What Are You Doing And What Are You Teaching?

What if this story were actually true? “Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church where he was to be introduced as the senior pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service....only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him.

He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit in the back. He greeted people, only to receive stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.

As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements. When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation........"We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek"....The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation.....The homeless man sitting in the back stood up.....and started walking down the aisle.....the clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him....he walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment....then he recited

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all he had experienced that morning...many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame.... he then said....Today I see a gathering of people......not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples...when will YOU decide to become disciples? He then dismissed service until next week.”

This is just an “urban legend” but could it…does it happen?

Being a Christian is more than something you claim. It’s something you live by and share with others.

Read the text. PRAYER

What if Jesus called you to come and sit down with Him and share everything that you had taught or done? What would tell Him?

Maybe you would say, “Well, I’m not a teacher.” But what you and I do and say, in fact teaches others what we believe about Jesus.

During this message I’ll share some true stories with you about what some have seen from the church.

I heard a story about a lady who visited a church for the first time. She had never been to that church and was searching for somewhere and someone who could help her find some answers to life’s tough questions. This lady was searching for hope in a hopeless situation.

She told me that when she stepped out of her car, she was quickly met by one of the ladies from the church, whom hopefully was going to greet her and show her where to go.

In fact what happened was the very opposite. It appears that this church member, whom was a total stranger to the visitor, as far as she knew, had been holding a grudge against the visitor from many, many years ago. The visitor didn’t even know why she was being confronted. The member of that church told the visitor “I have waited for many years to see you face to face and TODAY I am going to whip your back pew, right here and now.”

All this was because of something that happened a long time ago when this visitor was a child. Apparently the visitor and the member’s daughter got into a fight, as most children do, and this church member vowed to get even with a CHILD, knowing that sooner or later the child would grow up “and when you do you better give your heart to God because the rest is mine.”

[It’s sad to admit but this was my sister who was attacked by one of our members]