{"id":2233,"date":"2013-12-16T08:00:14","date_gmt":"2013-12-16T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.graceground.com\/?p=2233"},"modified":"2015-07-31T17:32:07","modified_gmt":"2015-08-01T00:32:07","slug":"light-to-those-in-darkness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/light-to-those-in-darkness\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Christians are afraid of the dark"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A while back <a title=\"God of Darkness\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/god-of-darkness\/\">Jeremy wrote<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>If the church wants to join God in storming the gates of hell, in defeating the darkness &#8230; We must find the mean places, the dark places, the dangerous places, and take the church there. We must go to the greedy, the liars, the cheats, the thieves, and show them generosity, truth, and honesty. We must find the places that even the cops won\u2019t go, and go there with Jesus instead. Where do the most murders occur? Where do the addicts and prostitutes hang out? Let\u2019s meet there.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2>Why Don&#8217;t We Enter the Darkness?<\/h2>\n<p>Most of us are afraid. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid that we\u2019ll be harmed physically. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid we\u2019ll catch a disease. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid we\u2019ll get dirty. <\/p>\n<p>We afraid we\u2019ll be robbed. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid people will want our money or our stuff. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid that somehow \u201cthose people\u201d will break through the walls we\u2019ve built around us, tug at our heart strings, and we\u2019ll end up giving them our money, stuff and time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  style=\"margin-left:10px\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-33173\" alt=\"Dwell in Darkness\" src=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/my_deepest_darkness-300x247.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/my_deepest_darkness-300x247.jpg 300w, https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/my_deepest_darkness-150x123.jpg 150w, https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/my_deepest_darkness-570x469.jpg 570w, https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/my_deepest_darkness.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>We\u2019re afraid we\u2019ll be contaminated by their sin. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid we\u2019ll stop seeing their sin and start seeing them. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid we might start loving them, sin and all, but we think we\u2019re supposed to hate their sin. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid we might learn to like them. <\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re afraid we might remember that Jesus loves them, but it is our arms Jesus uses to wrap around them.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Do We Think They Will Come to the Light?<\/h2>\n<p>My wife and I had moved.\u00a0We visited a church service\u00a0at a local church.\u00a0One of the men confronted me at the front door.\u00a0&#8220;We believe men should wear suits and ties to church to show respect to God.&#8221;\u00a0I wasn&#8217;t wearing a suit and tie.\u00a0I told him I didn&#8217;t believe that way, and went in anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At another church, an elder told me, &#8220;We don&#8217;t want people attending here until they get themselves cleaned up.\u00a0We don&#8217;t want couples coming here who are living together but aren&#8217;t married.\u00a0We only want good Christian people here.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Why would anyone want to &#8220;come&#8221; to church if those are the attitudes they find?\u00a0The people who most need to hear won&#8217;t come near.\u00a0We make certain of that. Why would anyone have even the slightest interest in going any place where they know they won&#8217;t be accepted?<\/p>\n<h2>What&#8217;s The Answer?<\/h2>\n<p>Jeremy&#8217;s answer is simple.\u00a0&#8220;We must go&#8221; to them &#8212; to the adulterers, prostitutes, thieves, tax collectors, Gentiles, sick, needy, poor, greedy, selfish, and to all who dwell in darkness.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It is safer, warmer,\u00a0less-threatening and more comfortable to keep our distance from those who dwell in darkness.\u00a0But if we really do follow Jesus, if Jesus really is our Good Shepherd, need we fear evil?\u00a0Is Jesus with us or not?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the question I must really ask myself is &#8220;Am I with Him?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>If I&#8217;m with Him, I don&#8217;t need to be afraid of the darkness. So go with the sinners are. Don&#8217;t be afraid. Jesus will go with you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So don&#8217;t be afraid of the dark. When you&#8217;re with Jesus, no sin can harm you.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mc_embed_signup\" class=\"bsap-wrapper\" style=\"padding: 5%; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; background-color: #687a84; color: black; border: 5px solid #222; margin-bottom: 20px;\">\r\n<h3 style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; color: white;\">There is so much need in the world!<\/h3>\r\n<p>And YOU can help.<\/p>\r\n<p>Fill out the form below to receive several emails about how to love and serve the poor and homeless.