Please Jesus…
I was riding home from Target the other day. By the way, has anyone tried a burger from Five Guys (It’s over by Target). Wow. Those things are good. Definitely a must try before you die. Of course, you eat too many of those and you may die a little quicker. As I was on the spur headed back to St. Simons, I saw a little white Honda in front of me with a little black bumper sticker with white lettering.
I noticed the first line said, “Please Jesus…” so I kept on reading. I was wondering what little prayer I would find on the back of this car. Would it be a request, a praise, a jingle? Well this is what it said, “Please Jesus protect me from your followers.”
Read it again. It took me a second to really understand what this sticker was saying. This person was asking Jesus to keep his people away from him/her. I believe it was a her. First, I couldn’t believe this person would put such a bumper sticker on their car. You talk about intolerance. A Christian would be crucified for putting something like, “Please Jesus protect from gay people.” I wouldn’t ever advocate such a bumper sticker by the way. I just was struck by how bold this person was in there open resistance to Christians.
I didn’t get mad though. I actually felt a lot of compassion for this person. I began to wonder how she might have been burned by some Christians. Where had she seen us come up short? How had we blown our witness to this person? Perhaps some segment of our great big dysfunctional Christian family had come off harsh and legalistic. Perhaps she had run into some hypocrites who didn’t really live out what they professed. Perhaps she met some Christians who are all about the rules, but never really reflect the relationship aspect of truly knowing God.
I wondered if I had ever done things in the eyes of the world that would cause them to purchase a bumper sticker like this and place it on their car? Ouch…
What was it? If she had turned into a gas station, I was really at a place where I would have stopped and just asked. I wanted to look her in the eye and say, “Hey. I noticed your bumper sticker and was just curious as to what you felt Christians were about? What makes you feel this way?” No such chance though. So I just followed and prayed. I prayed that Jesus would really show himself to her. I prayed that God would change her heart and she would fall in love with Jesus. I found myself praying that I would really live out my faith in a way that truly honors and reflects Christ. My heart was moved for this person. I truly hope one day she will have an encounter with Christians that really changes her mind about Christ.
What do you think about this bumper sticker? Does it strike you funny as well? Does it bother? How do you respond to it?
- Church , Life , Uncategorized
December 14th, 2007 at 11:18 am
There’s part of me that is compelled to action when I see that bumper sticker (I’ve seen it before too). It makes me want to be a better example, and be more aware of how I portray what a Christian should look like…
Then there’s a part of me that totally understands what she’s feeling. As a Christian I’ve experienced some pretty terrible things in my life. I’ve also experienced a range of responses to my situation. Sometimes other Christians are the ones who say the things that hurt the most. From that, I’d like to be protected.
I could write a book…
December 14th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Wow, David. Thanks for posting this.
I’ve seen those stickers before, and sadly, I even resemble that sentiment at times:
1.) When I, as a ‘Christian Rock Musician’, had grown out my hair, I occasionally would visit churches (especially if I was touring) - often met, IMMEDIATELY upon entering the building, by 3 or 4 folks in suits speed walking in my direction, questioning me on the fine-points of my spiritual standing with God, absolutely convinced that a demonized man had entered their ’sanctuary’. In those circumstances, even though the words were often ‘correct’ I never sensed that they actually cared about ME, but that they were protecting their own. We too often judge by outward appearances, and not by the heart.
2.) Getting verbally beaten up as a young believer for not carrying the ‘Republican’ torch, even though I was just trying to figure out - as best I could - what Jesus would have be ‘vote’. We too often find it very hard to think outside our ‘conservative’ Christian nook, where everyone was raise with us, thinks like us, and looks like us. Even now, as a parent and approaching my mid-30’s, I find it hard at times to remain open to those outside my nitch.
3.) As I’ve blogged before over at 4whatitsworth, too often we Christian reverse how Jesus related to the world. Take a look at who Jesus was harshest with - the Pharisees (religious folk), not the blatant sinner. The church universal would be a different place if we held ourselves and our brothers & sisters to the standard Jesus set for us, in grace of course, and in the meanwhile extended that forgiving, gospel-driven, hand to those whose hearts have not yet been changed. Instead, too often, we judge and condemn the lost, and hide the sins of our brothers & sisters in Christ in an attempt to make us look saintly. Sad.
