ANDRE: 20 year old black man, lives in a
poverty-stricken ghetto but wants badly to earn his way out. Starts business called "GHETTO
GETAWAYS," naively thinking that rich whites will pay to stay in his
neighborhood for a week at a time to learn what it's like to be poor. Andre is fatherless, angry at God (though he says he doesn't believe there is a God) and is desperate to escape the
ghetto, himself. Unlike many around him,
Andre wants to be self-reliant and "make it on his own." By renting out empty apartments in the
building he is the young and single Superintendent of, Andre hopes that by bringing people INTO his
area for a "Ghetto Getaway" he'll eventually be able to earn enough
money to move OUT of his ghetto.
However, he's increasingly bitter when, at first, no one wants to try a
"Ghetto Getaway."
BOB: 40 year old wealthy, single white man, lives
in suburbs. Bob is a Christian and, when
younger, wanted to be a missionary but became very disenchanted because his rich
Christian parents were content to give money to missions but never reached out
to lost people right in their own area.
Even when "the mission field came to us" via the influx of
people from foreign countries, they were content to send money, but not to give
of themselves to needy people locally.
However Bob still has a missionary HEART, he reads of Andre's business
and takes him up on a "Ghetto Getaway," intending to make him wealthy
with some of the fortune he inherited from his parents, but ALSO to witness to
him about the TRUE riches he can find in Jesus Christ.
CONVERSATIONS: After Bob attempts to give Andre $50,000,
Andre demands to know WHY he would do that...at first thinking Bob may be
motivated by White Guilt, and not wanting the gift. "I don't want charity,
Bro." (Andre wanted to enlighten
rich white folks about poverty, but not manipulate
them.)
Bob builds a bridge to Andre by telling him they are both
"entrepreneurs"....Andre with "Ghetto Getaways" and Bob with his, in effect, OWN self-funded
mission outreach. "I can seek to
reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ the way *I* want to now, no one
tells me how or where or to whom to reach out to (except the LORD)" Bob
says. "And I don't have to beg
anyone else for funds. I love it!"
Because he and Andre have so many external differences, Bob
deems it wise to keep expressing his issues with what he saw as "The
Missionary Mentality." He tells
Andre "Most Missionaries don't encourage Christians to be missionaries
WHERE THEY ARE. They just encourage them
to send them money so they can be Missionaries FOR them. And nowadays, Missionaries seem thrilled that
'the mission field is coming to THEM' but Jesus said all Christians are to be 'Fishers of Men'. When have you ever heard of a fisherman who
sits back and waits for the fish to come to them and jump into their
boat?"
Andre is still leery, though he can relate to Bob taking
exception to those he regards as lazy...he has interacted with many such
people, in his 20 years of ghetto life.
"Bro, I don't want to take your money and feel obligated to listen
to your 'preaching' ."
(But despite his outward 'wall," over time Andre feels
a BOND towards the older man who, like himself, goes against the tide of the
thought-environment in which he was raised.
And Bob, on the other hand, begins to realize Andre is like the son he
never had, and admires HIS independent spirit.)
Bob, himself a wise "Fisher of Men," over time begins
a Bible Study with Andre .......seeking to apply Scriptures to issues current
in Andre's life.
He tells Andre that:
* The Bible teaches we are all born sinners and because of
that, we carry a "ghetto" around inside of us which leaves us far
from God and Heaven and headed for the ultimate, inescapable Ghetto...Hell.
*Human ghettoes may or may not be the residual effect of slavery
lingering from years ago [Andre thinks that might be so], but the spiritual
ghetto we all have by nature definitely comes because of our native slavery to
sin. And we all are slaves of sin and
Satanuntil we're SAVED."
* Some MAY escape the physical ghetto and live in material
comforts the rest of their lives, but unless he (Andre) gets out of the ghetto
WITHIN him, he'll never truly be "wealthy" and will be lost
eternally.
Andre, confused, eventually "bites" and asks how
he can be delivered from this "ghetto within," the "ghetto of
sin" inside of him.
*Bob tells him of Jesus, who came from the glories of Heaven
to dwell amongst us on earth, and to make a way that WE, sinners though we are,
can go to Heaven.
* Bob's words have weight, for though Andre has always been
angry at God because he was fatherless, he realizes Bob left the comfort of the
suburbs to come to the ghetto and give HIM the riches to escape.
He saw something of the Christ Bob was speaking about,
evident in Bob's life. Gave his words
WEIGHT.
* Finally, in their 5th Bible Study, Bob leads Andre through
Scripture, showing him how Christ died for all of those who repent and believe. Andre, in tears,
calls out to the LORD and is saved!!
EPILOGUE: 5 years later, Bob visits the ghetto again on
a Sunday morning and enters a storefront church started by Andre with the $50,000. Andre is now a preacher, delivering messages
about "Ghetto Getaways" of a much different sort: the deliverance
from SIN that causes a ghetto WITHIN (the "Ghetto Getaways" business
was disbanded right after he met Bob.) Andre's congregation is growing.
Bob gives silent thanks to God as he listens to Andre preach
the gospel. He knows the time HE has
left is short, but is grateful for how God used him as a missionary to Andre before
the cancer takes him Home.
(Andre does not know that Bob is dying and left him in his
will for the rest of his fortune.
However, he is most grateful ALWAYS for the way God used him to bring
him true riches in Christ.)
COPYRIGHT (c) 2018 by CHET JELINSKI
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