Something I wrote to a guy from...

I wrote this to a local News Reporter who was looking into ways to help our friend, Chris Challis, who lived and died with us last year. I wrote this while Chris was alive and in need of living and grocery help.

I am still convinced that a clean place to live, and generous financial relief--relief from the stress of "where'll I eat?" and "how'll I survive?"-- would have produced a cleaner exit for our guy Chris.
You may know that Chris got back into the street life and got shot, shortly after pushing off the church here. He was under tremendous pressure from our local drug mafia thuggie guys. They would literally bust into his apartment. He relied on help from some local folks who used him despicably.

Chris was a fool. But he was God's kid. I miss him. About this time last year, he was making candles and talking crazy in my kitchen... Next month will be year one since his passing.

Here's what I wrote:

Hey M,

Thanks for the chance to talk, this morning. I'm interested in continuing the conversation. I would like to contradict myself. I kept telling you "it's nothing personal" as I called out the things that the churches in Cincinnati must repent of in order to live the Life.
I disagree with myself, now.

Helping, being friends and family with Christians who are "lost sheep", or not even Christians, yet... is very very "personally" important to Jesus. He has very deep personal interest in how his followers, those who are called by his name, "Christian", relate to/love their brethren who are "poor" and "lost sheep".

I know there are many different poverties in this world, but there is ample scriptural material available to prod us into a special sensitivity toward those who are believers, whose lives have been destroyed by physical lack, sickness, jail time, hunger, disability... Past foolishness and sin... You get it.

It is my belief that Jesus is personally concerned with how we, His people by name, embody his teaching...embody HIM to a world so devoid of a clear understanding of him.

In fact, today we heard about the "death of religion". (the church we were at had a series on called The Death of Religion)

"Religion" is a word to describe that false community construct that destroys love and squeezes the life out of belief. This kind of "Religion" is called "Christianity" but might be better called "Americana", "Nice-ianity", or "Church-ianity".

There is, however, a true sense in which the word "Religion" can be used to describe Life in Christ. The life of belief is found in obedient action. Action that reflects a heart of worship. Action that honors the person of Jesus. James says that "faith without works is dead". He also says that "...pure religion and spotless is this: that you care for orphans and widows in their distress, and keep yourselves from being polluted by the world."

Our Ignorance--Our constant ignoring of our neighbors and brethren--while claiming to "Reach" our city, is leaving our poor, disabled, disadvantaged, imprisoned brethren in the grinder. Our neglect of the values that Jesus imparted to us has caused the world around us to scorn God as we continue to live a "form of religion" that "denies the true power" of God. Take a good look at our new, multi-milllion dollar meeting place, while we struggle to redeem a struggling brother from the poverty that has so deeply marred his life...

This is all just basic Bible.
And it's deeply personal, to Jesus.

Romans 12 commands us to "associate with the lowly". I think that we're on the edge of a movement where people awaken to the power of their extra rooms and dining rooms... The power of their lives... The power of love...

Surely the Father of Jesus hasn't "REACHED" the world. He has LOVED it. He has GIVEN to it his only son. We who claim to "reach" should read again. And we are reading again, finding great power in fearless love.

A lot of people are ready for the next step, to discover Jesus among the poor--to befriend jesus, among the poor, the lost, and their neighbors.

What did Jesus do? He came down. We are to come down, too.

So, you see, it's personal, but it's not only to you and me, or chris challis. It's ultimately about Jesus, himself. All of this is personal to Him. So let's not be afraid to offend each other. Let's be afraid to offend Jesus.

I misspoke. It is all deeply personal.

Love in Christ,

Lew Ross