” Pastor Jeremiah Steepek (pictured below) 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 n 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…….Being a Christian is more than something you claim. It’s something you live by and share with others.”
Update: The picture seems to not be the Pastor
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradgerrard/6181194702/
While the picture has plainly been revealed to not be Pastor Steepek we have been unable to confirm or deny the story itself . Take it as another Facebook fable until otherwise proven . As we all know fables often contain their own wisdom and are not to be dismissed as valueless out of hand just because they are fables .
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This may or may not be a fabricated event but I am for sure the man in this photograph is not a “Jeremiah Steepek”. It is a photograph of an actual homeless man in Richmond, Surrey.
You are correct . Check our update for a link to that self same flickr picture . Thank you and others before you for bringing it to our attention .
This is not a fabrication because the article exposes those shortcomings found in everyone unfortunately oftentimes clergy are afraid to confront such negative attributes among not simply the laity but among ministry as well but are more incline to follow after worldviews denounced in ‘the decimation of America by its own hand’ ISBN 0-9761112-8-4.
It is absolutely a fabrication if it’s purporting truth and it’s not true.
But where in all of the STORY is any claim of TRUTH made ? No where does anyone claim that the story is a true story . The closest we can come to seeing an out and out lie is in the “pictured below” quote that obviously misidentifies the ‘Pastor” as the one in the picture . While that aspect of the article was ID’d as bogus almost immediately , that fact in and of itself does not prove the fallacy of the story.
While we here at YouViewed are perfectly willing to accept the fact that ” Pastor Jeremiah Steepek” and his story are fiction that in no way invalidates the message , nor does it prove any intended maliciousness on the part of the author . Who , as a blogger , has not used a “stock” photo or image to help illustrate a point at one time or another ? Granted , any blogger/reporter worth their salt will identify said “stock” image as such but mistakes and/or oversights do happen in the media , both new and lamestream .
Well to me does not matter if it is him or not. The message is quite clear. When a person is in need in the so called Christian society in America they are looked down upon and treated VERY different. This may or may not be him but the truth in the message I know the Pastor must be proud to see his name used in a story that is about “Treating each other with respect and dignity, no matter what we look like, dress like, have as status symbols or how many alphabetical letters behind our names. The poor in America is treated worse than dogs at a kennel
This story has been around for awhile. I read it a few years ago. It’s an attention getter to those who look down on others. And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: James 2:3
Reblogged this on preachercarter and commented:
I have experience very similar behaviour and I never acted homeless. I would agree that we really need to understand what love is and employ that love even to those that we do not know.
IVE SEEN it in my own church. Christians tend to be judgmental and look down on the less fortunate and needy. I know what it’s like because I’ve got sons that made mistakes in life and they are and have been snubbed by some members in the congregation. This is something that all preachers need to be teaching and preaching. I try to ask myself What would Jesus do?
Understood Jean but I still contend that those, even though this is not a true story, that denigrate others in the church by reason of those supposed status are probably not Christians at all. They wear sheep’s clothing but inwardly are raving wolves.
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Searches for Jeremiah Steepek come up empty. This story is nice, but fabricated.
Yes , we have discovered that the image is not what it is claimed to represent (see update) but we have f ound nothing about the story itself to eiyher confirm or deny it’s truthfulness . It could well be just another Facebook fairytale , but we see no harm in the occasional fable .
Your use of this image amounts to theft. Copyright infringement is a crime. Your use of this photo demonstrates your complete disregard for the property of others.
The image came with the story and if you follow the update you will be linked to the original flickr source . We make no claim to the ownership of the images on this site nor do we profit from them . If it is your property we will gladly remove it at your request as we have done several times in the past . If it is not your property then piss off .
like a boss — respect.
?
It doesn’t matter if you profit from it or not. ALL images are protected under US Copyright Law unless the image specifically says “for public use” or something like that from the OWNER or creator of said image. You can only claim “fair use” of material if used for something like education, commentary, criticism, etc. This is just a story, for entertainment purposes, so it does not fall in the “fair use” category.
May I reblog this?
By all means . Be aware though that subsequent research has revealed the picture to be bogus . I cannot speak at this time to the verasity of the story itself though.
Thank you. Perhaps I shall pass.
No, it’s a fake story and a copyrighted image that is being passed around without the image owner’s consent.
Thank you Barbara, the blog owner already informed me about the possibility of false veracity and image troubles. I opted to decline to reblog. I appreciate you thoughtfulness (and courage) in letting me know. Thanks again. —- Bear
…and your point is ?
If presented as only a parable perhaps the internet creator feels the message won’t be shared, but there’s a commandment to consider as a Christian: “thou shalt not tell a lie”.
in point of fact the commandment is against false witness against your neighbor – or in other words – perjury. That’s rather different from telling a lie. Admittedly there are plenty of other places in scripture where general honesty and openness are considered a virtue while dishonesty is generally frowned on.
