Jesus Walks Among Us

Story 14: The Street Preacher

Jesus is walking around town viewing the sights and talking to people. Suddenly he hears a loud voice.

"Repent or the wrath of God shall come upon you! The flames of hell will consume you! The judgment of God is near!" A street preacher yells through a megaphone.

He turns off his megaphone and sits down on a bench. Jesus sits next to him.

"How are you doing?" Jesus asks.

"I am doing fine. Just sending a message to everyone."

"That was quite a show you put on."

"I just want people to know the truth. I don't want to see anyone burn in hell."

"So what is your end goal here?"

"To save them from hell. Do you have a problem with that?"

Jesus looks down and sighs.

"Is it really your job to save them?"

The preacher gets up from the bench.

"Look! I don't need anyone telling me how to preach. My method is effective."

"Some kind of preacher you are!" A pedestrian yells, walking by.

The preacher looks at Jesus.

"Look I have to go. I hope you enjoyed my speech and have a good day!"

The preacher gets up and begins to walk away.

"You don't have to hide anything from me, Jeffrey."

Jeffrey freezes. He slowly turns around with a surprised look on his face.

"I know every star by name as well as yours."

Jeffrey drops his backpack to the ground.

"You-You can't be!"

"I am Jesus and I am not fond of what you are telling these people."

"I am only telling them the truth."

Jesus sighs again and puts his hand on Jeffrey's shoulder. The two walk down the street together.

"You are using fear which is not how God wanted us to reach out to others. Fearing God doesn't mean being afraid that He will hurt you. Being afraid of Him means to respect Him."

"But people should fear God!"

"The type of fear that is described in scripture is not cowering in fear but a healthy respect and reverence for your Creator. God doesn't want you to follow him out of fear but love. It should be love and truth that draws you to Him."

"But-"

Jesus puts his hand up.

"You claim to be an expert in God's Word. What is His greatest commandment?"

"Love your neighbor as yourself. But I am loving them by warning them. Isn't this what God wants?"

"You are turning them away from Him. Your only job is to love them. They can only make the decision on their own. You can't force it on them. That's not loving at all. You are just a messenger!"

Jeffrey slumps his shoulders in disappointment. Jesus places a hand on his shoulder.

"I know that your heart is telling you that this is right but you shouldn't listen to your heart all of the time. It can be deceptive and trick you into believing lies."

"So what do I do?"

"That's up to you to decide." 

Jesus gets up from the bench and begins to walk away.

"But how will I know what to say?"

"You can't. That's why you must trust in the Holy Spirit to lead you."