Shelley Lubben Coming Back

Ok, so I have a question -

What in this world is wrong with us in the American Church? Now I know there are countless answers, and countless counter arguments to those answers and the dialog can go on and on. So - let me narrow it down at least a bit.

Has the Holy Spirit rewritten Scripture and I missed it, or does it still say that Jesus hung out with prostitutes? I know he hung out with many types of people, but aren't the prostitutes still there?

To take it just a tad further, doesn't the geneology of Jesus Christ still include prostitutes? Or has that been washed over too? I'm afraid that someone has worked up a TSIV translation - Todays Suburbia International Version - with all the other specialty Bibles out there that may not be too far fetched. Personally I'm still waiting to see The Fetus Study Bible, but I digress...

Here in Birmingham, Alabama there was a ministry called Starlight that focused on ministering to the girls working in the strip clubs in town. The great news is that they began to have a very positive impact, and many of the girls began to come to church after being assured of acceptance.

It was not long before the girls quit coming, and slipped quietly back into the shadows of the night. This was puzzling to the sponsoring church, because they believed that the ladies had been welcomed and accepted without any fuss. The church had been prepared for this, and nobody freaked out when these women walked in for worship.

What was the problem? When the women were asked why they quit coming they said that it was nice to come in and not feel judged, but there was a different problem. The problem was that the acceptance was not genuine. These precious women, ready to experience the grace and freedom of the Gospel saw many of their regular customers in worship, and when they went to say hello, all of them acted like they didn't know them. So, in their acceptance, they dealt them the ultimate rejection of putting their reputation above the possible salvation of these ladies.

They just could not handle the lies, and went back to work, and were no longer interested in hearing about the unconditional love and acceptance of Jesus. After working up the courage to come to church, they were lied to and rejected which is how many of them have been treated their entire lives. The church was no different.

How did we get here? How are we comfortable with placing our image above the truth of the Gospel? How are we comfortable treating anyone as disposable?

When my friend Shelley Lubben began her work as a missionary to the American Sex Industry, she contacted the largest churches in the San Fernando Valley. For those of you who do not know; this is the porn production capital of the world. Tens of thousands work in the sex industry right there in this valley. Shelley contacted these churches asking for support on this important mission field. How many churches rallied? One.

One.

One?

One.

Are you kidding me? With the porn battle what it is inside the church, this is the response? People, we have got to do better. I'm no military genius, but I do know you will lose every battle that you don't show up for.

We say we are followers of Jesus, but are we really? If we're not supporting a mission like this, how can we honestly say that? Yeah, it's important to go to other countries and paint and build new churches, but how can we neglect these areas right here at home? How can we decide not to carry the Gospel into this arena, particularly when this industry is crippling families, and ministries.

Not all of us are equipped for this type of ministry, but Shelley really is, and we can, and should support her - and others - in this important fight.

Please take a minute and go to her site and read about The Pink Cross Foundation. It takes a great deal to help people out of this industry. They need counseling, rehab, recovery, job training, and a place to live just to name a few of the major needs. But when I read my Bible, I see a Jesus who has sex workers in his bloodline, and a Jesus who loves them dearly.

If we say we are followers of Jesus, then we should follow him here, too. How can we, as the Body of Christ, justify ignoring this mission field?

Shelley will be back on the show this week, and it will be great to have her back. We'll be talking about the successes they have had with workers in the sex industry, and how God is moving in this ministry. Please join us Sunday night at 9:00 EST/6:00 PST and call in to encourage Shelley! Sirius Channel 161.

What do you think about carrying the Gospel to the sex industry?

4 Response to "Shelley Lubben Coming Back"

  • Abbey Says:

    Yay! I'll definitely tune in.

    Wow. I'm shocked though, about the churches! There was actually one??

    I used to attend a church who's young, single, struggling secretary got pregnant. And since you can't pretend you're not "knocked-up", she clearly could no longer answer the phones there anymore. She just HAD to be let go. I mean, that's understandable though, right? You wouldn't want anyone walking into that church thinking that anyone there had sin issues. Especially sexual sin issues. Aren't those the worst ones after all?? AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!! That story still makes me mad and it was 15 yrs ago. I can't imagine their reaction if instead of having sex with her boyfriend, she had been prostituing herself. It's sad.

    I think Shelley's ministry is so important. Most of us are too scared to take a look at it. I know lots of folks who wouldn't even want to read her site because of it's details of what the industry is like. I could go on and on. Go Shelley!!!

    And btw, only sinners listen Flight of the Conchords.


  • Tal Prince Says:

    Hmmm, who is this "Flight of the Conchords" of which you speak? Are they anything like Point of Grace?

    I'm but a simple frozen caveman blogger...


  • Abbey Says:

    They are very much like Point of Grace, actually. Great comparison!
    But I'm having a hard time believing that frozen caveman bloggers have people following them on "Twitter".

    Just a thought...


  • Tal Prince Says:

    People are following me?????? Are there black helicopters involved? Might Point of Grace write a catchy upbeat song about my impending demise?