Good Monday morning, my friends.
This morning I have a question for you. Is anyone muttering about the people you hang out with?
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." (Luke 15:1-2).
Are you hanging around with the sick who need a doctor? Or are you, like I do here each week day, just preaching to the choir, those who have already accepted the unsurpassed gifts of redemption and salvation? (Don't get me wrong - you are a wonderful choir and I love you dearly!)
And this isn't about the muttering - for that smacks of self-righteousness, but rather about who we are spending time with, sharing the Gospel. Maybe, just maybe, we need to spend a little more time with "tax collectors and sinners". And let the mutterers mutter.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance!
Bruce
Lord Jesus, I praise you for making me a part of your broken-yet-beloved bride; for calling me, healing me, saving me. I have no problem acknowledging my sickness and receiving your remedy, for there's no greater friend of sinners than you. Thank you for eating and drinking, reclining and dining, fellowshipping and communing with the likes of me.
O that this welcoming gospel would taken hold more deeply in our churches; O that we would be criticized by Pharisees and "older brothers" (Luke 15) for all the sick people, broken sinners, and cultural misfits who gathered there. May we grieve when your welcoming heart is not extended in our churches, as you intend and the gospel commends. We're not "used-to-be-sinners"; we're those who still need your grace and mercy every single day. Never let us forget this, Lord.
Oh, to be more like Levi—to be so impacted by your love, Lord Jesus, that I'm constantly throwing mini-banquets for friends and "outsiders". Turn my lunch appointments into a threesome, with you and a friend. Turn my family gatherings into occasions where you're always filling the empty seat. Make this concave heart of mine much more convex, much more friendly to outsiders, much more like yours, Jesus; much more accommodating, unrushed and joyful. So very Amen I pray, in your merciful and mighty name.
Scotty Smith, Founding Pastor, Christ Community Church, Franklin, TN
No comments:
Post a Comment