A Mission to Nineveh

August 2, 2005 4:46 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

I finally received my Under the Overpass : A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America book by Mike Yankoski on Thursday afternoon. finished it Friday afternoon.

This is an amazing story. Mike felt called to go experience life on the streets. Along with a friend, He took time off from his upper-middle class college student lifestyle to find out what it is like to be homeless on the streets of 5 American cities.

The courage and strength exhibited throughout this book is inspirational. Mike and Sam stood firm on their Christian principals in spite of their circumstances. They accepted this mission in spite of it's inherent dirtiness, danger, and lack of glamour.

It is amazing how much blessing you can give to somebody just by acknowledging that they are human. How often we look at another person, made in God's image and treat them like they are a piece of furniture or garbage? For most all of us, the answer is probably way too often.

BibleGateway.com Passage Lookup: Luke 10:25-37

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27 He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Unfortunately all too often Christians are behaving like the priest and the Levite in this story. When we are obedient and respond like the Samaritan, the results are moving, and glorify God. Mike's book has come to set us straight. He exposes both forms of behavior within churches that he met on his journey. I pray that the Church gets the message and mends it's ways.

Comments

I finally received my Under the Overpass : A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America book by Mike Yankoski on Thursday afternoon. finished it Friday afternoon. This is an amazing story. Mike felt called to go experience life on the streets. Along with a friend, He took time off from his upper-middle class college student lifestyle to find out what it is like to be homeless on the streets of 5 American cities. The courage and strength exhibited throughout this book is inspirational. Mike and Sam stood firm on their Christian principals in spite of their circumstances. They accepted this mission in spite of it's inherent dirtiness, danger, and lack of glamour. It is amazing how much blessing you can give to somebody just by acknowledging that they are human. How often we look at another person, made in God's image and treat them like they are a piece of furniture or garbage? For most all of us, the answer is probably way too often.

BibleGateway.com Passage Lookup: Luke 10:25-37 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27 He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."