In the world or of it? Followup from a discusion in a small group.
God doesn’t want US to eat with tax collectors and sinners. (this is just the intro sentence to get your blood moving and make you read on to see what I actually want to say)
The multiple times that Jesus was confronted about associating with the unclean, He basically brings up that He has come to heal the sick, not the well. The key concept here is that He came and we shouldn’t insert ourselves in His place. Any life change in the people around us will come from a contact with Jesus not us. I agree that that contact is with Jesus THROUGH us, but it is with Jesus and ONLY through us, we can’t get that mixed around.
In the scriptures we also see that we are to be lights of the world, and if we don’t shine a light in the darkness who will? But we need to remember that that light is Jesus, that light is a light that shows our relationship with Him and the fruits of that relationship with Him. That light is not just our wonderful personality or our great wit within social situations. Non-Christians don’t have that light, and know one will see it in us if we cover it up when we are in worldly settings.
We are to be in the world, we should be encouraged to associate with non-Christians in many settings, but only as a measure of how well we wrap ourselves within Him. We should never have Jesus wait at the door while we go in alone. We CAN go into the lion’s den and have full assurance of protection if we are with Him. We wouldn’t go into the den twice with Him and then on the third time say that “You should wait outside, I can do this alone now”.
I DO think that we are called to go outside our own walls, into the world, to be with the lost (tax collectors and sinners) that might only find hope through a contact with us. But the only reason to do this is our love for them, to be a mirror of Christ in this age, and to be available for what part we are to play in Jesus healing the sick. We shouldn’t do it just to please ourselves with a good meal.
JESUS still wants to be at the table with tax collectors and sinners. Will we take Him there?
The multiple times that Jesus was confronted about associating with the unclean, He basically brings up that He has come to heal the sick, not the well. The key concept here is that He came and we shouldn’t insert ourselves in His place. Any life change in the people around us will come from a contact with Jesus not us. I agree that that contact is with Jesus THROUGH us, but it is with Jesus and ONLY through us, we can’t get that mixed around.
In the scriptures we also see that we are to be lights of the world, and if we don’t shine a light in the darkness who will? But we need to remember that that light is Jesus, that light is a light that shows our relationship with Him and the fruits of that relationship with Him. That light is not just our wonderful personality or our great wit within social situations. Non-Christians don’t have that light, and know one will see it in us if we cover it up when we are in worldly settings.
We are to be in the world, we should be encouraged to associate with non-Christians in many settings, but only as a measure of how well we wrap ourselves within Him. We should never have Jesus wait at the door while we go in alone. We CAN go into the lion’s den and have full assurance of protection if we are with Him. We wouldn’t go into the den twice with Him and then on the third time say that “You should wait outside, I can do this alone now”.
I DO think that we are called to go outside our own walls, into the world, to be with the lost (tax collectors and sinners) that might only find hope through a contact with us. But the only reason to do this is our love for them, to be a mirror of Christ in this age, and to be available for what part we are to play in Jesus healing the sick. We shouldn’t do it just to please ourselves with a good meal.
JESUS still wants to be at the table with tax collectors and sinners. Will we take Him there?
posted by Mark | 9:47 AM
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this is just to see how comments get left.
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