Life in the Gutter

I just finished reading "The Gutter: Where Life Is Meant To Be Lived" by Craig Gross. He is the co-founder of XXXChurch.com. This book talks about how Jesus lived a life of meeting people in their deep, dark places and how we as Christ-followers are called to do the same. It is thought provoking and insightful. I wanted to share some quotes that really stuck out to me.

-Those who are most opposed to the gutter are those who have been there the least.

-The gutter is the place where the "least of them" live. *Matthew 25:45

-If Christians would stop being scared of the world-or the gutter-I think most of them would find out for themselves that it is definitely not the place they want to be. It a change of perception I wish more people would adopt: to focus more on the great life we have in Christ than on the fleeting lures of the gutter. The more afraid we are of the gutter, the larger it looms and the more tempting it becomes.

-When you look at the way Jesus and the things He did, the way He brought light to darkness, you can plainly see we have nothing to be scared of.

-God did not create you to be a scared, irrelevant Christian.

-If you go to the gutter you have to be willing to stay in the gutter. Our Christian mentality is to visit the gutter over spring break or during a summer missions trip.

-Don't blame the dark for being dark. Blame the light for not shining on the dark.

-Jesus was a genuine lover of people, and everyone flocked to Him because He met needs, not because He preached about the kingdom of heaven. He met needs first as a practical way of showing that He loved people, then He got into the meatier theological issues.

-Whom are we fighting? Are we fighting to win the world to Christ? Or are we just fighting among ourselves in church? Are we too much about getting fed and too little about exercising our faith? Yes, we keep fighting the good fight, but must we fight our brothers and sisters in Christ? No one wins that way. Why can't we all put our focus on the lost, those living in the dark places, the "whosoevers" that are so close to Christ's heart?

-Where darkness abounds, love is brighter.

And... this was the most mind boggling to me.

-The unchurched embraced Him (Jesus) then, but they don't now. So when did this spiritual reversal occur? When did the "lost" change their position? They didn't. We did. Christians did. Somewhere between the time Jesus ascended into heaven and now, we Christians, the walking billboards for Jesus' life-changing power, have done a lousy job of maintaining His momentum. Those who despise Him shifted too. The religious who once hated Him now advertise for Him. The lost who once hung out with Him now refuse to acknowledge Him and it is all because Christians changed. God didn't change. Jesus didn't change. His people did. At one point, the God who embraced the gutter was well represented. Jesus walked the streets and took an authentic love with Him-all the way to the gutter. Wherever He went, the unchurched responded while the religious scorned. Fast forward two thousand years and now the reverse is true.

The gutter is different for everyone. God calls us each to accomplish a specific purpose. Where is your gutter? Who are those you need to reach out to in their deep, dark place? I'm challenged by this.