April 26, 2024

When I was growing up, it seemed like people wanted you to act right before you came to church. Then you had to learn to give the right answers to the right questions about God. It was only after you acted right and gave the right answers that you would be considered “in.” It was a Behave, Believe, Belong approach.
But let’s contrast that to Jesus’ approach. Jesus enjoyed meeting people far from God right where they were. In fact, I love in our passage today how the writer makes note that many of Jesus’ followers were “disreputable sinners.” Jesus allowed them to draw near. He engaged in conversations with them. He had dinner with them. They were invited to be a part of the “community.” They got to watch how Jesus and the disciples acted. They got to ask questions about God, the Scriptures, and life. As they let them be a part, they came to learn and understand. God became real to them, and Jesus became a model to them. That’s when they let go of their old ways to do things His Way. Jesus’ model was Belong, Believe, Behave.
This passage took me back to when I was a Youth Pastor at the church where I now serve as a Senior Pastor. Several of us played basketball at the Y and in the city leagues. When our church built a new facility, one that included a beautiful indoor basketball court, we started playing pick-up ball on Sunday afternoons and inviting our friends from our city teams to come play with us. Most of them had only been in churches for weddings and funerals. Playing on Sunday afternoons gave us extended time to get to know each other. It led to great conversations and a lot of questions about God, church, and life. Several of those friends ended up coming to church. They opened their lives to us. We got to counsel them, pray with them, and lead some of them to the Lord. We got to be their friends…which gave us the opportunity to lead them to our Savior. Start with “Belong.” That’s the Jesus Way. That’s God’s Word for you today.