How far are you willing to go see a friend of yours get
saved? Would you:
- run a marathon
- withdraw all your savings and give it to the poor
- endure a 40-day fast
Main point: As Christians (Christ-followers), we must reach out
to people we know well (friends) and people we do not yet know well
(strangers). The kingdom will not advance if we only try to
reach our friends.
Outline:
- People who love Jesus bring their friends to Jesus. (Mark
2:1-5)
- People who love Jesus know that no one is beyond His
redemptive power to save. (Mark 2:13-14)
- People who love Jesus find ways to connect with non-Church
people. (Mark 2:15-17)
1. People who love Jesus bring their friends to Jesus.
Suppose you had an accident and were unable to walk. Would your
friends be willing to pick you up (literally 4-6 people picking you
up and carrying you), take you to the nearest church, and finding it
full take you to the roof and bore a hole through the roof to let
you down in front of the preacher? Sounds absurd but that is exactly
what happened to a paralyzed man with friends - good friends,
friends with faith.
1A few days later,
when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had
come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room
left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to
them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic,
carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get
him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the
roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat
the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their
faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
(Mark 2:1-5, NIV)
I am amazed at the faith of these friends. Their paralyzed friend
needed help and they found a way to get him help. Jesus was in town
and the power of God was on display. To these friends, it was a
"no-brainer." Getting their friend to Jesus would provide him the
help he needed. It did not matter how inconvenient it was or how
much work. All that mattered was their friend and the help he
needed.
Do you have any friends like that? I hope you do. I hope we all
have people we can count on when times are tough.
More importantly, are you yourself a friend like that? Are you
willing to do whatever it takes to bring your friends to Jesus?
This Jesus is the One who said, "Son, your sins are forgiven"
(Mark 2:5, NIV). He is the only One who can forgive sins (Mark
2:10). And the beauty of it is this: Jesus is willing to forgive the
sins of your friend. He went to a cross 2,000 years ago to prove
that point by giving His life to pay the penalty for all the sins of
all mankind for all time (1 Peter 3:18).
If there is something holding you back from being this kind of
friend, then you need to get that something off your priority list.
Perhaps it's work obligations or neighborhood needs or family
concerns. There is a time and a place for everything. Most of the
time, the issue is one of personal priorities. If you wait for the
"right" moment to be a friend, you will never get off the dime and
get to work. If you wait for the "right" words to say to get your
friend saved, the words will never come.
I tell you, now is the time of God's
favor,
now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2, NIV)
Friends who love Jesus make sure their friends meet Jesus.
Ask for God to show you the needs of your friends and grant you the
courage to do whatever it takes to help them find Jesus.
2. People who love Jesus know that no one is beyond His
redemptive power to save.
13Once again Jesus
went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he
began to teach them. 14As he walked along, he saw
Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth.
"Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
(Mark 2:13-14, NIV)
Levi was his Hebrew name. Matthew was his Galilean name.
Having two names was a typical practice in this time and in this
area of the world.
Levi (Matthew) was a tax collector. During the time of
Roman rule, Israel was subjected to taxation at the command of
Caesar. Taxes are, of course, understandably not liked by most
citizens. But since Caesar declared himself to be a god, the
nation of Israel particularly despised taxes paid to him.
Hence the pointed question to Jesus:
15Then the Pharisees went
out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16They
sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher,"
they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you
teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't
swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are.
17Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to
pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Matthew 22:15-17, NIV)
The trap was if Jesus said they should pay taxes then they would
denounce Him as paying tribute to a blasphemer. If he said
they should not pay taxes, then they accuse Him of being a
lawbreaker. I am sure they thought, "We've got Him now!"
18But Jesus, knowing
their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to
trap me? 19Show me the coin used for paying the tax."
They brought him a denarius, 20and he asked them,
"Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"
21"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to
God what is God's."
22When they heard this, they were amazed. So they
left him and went away. (Matthew 22:18-22, NIV)
The fact that Levi was a tax collector is not one we think too
much about today. If that was his job, then fine. But in
this time, people had great disdain for the tax collector.
According to Edersheim, there were two classes of publicans
(usually translated "tax collectors"): the tax gatherer (Gabbai) and
the custom-house official (Mokhes). The tax gathers was the
collection agent, going to homes and businesses to collect the money
due. The custom-house official is the one who invented the tax
and determined the amount due. Levi was a custom-house
official. 1
There were taxes on grain (10%), wine and fruit (20%), income
(1%), ad-valorem duties on goods (3-5%), luxury items (12.5%),
heads, imports, exports, bridges, roads, harbour-dues, town-dues and
so on. 2 Undoubtedly there were
many other taxes created over time. The people were heavily
taxed.
And the custom-house official exercised cruel authority to stop
you at any time and make you unload your pack-animal or cart, open
private letters, and subject you to whatever "tax" he wished to
impose. The very word "Mokhes" derives from a word meaning
oppression and injustice. He was literally the oppressor.
The Talmud charges them with gross partiality - showing favors to
those with political clout or other desirable attributes and showing
cruelty to those they disliked. They were, in reality,
criminals. It was said, that there never was a family which
included a custom-house official, in which all did not become rich
and corrupt as well. 3
So what do you think of Levi (Matthew) now? He was a
detestable man, corrupt to the bone.
Levi sat by the lake at his custom-house table, extracting taxes
from the ships and all the travelers. It was on the main
highway that ran from Damascus, down the Jordan Valley to Capernaum,
then westward to the coastal road to Egypt and southward to
Jerusalem. 4 It was like the "Big Chicken"
intersection in Marietta, Georgia. But in sitting by the lake,
he was exposed to the regular teachings of Jesus. The clarity
of His words, the clear application to Levi's life, and the miracles
that affirmed His truth, had a riveting effect on Levi.