Actually, carocaro, the commandment says “thou shalt not bear false witness”. Most people won’t know the difference. However, the difference is in the context. When testifying in court, the Israelite people were were commanded not to falsely testify against one another. This, did not mean they could not “lie” or that God was against all lies. Take, for example, the story of Rahab and the Israelite spies in Joshua 2:5. It was her lie that kept them safe. Now Rahab was also a prostitute. Does this mean that God condones both lying and prostitution? No, of course not. But, as you can see, God blessed her for protecting his people from harm.
I will confess, the name Jeremiah Steepek is simply a “nom de plume,” or “pen name”. Is this dishonest? I suppose it’s about as dishonest as other authors such as Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby), Ann Landers, Ayn Rand, George Orwell, Lewis Carroll, and probably the most famous Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens).
Please forgive this work of fiction as it was not meant to harm, but merely express the Biblical truth found in James chapter 2.
Sir , We would like to publish this comment on the website if you would be so kind as to grant us your permission to do so . Please let us know . Thanks , Ed.
There are only two states of being, true and false. To present that which is false is a lie, which makes one a liar. The very act of “god said”, is third party hearsay which can not be substantiated making one a liar.
Sorry, but your assertion is provably false, as there are many situations of observable “fact” where different observers will obtain different measurements. Just so you know I’m not just messing with you – the counterexamples I cite are legion, one of them is what makes GPS work.
Strange enough, I have heard almost the same exact story several years back at a conference at City Bible Church (college, too), in Portland, OR. I’m pretty sure they said it was one of their own pastors who did this. Perhaps they were inspired by the original story; not knowing of course how long this has been circulating.
Pastors don’t have enough balls to go through this very action though it would be nice to see an occasional hero for the underdog they would have to sacrifice a hefty tithe in order to pull it off…. not gonna happen, sad but true.
Check this link out… there was actually a pastor who did something very similar to this! Also, you forgot a “most” at the beginning of your statement. The truth is that many pastors do “have the balls” these days. More and more pastors are becoming unsatisfied with business as usual and stepping outside of the box to do courageous and meaningful things for the sake of living out the Gospel. They are working hard to right the ship and get things back to where they need to be. Most of these pastors are completely unpaid by “the church”!
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/pastor-jeremiah-steepek-story.shtml
i don’t really care if the story is true or not. It’s enlightening. This story represents every sunday in America and what’s really going on with our churches turning into “clubs” of acceptance. i myself have been upset walking out of churches after services I really enjoyed. While currently living in Nashville I attend multiple churches and Kingdom Halls. I can’t sit here and lie and say people dont approach me, they do, and it always starts warming with a greeting ” welcome to “our” church, I’m such n such and you are”, an then the moment i say “Tyrone” with a smile, I can see their body language change (this goes for “black” and “white” churches ironically to say). Then more than likely I’m asked where am I from because of the accent which is a real deep voice, sluggish and slow, almost tired sounding with a east coast inner city flair and then I reply Baltimore and get more bad body language such as them slowing down the way they talk with strong exaggerated pronunciations so I can understand them better lol. Your getting the point so to make a long story short, church members seem to stray away from people who they feel is uneducated and in need of REAL blessings. it’s sorta like you have to come to service with your blessings bag already filled. The church has become the greatest show on earth….All for show. Just look Christian, you don’t really have to be Christian as long as your a good kid. The new rule is you take care of yours an we’ll take care ours, as long as it can benefit our church by receiving the recognition for actually blessing people. But back to Pastor fake name maybe, I appreciate the story and its a good start to making Christianity a believable faith again…….p.s who is john Galt lol
I just think we need to be careful about mixing truth with fiction or passing fiction off as truth in order to make a biblical point. In this day and age where we are so inundated with lies masquerading as truth, it is imperative that we are transparent and genuine….words that are floating around a lot these days. When we mix unsubstantiated “stories” in an attempt to press a biblical truth and when we lean on said story heavily, we subject the gospel and the validity of our witness to a scrutiny that is not necessary and is distracting….truth and fable are not good friends….it is hard enough sharing the truth and love of God in an already hostile world…a world that God unfortunately has to share with the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, Prince Charming, etc. God doesn’t belong with that group people already see the word as fable…the same word that has made a difference in so many lives and changed so many lives and healed so many lives and so on….so, NO, Chance…not really feeling the “i don’t really care if the story is true or not. “…I know too much that IS TRUE for me to need to use a fable and steal and image to help God out….as if…I don’t think God needs a lovely lie that can manipulate people or cause them to feel other things….I think letting the spirit do his work of wooing and convicting and then leading ….yea…that’s it probably better…just sayin’.
I don’t understand where people see a lie. Pastor Steepek didn’t write the story, a witness did, or someone who heard the story did, and used a picture of their own choice for show. What is transforming into a homeless person? It’s either you are or you are not, homeless. No where in the story does it say he told people he was homeless. People took him to be homeless. He ask for change for food, he never said he didn’t have his own. Maybe he needed ten cent for the tax so he didn’t have to break a twenty. nobody asked, they assumed. Why can’t you receive the sunday word from someone wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. Maybe he came straight to church from cutting the grass at home. Nobody asked, they assumed. DOES HE OBTAIN THE KNOWLEDGE I NEED TO KNOW. Who are we to judge off appearance, but we do. I can really go on forever about what we’ll never know if it happened or not but I dont see a lie, nowhere. I see perception not deception and at the end of the day he got a job to as a disciples..would you like to listen and learn.
