The Disciple - Part 4 (The Mistakes of the Disciple)

Last week we learned that God called Bubba to a prison ministry, and he’s enjoying his work for the Lord. He’s never felt so fulfilled in anything he’s done before.

Bubba’s also learned how to fight off the temptations of the devil. But he’s still not perfect of course. There’s temper flare up or ugly word here and there or some other thing that he knows is wrong. But he’s doing much better…with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Bubba hasn’t been going out on the town as much with the boys. But there are times he goes. Often times he’s the designated driver, and other times he has a couple beers. On this one particular time, however, they were celebrating an award that their firehouse had received. And he was the designated driver because he had had less to drink than all the rest. He wasn’t sloppy drunk, but he also wasn’t necessarily sober either.

He’d had enough for an officer to notice his swerving. And this led to his being pulled over, given a sobriety test and failing it. Bubba spent the weekend in jail and had his license revoked. The judge gave him a hardship license that would allow him to drive to work and to church…and that was it.

Bubba’s supposed to be at his parent’s house in the country about an hour away the following weekend for some sort of family get together. Some of his relatives are coming in and they’re supposed to grill some hamburgers and hot dogs.

As the week progresses, he searches for what to tell them, until he finally decides to lie and tell them his car is in the shop. His dad says, “That’s OK. I’ll come and pick you up. It’ll give us some quality time together.”

So now he’s not only been in jail for drinking and driving, he’s lied to his parents. And the guilt comes surging over him.

After the other relatives have gone home, Bubba just can’t stand it anymore. He has to unload or he figures he’ll just die. So he sits his mom and dad down and unloads the whole story on them. He tells them he knows he’s messed up and doesn’t expect them to forgive him. But they set him straight, reminding him that even though they’re disappointed in him, that they love him. And that they do forgive him.

Feeling much better, Bubba gets up the next day and goes to his old church with them. Somehow the news has traveled home and Mr. and Mrs. Holier than Thou has heard about the incident. And they get on their soapbox, quoting the scriptures about drunkenness and warning Bubba of his impending doom if he doesn’t repent soon. They even go as far as to give him phone number to a local rehab.

And the guilt comes back in full force. Of course his parents forgave him. They’re supposed to. But if folks in the church couldn’t forgive him, then could God? For that matter, he was beginning to see that he couldn’t forgive himself.

When he gets back to his home and job in the city, the guilt just continues to grow. And it’s this guilt that keeps him from going back to the church he now belongs to.

After Bubba misses a couple Sundays Parson, his pastor, calls him…but to no avail. Bubba’s screening his calls. So after another Sunday goes by without Bubba being at church, Parson takes it upon himself to make a house call.

When Parson confronts Bubba, Bubba confesses the whole thing, including the lying and the couple from his home church.

Parson shares with him that God’s love is similar to the love that his parents showed him. It’s a forgiving kind of love for those who will simply come back to Him.

So Bubba is convinced to come back to church on Sunday. It’s during the prayer request time that he asks to share something. He comes up and asks for prayers for him. And then he goes into his story.

When he’s finished, and as he was about to go back to his seat, at no one’s leading other than the Holy Spirit’s, the whole congregation rises and meets him up front. Each one hugs him. Parson prays for him. And Bubba is healed.

No matter what the mistake, Bubba realizes that his God is always watching for him to come home.