I went to New Orleans yesterday to celebrate Mardi Gras and was confronted with some things that I haven’t been able to shake. All hell breaks loose on Bourbon Street… literally. Alcohol, drugs, stripping, fighting, public nudity, tarot readers, psychics, palm readers.. you name it really. It’s swarming with sin and knowing the truth of the gospel makes walking down the street feel otherworldly.
Along with the sights and sounds of the street life, there was a sound that I am familiar with but it made me feel equally as uncomfortable. At places along the street, mostly outside of bars and strip clubs, there were people yelling the gospel into megaphones over the sounds of Mo Bamba and women screaming for beads. At both ends of the street, people were holding up huge signs that said “SURRENDER TO JESUS OR BURN IN HELL”.
The later it gets, the more dicey things get. People with signs start barricading and impeding the walkways forming a sort of human barrier and the more drunk the people walking get, the more courage they have to confront and argue. The whole thing made me feel uneasy.
On one hand, I know the truth. These people doing street ministry know it too. 90% of those people are going to hell because they have no relationship with Jesus. I know they care. I know the purpose of street ministry is to SAVE. These people care enough to stand out there all day in hopes that one person will feel the tug of the Lord calling them to Him.
On the other hand, screaming that you’re are going to burn if you don’t do x,y,z isn’t helping anyone.
These people leave with a burned image in their mind. When the name of Jesus is mentioned, they recall the images they see on Bourbon Street. They envision signs with flames, loud yelling, and intimidation tactics instead of the Jesus of the Bible, who invited people in with love. Who did not stand for ungodliness but did not stone the woman caught in adultery, instead cleansed her of her sin and gave her the strength to move forward knowing she was freed.
I have been saved for a little over a year. 2 years ago, I was in the shoes of those who were on Bourbon Street just looking for a “good time”. I remember thinking what I was doing was harmless and that it was part of being in college. It’s “what you do” at that point in your life. I remember my pre-Jesus mindset. I can listen to things that fellow followers of Christ (who LOVE the Lord) say, and hear how someone who isn’t saved would hear it.
This is a strength and a weakness.
I strength because I can empathize. I have been there. I can share the gospel in a way that unsaved ears can resinate with. A weakness because I know how hostile unsaved ears are to receiving the gospel. I HATED when people talked to me about God before I was saved. I argued the validity of the Bible CONSTANTLY. I was an enemy of God.
Knowing this becomes a weakness because at what point do I stop caring if the message of Christ is received well? You know?
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” John 15:18
The world HATED Jesus. Those He saved loved him and gave their lives to serve him but He was rejected, spit on, punched, kicked, whipped, and eventually killed; executed by crucifixion by the ones He came to save; and for what? Preaching that the kingdom belonged to the least of these? Preaching that we should suffer for the sake of others? That makes no sense.
Satan hates God and Satan hates you.
He knows he can’t kill God so the next best thing is to kill something that God adores. YOU. He doesn’t do this blatantly. He disguises himself so that you can’t see what he’s doing. He disguises himself in the stigma that “it’s just what you do” when you’re in college. He disguises himself in the media/culture telling you that it’s okay to live in a YOLO mindset, and that in doing so, you’ll find “true happiness”.
I didn’t know the Lord so I was a child of the world. Satan has power in the world (for now) and hates God. At what point do I accept that people are going to hate what I have to say because they are under the domain of Satan. They killed Jesus so why would I think they won’t do the same to me?
I don’t think the Bourbon Street ministry style represents the caring, loving aspect of Jesus well enough. No one will be motivated well by fear. Even if they are, their basis for salvation will be jacked up. Don’t accept Jesus because you’re scared to go to hell. Accept Jesus because you’ve tried to live life the way the world tells you to live and it lead to brokenness, sadness, and loss.
Come to Jesus out of the HOPE that He has FAR MORE to offer than the world.
You have to come to the end of yourself first. And if you’re not there yet, that’s just how it is. There’s room for grace in that. I tried so much to be fulfilled on my own and I was miserable. No one talked me into finally trying it God’s way. There were seeds planted though. I have friends and family who talked to me about Jesus even when I hated it; even when I fought it. I was so angry then, but looking back now – I know those people cared about me. And each time someone ventured to talk to me, KNOWING I was going to reject it, they planted a seed in my soul that eventually grew into me being saved and becoming a daughter of God and a sister to the man I once hated. For that I am thankful. I pray we continue to plant seeds in others, not in fear or intimidation, but in kindness, even if we never see the fruit those seeds produce.
So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:7
Heavenly Father,
I am thankful for the opportunity to go to New Orleans and experience things that are outside of my comfort zone. I want to learn. I’m sure we will be doing similar ministry in places like India and Thailand. I am thankful for this blog so I can share what I feel about it and see if others agree or disagree. I pray that you help us all to learn a healthy balance between grace and truth. We want to live in a black and white world where things are easy and clear but we don’t. We experience a lot of grey and I pray that grace abounds in the grey. I pray for those who celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans with me yesterday. I pray that you diminish the appeal of the lies this world sells to us. I pray that you wake us up and show us all what’s going on behind the curtain Satan has up. I pray for those who were doing street ministry there. I pray you help them to show love and grace to those who don’t understand. I pray that their service isn’t out of selfish ambition to feel religious but out of a genuine desire to care for others. I pray that you continue to change and challenge us everyday to become more like who you are. I am thankful that we don’t know the answers and that we have to continually come to you to find guidance. I pray we read the Bible to see how you reacted in similar situations and aim to mimic that. Thank you for being a loving God who chases after us even when we don’t want you to. We love you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
– E
