t was quite a few years back the first time I saw one...my wife and I were shopping at our local grocery store and I heard an elderly woman gasp, lean over to her elderly husband and comment on this kids t-shirt who happened to be walking down the isle toward us. I couldn't hear exactly what she was saying but I knew this much, the t-shirt she saw offended her. The mother of the kid quickly piped up saying something about how a bunch of inner city gang kids had "gotten saved", and now spread their testimony through these t-shirts. If you haven't figured it out already, I am speaking of the shirts that irreverently proclaim, "Jesus is my homeboy". The details of the actual story are slightly different, so if your interested in hearing about the incredibly cheesy, more than likely false, origin of these shirts then click here. Even if this tale is accurate, one thing is for sure, these shirts are just yet one more thing to add to the list of disturbing trends becoming more and more prominent in our culture that blatantly dishonor, mock, and blaspheme our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:12-18
"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades."

Some of you may be wondering how this verse is at all relevant to the "Jesus is my homeboy" t-shirts. Well...I will explain. First off, let me remind you that the book of the Revelation was written by the Apostle John, who, as we know from the Biblical record spent a substantial amount of time, approximately 3 straight years, with Jesus traveling all over Judea and Samaria. Needless to say, they would have gotten to know each other quite well, in fact, they were so close that during the last supper, it is written that John rested his head on the chest of Jesus. Not only that, but out of all the Apostles and disciples there was but one who was singled out in which it was specifically said that Jesus loved him, and that man was John.

So with all that in your mind, look at the reaction of John when he sees the glorified Jesus...the Apostle "fell at His feet like a dead man". Now, if John falls at our Lord's feet like a dead man, what do you think we will do? What would our reaction be, having never known Jesus like John knew him? Yet, for some odd reason we ignorantly think that we can treat the King of kings in a way that is anything less than fervent adoration and reverence. This falling on your face reaction is not some isolated incident. John's reaction is the standard reaction of everyone who has seen God. Abraham also fell on his face, Moses, whom is said to have talked with God face to face as one talks to a friend, constantly fell on his face before YHWH. The Israelites fell on their faces after witnessing the Lord consuming rebellious men with fire. Joshua, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Manoah all fell on their faces before the Lord God, not to mention all the people who witnessed the fire coming from heaven when Elijah proved there to be only one true God, and Peter, during the transfiguration, fell on his face "in much fear".
It is surprising, with so many instances of people trembling and falling on their face before God that professing Christians continue to have this flippant disrespectful attitude toward the Almighty. He consumes people with fire for offering Him incense which He had not ordained, and we think we can call Him our homeboy? He causes the ground to open up and swallow those who do not honor Him and we make figurines in His likeness calling them "buddy Jesus". He tells us to not to fear those who can only kill the body, but rather fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell, and yet we entertain ourselves with TV and movies that contain the very sins He died to save us from. Think about it, our "entertainment" is a world void of Christ and God, where the only mention of Him is one of blaspheme in which His name is used as a common cuss word. No wonder His wrath is being revealed to us from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.

It is written that judgment begins with the house of God. So judge yourself, and judge rightly to see if you are truly in the faith. Do you abuse your liberty in Christ? Do you flirt with the world and adopt its ways, attempt to drag our Savior into the muck with us? Some Christians think that if there is not a clear straightforward text condemning something, then they are free to do it, even though the whole of Scripture makes it abundantly obvious that said behavior is wrong and sinful and the very thing that held Jesus to that cross. Just because one of the commandments is not 'Thou shalt not wear a Jesus is my homeboy t-shirt', does not mean God condones such irreverence. He not only created everything that we enjoy and take for granted, but He gave Himself up to a sinful and wicked people who tortured and killed Him so that we might have eternal life with Him. Show Him some respect!