Compel them to come in...

"And the master said to the slave "Go out into the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled." -Luke 14:23

As I was painting over some graffetti and replacing some burnt out lights around our church block the other day; a pretty rough dude came walking up to me. He was mumbling about not leaving my pliers on the ground because someone might steal them in this neighborhood. But then he kept saying something about things are changing in this neighborhood. I said..."Yes, we are doing what we can to help that happen." I am not sure if he was too happy about that change...he kind of marched off still talking to himself or whoever was sitting on his shoulder about the drugs and needles on the streets. As he left, the mailman was getting into his truck and said..."Yep, there used to be tons of needles right here, all over the ground." He was pointing to the area in front of our church. He then said, "Yes, you can still see them all around this area...just go over to Haven and you can see them." Haven is the street I live on...it's my street.

My heart breaks for my Father's house to be filled. But I know that in order for that to happen, we need to "Go out" as Jesus said. We have to have a broken heart that pleads with the lost, that will dare to compel them to come in. We must break out of the comfort zones that end up keeping us IN. Jesus knew the issue well, when he shared how there will always be those who give you a host of "real good reasons" why they wont be at the feast.

Jesus called them "excuses in vs. 18. Stuff like...Jobs and taking care of stuff we have bought and of course....marriage or my wife wont let me. The scriptures get real pointed when it says "The head of the household got angry." I fear that the Lord is getting ticked off these days. He sees His churches empty, compared to the masses that are lost for eternity. He sees His people more concerned about the passing pleasures of this world than the fact that His son spilt His blood so that His Father's House would be filled. Oh the high cost the Son of God paid....what are we willing to sacrifice so that His blood was not shed in vain?

I am compelled.
Needles...compel me.
Battered women....compel me.
A handicapped woman struggling to drive her wheelchair down a snow and ice filled sidewalk...compels me.
A mother screaming at her little children...compels me.
Empty seats during a service...compels me.
A recovering addict...saying he wants to lead a NA meeting in our building compels me.
Gang tags on a church wall....compels me.
Young girls crying out in the dark as they stumble down the street...compels me.
A mentally challenged woman who serves the homeless women of the city and does it smiling....compels me.
People taking time to teach refugees to learn english...compels me.
Young people being loved, cared for and being led towards Christ....compels me.

Jesus angry....compels me.