All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
Strip Club
Rachelle Starrn was raised in a Christian home & had never been inside a strip club in her life. But she felt this calling from God to reach out to women in the sex industry. She knew that God had given her a passion for those women to know how much He loves them & how precious they were in His eyes. Whatever doubts, she knew God was calling her to take action. He didn't want her to just to feel compassion for them but to do something about it.
In 2008, she started Scarlet Hope, a ministry that reaches out to women involved in the sex industry. They take big, southern-comfort-style dinners to strip clubs. Their prayer is that they're not just feeding their stomachs but they're feeding a deeper spiritual hunger. In some clubs, they fix hair & make-up so they can get some one-on-one time with the girls. It gives them the opportunity to pray with women in the middle of the strip club.
She states that many hearts have been changed & lives touched & many turned to Christ for forgiveness & new beginnings. She says she has seen Jesus show up many times in the back of a strip club dressing room. Many dancers opened up to them, sharing their struggles, asking for prayers, & some have even accepted their invitations to church.
What are your thoughts on this testimony? When I read it I must admit doubts flooded me. I know Jesus goes to the sinners but He didn't put their make-up on before prostituting themselves. Am I wrong with my feelings? No one knows the mind of God but do you really believe God would have them take such drastic steps to reach others?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RoyW on
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Hi Grace,
No one is asking you to apologize for loving Jesus. The reason I said that you did sound a little self-righteous is that it was coming across to me that you were following Christ but these ladies who were going into night clubs were not. I may have totally misunderstood your meaning and if so, please forgive me. I cannot see one thing that you are saying that is any different from these entering the strip clubs. They love Him and very much believe they are following His commands. They believe their righteousness is in Jesus and in Him alone. They also believe God will help them when they fail. They also believe that no one can serve two masters. It would be self-righteous of you to say that I am following Christ but they are not. That would be like an adult saying look at what I can do and look at this child. I am so much better than the child since the child cannot do as much.
I do not believe you have enough Scripture to judge these ladies as guilty of not following Christ. That is my position. The only legitimate argument I have seen in this forum is that we do not have a Scripture verse that tells us that the apostles entered into such a place. Yet, we have none that says they did not. Can we enter a football stadium to witness? Can we enter any sporting event? Yet, there is near nudity involved in most of them. Is near nudity better than nudity? I think it is worse as our daughters see this and attempt to mimic it.
These ladies are telling these girls that they need to turn from their wicked ways and follow Christ. They are accomplishing this. According to the video we saw, at least two girls have left the clubs and started a new life. Is Christ actually saving these girls? Are they really saved? Why would He do that? He certainly would not get involved in activities where the end justified the means. Is Jesus actually saving these girls from sin? Are they repenting and turning their lives around?
The argument that the end does not justify the end doesn't work at all here. Either Jesus is saving them or He is not. To say He is not is really getting into self-righteousness. I believe you love Jesus but I believe they also love Him. I know they are not perfect but I also know that you are not either. I am not judging you as not following Christ but I do believe you are in error.
Do you believe those girls on that video are saved? If you do believe they are saved, what right did Jesus have to save them. If you say they are not saved then you become their judge. If you say they are saved in spite of the actions of the ladies witnessing then you are welcoming them to the church of Jesus Christ for we are all in that same boat. Has their ever been a perfect witness? Will there ever be one? Yes, we have heard much about the Holy Spirit. He is perfect but He uses imperfect people to carry out His calling. I think it is self-righteous to say my way is right but their way is wrong.
Has God used wars to witness? Has He used disasters? Does He use death? If you say God is not the cause of wars you would probably be right. If you said He didn't use wars and the most evil kings in the world, you would be very wrong. God turned the nation of Israel into a slave camp where all kinds of evil was taking place. Then He raised up Moses to deliver them. God will use the terrible slavery these girls are in to bring them to Himself and take them to the promise land. He has promised to save all His children. I am confident that He will stop at virtually nothing to get them including these slave camps. I believe He will allow these girls that belong to Him to be very mistreated and then when the time is right, He will send them a deliverer. He would turn His children over to Nebuchadnezzar, the Pharaoh, Augustus or Cyrus to get those who are His to turn to Him. He loves those who are His and I guarantee He is going to get them regardless of what you or I think or do. Strip clubs are minor compared to some of the places He will take His to get them to turn around and follow Him.
Blessings. I pray that I am not being offensive to you or anyone else.
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Permalink Reply by Seek on
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Grace, it was the last words you said to me, stating I was in error that came across that way to me. Let me put it this way....
I believe the Word of God is the infallible truth, that it is God breathed and all scripture is useful. Because it says so right in the Word. Yet nowhere does it state the Word is the "complete truth". Which is why I wasn't not laughing at God but showing how some things simply weren't in the Bible because they were deemed as unnecessary or for some other reason. Jesus said He will send another the comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will lead us and guide us into ALL truth. So why would we need to be guided into all truth if the Bible gave us all the truth?
