Standing With God is Sometimes Standing With the Riffraff. Sometimes I feel like the messy people or the riffraff of the church seem to somehow shame the overall reputation of the church and therefore, are often ostracized by the church. Their messy lives make those around them uncomfortable and often bring out the judgment or critical side of their fellow believers. If they get involved in ministry, a shadow of doubt seems to loom over them and sadly, they are often required to jump through more hoops to proof their spiritual maturity than others. I have heard it said many times that the church shoots their wounded and unfortunately I have witnesses that happen in my own body of believers.
Jesus often hung out with society’s riffraff and therefore, He was often ridiculed by the religious leaders for it. The messy people of His day; the tax-collectors, the prostitutes, the so-called sinners flocked to Him. Why? I believed it was because He
had the power to see their sin without condemning them. HE WAS SAFE! Most messy people I meet know they’re wretchedness. They also don’t tend to take any ownership for any good that comes from their lives because they know where true goodness comes from…God alone. Messy people know they need forgiveness and when they receive forgiveness they know they don’t deserve it. Messy people struggle to embrace the unconditional love God because they know they’re unlovable. Yet, when they fully receive the love of God it radically changes their life and they live with an intense desire to love God in return.
Do you have messy people in your life? People who might struggle with addictions, bad marriages, troubled kids or sin issues that they have difficulty with. Do you write them off, find yourself judging them or entertaining critical thoughts regarding them? If they’re in your ministry, do you entertain doubts regarding their ability to minister or are you suspicious of their spiritual integrity?
Matthew 9:12-13
“It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, I desire compassion and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous, but the sinners.”
“Lord, help us to stand with You and those people that seem like riffraff to the church. The wounded matter greatly to You and often can be used greatly by You to remind us
of how vast Your grace is and how much You unconditionally love us all. In our ministries, let us embrace the messy, the riffraff, knowing that their testimony is often the most effective and relate-able in reaching the world around us.” Make us safe like Jesus was safe so messy people will be safe in the body of Christ.
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