There aren’t too many things that I can say “for a fact” anymore. Every time I think I know something and say that it’s for certain, God seems to respond with a big “that’s what you think!” and my mind gets blown and my faith gets stretched!
One such example has been unfolding over the past two weeks… a good friend invited a group of us out to participate in a ministry called Last Call. Basically, a bunch of Christians from several local churches get together and take an opportunity to be Christ; we go into local bars and drop off fliers letting people know that if they need a ride, they can call us for a free, safe ride back home. Once someone calls, we’ll go pick them up at the bar, drive their car home for them if they need, and drop the off at home.
The first night I went was a Saturday night (the ministry is on Fridays and Saturdays); it was really neat because I was at church for the Saturday service and during worship, God showed me a picture of a bar. I was like, “Uh… that’s weird.” 🙂 But when my friend invited me, I thought there might be something to it. I’d be lying if I said that this didn’t go against my grain on the first night. I know the rights versus responsibilities triangle like the back of my hand, and as a youth leader, I was in “don’t be seen in a bar, that’s no place for a Christian” mode. However, after seeing what this ministry does and why, and experiencing a little “being the hands and feet”… well, in two weeks I have been forever changed.
I intend to write in more detail later about Jesus and where he tended to inhabit; I’ve noticed in the past few days that, through out my Bible, I see Jesus at parties hanging out with sinners, and not in church, either! No, Jesus went out to find the sinners, to heal the sick, not hang around Brother and Sister So-and-so all of Sunday afternoon. Like I said, more on this later.
For now, I’d like to share something neat that happened on Saturday (September 18th). When some friends and I went to pick up someone from a local bar, we were greeted with cop cars galore! Now, mind you that this bar has a pretty well-known history of no good… gang fights and shootings, prostitution in the parking lots, drug deals… you get the idea. Here’s the good news: the cops told us that they were shutting down the bar!
Now, all of us who have been doing Last Call have been, and will continue to, unify over Muskegon’s “beer tent capital of the world” issue… we have been and will continue to pray for the closing of local bars, among other things like the bondage of alcohol over people. We would love if you’d unify with prayer with us or consider coming out with us sometime. It’s pretty cool. 🙂
On to the even cooler part of the story… after we were done with Last Call, a group of us decided to go to the bar that was shutting down, anoint the doorways, and pray.
Now, you have to know that until recently, prayer was one of those things that didn’t really matter to me. I mean, God knows my heart, so why do I have to waste breath telling him what he already knows, right? WRONG! But on top of that… well, let’s just say that if, a year or two ago, if you would’ve told me, “You will be going with a group of friends to a local bar, covering your hands in extra virgin olive oil (that’s all we had… haha!), touching every single door into that place, and praying for that building to never open as a bar again and praying 2 Chronicles 7:14 over it,” I would’ve laughed at you, called you ridiculous, told you “that crazy anointing stuff is unnecessary”, and walked away. You would’ve gotten bonus “wrong” points had you told me the people that were going to be with me when I did this.
Two years or so later, I would’ve eaten my words.
That’s what we did: anointed and prayed over a bar. We got the opportunity to (literally!) touch our community, and we took it. I share this in hopes that it will encourage you to look for new ways to touch your community, to love those who are unloved and disregarded, and to encourage you to be bold! Jesus called us to something pretty radical, the greatest adventure of all, and I am so glad he did!
Until next time… 🙂
Love, Alicia
