I'm glad the chapel smelled like weed

Last night, the unmistakeable odour of skunk cannabis filled the main hall of Grace Baptist Church Wood Green. It wasn’t the first time, and I hope it won’t be the last. “Such an odd thing for a Baptist pastor to say”, one might think. I certainly hope it is not so odd. Why do Baptist pastors exist if not to make disciples of all nations? Surely this disciple-making effort, if it is to reach all nations, must extend without prejudice to all people regardless of their personal proclivities. I, for one, am glad the chapel smelled like weed.

I’m glad the chapel smelled like weed, because it means two lost men heard a Bible passage read, explained, illustrated, and applied.

I’m glad the chapel smelled like weed, because it means two lost men heard the bad news that if God is not for them, then he can be added to the people and problems that are already against them and will come down on them harder than any other things ever would, and rightly so!

I’m glad the chapel smelled like weed, because it means two lost men heard the good news of God “who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all” and so is with and for all who turn from their sin and trust in him.

I’m glad the chapel smelled like weed because it means two lost men heard Christians praying to God as their heavenly father.

I’m glad the chapel smelled like weed because it means two lost men were for a significant amount of time after the meeting personally engaged in conversation about the seriousness of sin and the necessity of repentance and faith.

I’m glad the chapel smelled like weed because it means one lost man said “When I come back, I’m gonna bring a lot of questions, man!”

I’m glad the chapel smelled like weed because it means that one lost man said “No” when asked if he had a Bible, and smiled gratefully when given one of the church Bibles.

But I’m also sad the chapel smelled like weed, because it reminds me that one lost man stood up and left abruptly, angry to hear that he was a sinner under God’s judgement, baffled that we said we would also be were it not for God’s grace in Christ, and filled with self-justifications about being a good person while the testimony of the Bible and of his friends, the stench of drugs and the electronic tag around his ankle all said otherwise.

Pray for these two men. Pray for the man who brought them, who himself only recently professed faith. Pray that God would be glorified by more weed-smelling chapels here and across the land.