Today’s Reading, Luke 19-20
Focal Scripture: Luke 19:5 “When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today it is necessary for me to stay at your house.”
Do you have a welcoming attitude? This is especially true with those who are unbelievers. Why? Because for them to be able to hear the truth of the gospel a relationship has to be formed. Your attitude has to be welcoming no matter how they sin or what their sin entails. Is this difficult, absolutely. However, sinners must be treated with respect so they can be shown the error of their ways.
In today’s reading Zacchaeus wants to meet the Lord. In his eagerness to see him he climbs up a tree to get a better look. As Jesus passes by he calls up to him and lets him know that he will be having dinner at his house tonight. When this happens the religious people get upset and question his intentions of dining with a sinner. Jesus lets them know his mission is to save sinners. To do this he must spend time with sinners. He must get to know them on a personal level.
The same is true for us as believers. We must get to know sinners on a personal level. We must be willing to have conversations and spend time with them and not always just invite them to church. Real relationships and genuine conversations are what turn people to the Lord. It is authentic faith in action. It is love through words and deeds.
I do want to point out that we can love on sinners and not practice how they live. You can build relationships without condoning the sin in their life. For example, I have gotten to spend lots of time on athletic fields and the language is not for the faint of heart. I will often have coaches apologize for cussing in front of me but I always tell them “I want you to be your true self around me, not the version you think I want to see.” I do this because I want to have open dialogue. They know I don’t like it but they also know I value them in spite of how they are living. It has opened many conversations to present the gospel.
So what is the application today for us? It is to have conversations with sinners. We can’t share the gospel with anyone if we don’t spend time with anyone outside of our circle of believers. The only word of caution I have is that you must genuinely care about the person you’re getting to know. They can’t feel the only reason you are talking with them is to convert them to your belief system. Relationships matter because you can disagree with someone and still value their soul.
So how do you treat sinners in your life? How does your church treat sinners? If the gospel is for everyone then our hearts must be focused on sharing that love with those we disagree with even on intense topics. Our mission is to share Jesus with everyone not just the people that make us comfortable.
How you treat sinners tells me how you view people! So how would you be described by those who are unbelievers?
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Luke 21-22
