Go Get 'Em!


 People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care- Theodore Roosevelt

 There's a group of people who are waiting for the church to step up.  They aren't the traditional pew sitters.  They are the disenfranchised.  Those who have been caught in the revolving doors of the criminal justice system.

No longer can we just celebrate God in our four walls. The essence of our relationship with God is solidified in how we connect with that individual that does not know God.  If we were to talk to the local newspaper today, we should be saying more than we have a beautiful edifice, good music, and lots of dancing.  We should be able to confidently say that we are reaching the lost.

When we are mission-oriented to extend the Gospel, we can salvage a whole generation! Their problems may be plentiful, but we have The Solution.  The church has the answer and it's our responsibility to connect them with what they are looking for. If your child is lost, you wouldn't hesitate to go get 'em.

When young men and women find themselves in trouble, the government will only extend its hand so far, but everyone wants to know where is the church. When they stand before the judge, he asks  "Where is the church?" in their lives.  Even the home of that person is evaluated based on its connection to the church.

You may be asking how they ended up there in the first place. It's not as difficult as you may think.  Those of us who may have lived a very sheltered life can still identify with one raw emotion:  Rejection.  When you say the word, something in the pit of your stomach starts to churn.  Why? Because we've all experienced rejection at some point.  That emotion is so strong that it can color our choices and even bend our will. Both male and female alike, know rejection.  Rejection from an absent mother, frustrated father, or unfaithful partner.  Many in the penal system have been rejected by a society that boasts justice for all but it's only for a few. Some have been serving time for what is now legal.  Some have sought acceptance among the fringes of what is right and what is wrong.  And thus the revolving door is set in motion.  And they are lost.

The Colorado Department of Corrections defines recidivism as returning to prison within three years of release.  Currently 45% of those incarcerated return.  One painful reason is the lack of support on the outside.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we, the body of Christ, could turn that around?  What if we could be the support system they need? We can if we would only go get 'em.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Proverbs 3:27

 Believe it or not, we are responsible for our neighbor.  We can preach all we want over the pulpit, but if it doesn't go any further than our doors,  we have not met the assignment God has given us.

We cannot be afraid to touch the lost in their rejection.  Their self-esteem has been torn down over the years.  God is the only way to lift them and that is where we come in. They don't care about how good you can dress or what kind of car you drive.  They want to know Do You Care? We have to answer that question with a resounding Yes!

I recently had the honor to witness the efforts of organizations that provide clothing, life skills, and transportation to those who are in transition in their lives. Looking at the state of the world and what we ourselves have been through, we can see that the church has work to do.  Let's vow to speak with kindness and move with compassion.  Let someone know that they don't have to be a statistic or take on the norms of society.  Maybe they didn't grow up on the right side of the tracks, but focus on the value life has taught them. Show them that they have something to offer this world.  Don't let them die in their situation.  Go get 'em and bring 'em back to life!

Reaching the lost at any cost,
Pastor Odie Kennedy

Image by Amy Burton

https://denver.dressforsuccess.org/

http://www.doinghistime.org/72-hour-fund-colorado/

https://www.colorado.gov/performancemanagement/reduce-recidivism-rate

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