I’ve had a couple of questions regarding my bio on the front page of my blog. Specifically regarding the statement that I make: “I would rather spend an hour with Howard Stern than with the Pope.”
As cool as it would be to spend some time with the Pope, the way God has wired me up is to reach out to pre-Christian people. Sooo, as sure as I can be, the Pope is headed to Heaven. However, at this point, I wouldn’t want to bet the house on where Howard is heading.
Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “I came to seek and save the lost.” I don’t consider myself to be equal with Jesus, I do however consider His mission to be my mission. In fact, I consider it to be the mission of any Jesus follower.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to spend about a half hour talking with Howard about his relationship with Jesus Christ. I made it very clear that there is very little difference between him and me . . . we’re both sinners in need of a Savior. It was a GREAT conversation. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, Howard still hasn’t moved to the point of becoming a Jesus follower. Of course, ultimately, that’s his decision.
I continue to pray and hope that I’ll once again have the opportunity to spend some time with Mr. Stern.
So let’s flip back to the Pope and any Catholics I might have inadvertently misled with my statement. Not too long ago we did a teaching series at RiverTree in conjunction with St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Father Brad and I shared a series together titled, “What Christians Can Learn From Catholics And What Catholics Can Learn From Other Christians.” Father Brad taught with me at RiverTree and I taught with Father Brad at St. Michael’s. It was a blast! (You can get copies of those messages by contacting me at http://www.rivertreechristian.com/.)
For far too long Christians have been erecting barriers rather than building bridges with one another. I’ve committed my life to being a bridge-builder in Jesus’ name, for Jesus’ sake.
Jesus stated, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my followers.” (John 13:35)
The Pope or Howard Stern? Gotta love ’em both!
Well, given the most recent statement given by the current Pope, I’m inclined to say, “Here, Here!” That may not be very nice of me to say, but if the Lord, Himself, didn’t care for the politicking going on in the Temple, I’ll just follow His lead and maybe go find myself a friendly corn field with a few country folk in it…or maybe a shopping plaza or something.
But you’re absolutely right. The Pharisees built a wall from their living areas into the inner Temple courts, high above the city, just so they would never have to walk among or talk to the everyday people. They looked down on those people (literally and figuratively). I don’t remember Jesus ever praising them for any of their behavior. He more or less made them an example of what not to do.