04 May What sort of people did Jesus Hang out with?
As you heard Sunday, & as we’ve discussed before, I spent last Thursday & Friday at the Wagga Gold Cup Races. I’m the newest member of the Australian Racing Christian Chaplaincy team, as the local Murrumbidgee Turf Club Race Chaplain. I spent those two days meeting Owners, trainers, jockeys, stable hands & others associated with the Racing industry here in Wagga & the wider sweep of NSW. I blessed them for their work, congratulated the successes, & encouraged the efforts of all involved. It’s going to be an interesting journey in that new volunteer role.
I discovered two things:
1. I know very little about horses or racing, but the folks I met were very willing to answer my questions.
2. Like in many parts of Australia, I was as much an unknown to them as they are to me.
It was clear…we didn’t share a lot in common…but then Jesus reminded me of something…those are precisely the people he sought throughout his ministry. Almost no one Jesus called as a follower was “acceptable” to the Jewish religious hierarchy. Those religious experts hated Jesus’ choice of friends. But as the gospel spread, it is precisely those who are not religiously connected who filled the early church. For example…
In Acts 28, Paul is in Rome to be tried before Caesar as a disturbance to the peace of the Empire in Jerusalem because he has been preaching Jesus as the Messiah across the Empire & the religious leaders have had him arrested to be tried & executed like they did Jesus. But now in Rome, Paul makes a last ditch effort to convince his Jewish antagonists that Jesus IS the Messiah they’ve been waiting to welcome. But they reject his witness. So Paul declares, “So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, & they will accept it.” He proclaims that since folks like him, Jews, won’t turn to Jesus, he’s going specifically to folks who are not like him… non-Jews – Gentiles – pagans. Some of the early manuscripts then add another verse, “After Paul said this, the Jews departed arguing vigourously among themselves.”
It became a point of debate & disagreement almost immediately within the early church: “Is the church only for people like me or is it for all sort of people from all kinds of backgrounds?” It’s clear from the life of Jesus & from the earliest days of the apostolic mission to the world, all kinds of people flocked to Jesus. I love the very thought that around the campfire with Jesus was Simon the Zealot & Matthew the Tax Collector. Those two could not have been more different…might even have hated each other outside of their fellowship with Jesus. But there they are…every day for three years walking with Jesus & the others being shaped into a church for everyone, especially those who have never been near a church…or believed much of anything really.
I needed that reminder that my role in every circumstance (within the work of Living Water, when I’m out doing the shopping or going to the Dr, when I’m with the VRA or at the MTC…) is simply to offer what Jesus provides: joy, hope, friendship, compassion, forgiveness, love, truth…and to do so boldly, obediently, with purpose & confidence. God has promised that the “Gentiles” are ready to receive the good news of Jesus Christ…folks not in my normal circle of friends, people who aren’t like me, people who maybe have never had any inkling of God’s love for them or of his reality at all…those “Gentiles” are ready to accept what Christ offers…They just need someone to make that offer in a way they can hear…That’s on us!
So…let’s keep learning how to do that…
- Sunday 10th May – Knowing the Why… our worship & teaching series continues through the book of Ephesians, Knowing Who to Follow – Have a look at Ephesians 5 in advance! Ephesians 4, 5 & 6 are the “Take it Home” part of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Remember…Every week you should leave worship with a clear plan on how you’re going to take what you’ve experienced in worship & put it into practice somewhere during the next week. If that’s not happening…maybe we should have coffee to talk about some Spirit-led strategies. If you leave praying, “God show me what to do & make me obediently bold,” and you’re serious about being obedient when God shows you something…that’s a start!
- Sunday May 10th – Mother’s Day! You know what to do here.
- Thursday May 14th – Ladies Fellowship 10:00 a.m. @ Sue & Trevor’s home in Settler’s Village (Romans 5)
- Saturday May 16th – LWF Prayer Morning 10:00 a.m. @ the Prenzler’s home
- Saturday May 16th – LWF Bonfire 2:00 p.m. until you’re ready to go home @ Jeff & Norma’s country home. We’ve got maps & directions…so please ask.
- Tuesday May 26th – We’ve been asked to provide a meal for the Campus Christian Fellowship again. The sign-up sheet is ready for you! Thank you in advance!
- Saturday June 20th – We’re hosting a Regional Gathering for our gospel co-workers in the CrossLink Christian Network. From about 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. we’ll have about 20 people from around NSW gathered to pray, worship, learn & catch God’s vision for his church moving into the next years of life together as a Network. Some of our guests will be staying over & worshipping with us on Sunday the 21st…our 13th birthday! I still marvel at how God continues to bless us!
Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday!
No Comments