What the God

Written by Jesse Medina

We Christians are unique people. We have our language, our own clothing, our own books, our own rituals, and even our own celebrities. We’re quirky. Some might say a little weird. But within our ranks, there is one group that comes across to me as even more quirky than the rest: former drug user/alcoholic Christians.

You know who I’m talking about. These are the folks who lived life in the fast lane for a part of their lives. They experienced all the thrills of snorting that line or drinking their body weight in liquor…every night…they know how to have a good time. But, somewhere along the way, they happened to stumble drunk into a church one Wednesday evening during prayer meeting and found the Lord. (In high school, a drunken lady actually came to the church on a Sunday evening and kept blurting stuff out during the pastor’s sermon. Complete awkwardness…especially when he scolded her from the pulpit)

I’ve known a few of these people and had the opportunity to hear how they try to evangelize their old friends.

“Don’t get high/drunk off that stuff, brother, come with me to church and get high/drunk off Jesus. You’ll never be higher/drunker.”

This make sense. Call it speaking their language. Meeting them where they are at. Becoming all things to all men. Want high/drunk people to get saved? Appeal to those desires…and tell them about Jesus’ intoxicating powers. Share with them that story of when he turned hundreds of gallons of water into wine. Talk about his ascension.

That’ll get ‘em.

I’ve always imagined those situations looking a little different:

“Don’t get high/drunk off that stuff, brother, come with me to church and get high/drunk off Jesus. Actually, I’ve got some Jesus right here in my pocket. Let’s go out back and smoke him.”

Getting high off Jesus would be a lot easier if you could bring him to the party, whip him out half-way in, and light him up in the basement.

But there is a danger to this whole notion of getting high/drunk off God. To demonstrate why I feel it is dangerous, I present to you how ridiculous it would sound to use the same method of evangelism for other sinning types:

• For pornstars: Come to church and have Jesus orgasms!
• For strippers: Come to church and get naked before God!
• For prostitutes: Come to church and let Jesus pay the price for you!
• For murderers: Come to church and kill the Lord!
• For greedy people: Come to church and let God bless you with stuff!
• For thieves: Come to church and steal some Jesus!
• For bestiality: Come to church and meet the Lamb of God!
• For cannibals: Come to church and eat Jesus’ body!
• For lusters: Come to church and gaze upon the Lord!

What do you think? Have you ever been high/drunk on God? Can you think of other examples of bad evangelism?