Michael Vick this morning:
"We all make mistakes. I made a mistake for using bad judgement and making bad decisions," Vick said. "Dogfighting is a terrible thing and I didn't reject it. ... Through this situation I found Jesus and turned my life over to God."
When I first heard about Vick and Jesus, I sighed. I did. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have but I did. I'm sure I'm not alone. It just seemed so very trite, so predictable, so manufactured, so lame. That's what I thought. It is part of the whoring of Jesus' name that is so common in our day. Yuck.
This is not good PR for Jesus. It would be much better if people said they were turning their lives over to Jesus while at the top. I mean a Nobel prize winner making that statement would be great PR for Jesus.
But then I paused and I thought and I prayed a little and I think my opinion is changing.
Good for Michael Vick. At least he didn't say he was an addict and needed to go to rehab. At least he didn't say he had been diagnosed with this or that and he was actually a victim in this whole horrible affair. Maybe his attorneys and PR people focus group tested those statements and saw they wouldn't fly. Maybe they found Jesus to be his best defense. I don't know. But maybe it is real. Maybe he has found Jesus, has decided to turn his life over, and is just like every other one of us - a really flawed piece of humanity in the process of being made more like Jesus.
All I know is that if Jesus wouldn't reject him how could I? And that is the total truth isn't it?
Jesus would never reject him. Jesus wouldn't reject a dog slaughterer. Jesus wouldn't reject a hypocrite. Jesus wouldn't reject a liar or a murderer or an adulterer or a drunk or a rich man or a poor man or a gay man or a lesbian or a Democrat or a Republican or anyone else. Jesus is not in the business of rejecting those who are trying to follow him and are willing to have their lives transformed by him.
From the world's perspective it is all madness of course. How can this be? How can he offer such immediate and total forgiveness? How is it that to call on Jesus and to confess all we have done wrong is to receive forgiveness? I don't know but it is the faith that Jesus says is true.
Jesus makes it clear that he welcomes those who are sick - he says they are the ones that he came for. This is comforting to me because I am certainly much more like Mike Vick than a Nobel prize winner. It should be comforting to all of us.
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In addition, Jesus Christ is a God of "second chance" and "grace." That is the WHOLE entire message of the Bible and the Gospel.
That we all were supposed to be destined to Hell because of our sinful nature. We have broken all of God's laws and are guilty of it.
Yet, instead of God rebuking us and He came to save us through His Son Jesus Christ. Christ died for us while you and I were sinners. And he rose from the grave to defeat sin's power over us.
And if you repent and turn your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will also be saved. Stop judging people and being a pharasee and start giving them grace like God gives us grace.
BJ Min
www.Purpose101.com
BJ - might I suggest you check out and read Dietrich Bonhoeffer's classic, The Cost of Discipleship, in which he speaks of, among other things, costly grace.
Actually, 'finding Jesus' is VERY cool.... when you've screwed up publically.
Secondly only to confessing some sort of substance abuse addiction or having been abused in the past.
Its a 'get out of public censure free' card.
Check in about a year and see if he's still saying it.
My prediction is...
If he gets back to the football, you'll not hear about it again. If he's banned or at least suspended long enough to affect his income, or future earning potential, you're going to see a book, and a post on the Christian Testimony circuit, as well as his own little golden throne on TBN.
Karen,
most non-Christians see from your point of view because inwards, they seem to have hate for Christians. Jesus explained it by saying that the world will hate Christians because the world hated Christ first...
We have to stop ONLY looking at Christians and pointing out their flaws because all Christians have flaws...that is the POINT of Christianity...we are all imperfect including you and me...
but we have a PERFECT God...
it's NOT about focusing on Christians but focusing on the LEADER of the Christians...Jesus Christ Himself...
listen to His Words...what is HIS message? what was HE all about? why did HE die?
focus not on the christians but on CHRIST Himself...that is the point...i'm not saying it is okay for people (christians or non-christians) to do wrong...it is not...
but the focus should be on God's grace (undeserved blessing) poured out to all of us...not just michael vick...but you also...me...and EVERYONE in this world...
if you honestly look at yourself, you will realize that you also are guilty of breaking God's laws...just like michael vick...you and i are NO different in God's eyes...we all have fallen short of the glory of God...
but we have God showing His love for us by sacrificing His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross for us...the Bible says that forgiveness is paid through the shedding of blood...
before Jesus, the shedding of blood was done to first born, unblemished animals on a yearly basis...but God had a bigger plan to shed His own Son to pay the punishment of the entire world's sins "once for all"...
i hope you and everyone else who has not turned to Christ...will repent to God and turn your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ today...
BJ
www.Purpose101.com
Thank you for the pitch for Christianity. Which has no bearing whatsoever on the thread, or my own post.
Unconscious or hidden 'hatred' or not (and I could try and deny it, but why bother? The Bible said it, therefore, it must be true, right?), the fact is, that conversions after scandal are often seen as beneficial to the celebrity or politician who has one.
Usually performed only after the guilt is established, since if they still have a shot at claiming they 'didn't do it', then there's little reason to need the 'change' they claim their conversion allowed so easily.
Oh, and just a hint. Insults and psychic claims of knowing what your conversion target thinks and feels are not very effective sales techniques.
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