Steve Harvey is one of the most recognizable names and faces in American television, especially for his hosting of Family Feud. Today he is famous, rich, and loved by millions. But when Steve Harvey was 26 years old, he “was struggling” and “didn’t have nothing.” A couple in Cleveland, OH, who owned a furniture store, took him in and gave him a job at a local carpet cleaning company. At 27, when he had become a comedian, he didn’t have money to travel, and this couple helped him pay for his trips. His bill ran north of $11,000, and the couple took care of it. It enabled him to get his footing in the world of comedy.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese soccer player, is widely considered to be one of the greatest football players of all time, if not the greatest. He also is famous, rich, and loved by millions. But when Cristiano Ronaldo was a child growing up on the island of Madeira, he was poor and hungry. He would go to a local McDonalds in the evenings and beg for any leftover food. A woman named Edna and two other associates would give him free hamburgers whenever they could, and this allowed Ronaldo not to go to bed hungry every night.
William Samoei Ruto, who has just become President of Kenya, has earned a position of power and prestige. But when Ruto was a schoolboy, he would sell chickens at a roadside stall in a rural part of the country. Throughout his entire primary school years, he went to school barefoot. He was always brilliant, and pursued his education, despite many setbacks.
Moses was born to a poor slave woman, but became the paradigmatic prophet of Israel. Countless businessmen, politicians, artists, and athletes grew up in poverty and in damaged families. Although it might be fair to say that some got lucky, and that in some cases they persevered through superhuman willpower, more often than not they were helped by a generous, unnamed soul whom history is likely to forget. Anyone we meet today, whether a child in a school, a drug addict, or a prisoner, might, with some loving and generous care, one day become not only a TV personality, famous athlete, or president, but also a herald of righteousness.
I heard the testimony once of a Brazilian transgender man who was walking the streets of a Brazilian city and felt God tell him to enter a church. The next church he found, he attempted to enter, but was denied: “You think you’re going to come into a church dressed like that?” the usher asked him. He turned and walked away, resolving never again to enter a church, and believing he hadn’t heard God after all. But then he heard the voice again, and again attempted to enter a church. He was again turned away. A third time he heard the voice, and at that church an old man welcomed him with outstretched arms and said, “My son, welcome to the house of God. You are welcome here.” The transgender man later said that he didn’t remember anything he heard in the service, but that half-way through he was on his knees weeping and begging for forgiveness. “I used to be a slave to the darkness, but now I am a minister of the light.” You see, that transgender man is now a converted minister of the Gospel.
Conservative Christians today are rightly concerned at the astonishing prevalence of abortion, “gender-affirming” surgery among children, drug abuse, sexual immorality, and so on. We have a prophetic function to call out sin and urge people to repentance. But I fear that too often Christians are not actually too interested in the repentance; they are merely grossed out and appalled by what they see, and want it to end. At worst, those who have abortions, or transition their gender, or do drugs, or what have you, are seen as enemies. She’s evil. He’s dirty. What a freak! How gross! Foolish sinner. Imagine if, instead of what happened in reality, those words were said in reference to Steve Harvey, or Cristiano Ronaldo, or President Ruto, or baby Moses. There might never have been another chance to rescue those lives from poverty and depression. Imagine if there were no third pastor that day in Brazil to welcome the transgender man into church. We might today have one fewer pastor and one more devastated soul.
In wrath against sin, remember mercy to the sinner. Our Lord Himself was a friend of tax collectors and prostitutes. Are we more righteous than He? Do we know better than He? Let us imitate our Savior in His great love for mankind. For, “he desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” And it is up to us to offer that salvation to even the most hardened sinner. Who knows if that enemy of God of whom you are now thinking will not one day be a preacher of the Good News? We must not give up, we must not pre-judge, we must not isolate ourselves and let the world burn. Out there, I am sure, there are future Spurgeons and Calvins and Augustines who only need to hear the Gospel, maybe from you, before they begin their world-changing ministry.