Loving the Unlovely
 
I see the kids coming into our nice, middle class church sporting their green hair and dressed in an array of red, black, plaid and striped clothes.  I hear some of their music ƒ_"loud, punkish, raw and energized.  Not just good old rock nƒ_T roll, but something with a hard edge to it.  Some of the lyrics are horrible.  But someƒ_Ý some are singingƒ_"yes, even shoutingƒ_"praises to God.  Some of the words carry an urgency, a passionate, driven call to spread the Word, share the Love, bring people to repentance to God.  Granted, the lyrics are not always intelligible to the adult ear, but the kids get it.
 
I also see the worried, even embarrassed looks on some of the parentsƒ_T faces.  Are nice Christian kids supposed to look like that?  Sound like that?  They kind of change the landscape of our churchƒ_"add a look that stands out a bit.  Is that OK? 
 
Recently a young, loud Christian band played at our cafAc/coffee shop.  To our dismay, a group of young punker looking kids showed up, complete with spiked hair of various hues, chain belts and attitudes.  One or two of the kids got a little rowdy afterwards and roughed up the place a bit.  Mind you, this coffee shop was a new addition to our ministry ƒ_" a shiny, new place for the local body to hang out.  And these kids had messed it up.  So, we stopped the music.  No more of that!  And you know what?  A lot of those kids never came to our church again. 
 
Am I defending their misbehavior?  No!  But I do think we missed a great opportunity to share the Gospel and draw these kids in.   I saw it clearly during our recent Festival of Hope in Ireland.  We brought Kanten Russell with us, a wild and talented professional skateboarder who loves the Lord.  When he showed up jumping over everything imaginable (including me) on his skateboard, the young people flocked to see him.  They came, many of them looking scruffy, lost, with a healthy dose of skepticismƒ_"first to see Kanten, then later to the Festival where they heard the Gospel. Over 300 of them gave their lives to the Lord.  One young man, with NIRVANA emblazoned across his T-shirt, clutched a new skateboard and said, ƒ_oI just gave my heart to Jesusƒ_Ýif it wasnƒ_Tt for the Festival of Hope I would still not be believing.  My faith in Jesus is strong nowƒ_Ýyouƒ_Tre giving hope to children, giving them Jesus.  Heƒ_Ts the Man!ƒ__
 
It was exciting, wonderful, and awesome to see the Lord work!  We embraced these kids, loved them, gave them the Word and brought them into the body of Christ.  I was reminded of the early days of Calvary Chapel. Chuck Smith listened one day as members of his congregation complained about barefoot and often unwashed hippie kids coming into their nice church with its new, green carpet.  His response?  ƒ_oTear out the green carpet!ƒ__
 
In the movie, The Godfather, when the mafia families were ready to go to war they said, ƒ_oItƒ_Ts time to go to the mattresses.ƒ__   Well, I think itƒ_Ts time for us to go to war ƒ_" except, unlike the mafia, this is a spiritual war against the evil that seeks to destroy our kids.  Our call to battle just might be, ƒ_oItƒ_Ts time to tear out the green carpet.ƒ__ 
 
Thereƒ_Ts a new generation to reach.  We have a successful, thriving church that God has blessed, but letƒ_Ts not ever become the church that Jesus rebuked in the book of Revelation:   ƒ_oI know your works, your laborƒ_Ýyou have persevered and have patience and have labored for My Nameƒ_Ts Sake.  Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first loveƒ__ (Revelation 2).   Our first love should be Jesus.  When He is first in our lives, then our love for others pours out of our lives like living water, and we become more like the church Paul described in Romans 12:
 
ƒ_oBe kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.ƒ__
 
A church like that canƒ_Tt help but reach people of all kindsƒ_"especially the next generation.  Our faith is encouraged and strengthened as we stretch beyond our comfort zones and learn to look beyond exterior appearances.  Behind every long-haired, tie-dyed clad hippie who wandered into a Jesus movement church in the early 70s, was a lost soul needing the truth.  Inside every street smart, black clad youth who dares to enter a place of worship today, lays a heart that needs to know love, truth and life. 
 
What I loved is that Chuck Smith didnƒ_Tt have to try to be like them ƒ_" he remained his middle-aged, solid self.  But he loved those kids, accepted them and taught the Word to them in language and music they understood.  We have a great legacy. How can we do any less today? 
 
Ray Bentley