Spirit Science and Metaphysics
Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning.
He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service, only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him.
He asked people for change to buy food – no one in the church gave him change.
He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit in the back.
He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.
As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such.
When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation.
“We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek.” The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation.
The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle. The clapping stopped with all eyes on him.
He walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment then he recited,
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
‘The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame.
He then said, “Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will YOU decide to become disciples?”
He then dismissed service until next week.
Following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ should be more than just talk. It ought to be a lifestyle that others around you can love about you and share in.
There are claims going around that this story is not true. It may not be, but even if it’s not true, the importance of the message still stands.
That’s awesome. The majority of Christians are a bunch of hypocrites. Seeing service as nothing but a keeping up with appearances event and a place to sleep off their Saturday night hangover. Most have never even read the book they purport to follow, but instead rely on their pastors to interpret it to them.
Hi SamAdams,
The majority of people in most religions are a bunch of hypocrits,… Christianity has no special license on that.
The type of distain by the self-rightous that this pastor observed, is exactly why I stopped going to Chruch (I am a Roman Catholic).
I was frequently appalled, and offended by the behavior and attitude of my fellow Christians, and their ego-centric “holier-than-thou” character they felt justified in just because they,… “came to service”
It struck me, that like an alcoholic going to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, the people in the church,.. were in fact the people who most deseperately needed it, but like any true alcoholic,.. they refused to change their behavior,… instead substituting the idea that because they had attended service and put a dollar in the basket,… they therefore did not need to learn the lesson of humality or charity, and, ergo,.. do not have to actually start exhibiting that kind of fundamental change in behavior.
Yes,.. these self rightous Christians are an embarrasement to my religion,.. but that same sentiment, by my experience, is true of every so called “religion”
JD – US Marines – I like that pastor,.. he did the one thing they will detest him for in time,… he showed them their own hubris is alive and well.
JD I am also an X catholic because of the lying and hypocrisy going on in that so called Christian religion. From my experience trying to find ANY so called christian group, none followed scriptural principals, thus I do not darken the doors of any so called christian building what so ever. I am sure there are genuine gatherings out there. However I am not aware of any.
Paul I was too raised Catholic, hey we have Parishes in Louisiana, not Counties!! We do not go to a church either, I feel where 2 or more are gathered is a church. The Holy Spirit lives in us, we are the church, not some building with a pastor trying to get rich off the sheep, who as JD and Sam said are hypocrites! I went to the Christian Book Store one day to pick up some things, and I have a tattoo around my right ankle, this one lady was staring at me like I was the devil in the flesh!! Too bad she could not see my thigh where my really big tattoo is!! I would of Loved to see her face on that because it is a huge cross, with the word “faith” written above it!!! 🙂 Hypocrites!!
so we’ve got some X mackerel munchers here. hah. 🙂
I am also an X Catholic. I stopped going because I just never understood why you would go to a church that gave it’s sermon in Latin. I never understood anything they were saying. This was the mid 50’s so I don’t know if it’s the same way now but I’m not interested in finding out. Besides when I went to catechism classes to get communion I was devastated to find out that it was dried bread and not Necco candy’s they were passing out!
Excellent story! Now that’s the sign of a true teacher and preacher. My hats off to him.
What an event/story…true or not…
Even if one does not claim to be a Christian,
Kindness, respect, general decency….when given, one to another, is a gesture that is understood all over our globe, in any language, between any ages, sometimes without a word said….Were we each to do that, every last one, it would be impossible to have war. There would be not one person, to do the killing. No one would be there to design the machines of killing either…
This pastor has held up a mirror to the sheeple he will begin to lead away from the wolves around them. They have now seen their own poop sticking to their wool. Why is it that we only hear of one pastor doing this lesson? In humility and rags he shows the same walk as Jesus. “What hath a man if he gain the whole world, yet lose his soul?” (Gospel of Matthew)
Not sure about that story with 10,000 congregation,may be fiction based on this true story:The true story of Pastor Willie Lyle
On the morning of Sunday, June 23, 2013 (about a month before the Pastor Steepek story surfaced online), the newly-appointed pastor of Sango United Methodist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, Willie Lyle, lay down at the foot of a tree on the church grounds with an overcoat for a blanket. Unkempt and bearded after spending most of the previous week on the streets, he looked for all the world like a homeless man, which was precisely the effect he hoped to achieve.
“He wondered how many people would approach him and offer him food, or a place to sit inside an air conditioned room, or just see how they could help,” wrote freelance reporter Tim Parrish in a June 28 story for the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle. “Twenty people spoke to him and offered some type of assistance.”
When the time came to deliver his inaugural sermon he did so from that very spot, changing into a jacket and tie and shaving off his beard with the help of his daughter as he spoke. “Before the 200 people gathered that morning,” Parrish wrote, “he went from looking like a homeless person to the new pastor of the congregation.”
Appropriately, Lyle’s sermon was a call to emulate Christ, to not judge other people by appearances. “Our goal should be to improve and change the lives of people as we live like Jesus,” he said in closing. “You see, we look at the outside of others and make judgments. God looks inside at our heart and sees the truth.”
Despite differences in scale (Lyle spoke to 200 parishioners, Steepek supposedly addressed 10,000) and tone (Lyle entreated, Steepek admonished), the similarities between the stories are strong. We don’t know who came up with fictional tale of “Pastor Jeremiah Steepek,” or why, but given the timing of its appearance there seems little doubt they took their inspiration from the true story of Pastor Willie Lyle.
Yeah, I remember that happening (I’m not far from there). What an inspirational story, regardless of the details. I’m fortunate enough to have finally found a church that makes it a specific point to see others as Christ would. An open door to all. And it’s BAPTIST!
I gave up on churches and organized religion long ago.They are a bunch of pious phuques that look down their noses at others like they are something special,legends in their own twisted little minds.If there is a heaven and its full of f#@kers like that count me out because that would for sure be HELL!
That’s why I call my blog “Christ, not religion”…
I read the Bible (and some good Bible blogs like Brandon T. Ward’s), not “commentaries” on it, nor do I watch “Christian TV” (they ought to call it “Christian” Zionist TV!), nor do I listen to “Christian” (Zionist) radio, nor do I believe 90 percent of what “preachers” say about the end times and nonsense like the “rapture” and “dispensationalism”. I believe God/Christ/Holy Spirit, not man.
I too am a former Catholic (dad was forced to convert from being Episcopal when he married my mother–they married in a rectory! the Catholic church refused to marry them in the church!) My son recently married a Catholic girl (Polish-American) but refused (good for him!) to do their stupid “Pre-Marital Inventory” (so did she–good for her!) which says thery must bring their children up Catholic and attend Catholic church.
Why do denominations suck? It’s the hierarchy, not the membership for the most part. I only attend a non-denominational church when the Holy Spirit moves me to.
Did you hear about the guy that went into a church to apply for the pastor position? The people of the church asked about his background in which he replied that he use to persecute the church believers, plotted to murder some believers, throw as many of them in jail. But then one day he “saw the light” and now wants to convert others. But the people of the church he was at didn’t like the fact the he was not “educated in the belief” as in went to a bible college. The folks at the church did not like him nor his background and therefore declined to offer him the job.
Today, this person who was turned down as the pastor of the church is known as The Apostle Paul.
I do know for a fact that the church is not a building, and Jesus does not reside there… With the Lords help we will succeed and Jesus even said sell your coat and buy a sword… get ready people it’s time to fight the good fight and take back what is rightfully ours… God Save America