Submitted by Austin Cooper
While He was
reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests
to eat with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked
His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But
when Jesus heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but
the sick do. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.
For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Matthew 10:13
It has always been a huge encouragement to me that Jesus
revealed who He was to the outcasts of religious society - not through events,
gimmicks, or clever sermons. Instead, Jesus primarily revealed who He was and
what His kingdom is all about through building relationships with those He was
drawing to Himself. We see many times this was done at the dinner table. This
was completely scandalous to the religious rulers of the day because to dine
with someone meant you were befriending them. Jesus, in all His perfection,
humbled Himself and became a friend to those who seemed to be too bad, too
unrighteous, and too far away from God to reach.
Vancouver is filled with people who are a lot of times
categorized as too liberal, too apathetic towards the Gospel, and too far gone
for God to reach. So how can we reach people in Vancouver? We can imitate Jesus
by building relationships with the unreached and lost community around us. This
seems to be the best way to reach people in Vancouver: through building trust
through relationships with those God is drawing to Himself. We have to win the right
to share about God’s gift of salvation through Jesus.
Lord, I pray for
Austin and Ashley as they have committed to have one person/family, that does
not know Christ, over to their house for dinner at least once a week. We ask
that You would start building trust and friendship so that they may come to the
place where they are willing to hear about the One who gave His life to have a
relationship with them.
