So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 10:32-33
Skits can serve to create powerful modern day parables and reminder of the deep attributes of God. Several years ago, I participated in a skit that had life changing implications for those who performed it before hundreds of church goers. As with much of ministry we may never know in this life time the full extent to which our efforts of ministry have either helped or hurt unbelievers in their journey to finding God. But as I have mentioned before, we need to continue to chase God until He catches us.
One method youth groups, ministry organizations, and local churches have used to reach the lost world is through the ministry of skits. So the skit was set up as if a young man was sitting in his apartment and talking on the phone with a friend. What the young man did not realize was God standing next to him while he spoke with his friend. Half way through the conversation, the young man feels as though he is being watched and with a jump in his chair looks directly at God. He hurriedly ended the phone call and began to talk with God.
All that was needed for the setup was a chair, a smaller framed young man, and large slightly older man. All of the large older man’s (the one that played God) communication was non-verbal. Almost all of the younger man’s was verbal except for at the end. The content of the conversation had something to do with what the young man planned to do later that evening with friends that is considered “worldly” by the church. The choice is yours but it is best to pick a vice everyone would be familiar with in order to quickly communicate the point. For our purposes here, the young man was telling his friend that he would be responsible for bringing the alcohol to the party (the young man clearly being under age).
As the young man looks at God and comes off the phone nervously, he says to God in a staggered voice, “Um, hey God…I, uh have somewhere I need to go for a few hours. How about you hang out here and order some pizza and see if the neighbor wants to come over.” While he is saying these things, he is collecting his car keys and placing his phone back in his pocket. However, every time he moves around the room, God follows him. Not in a towering sort of way but a cautious and inquisitive sort of way. Then the young man speaks up again, still nervous but a little more emphatic, “God, you don’t understand! Where I am going you cannot come. You would not be accepted and people would make fun of you. I really believe it would be best if you just stayed here.”
God continues to follow as before all the way to the door of the apartment. When suddenly, the young man drops his coat, grabs God, throws him against the wall and with the motions of a hammer in his hand nails God’s hands and feet to the wall as he yells, “I said (hammer), Stay (hammer), Here (hammer)!” God is now nailed to the wall and the young man quickly leaves the apartment as the lights dim to signify the end of the skit.
For over 25 years, I have referred back to this skit. It is a great reminder for how some of us treat God. I am not sure if we are embarrassed by Him, intimidated, uncomfortable or a mix of all three but the skit has been more than relevant in and through the experiences in my life. We ignore Him like a teenager ignoring her parents because she is embarrassed by them when she is around her friends. Or, we talk differently about him like guys talk about others around their buddies. We have to mature through our adolescent faith to a place where God is “allowed” to be and to go to all the places where we are.
I wonder if it is possible for us to see ourselves in this skit. It is possible that we are the young man on the phone or the one on the other end of the call? Some may read this and think, “I know exactly who he is referring to” but miss the point that the skit may apply to the reader directly. My guess is, our acceptance of God in our circles of influence is like our view of “The Benefit of the Doubt”, we want the benefit of the doubt in every situation but we seldom give the benefit of the doubt to others. We want God for ourselves, privately. However, the cost may appear too great to want him for ourselves publically.
In both counseling and in philosophy, we call this the elephant in the room. God is the proverbial elephant in each of our lives. Everyone knows He is there but no one wants to acknowledge Him. What our lives should look like is God accepted everywhere and in every circumstance and not only accepted but sought. When we acknowledge another we don’t only accept them for who they are but we seek them as a trusted Friend. When we decide to acknowledge and seek Jesus, He acknowledges and seeks to bring us before the Father.
Instead of making it a practice to ignore Him, let’s make it a practice to seek Him!
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13
