At this point, you must think that everything evangelical is very abstract. It’s not about doing, it’s about believing; they are not superficial sins, but idols of the heart. When will we come to practical and tangible things?
I’m trying to convince you of that. Idols of the heart?What about him? Believing, these are practical things. Maybe they won’t take you to easy directions like?Read more about your Bible? Or “be more in communion with the brothers. “But when you let your efforts to discipline be redirected by the gospel, you will see a profound change, because the gospel changes everything.
- Ryan began to tell me why he did not trust Jesus.
- And everyone could be reduced to a common denominator: he did not trust Christians.
- He told me how he had been rejected by his companions.
- Even by a pastor of a large young evangelical group because he was small.
- Fragile and not masculine enough.
- He told me about the pastor who told him that all transsexuals would go to hell and another pastor who insisted that transsexualism was demonic and needed an exorcism.
But these painful memories were nothing compared to his rejection of his family, his mother and stepfather professed to be Christians, when Ryan began to live an actively transgender life, they cut off his support and the affirmation, from his point of view, was one. of those difficult attitudes of love. Something like “love the sinner, but he hates sin. “But for a sexually broken young man who has been rejected by Christians all his life, it was another Christian hypocrisy. While Ryan was talking about his parents, his whole body was visibly bubbling with rage.
So we talk at length about the scope of sin and the fact that Christians often do not meet their own moral standards. I talked a lot about Jesus and how Jesus liked to spend time with prostitutes, cheaters, and outcasts. I was trying to make Ryan understand that I could trust Jesus, even though I had a hard time trusting Christians, reminded him that he trusted me and Amy, and I told him of the need for him to forgive his parents, otherwise I would simply reject them in the same way. as they had rejected it.
I wasn’t prepared at all for what was going to happen. “If I asked you to do something for me, would you?” asked Ryan.
Now, when you talk to a transsexual, you naturally feel a little uncomfortable with this kind of question. But since I had just preached about trust, I had to give you the benefit of the doubt. So I said, “Of course. . . . Anything. ?
“Could you call my mother and ask her to come here?”
? Here? I mean, Starbucks.
“No, I mean Omaha, she was never there. I asked him to come here several times, but he’s not coming. She thinks it would be ‘validating my lifestyle’. But I just want to see you. I think we have a lot to discuss . . . too much anger and pain to throw away. ?
“Then let me see if I understand, ” I asked him, Do you want me to call your mother, whom I never met, and ask you to go to Omaha to see you?
Oh, yes! Bob, listen, you’re a shepherd. She’ll trust you. You can speak his language. She thinks I’m addicted to depraved sex, but she’ll listen to you. Bob, you’re my friend. Bring her here.
For a while, I felt the weather slow down, like in the movies. You are my friend. ? I couldn’t escape the magnitude of that statement. Ryan asked me for help in overcoming the problem that had prevented him from seeing the gospel in his life: his broken relationship with his family. Ryan was beginning to want to trust Jesus, he would never trust Jesus if he couldn’t forgive his mother, and he would never trust Jesus if he couldn’t trust me.
So I took a towel and a pen and wrote down his mother’s phone number
At some point, we individualize the gospel. We said it was just you and Jesus. We forget that the gospel is not just about changing your destiny after death, it’s changing everything. The gospel transforms societies, renews families and heals relationships. That is why Jesus called him: the gospel of the Kingdom?(Luke 16:16). The Gospel refers to the government and reign of Jesus. And where Jesus is rightly honored as Lord, there is more than a simple personal greeting; There is a redemptive action!The gospel is holistic. To say that I cared about Ryan’s soul without worrying about his relationship with his family would be the end of hypocrisy. The answer was not, “Accept salvation and then we will take care of your family relationships. “The answer was: “God wants to heal his family’s wounds. He is a redeeming God. ?
Now ask yourself: how often do you relate the difficulties of your disciples’ lives to the gospel?If Ryan were a Christian, we’d probably say, “Read this book on how to honor the father and mother?Or is it just walking with Jesus and things will be fine. . . ?But gospel-centered discipleship asks these questions: how should the gospel be expressed in this situation?at the root of the problem or: what truth of the gospel is not believed or lived?
This is what distinguishes biblical Christianity from popular psychology. Any pagan psychologist can say, “Control your anger, forgive yourself, treat others with respect. “But what gives the power to love and forgive or respect others?And what prevents us from doing these things?It is our disbelief, our lack of trust in God, the idols of our hearts, our sin. In Ryan’s case, he knew two things: his idols of control and selfishness prevented him from loving his parents, and his parents also had their own idols in their hearts, which prevented them from really loving Ryan as Jesus would, so asking Ryan’s mother to fly to Omaha was more than a friendly favor , was a redemptive action centered on the gospel. was to live in the light of the gospel in a real and tangible way. That’s what Jesus would do.
So I was involved in the strangest phone conversation I’ve ever had. “Hi, my name is Bob and I’m calling from Omaha. Well, not that kind of friend. Actually, I’m your shepherd. Well, technically, it was never our church. But he’s a friend of a friend, and now he’s my friend. Does that make sense?
“Is everything okay with Ryan?”
? Yes why??
“Because the only reason I can think of a pastor calling me from Omaha is because something bad has happened. “
? No, no,’ it was actually a very good thing
What prevents us from doing this kind of gospel-centered redemptive action?It is the lack of faith in the gospel. When we truly believe that God is for us, we are not afraid of the rejection of friends, family, and colleagues. We no longer live for approval, we already have God’s approval. This is what Paul said when he said, “If God is for us, who against us?”(Rom. 8:31) The Gospel is what allows us to love dangerously, as Jesus did. And dangerous love is what encourages effective evangelization, social justice, communion, missions and reconciliation.
Ryan’s parents came to town two weeks later and it was a great visit, they risked acknowledging their sin and apologised to Ryan, regardless of his lifestyle, and Ryan risked beginning to forgive them, his visit did not resolve. all problems or erase all the pain. But it was a starting point. And Ryan was right: working on things with your parents helped you eliminate your animosity toward God.
Until then, Ryan had only set foot in our church once, it was the night we were discussing biblically understood masculinity and femininity, which was a very bad coincidence or a divine comedy. Could there be a more complicated issue for a man who really thinks he’s a woman?Worse, that night, as part of the study’s dynamics, we divided the people present into two groups, men and women, Ryan came up to me smiling and asked me which group I wanted it to be. I said I had to get into the men’s group, but it only lasted a few minutes, ended up sitting in the back of the women’s group, while all the girls looked at him uncomfortable, I was sure he’d never come back. . But on the weekend of their parents’ visit, they all showed up together for worship service.
A few weeks later, Ryan and I went out to have a steak at one of the best restaurants in town, it was his way of thanking me for bringing his parents to visit him, if I thought about it too much, I’d find it very well. a little strange: I, a married shepherd, meeting a transgender transvestite. But my wife was quiet with him, and after all, the Bible talks about being “everything for everyone. “Besides, it was fun to see the waiter try to figure out what’s going on.
Ryan still doesn’t trust Jesus, but I dare say he knows the gospel better than many Christians, he knows he’s a broken person, but no more broken than the next-door neighbor, he knows that idols of selfishness and control dominate the world. landscape of his heart, he knows that Jesus can change everything, including his own desires, if he humbles himself and abandons himself, and knows that being a disciple of Jesus does not mean just getting out of hell or having good sexual health. It is basically the rescue made by a Redeemer God, who offers a new way of life.
The gospel is not just about getting along with God; frees you to rejoice in God. So saturate your discipleship with the gospel. Because you are a sinner (and so are your disciples) and Jesus is your only hope.