Anyway, not to hijack your blog, but that was all just to say that at times in my life that bumper sticker has really resonated with me - I even thought of buying one once back in my college years. Prayerfully, we can keep being Gospel-Centered people - as being Gospel-Centered, I believe, reverses all 3 of the errors I’ve struggled against, and struggled with slipping into in my own life.
Again, thanks for the post - blessings, bro!
Shannon
December 14th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Wow, that breaks my heart! I have not seen those bumper stickers but I can definitely understand the sentiment. I am reading a book called UnChristian right now that talks about how the world sees the church and Christians. The whole thing makes me want to be more like Jesus. He was not condemning or judgmental, which by the way seems to be the overall opinion of the church in the eyes of the world.
December 14th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
[…] I love my church… Our pastor, David Yarborough, hit a home-run today with his blog JESUS PLEASE. A little hint: it’s all about a bumper sticker that I almost purchased myself once when I […]
December 14th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
I have to admit that even AS a follower of Christ, there were times in college where I still wanted one of those bumper stickers. We do a good job of misrepresenting Christ way to often.
I pray that that will will have an encounter with Christ that will change her view of Christians too.
December 15th, 2007 at 9:14 am
I think we all agree that Christians are often our own worst enemy. We have clouded the world’s vision of Jesus because of our unloving, judgmental, overly religious tone and gestures. We seem to so frequently turn into the Pharisees that Jesus was constantly reprimanding. God deliver us to a true brand of Christianity that fully reveals the Savior in and through our lives.
December 15th, 2007 at 11:29 am
UnChristian - Heather, I’ve got that book, too - but haven’t started on it yet - hope to digest it over Christmas break.
I suppose the question is …
What can we do about it?
For the Kingdom,
Fred
December 15th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Have not seen the bumper sticker either. It is very sad and does compel me to be even more like Jesus. I can also see how I have been that person, in my zealousness for the Lord, to not represent Christ in a loving manner. Especially when I first became a Christian. I wanted people to know Jesus so bad that I was a “bible thumper” and wanted to show people how wrong they were. Unfortunately, No tact.
I do pray that we as Christians show people by our love for God, ourselves, and others.
December 16th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
When I read this I find myself at first saddened, and then angered. I am not angered with the person who has decided to put this on their car, but rather at a church that has allowed itself to be represented in such a way that this person would feel the need to put this on their car. Jesus told us to, “love your neighbor as yourself.” He did not say that we should love the neighbors that look like us, or dress like us, or act as we think they should. He didn’t say that we should love the neighbors that belong to our church, or to our denomination, or even those neighbors that already now him. In fact as was already mentioned here, Jesus was often harder on the church of his day then he was on the sinners. To the sinners he showed love, understanding, and compassion. Yet, our churches often turn people away, either openly or simply by giving them the cold shoulder, simply because they are different from us, or because they don’t fit into the mold that we think our church members should be cast from. Our greatest commandment to us directly by Jesus himself is to love God with all we have, and then to love our neighbor as ourselves. Certainly in many cases a person looking in from the outside would not know that this is the guideline that is supposed to determine how we do everything that we do as Christians. I think it is this that has led people to print and use bumper stickers such as this one. Again it saddens be and angers me at the same time to think that at some point this person was hurt enough by a Christian to feel the need to use this bumper sticker. Even if this person never experienced a direct encounter that led her to put this on her car, at the very least she saw it and did not think it to be horribly inaccurate and a poor representation of Christianity. So, if nothing else, we are guilty of allowing ourselves to be portrayed as something that Jesus never intended. If the church was showing the world the kind of love that Jesus showed and that he commanded us to show, then even a non-believer would look at this sticker and think that it was not what Christianity is all about. So, I ask, what are we doing to, “love our neighbor as ourselves?” How are we showing the love of Christ to those around us?
December 17th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Fred- I just started UnChristian. It is pretty hard to read so far. It is definitely on target. I get to hear the views of the teens I am in contact with and it seems to have it pretty much nailed. The sad thing is, that I work with “church kids”.