The open door

“This man receiveth sinners.”

— Luke 15:2

Does Jesus EVER draw a line as to whom He chooses to welcome in?  NO!!

I for one am extremely happy for that.  I was THAT guy.  The guy that everyone had given up one, the guy that ran with the wrong people, the guy you WOULD NOT want your daughter to hang out with, and the one you WOULD NOT them want to marry.  I was the one that was always doing the wrong thing.  The guy that thought "religion" was for someone else, the guy that thought "church" was a waste of time.  Yeah, I was that guy.  Was.  Then I met Jesus and He changed my life.  He "received" me, a sinner.  He welcomed me.  He opened the door for me.  He gave me a wonderful life that I now have.

"Received" means to not only welcome, but to also partner with.

In Luke 15, the "religious people" where furious with Jesus because He went after the "sinners", he went after the ones that where either not welcomed in the church, or not wanted in the church.  He went and sat down and ate a meal with them.  Can you imagine this.  The Son of God went and ate with the ones that had no interest in "religion" or "religious people".

The problem here was that the Pharisees "aka religious people" where worried that if Jesus was the Son of God and if these sinners came to know God there is a possibility they would enter the "religious people's" hangout (aka the church).  You simply CANT have "sinners" mixed in with "religious people" that's not going to work (said sarcastically). 

Jesus changes lives, never forget that.  I am living, breathing proof of it.  Don't give up on the ones that we look at and call "sinners", because God doesn't.

Three things:

1. Don't be a Pharisee, don't sit back and think you "deserve" God more than anyone else.  You don't and I don't.
2. Be like Jesus, love on those that society has given up on.  Their messed up for a reason, and you could be that glimmer of hope that God uses to change their life
3. Never forget that if it wasn't for grace you wouldn't be bound for heaven.

I'm going after the ones that need Him.


Have a great weekend, and invite someone to worship with you this weekend.

Chris