Guilty as Charged

It started out as my normal drive home from work.
I hit the channel that provides news, trying to keep up to date.
And then it happened.
This particular news station had decided to do a news story on young pastors just going into the ministry.
I was interested.
Well they were going to interview the pastor (or Imam, I guess) of a newly opened Mosque in Virginia.
I was disappointed.
It was a grand event, the Governor of the Virginia was coming, kids were playing on the swings, hamburgers were frying. The announcer said that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States with 2 million converts and growing.
I was sickened.
And then the announcer interviewed the hamburger cook, a man that sounded like he could be your next door neighbor. I'm not sure I will ever forget what he said.
The announcer asked him what he thought of the Mosque being right next door. He said, "It's great, they are really nice and they are involved in the community. If Christians were like this the world would be a different place".
I shut the radio off, I sat in stunned silence as the only sound now came from the tires and the air conditioning.
I was guilty.
Most Christians make broad assumptions. They assume that people just aren't interested in spiritual things, WRONG. They assume somebody else is surely reaching out to people, like the pastor, since that's why they pay him, WRONG. They assume that the church is involved in the community just because they meet in a building that's in the community, WRONG. They assume that people will feel the love of Jesus just because they meet in a building once a week, WRONG.
And maybe we don't say these things, but it's surely the way we live.
I have to admit that the hamburger cook is right. If God's people, the followers of Jesus Christ would understand that Christianity is more than sitting in a pew, waiting on Jesus to take them, then the world would be a different place.
And I'm guessing people wouldn't be interested in following a god that is indifferent and lacks compassion.
Isn't it funny that people would rather hear about a god that talks about violent conversion, than a God of love a peace.
Folks it isn't the message.
It's the messengers.
Guilty as charged.