Jesus came to save sinners. How? By showing the love His Father has
for people and His willingness to finish the work of redemption that His Father
had planned from the foundation of the world.
Jesus' passion was fellowshipping with sinners and demonstrating to
them the love His Father has for them. He didn't look at sinners as dirty
low-down scum of the earth interruptions to His spirituality or people to be
avoided because of their sinning. He didn't wait for sinners to come through the
doors of a building called Church or make appointments for a pastoral
counseling. No. He found them in His daily living as they were daily living
their lives. He invited Himself over to their home to eat, and He wasn't in a
hurry to leave. Why? Because He just wasn't looking for a meal, He was looking
to fellowship with them
Not only did He desire to be with sinners...the amazing thing
is...sinners desired to be with Him. That is a far cry from the "christian's"
desire today. Today christians are taught to distance themselves away from
sinners so as not to be corrupted by them. Religionists are like birds of a
feather flocking together not wanting to mix with the dirty vultures of sinners.
No wonder sinners shun the high and mighty and the better than thou christian
elite. In Jesus' earth days people avoided the Pharisees because of their
spiritual elitism and their nose snubbing of sinners. The Pharisee Gospel is the
Law Keepers Gospel of today, nothing has changed. The Pharisees insisted that
people meet a strict code of conduct before they could belong to the "in crowd"
of being true Jews. They preached down at people from their pulpit of spiritual
elitism, imposing standards to measure up to, rules to obey and regulations to
follow that they themselves could not even live up to. They alienated people who
needed help the most. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Jesus was different, as so are believers to be today. Jesus did not
condone sin, neither did he condemn the sinner either. He offered forgiveness,
compassion, hope and love. That is why sinners loved to be around Jesus. They
were captivated by His compassion, amazed at His practical explanations of how
to live life. Unlike the religionists of today, Jesus let them belong before
they repented or behaved.
Listen, it is not the believers responsibility to convince people
they are wrong, it is not their Job to change them into better people. Pointing
out their wrongness because of their goodness is a relationship barrier.
Befriending sinners rather than judging and condemning them is a relationship
builder and a witness to the love of the Father.
Christians have left a legacy that is not conducive to relationship
building. They support supposed "christian causes" by stuffing their faces with
chicken, while condemning gays to hell fire because they are living together.
They think they have the right to tell them what God thinks of their sexuality
as if it was the first thing on God's agenda.
It's NOT! Compassion, forgiveness, understanding, mercy, love and
grace is.
Does that mean that sin doesn't matter, of course not. But when sin
becomes more important than the sinner our priorities are wrong and we are
thinking with our heads and not our hearts.
Love faking just to get people out to a denominated building is
manipulation and hypocrisy. Placard waving and name calling at some "christian
cause" and saying we are standing for truth and the gospel, is alienating the
very people whom God desires us to build a relationship with so has to lead to
where they see the destructive way they are living and the because of our
pointing them to Christ instead of sending them to hell.
Authentic love is the love found in John 3:16.If we were to love as
that verse shows us we would love people and give ourselves to people no matter
who they are.
Let's love as God loves.
- Glenn Regular
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