If the Bible said the apostles visited these places, would all Christians then think they should do so, and perhaps a weaker one try and end up being led astray? Or perhaps it could've been best to not put that in scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to guide each of us for where we stand at a particular moment?
For this reason, I will not fault these women. If they did something scripture specifically spoke against (like if they engaged in the stripping themselves), then I would say they did not get that from the Holy Spirit. But what the Holy Spirit leads me into may not be the same He would lead you into since we're both in different locations, from different backgrounds, with different strengths and weaknesses. Maybe God gave me humor to be able to cope with a hard life, I dunno. I cringe at things other Christians do not. Every time I hear a curse word, I inwardly cringe. I find drinking to be disdainful....for ME. Others drink socially and I won't fault them for that. But there may be reasons God has planted that cringing inside me to it. He may have planted the cringing for humor about certain areas in you for a certain reason. But it doesn't make either of us a lesser Christian, just two different people with two different abilities/gifts/uses.
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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lololol. Not sure Chip if that helps conclude anything. It actually makes me ask "What the hay dilly are you talking about?"
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lololol. Like the tootsie roll flavor of a tootsie pop - the world may never know
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Then if you wish to follow the Old Testament laws, follow every one of them.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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And, then, we have Rahab's lie. However, Rahab's lie isn't justified. Does Romans 8:28 kick in then, especially when the means are unjust?
Scarlet Hope no longer does hair and makeup. They used to fix hair as a means of breaking down walls to have conversations with the girls where they planted and watered with the Word and ended up praying with them or for them. The makeup only happened at a few of the clubs where they are taking the meal to the girls.
The makeup was not the norm but a couple of the volunteers in the ministry are professional makeup artists -- that's what they do for work in their daily lives which has nothing to do with the strip clubs -- and during some occasions in some of the clubs they used that as a way of opening a conversation with the girls who were already fixing and doing their own makeup and hair anyway.
Sure, they have made some mistakes. I've made some huge mistakes in the way I have served, lived, loved, and ministered to others, even to the point of being wrong doctrinally and misleading people but not intentionally. How about you? Have you ever made a mistake in reaching out to others with the message of faith or just in loving your neighbor as yourself and loving God? God looks upon the heart and knows the intention, doesn't He? I hope so.
So now what?
Scarlet hope doesn't do hair and makeup anymore, unless the woman I spoke with the other day on the telephone, named Courtney, is lying. In our conversation she openly professed Jesus as her Savior and Lord. I have no reason to think she was lying but she could have been mistaken. Yet, she sounded like she knew what she was talking about.
If they aren't doing hair and makeup anymore and if they aren't spending their money at the clubs, buying soft drinks or tipping the girls, or supporting the industry in any way, shape, or form, and their testimony is that they don't support the adult entertainment industry in any way whatsoever, but their heart's desire is to see the girls leave that life, then what shall we say about them?
I'm going to just leave them in God's hands. How can I know what any ministry is really doing? How can I know what any Christian is really doing? If people tell me they love Jesus and are saved, I believe God wants me to treat them as brothers and sisters and if I see them erring, then I am to admonish them as brothers and sisters, and otherwise I am to comfort and encourage them as brothers and sisters. Ephesians 4:29.
I've really been struggling to accept people and to learn how to love people the way God wants me to love them. I want to build others up. I know I often fail but I have repented and I don't want to be that way anymore. I don't want to do that anymore -- tear down people. I get so frustrated and I almost give up but somehow I'm still here, still alive, and I pray God won't give up on me but if He does, I understand. I think we should probably support this ministry, at least through praying for them as our sisters in Christ Jesus.
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Permalink Reply by ribbon on
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<------ The new me. Even after all the judging and name calling from some of yalls part , I still have the same views. That women that washed Jesus' feet with her tears and hair is a beautiful story I have always loved that story. I always wished I would love Jesus that much. But she went to Him. I agree that chrustians should go door knockin and if someone opens their door preach the gospel as long as they will listen. I remember I used to pray all the time that someone would come here. When Jesus ate with sinners .... did He eat while the sin was taking place? Let me tell you what I think of the sometimes called bad girls. One of my past best friends had sex with over a 1000 men.... she kept count I didn't. Another one even when young allowed men to persuade her to give them sexual favors but she received nothing back. Theres is more friends but you see what I am saying. I liked them and never judged them. I did tell them they never should let men use them. I certainly didn't say "WELL I NEVER". Im not dishing out my dirty laundry so don't wait for it. Im only telling you theses things in defence of myself. As I said from the beginning I am confused. To me going to the lost sinners homes is far different than going to a place where the sin is in action.
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