh?). They asked Jesus what they should do with her since the Law of Moses said that they should stone her. After some time and further questioning by the church leadership, Jesus finally addressed them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." He let that sink in. Then those gathered left - the older men first.

Soon there was no one there except the woman and Jesus. He stands up from his scribbling in the ground and asks where her accusers are? Where are those who condemned her? She replies that they aren't there. Jesus final words are most incredible. He tells her, "Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

Here's what it comes down to:

If Jesus would have been about the letter of the law, then when He was asked His response to the Law of Moses He would have replied, "If you got 'em throw 'em." But He wasn't about the letter of the law, He was about the Spirit of the Law which was redemption. His sole intent was to redeem this woman.

Be sure of this, Jesus DID NOT condone her lifestyle. Rather, He told her to stop sinning. . .to stop doing what she was doing. But He was not there to condemn her, but to redeem her.

Hey flock - Let's take a page out of Jesus' book and stop living by and applying the letter of the law to everyone else's life. How about a little redemption action here? How about putting down your rocks long enough the hug someone and let them know they matter to Christ and to us as well? Ever wonder what would happen if we stopped pointing fingers at each other and started loving each other - I mean loving each other like Christ loves us? Wooooweeee, would the church look different.

What if we forgave people, instead of pointing out the junk in their life? What if we walked through the junk with them and helped them overcome the junk, rather than adding more labels and more junk to their trunk?

What if someone did that for you?

Mike