You are spot on. There is no lie. There is ” perception , not deception ” . It is storytelling , pure and simple.
The sentiments of this post are very real
I don’t know about the veracity of this particular story. However, I have personal knowledge of a similar occurrence.
The pastor (at the time) of First Baptist Church, Saint Clair, Missouri, Brother Raymond Laramore, organized it. He asked a deacon from a former church of his to play the homeless man at our church. The man went without shaving or showering for a few days, donned raggedy, dirty clothes, and began picking up cans in our church parking lot on Sunday morning at church time. Some of the older ladies were a little frightened and went to one of our deacons, a large highway patrolman named Don. He invited the man in to Sunday School and also to the church service. In the middle of the service, Brother Raymond revealed the man’s true identity. It really gave everyone an opportunity to re-examine attitudes. This was around 20 years ago.
I’m not sure, but I think the pastor got his idea either from another pastor who had done it, or from the book In His Steps.
Sounds very similar to the opening of Charles Sheldon’s book “In His Steps.” Having spent 20+ years as a “professional” pastor, I would speculate that somebody simply made the story more contemporary for illustrative purposes. Probably intended to teach a lesson and along the way it got transformed into social media legend.
Whether or not this story is true – it effectively illustrates that there should be no difference between claiming Jesus Christ to be one’s Lord and Savior and how this is reflected in our love and actions towards others.
One illustration most of us have heard: sitting in church doesn’t make/prove one a true believer and follower of Jesus Christ, a Christian, any more than standing in a garage makes/proves one a car.
Jesus knows our hearts and I pray all of our hearts are right with Him – for His glory.
Many people think this is Pastor Jeremiah Steepek. A man who transformed himself into a homeless man and went into his 10,000 member church to see how people would treat him. This story has circulated all over Facebook. The fact is – this is not Pastor Jeremiah Steepek. This photo is an actual homeless man. Not only that but I can’t find any source that says, Pastor Jeremiah is actually a Pastor of any church in America. I think the point of the story was great, but sad at the same time. Religion loves to ACT like it does things but in reality it doesn’t do anything to lift the heavy burdens off people. Let’s quit sharing a “FAKE” story and start sharing a “REAL” Savior. I’m amazed that Christians will believe this story at face value but will question God’s “Amazing Grace” in the lives of people!
You didn’t read any of the comments before yours, eh?
The addendum immediately following the story labels it a fable. However, I believe the author intended to say myth. A fable is a story like a parable but involves animals instead of people.
First of all, my name is not Carlos Danger. (Don’t know WHERE I came up with that one!)
But, it’s understood that people don’t always use their real names when posting on the internet.
Heck, you can even go by anonymous. And, no one is going to accuse you of bearing false witness (no sane person, anyway.)
However, this story is a lie and all the defenders are missing the point. You spread it without
even BOTHERING to check whether it was true or not. That’s SLOPPY and LAZY. Then, when busted, you go into defense mode and essentially tell the people who DID take the time to check it out – lighten up, it’s fake but accurate, it’s a parable, a fable, that’s what I meant all along.
I could kind of understand, before the days of the internet, falling for a HOAX story like this. But, it’s so very easy to check things out in today’s world that, even if it turned out to be true, you should still APOLOGIZE for not bothering to check first.
Let’s be frank –
Your biggest sin is YOU DON’T WANT TO ADMIT YOU WERE WRONG.
You were GULLIBLE enough to believe a story that someone just made up and pass it off as truth and now you are too insecure to admit it.
The picture is OBVIOUSLY supposed to represent the Pastor. It is not.
No one can find ANY Jeremiah Steepek with a 10,000 member church. No one with a similar sounding name has come forward.
Face the music. You have been had.
You’re like the people who bought into the Y2K hype (or even worse SPREAD it.)
Then, when NOTHING happened and they were faced with a 10 years supply of FREEZE DRIED FOOD (that they STILL haven’t gone through lol) try to JUSTIFY it by saying -Well, at least I was prepared, or What’s wrong with having a backup plan?, or Why not buy freeze dried food?
You’ll say ANYTHING but the obvious – I WAS WRONG.
The fact of the matter is that this story IS based on James. And a Pastor in Wales DID do something like this not too long ago. So, the message is a good and important one.
But, that’s besides the point. You demonstrated carelessness and gullibility, which is a disservice to the Body, and unfortunately (but not without cause) confirms some of the WORST notions unbelievers have about how detached from reality some Christians are.
Yet, you STILL are grappling for fig leaves.
REPENT!
Dear Danger, Amen.
“A man who is held in honor and understands not is like the beasts that perish”
(Psalm 49:20, Amplified Translation).
Blessings
Psalm 49
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