Two preachers are speaking out against the people who don’t approve of Christians publicly recognizing rapper Nipsey Hustle after his untimely death this week.

Nipsey, born Ermias Asghedom, died unexpectedly when he was shot in front of his Los Angeles store on Sunday. Countless people have been mourning the loss of the rapper who was gang affiliated but became focused on rebuilding and uplifting his community in recent years.

Heather Lindsey, preaches at The Gathering Oasis church in Atlanta, Georgia, posted a picture of someone criticizing her decision to publicly pray about the rap artist’s death since he does not make music for the church.

“I posted about praying for Nipsey and his family and someone responded with this. My heart broke,” she revealed on Instagram.“How can we reach people if we are so busy bashing them??? Even to death?”

The preacher questioned how the treatment was fair, insisting that people need to be welcomed with love.

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“We cannot reach people if we don’t LOVE them. We have to stop tearing people down to bring them to Jesus,” she wrote. “My specific purpose in life is to preach the gospel of Jesus to PEOPLE. How can you help people that you have no compassion for?”

Instead of trying to keep people out of church, Heather is praying that people welcome others more.

“We MUST do better. I pray that this is a heart check for so many of us to be more intentional about making room for people that don’t look and act like you – at church,” she wrote. “Church shouldn’t be a private Christian club – but a safe place for everyone to run to. The Holy Spirit changes people, not us.”

Heather’s husband Cornelius echoed his wife’s sentiments in his own post.

“I sincerely repent for displaying a prideful, self-righteous disposition in the past where I exalted my faith over others that I felt were unworthy of the same grace, mercy and love that I NEED daily. Nah, I can’t get down with that anymore,” he wrote. “And, please don’t come in my DMs with your ridiculous, condemning messages sending me to hell because you thinking I’m ‘changing.’”

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The pastor is in fact changing the way he once viewed the way people are embraced in the faith.

“Honestly, I am, and I’m so thankful for it! If this excludes me from your ‘Christian clubs’ and fellowships then God bless you,” he said. “I’ve already been called a false prophet because I don’t wear SUITS to preach in anymore as if the suit made me any more anointed. I’ve asked God to allow me to see people as He sees them, not as I want to see them.”

The preacher ended his dialogue with the scripture 1 Corinthians 4:3-5 which states, “as for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.”

 

(Photo: via screengrab)