"Follow me," Jesus told him, and
Levi got up and followed him. (Mark 2:13-14, NIV)
Jesus reached out to Levi both generally and specifically.
He influenced what Levi heard on a regular basis. Countering
the cultural opinions and lies Levi heard, Jesus applied truth in a
way that Levi had not heard before. Jesus saw great potential
in Levi as well as faith emerging. So when Jesus issued a
specific call to Levi, He found Levi ready, willing, and able.
So what do you think of Jesus now? He related to the worst,
nastiest, most hated person around. He reached out to Levi in
love and truth. He did not simply show Levi kind acts.
He spoke the truth in love to persuade Levi to repent of the illicit
business and to follow Him as His disciple.
Do you find it hard to develop relationships with other people
because you are a Christian?
How can you become more approachable to people who are not
Christians yet - who are in fact openly opposed to anything that
seems religious?
3. People who love Jesus find ways to connect with non-Church
people.
15While Jesus was having
dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were
eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who
followed him. 16When the teachers of the law who were
Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors,
they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors
and 'sinners'?" 17On hearing this, Jesus said to
them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I
have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:15-17,
NIV)
Levi had been the hated tax collector. Imagine the kind of
friends he had:
- Political heavyweights who paid little if any taxes - thanks
to Levi.
- Other tax collectors
- Other liars, cheaters, and swindlers like Levi
- Prostitutes
Let's face it - you tend to hang around people that are like you.
It was this very crowd that the Matthew (the new Levi) decided to
encounter with his LORD Jesus.
The Pharisees looked at the party and saw this supposed religious
teacher, Jesus, there eating and drinking and talking with this
despicable crowd. They condemned him for being at such a
party. Out of their overwhelming sense of piety, the Pharisees
would not even set foot in such a house.
Do you think it is unchristian to go to a party where there is
drinking and cavorting going on?
- Being a "Christian" means being a Christ-follower.
- Jesus Christ went to such parties.
- The Bible tells us that we cannot separate ourselves from
the unchurched people in the world:
9I have written you
in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—
10not at all meaning the people of this world who are
immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case
you would have to leave this world. 11But now I
am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls
himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater
or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not
even eat. (1 Corinthians 5:9-11, NIV)
Keep in mind - Jesus went to the party not to cavort and engage
in sinful activities Himself. Rather He went to reach out to
people who needed to know truth and what a life-changing
relationship with Jesus could do for them. He encountered them
where they were and related to them in a way they could understand.
Suppose Jesus just sent them a flyer in the mail saying:
"Ya'll come this Sabbath! Dress up in your best clothes, come all
the way to Jerusalem to the Temple this Sabbath day, and stand
around waiting for Me to deliver a sermon you need to hear!"
How many of these tax-collectors would have been saved?
Most likely, none of the tax collectors would have gone to the
Temple to be around people who despised them. Instead, Jesus
showed them love by meeting them where they were. But Jesus
did not simply "make friends" with them. He did not simply do
a random act of kindness. He was intentional. He shared
His truth with them. He shared the good news with them:
...Jesus went into Galilee,
proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said.
"The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
(Mark 1:14-15, NIV)
God is near, not far off, no matter how fast and far you try to
run away from Him. And the gospel of Jesus Christ is not
something you have to climb a mountain to attain. The Bible
says:
8... "The word is near
you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word
of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess
with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that
God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For
it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it
is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As
the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put
to shame." 12For there is no difference between Jew
and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all
who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:8-13, NIV)
God shows no partiality in reaching out to people. People
who love Jesus find ways to connect with non-church people.
What percentage of your neighbors are unchurched?
- In Cobb County, Georgia, the rate is over 80%.
What percentage of these unchurched people are unsaved?
- Only God knows the hearts of people and can say for sure.
- A conservative estimate of people who do not go to church
and do not visibly follow the teachings of the LORD Jesus would
be around 75%.
So within 3 miles of my house, there are around 51,000 people.
This means that around 40,000 of them are unchurched. This
also means that around 30,000 of them are unsaved. They will
not go to Heaven. Because of their sin, they will be separated
from God forever in a horrible place called Hell - a place that God
originally designed just for the angels that rebelled against Him
(Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6).
Are you intentionally seeking opportunities to develop
relationships with the unchurched/unsaved people in your community?
What are some ways you can get involved and relate to people
outside of the church setting?
- Get involved in a non-church affiliated sports team.
- Get involved in your home-owners association.
- Get involved in your children's school or PTSA.
Use these as opportunities to meet people and develop a
relationship. Show them the love of Jesus Christ. And be
intentional about understanding where they are on their spiritual
journey. And share the good news with as many people as will
hear you.
Conclusion
Jesus called us to repent and believe the good
news. He also called us to follow Him as His disciple.
And in Mark chapter 2, He calls us to reach out to both friends and
strangers alike with the good news of
God's GRACE. The kingdom of God will advance with great
power and progress so long as we are faithful to reach out to
people.
People who love Jesus will find ways to
connect with people who need Jesus. There is a world of
opportunity - will you be found faithful?
End Notes
1. Edersheim, Alfred. The Life
and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.:
Grand Rapids, MI. 1971. p. 515.
2. Ibid. p. 516.
3. Ibid. p. 516. 4.
Butler, Trent C. (ed). Holman Bible Dictionary. Holman Bible
Publishers: Nashville, TN. 1991. p. 932.
© 2009. Randy Lariscy. All rights
reserved.
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