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div><form action=\"\/\/redeeminggod.us4.list-manage.com\/subscribe\/post?u=4e466191e982dcd99fa004967&amp;id=b3a433166a\" method=\"post\" id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" name=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" class=\"validate\" target=\"_blank\" novalidate=\"\">\r\n<div class=\"subscriberow mc-field-group\"><input id=\"mce-FNAME\" class=\"Email_address\" style=\"margin: 0 1% 1% 0; width: 45%;\" name=\"FNAME\" type=\"text\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"First Name\" \/> <input id=\"mce-EMAIL\" class=\"Email_address\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1%; width: 45%;\" name=\"EMAIL\" required=\"\" type=\"email\" value=\"\" placeholder=\"Email address\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div style=\"position: absolute; left: -5000px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><input type=\"text\" name=\"b_4e466191e982dcd99fa004967_b3a433166a\" value=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"submitrow\" style=\"margin-top: 10px;\"><input id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe\" class=\"btn\" name=\"subscribe\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Send Me the Emails \u00bb\" \/><\/div>\r\n<\/form><\/div>\r\n <div class=\"rcp_restricted\"><p>(Note: If you are a member of RedeemingGod.com, login and then revisit this page to update your membership.)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<!--<h2>Blog Series on Helping Homeless People<\/h2>\r\nDiscipleship, Sam Riviera, following Jesus, looks like Jesus, love like Jesus, homeless, Theology of the Church, evangelism,  ministry, missions, poor\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"The Dream of the Homeless\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/the-dream-of-the-homeless\/\">The Dream of the Homeless<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"Loving the Homeless\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/loving-the-homeless\/\">Loving the Homeless<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"Homeless People: Your Neighbors with No Address\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/homeless-people-your-neighbors\/\">Homeless People: Your Neighbors with No Address<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"Learning to See Homeless People\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/learning-to-see-homeless-people\/\">Learning to See Homeless People<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"How to Help 10,000 Poor and Homeless People\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/help-10000-poor-and-homeless-people\/\">How to Help 10,000 Homeless People<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"16 Ways to Build Relationships with the Poor\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/16-ways-to-build-relationships-with-the-poor\/\">16 Ways to Build Relationships with the Poor<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"10 Ideas For Helping Homeless People\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/10-ideas-for-helping-the-homeless\/\">10 Ideas For Helping Homeless People<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"10 Dos and Don\u2019ts in Loving Homeless People\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/10-dos-and-donts-in-loving-homeless-people\/\">10 Dos and Don'ts in Loving Homeless People<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"Taking Light to Those in Darkness\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/light-to-those-in-darkness\/\">Taking Light to Those in Darkness<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"Finding Easter with the Homeless\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/finding-easter-with-the-homeless\/\">Finding Easter with the Homeless<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"Loving the Homeless in the Rain\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/being-the-church-in-the-community-part-10-the-homeless-in-the-rain\/\">Helping the Homeless in the Rain<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"Dancing with Jesus\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/dancing-with-jesus\/\">Dancing with Jesus<\/a><\/li>\r\n\t<li><a title=\"Just Love Homeless People\" href=\"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/just-love-homeless-people\/\">Just Love Homeless People<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n-->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We Christians are often afraid of being contaminated and defeated by the darkness, but if we are with Jesus, we need not fear anything in the dark. So let us go forth with the light and love of Jesus to rescue those who sit in darkness. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":33173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2234,2245],"tags":[1565,1235,1698,19,1249,1471,1336,1659,1680,1608,1460,1564,1539,1511,1699,1394,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-2233","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-redeeming-church","8":"category-redeeming-life","9":"tag-christmas","10":"tag-church","11":"tag-darkness","12":"tag-discipleship","13":"tag-evangelism","14":"tag-following-jesus","15":"tag-guest-post","16":"tag-homeless","17":"tag-looks-like-jesus","18":"tag-love-like-jesus","19":"tag-ministry","20":"tag-mission","21":"tag-missions","22":"tag-poor","23":"tag-prostitutes","24":"tag-sam-riviera","25":"tag-theology-church","26":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Most Christians are afraid of the dark<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jesus brought light to those in darkness. 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