From the Home Place

October 7, 2025

Read Acts 3:1-7, Peter, a common person just like us, had been cleansed by Jesus, and now Peter reaches out his hand and lifts up someone who didn’t know Jesus. Years before, Peter had invested his life in the theory of “No contact, No impact!”

Fifty years ago, country kids grew up swapping slobbers with cows. Back in those days most of the stock salt came in a solid white block. Us kids would grab a rock and chip off a piece of salt, wipe it on our jeans and go to licking, right behind the cow who had licked there earlier in the day.

For country kids, it is a well-known fact that Levis sterilize anything rubbed across them a few times. Any time an apple or a candy bar needed to be cut, Dad would pull out his knife that had previously been used to lance a lump jaw on a cow, skin coyotes and castrate calves, wipe it across his Levis a few times and cut off a piece of candy bar to share among his children. A few swipes across his usually dirty Levis and presto-changeo, the knife was clean! The same held true with stock salt.

I often wonder if such practices are what kept us kids so healthy? You see, in my opinion, our world is much too sterile now days. Everything is individually packaged, hand sanitizer is in regular use, and we still seem to be constantly fighting some kind of “bug.” Is it possible to be too clean?

Could the same be true of Christianity? We Christians attempt to be so squeaky clean that we seldom have contact with anyone unlike ourselves. That is, we seldom get down-and-dirty with those who are not squeaky clean, just like we are.

Now, don’t make me say something that I’m not saying. I’m not saying that we should be involved in sin with those who live in such places, but I am suggesting that perhaps we would do well to meet folks right where we live. After all, no contact, no impact.

Sit down and read any of the Gospels, Jesus was always hanging around sinners. He had plenty of contact, and amazing impact! It seems that Jesus was quick to visit with hookers, IRS agents, and sickly folks, no contact, no impact.

Remember, Jesus didn’t allow Peter, James and John to stay on the mountain top with Him and Moses, He took them right back down the mountain to be with the people who lived there. Jesus didn’t fear illness, He healed it; how often are we just the opposite?

Even better than a pair of Levis, a couple of swipes across Jesus and presto-changeo, a sinner is cleansed! As Christians, He expects us to have the same impact upon the people who don’t know Him. We are to be His Levis!

Summary, perhaps we should not be quite so sterile? Sinless, yes; sterile, no. No contact, no impact! So, let’s get out of our sterile churchy environments – visit with someone who doesn’t know Jesus yet. Their only hope is that someone like you will wipe them across Christlikeness a few times and their life will be changed!

Impacting pre-Christians with you, Neal