A Pastor transformed himself into a homeless person

[Persuader]

A pastor transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 mins. while it was filling with people for service. Only 3 people said hello to him, most looked the other way. He asked people for change to buy food because he was hungry. Not one gave him anything.
He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was told by the ushers that he would need to get up and go sit in the back of the church. He said hello to people as they walked in but was greeted with cold stares and dirty looks from people looking down on him and judging him.
He sat in the back of the church and listened to the church announcements for the week. He listened as new visitors were welcomed into the church that morning but no one acknowledged that he was new. He watched people around him continue to look his way with stares that said you are not welcome here.
Then the elders of the church went to the podium to make the announcement. They said they were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation. "We would like to introduce you to our new Pastor." The congregation stood up and looked around clapping with joy and anticipation. The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle.

That's when all the clapping stopped and the church was silent. With all eyes on him, he walked up to the altar and reached for the microphone. He stood there for a moment and then recited so elegantly, a verse from the bible.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me.’
After he recited this, he introduced himself as their new pastor and told the congregation what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry and bow their heads in shame.
"Today I see a gathering of people here but I do not see a church of Jesus. The world has enough people that look the other way. What the world needs is disciples of Jesus that can follow his teachings and live as he did. When will YOU decide to become disciples?”
He then dismissed service until the following Sunday as his sermon had been given.

Woe to hypocrites

 

[whitehall]

Aww, nobody spoke to him. Too bad.

 

[whitehall]

How bad did he look? Did he stink? Lots of homeless are incoherent and some are schizophrenic. They didn't kick him out but they wanted him in a place where they could keep an eye on him. In light of attacks on churches it's a prudent thing to do. It might have seemed like fun and games to him but it's a bad way to start his career as pastor by insulting church members this way.

 

[1miseryindex]

A pastor transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 mins. while it was filling with people for service. Only 3 people said hello to him, most looked the other way. He asked people for change to buy food because he was hungry. Not one gave him anything.
He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was told by the ushers that he would need to get up and go sit in the back of the church. He said hello to people as they walked in but was greeted with cold stares and dirty looks from people looking down on him and judging him.
He sat in the back of the church and listened to the church announcements for the week. He listened as new visitors were welcomed into the church that morning but no one acknowledged that he was new. He watched people around him continue to look his way with stares that said you are not welcome here.
Then the elders of the church went to the podium to make the announcement. They said they were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation. "We would like to introduce you to our new Pastor." The congregation stood up and looked around clapping with joy and anticipation. The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle.

That's when all the clapping stopped and the church was silent. With all eyes on him, he walked up to the altar and reached for the microphone. He stood there for a moment and then recited so elegantly, a verse from the bible.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’“
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me.’
After he recited this, he introduced himself as their new pastor and told the congregation what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry and bow their heads in shame.
"Today I see a gathering of people here but I do not see a church of Jesus. The world has enough people that look the other way. What the world needs is disciples of Jesus that can follow his teachings and live as he did. When will YOU decide to become disciples?”
He then dismissed service until the following Sunday as his sermon had been given.

Woe to hypocrites

Thanks for this

This is awesome! It is just so perfect!

Yes, I'm wondering which "denomination" it was.... but it hardly matters because it is VERY likely that this would happen in just any "church" in the USA

Homeless people ARE treated this way every day... as if not having the wherewithal to .. have what "everyone else" has is some kind of crime in and of itself.

Thank you so much. I am copying this to share w/ others. I pray others do the same.

 

[1miseryindex]

How bad did he look? Did he stink? Lots of homeless are incoherent and some are schizophrenic. They didn't kick him out but they wanted him in a place where they could keep an eye on him. In light of attacks on churches it's a prudent thing to do. It might have seemed like fun and games to him but it's a bad way to start his career as pastor by insulting church members this way.

WRONG

It was a perfect way to start

(except to those who don't take Jesus's Words to heart)

 

[whitehall]

It seems to me that a filthy (smelly) "homeless" man was treated relatively well by church members. They have nothing to apologize for.

