Unacceptable

Do you ever look at a situation and think, “That’s not the way things are meant to be”?

When you drive a brand new car off the lot, there shouldn’t be a knock in the engine. When the waiter serves your soup, there shouldn’t be a fly floating in the bowl. When you board a plane for New York, the pilot shouldn’t fly you to Los Angeles. Parents shouldn’t send their children to school barefoot on cold winter days. Such actions are simply unacceptable.

But look at the things we’re told to accept today. We’re urged to accept same-sex marriage, though from the beginning of human history, marriage has meant the union of a man and a woman. We’re told to pursue personal happiness above all else, though the Bible teaches that God’s kingdom and his righteousness should come first. In the name of tolerance, we’re pressured to accept religious views that have no foundation in Scripture and no basis in fact.

Consider Jesus’ reaction as he moved about the towns and villages of Galilee. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). In Jesus’ eyes, it was unacceptable for people to remain harassed and helpless. That’s not the way things are meant to be. Sheep need a shepherd. It’s unacceptable for them to remain untended, vulnerable to wolves, unable to find food and drink.

Broken lives break the heart of God. It’s unacceptable when people God designed for fellowship remain lonely and isolated. It’s unacceptable when human beings created in God’s image are bought and sold for sex; yet according to one expert, 27 million sex slaves are being trafficked in our world today. It’s unacceptable to stand by and do nothing while families disintegrate and communities deteriorate. It’s unacceptable to amass material possessions and keep the gospel to ourselves while ignoring those in need who have no hope.

Jesus didn’t stand around mocking the darkness; he turned on the light. He did more than complain about society’s wrongs; he plunged in and set things right. He prayed, taught, listened, and healed. He asked pointed questions, corrected errors, and forgave sins. He dined in the homes of notable sinners, traveled into dangerous neighborhoods others avoided, touched the untouchable, and interacted vigorously with crowds in the public square. He told the truth in every situation. He challenged empty religious customs, confronted powerful leaders, and took the time to talk with individuals who needed his help: a Samaritan woman by the well at mid-day, the Pharisee Nicodemus who came to him at night; a sinful woman who crashed a socialite’s dinner party and cried till her tears poured down on Jesus’ feet. He sacrificed his own comforts for the sake of the weak and the overlooked. And while all of this was happening, he mentored a committed group of disciples to carry on the work.

The intentional mentoring of servant-leaders modeled by Jesus must flourish for the church to make a difference in this messed up, broken down world. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38). A few verses later, the same people Jesus told to “ask,” he told to “go.” “These twelve Jesus sent out” (Matthew 10:5).

Harvest workers—difference makers—must be recruited, mentored, equipped, and sent. How can we neglect to pray when Jesus commands us to ask? How dare we refuse to go when the Lord tells us to venture forth? To ignore the Great Commission—well, that’s simply unacceptable.

Inspirational speaker Christine Caine tells about the time she went to WalMart and bought a Barbie flashlight for her four-year-old daughter. Eager to try out her new flashlight but unable to do so in the bright light of the store, the little girl asked, “Mommy, can we go and find some darkness?” That’s the job of the church, Caine says: Find the darkness and shine the light.

But be careful. When you pray for God to send out workers, he might send your children and grandchildren, or your best friend.

He might even send you.