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Story taken from a missions conference at a Baptist church in Kansas.
A young seminary student with great prejudice against those who frequented whorehouses brought up a very prideful example in class of his response to a future convert who expressed reservations about giving up his nights at the bar. The teacher of the class, a well respected and morally upright man, smiled and asked the student if he would follow a convert to the depths of earthly hell if it meant he could save the guy's soul with the gospel. The young seminary student answered immediately, "Yes." The old preacher said with a grin, "Oh good. Come with me class."
They went to a part of town on the west coast known for it's multiple houses of ill repute and, to everyone's shock, marched right to the door of the poorest looking topless bar on the street. The wise preacher turned around and said with a hand on the door, "You first."
The young man spluttered a bit, but, knowing it was a directive from the preacher, went in followed by the preacher and the rest of the class.
The preacher led them straight to the bar, and introduced the bartender to the young students each by name. The bartender went to the back and brought out a two-piece ladder that the old preacher instructed the young student to stand on. The room quickly became hushed and everyone looked in wonder and incredulity at all these men in suits crowded around a ladder blushing, looking at the floor, and avoiding eye contact.
"Why don't you introduce yourself and tell them who you are and when you came to Christ?" the preacher said.
The young man did so, followed by student after student. When all students were finished the old preacher handed the bartender a stack of gospel tracts and another stack of business cards for the church he was a pastor of. With a thank you the bartender placed them at the end of the counter and, with a tear in his eye, went straight to his brother who was one of the frequenters of the bar and hugged him. The seminary students went back to class. The proud one asked the old preacher why they went there of all places.
"Son, I've been working on Jerry (the bartender) for 15 years. He made a promise to me a few weeks ago that he would come and see where I work if I and a group of the people I valued the most came to where he worked and gave an example of church people that weren't just as proud as any other heathen. Thank you, boys."
Two months after the incident, the barkeeper drove his brother, a back-slidden former seminary student, to the church to share how the Lord was doing an amazing work in the poor side of Chicago.
Was it morally wrong to take those young men to a topless bar? Was it outrageous of Jesus to keep company with tax collectors, harlots, and Romans?
A young seminary student with great prejudice against those who frequented whorehouses brought up a very prideful example in class of his response to a future convert who expressed reservations about giving up his nights at the bar. The teacher of the class, a well respected and morally upright man, smiled and asked the student if he would follow a convert to the depths of earthly hell if it meant he could save the guy's soul with the gospel. The young seminary student answered immediately, "Yes." The old preacher said with a grin, "Oh good. Come with me class."
They went to a part of town on the west coast known for it's multiple houses of ill repute and, to everyone's shock, marched right to the door of the poorest looking topless bar on the street. The wise preacher turned around and said with a hand on the door, "You first."
The young man spluttered a bit, but, knowing it was a directive from the preacher, went in followed by the preacher and the rest of the class.
The preacher led them straight to the bar, and introduced the bartender to the young students each by name. The bartender went to the back and brought out a two-piece ladder that the old preacher instructed the young student to stand on. The room quickly became hushed and everyone looked in wonder and incredulity at all these men in suits crowded around a ladder blushing, looking at the floor, and avoiding eye contact.
"Why don't you introduce yourself and tell them who you are and when you came to Christ?" the preacher said.
The young man did so, followed by student after student. When all students were finished the old preacher handed the bartender a stack of gospel tracts and another stack of business cards for the church he was a pastor of. With a thank you the bartender placed them at the end of the counter and, with a tear in his eye, went straight to his brother who was one of the frequenters of the bar and hugged him. The seminary students went back to class. The proud one asked the old preacher why they went there of all places.
"Son, I've been working on Jerry (the bartender) for 15 years. He made a promise to me a few weeks ago that he would come and see where I work if I and a group of the people I valued the most came to where he worked and gave an example of church people that weren't just as proud as any other heathen. Thank you, boys."
Two months after the incident, the barkeeper drove his brother, a back-slidden former seminary student, to the church to share how the Lord was doing an amazing work in the poor side of Chicago.
Was it morally wrong to take those young men to a topless bar? Was it outrageous of Jesus to keep company with tax collectors, harlots, and Romans?
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