 

[Resnic]

Any actual real homeless person we see could be angels testing us.

I still feel guilty I walked by a actual homeless woman standing outside a store not even begging and I found like 40 bucks on the ground another 50ft or so and thought "awesome, I found 40 dollars" put it in my pocket and later the next day I realized the homeless woman was there. I could have given it to her because 40 dollars didn't really do much for me but it could have for her. But she didn't even cross my mind at the time. That was years ago and I still think about it sometimes.

Wish I'd have thought to at least walk up and offered it, but I didn't, she was already off my radar.

 

[ChemEngineer]

I have a relative who lives on the streets. He has been taken in and given food and a bed. His thanks was to steal from his relatives who took him in. And so he has been disowned by his parents and sister for being a habitual drug addict and thief.

"Homeless" people were formerly called "bums," but that was deemed so unfair that they were upgraded to being "down on their luck" and "homeless."

Most are alcoholics, drug addicts or mental cases. Let's not glorify all of them for the few who are exceptions to the general rules.

A woman whose mother was murdered by an immigrant in Australia saw him imprisoned for some years, and after he had served his term, she forgave him and hired him at her mother's large home. Then he murdered her.

The first time I saw someone standing on the side of a major street, holding a sign "WILL WORK FOR FOOD," I picked him up, took him to a fast food stand and bought lunch for both of us. It was lunch time. He asked for $50 "to get back home to Arizona." First it was food, now it was getting home. So I drove him to the apartments I owned with a partner and said, "Sweep out all these garages and the fellow next door will drive you to the bus station and purchase a non-refundable ticket to Phoenix."

I drove away and an hour later returned. The broom was right where I left it and he was gone, flummoxed by his failed attempt to con me. Upside was he had to walk back to his car several miles. Scammers are everywhere. They take your money tax free, sucka.

 

[1miseryindex]

It seems to me that a filthy (smelly) "homeless" man was treated relatively well by church members. They have nothing to apologize for.

what an elitists *&^%$# you are

Who said he was smelly?

LIAR

 

[1miseryindex]

Chem Eng

What is the story behind that girl (girls?) with blood on her face? It doesn't seem to fit with the words in your post.. ?

 

[1miseryindex]

A woman whose mother was murdered by an immigrant in Australia saw him imprisoned for some years, and after he had served his term, she forgave him and hired him at her mother's large home. Then he murdered her.

This is why we must be very careful, as Christians, to DEFINE what is meant by Forgiveness.

You can forgive without endangering yourself. It is very wrong, as this story shows in spades, to endanger yourself or family to show forgiveness.

At least I have known THAT about forgiveness. In Religion, I talk about other aspects of the issue that I have not always fully understood. So again, we must be very careful how we teach our children to forgive...

Forgive, but do NOT trust

 

[Foxfyre]

How bad did he look? Did he stink? Lots of homeless are incoherent and some are schizophrenic. They didn't kick him out but they wanted him in a place where they could keep an eye on him. In light of attacks on churches it's a prudent thing to do. It might have seemed like fun and games to him but it's a bad way to start his career as pastor by insulting church members this way.

Not a bad way to start at all. That church will most likely never again be the ingrown, self-righteous judgmental group of people that it seemed to have become. And if the people are wise enough to be transformed into the body of Christ again, all will be much the better for it. At least they didn't make the pastor leave as 'unacceptable' but they definitely made him feel unwelcome.

 

[1miseryindex]

Any actual real homeless person we see could be angels testing us.

I still feel guilty I walked by a actual homeless woman standing outside a store not even begging and I found like 40 bucks on the ground another 50ft or so and thought "awesome, I found 40 dollars" put it in my pocket and later the next day I realized the homeless woman was there. I could have given it to her because 40 dollars didn't really do much for me but it could have for her. But she didn't even cross my mind at the time. That was years ago and I still think about it sometimes.

