Honey or Vinegar?

Every Monday night, I hang out with a group of guys at a local pub to watch the Monday Night Football game.  It’s a great chance for friendships to strengthen, not to mention it’s pretty fun.  Last night (during the Ravens/Browns snooze fest), a street preacher walked into the bar and started condemning every person to hell for gathering in a drinking place.  He was promptly shouted down by the table closest to him and escorted out by the manager.

My guess is he went home feeling pretty good about himself.  After all, he was “persecuted.”

Yeah, right.  He was kicked out of a bar for being a jerk.  Unfortunately, this kind of stuff happens all over the country.

The only cool thing about this episode was it started a conversation between us guys.  We talked about the guy’s approach and why it angered each of us.  One guy asked me why it got under my skin.  Plain and simple, it was a misrepresentation of the true nature of the good news of Jesus.

Did Jesus preach against sin?  Yes.  But he did so in a way where those broken by sin still wanted to hang out with him.  We are called to do the same.

After all, as the old saying goes, you can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.