Mike Focht 3/14/2025
The world often stereotypes Christians. Satan has done effective work by convincing unsaved people to believe that all Christians are stuffy, hateful, bigoted, elitist, angry, and hypocrites. What does this accomplish for him? It isolates the convicted sinner into one of the most discouraging and hopeless isolations a human can experience.
Christians may be rejected by the world, and some of that rejection is necessary, but we must remember that the world has other castoffs, too! The worldly person who becomes convicted about their worldliness but still fears the stereotypes of Christianity is in a dangerous position. They cannot go back to the world but cannot turn to the Church either. Truly, Satan has trapped them in a hopeless position, and in that barren and disconsolate isolation, he has stolen, killed, and destroyed many.
Think about it for a minute. Where could a convicted tax collector turn in the days of Christ? What would his reception be from the Pharisees? What would his reception be if he let his misgivings be known to the other tax collectors? Either direction, he was sure to be a castoff. Praise the Lord, the real Lord Jesus Christ, who came for such lost souls as Levi and Zacchaeus! No wonder Levi was so ready to leave the tax booth and Zacchaeus so ready to climb a tree! No wonder they were willing to invite their friends to come and eat with the One who found them—Jesus.
There were many other trapped sinners in Jesus’ day—lepers, Samaritans, Pharisees, etc. In our day, the world still has its castoffs. The repentant homosexual or lesbian is not welcomed back into their community and likely believes falsely that all Christians hate them: the repentant abortion worker, prodigal, or detransitioner. We could name several societal segments that fit the bill. If they become convicted in their current worldly community, they know their community will reject them if they admit it. But they also feel the community of Christ is not available to them—not because real Christians have hurt them, (many have never met a true born-again believer) but because they believe Satan’s lies about Christ and His people.
Why am I pointing this out? For two reasons.
First, because Jesus is still searching for the world’s castoffs. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” Jesus is in the business of finding those the enemy is trying to isolate from Him. Jesus wants all those lonely, convicted, lost sinners to be found and to believe that He is the Son of God.
Second, to encourage us all to realize there is a harvest of sinners who are afraid to admit their conviction. They cannot say anything to their worldly friends, and they fear to approach us because Satan has slandered us. But when we come to them, if we are bold in the Spirit and speak the truth in love, they too will find joy in the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Then there will be joy in their homes, in our homes, with the angels in heaven, and the heart of God.