Obvious Obfuscation

Why outreach doesn’t work

Have you ever spent so much time looking at something that, even though it was right in front you, you couldn’t see it? Or like last night I was watching Jeopardy! (I love Jeopardy!, but it’s not as much fun if there isn’t someone else watching who can hear you shout all the right answers) and a question was asked and I thought of the correct answer but I doubted I had it right because it was too obvious. The verse I am looking at today is kind of like that. We treat it like a gut check, like: “are you doing hard things for God?” but it’s really not like that at all…in fact it’s just the opposite. From the time I wrote my post called Pearls Before Swine, (which if you haven’t read you really should go back and read not only is it delightful and entertaining, it also is a primer for this post) I’ve really been thinking a lot about the sheep and goats verse I quoted, so this post is really a continuation of that post. Our pastor used the sheep and goats verse a few Sundays ago in a sermon and, alas he used it incorrectly, I have considered talking to him about it and I believe I will, but I haven’t yet. You see, we need to carefully look at this verse, because it really is a more effective model for outreach than most churches across the country follow.  Let’s look at the verses…

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right,