(Clip) When a Preacher Needs to Repent — Jim Cymbala

A Weary Preacher Encounters a Desperate Man

Had a crisis event happened to me in our previous facility on an Easter Sunday. When I preached for the third time that day was bone-tired bone-tired poured out myself the singers choir had done a cantata and people had come to Christ and I prayed and I got through with the meeting the other building had a had a Platform with no steps.

So it was my habit to just sit like this and let my feet dangle down on the edge of the platform and I was like, right, it's just about this same angle with the middle aisle and I'm just saying so tired.

I remember taking my Knot on my tie and loosening it and saying you know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm just gonna chill and Carol was playing just like Jamal's playing now exactly people praying workers deacons helping and I was tired.

Judging a Homeless Visitor by His Appearance

I want to go home hadn't eaten all day and Then I look and around the 1 2 3 4 5th row. There's a guy in the aisle around level with the 5th row. He's had a cap filthy cap, but he had it in his hand. And he was staring at me and looking at me and I could tell by his eyes.

Like he wanted to know could he come up here and talk to me and I just looked at him a little closer man, the guy was disheveled filthy looking matted hair a mess. He looked in his 50s. He actually was 31 and I just looked at him and I thought because Everton to you they remember back in that building with a lot of people panhandling in the church.

They would come in ask for money and we had procedures of what to do when people ask for money. So we don't want to build their habit and hand them money. They'll just go out and drink it and I thought to myself what a bummer.

Because I'm gonna have to give money. I'm not even gonna go through the procedures. I'm gonna just give this guy some money. I had no wallet then I had a money clip. So I waved him up and he came. So I'm here.

He got to about five six feet away from me. Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa smell. No a smell. Do you think you smell something? I'll match that smell with anything you've ever smelled in your life a mixture of feces urine sweat street and alcohol.

Stir gently and let it cook for a while. That's what I smell. Nasty. I Looked away to inhale and I started a question. What's your name David? Okay, I'm a minister. Let me go through at least the procedures here.

So man, you look bad. I didn't know he was laying in his own urine right outside the side door on Park Place. In that building and he heard the music and it drew him in he was just sprawled laying out there so He's there.

Oh Lord. Where'd you sleep last night? Deserted truck. How come you're not in a shelter? Too dangerous almost got killed last when I was in okay, and this guy smells bad missing it. One or two teeth at least one right in the front.

Repenting of a Loveless Ministry

Then let me give him five dollars. Something not the way I wanted to end the day, but you know, what can you do? Took out the money. I Remember handing it pushed it down. Said I don't want your money.

I Want this Jesus you were talking about and at that moment I forgot all about David. Because I knew who was really in need of prayer. It was Jim Simba. It wasn't David. So I forgot him. I lifted my hands.

Like I'm gonna ask you to do in a moment and I just said God, please forgive me. What have I become? What kind of cheap to bid preacher have I become? You send somebody who's searching for you. And I want to give him a few dollars and get rid of him, please help me and God that moment baptized me.

God's Love for Those Society Rejects

With a love with something with grace he saw how pitiful I was and David knew it and he drew close to me and I started to cry and He started to cry and then he fell against me and he put his head over here.

And I put my arms around him and he put his arms around me and for a while. We just rocked back and forth a preacher in need of God a Guy from the street in need of God. I'm not sure who was needy or might have been me, you know what God spoke to me that moment and This is not trendy at all.

Those of you want to go to like Church Growth Institute's. This is not What this church is about? God spoke to me and said you see that smell. If you don't love that smell I can never use you because the whole world smells that way to me.

All the stinking filthy sin of mankind. I Sent my son to die for that smell. So you're either going to embrace it and love people in my name or I can't use you. I'll put you on the shelf and If God is my witness you can believe it or not.

From Repentance to Restoration

Suddenly that smell became like the most beautiful ladies perfume you ever smelled in your life it was Just overwhelmed me. He was weeping. I was weeping. I led him to Christ. We prayed we detoxed him for four or five days.

Hired him on church staff Housekeeping he spent Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house that year my buddy Got his teeth fixed handsome guy. For that Christmas all he had he gave me a handkerchief. He wrapped it up in wrapping paper.

Gave me a white handkerchief. I Kept it for years. It meant more to me than anything anyone could give me. You could have bought me a car. I would have said keep your car. Give me that handkerchief and What broke him and what broke me is God's love.

Walking in Love Toward People Who Are Different

Brothers and sisters, let's walk in love this year. Let's think about other people. Let's love other people if they're different than us think different than us look different than us smell different than us.

I didn't grow up around that smell. I was blessed fortunate middle-class Polish Ukrainian Middle-class home. I went that that's not that wasn't my world. But it's God's world and he wants to use all of us.