Wish I'd have thought to at least walk up and offered it, but I didn't, she was already off my radar.

It is good to see people feeling remorse about such... a lot of people just shrug their shoulders, write the person off as worthless and go about their business... and if one does that enough, one loses his/her soul by and by

 

[fncceo]

Homeless people are very often mentally impaired, substance affected, and can be quite violent for no discernable reason.

People have cause to avoid them.

 

[1miseryindex]

Homeless people are very often mentally impaired, substance affected, and can be quite violent for no discernable reason.

People have cause to avoid them.

typical attitude.

Some are homeless through no real fault of their own and have absolutely NO desire to harm anyone. I have known many homeless people, have been homeless myself. I have SEEN a few on the street that I would not approach because they didn't look trustworthy. But most of them are harmless

All non-conformists are treated like dirt by society, and some are homeless simply because they didn't go along with... well, whomever... family members who were difficult... etc

To write off a whole group of people as being drug addicted, crazy and whatever

is reminiscent of the Nazis who de-humanized people so as to have their "excuse" for getting rid of them, or, since that is not legal, writing them off as not worthy of our concern

Check out Isaiah 58

but then, maybe you don't read the Bible?

Then there is Luke 16:19

 

[Resnic]

It is good to see people feeling remorse about such... a lot of people just shrug their shoulders, write the person off as worthless and go about their business... and if one does that enough, one loses his/her soul by and by

I do feel remorse because like I said, it didn't even cross my mind at the time.

Normally I see people begging I ignore them because all of them around here are smoking and if you can afford cigarettes then you aren't starving. Or they are wearing nice shoes, or only stand out at lights to beg only during peak traffic times.

But she wasn't begging. She was standing against a wall off to the side. That's why I feel guilty because she probably did need it and I honestly didn't think about it until it was way too late.

 

[fncceo]

typical attitude.

Not an attitude... it's nine years of hands on experience as a police officer in an urban environment .

Not ALL homeless are violent and no one is suggesting eliminating them.

But many are and unless you're psychic, why risk an encounter that could leave you seriously injured or worse?

 

[1miseryindex]

I do feel remorse because like I said, it didn't even cross my mind at the time.

Normally I see people begging I ignore them because all of them around here are smoking and if you can afford cigarettes then you aren't starving. Or they are wearing nice shoes, or only stand out at lights to beg only during peak traffic times.

But she wasn't begging. She was standing against a wall off to the side. That's why I feel guilty because she probably did need it and I honestly didn't think about it until it was way too late.

Yeh, I myself prefer to help those who aren't asking for any help. Amazingly, I have seen some really down and out looking people who didn't accept the help I offered! It has happened more than once.

And also, why should we ignore people who are mental?

Maybe they had a family from hell and that's how they ended up "mental"? I don't know. But if someone is not a danger to society, there is no reason not to offer them at least a few dollars. The Bible say to give to those who ask. It doesn't, in that psg, say Give to those who ask who "look right" or whatever...

 

[1miseryindex]

Not an attitude... it's nine years of hands on experience as a police officer in an urban environment .

Not ALL homeless are violent and no one is suggesting eliminating them.

But many are and unless you're psychic, why risk an encounter that could leave you seriously injured or worse?

I put change once in a few dollars, wrapped it up tightly and tossed it out the window while slowly driving away from a homeless person

I told him through the open window that I couldn't get close to anyone, although I did not have the flu or anything... I also wrapped up in the money a note about Jesus and how hard it is to get into Heaven... etc...

 

[whitehall]

Not a bad way to start at all. That church will most likely never again be the ingrown, self-righteous judgmental group of people that it seemed to have become. And if the people are wise enough to be transformed into the body of Christ again, all will be much the better for it. At least they didn't make the pastor leave as 'unacceptable' but they definitely made him feel unwelcome.

That was the intent of the post all along. The never ending search for "hypocrisy" by left wing judgmental hypocrites. Count on lefties to invoke "the Body of Christ" to make a lame political point.