All of you who are part of this family know that we are committed to the Bible, to the Scriptures as the Word of God.  Rightly understood, Scripture is the only authority for our lives as Christians.  God is holy.  He has not changed His mind about our need to be holy, to live holy lives.  But the problem with many in the church today who agree with the statements I just made about the Bible and character of God is that they turn the command to be holy into a self-righteous attitude which puts non-Christians off, and does not reflect the grace of God which is at work in our lives.  This kind of self-righteousness leads to a religious spirit, which had no place in Jesus’ life or ministry.
Two weeks ago, Rev. Bill Fuller did an excellent job of outlining for us how we can transform the climate of this city by going into the marketplace and by using Jesus’ strategy for ministering there.  He used Luke 10 to underline 4 basic principles.  They are: 1. Bless others by speaking peace to them (10:5); 2. Fellowship with others (10:6-8); 3. Meet their needs as others share them with you (10:9a); and 4. Share the good news with them about the Kingdom of God (10:9b).  Last week, which was week #2 of this series, we tried to unpack point 1 a little more, because God has called us to bless others, even those who are insulting us (I Peter 3:9).  This morning, we will continue to unpack what we believe is God’s heart for us as a church by looking at point 2 more closely.  We are going to see how God’s grace has been poured into our lives so we can live in His grace and fellowship with others where they are, which will open many doors for the gospel.

I. Jesus fellowshipped with ‘tax collectors’ and ‘sinners’.

One of the things I try to do when I disciple another person is ask them to study the gospels, looking at Jesus’ life to determine why Jesus did what He did.  I want for people to have a biblical conviction about priorities, so that they will begin to line their lives up with what they see in the Scriptures.  When you do this study, you will find some interesting things.  Jesus spent most of His time with the 12.  He invested Himself in them in all kinds of every day activities.  Many times Jesus did things which would have blown the minds of the religious Jews in that culture.  Jesus took His disciples with Him as He ate meals with “sinners”.  The religious really couldn’t deal with this.  In our text this morning, Jesus calls Levi, who we know better as Matthew, to follow Him as one of His disciples.  Matthew is overjoyed at being loved like this by a respected rabbi.  Tax collectors were absolutely hated by the Jews.  They had both sold out to the Romans and cheated people out of their money.  The fact that Jesus would even consider naming Matthew as one of His disciples blows the mind of the religious.

I tried to think of a parallel in our culture, but had trouble finding one.  Tax collectors were lumped in with harlots Gentiles, murderers and robbers.  I guess in modern day terms, it would be like inviting Heidi Fleiss– who ran a modern day call girl ring– or perhaps Richard Reid– the Al-Quaida operative who tried to blow up an airplane using a shoe bomb– to join our inner circle of disciples at Trinity.  What do you think people would say about Trinity if these 2 people were invited into our church?  They are welcomed as special guests on Sunday morning, into some of our small groups, and into ministry opportunities which are taking place.  They would be members of your ministry team.  How would the Christian community in Florence respond?  How would you respond?

Jesus not only invites a complete outsider into the inner circle, but then He goes to eat dinner at Matthew’s house and hangs out with all of Matthew’s friends.  Again, this is way outside the box!  To use our analogy above, it would be like our elders and their wives going over to Heidi Fleiss’ house and eating dinner with her and all her former employees.  Eating dinner at someone else’s house means something, even in our culture.  It was more important in their culture.  Eating a meal was a long affair.  Matthew is holding this banquet for Jesus, so his friends can meet his Lord.  What a witness this would be to all of Matthew’s friends!  They would all be overjoyed to meet a rabbi like Jesus and to eat with Him, because none of them would ever have had that privilege before. 
This was not the only time Jesus spent time with the wrong crowd!  Mary Magdalene and others who had been set free from demons or been harlots were in Jesus’ inner circle of disciples too.  Jesus spent time with people who were seriously lost!  This was one of the ways Jesus showed compassion to people, by fellowshipping with them. 

This has caused me to ask the question, “If Jesus was in Florence, SC today, how would He spend His time?  Who would be the recipients of His grace?”  As I have reflected on this, I believe Jesus would hang out with the poor for one– people like the Hispanic immigrants whom the Lord has brought into our midst.  Jesus would look for people who are in need of grace and know they are in need of grace!  I cannot tell you how hungry for love people have been this past week, as I have eaten meals with some of you and tried to bless those who served us!  We have met 2 single moms, who are deeply concerned about their children and working long hours as waitresses to make ends meet.  We have met women going through divorce or whose husbands have left them.  One of the groups of people Jesus would reach if He were living and ministering in Florence, SC today would be single moms who are struggling to make ends meet.  We need to find a way to minister to people in these kinds of situations!!  Who else would Jesus spend time with– maybe the guy addicted to drugs who wants out but sees no way out.  Maybe the young man who was kicked out of his house and so sleeps under the bridge for now.  I don’t know how many of you saw the movie– The Pursuit of Happiness– a true story about a man who was struggling to support his family and his wife gave up and left him with his son.  He was trying to care for his son, and teach him what is right, and start a new job.  He struggles every day to make ends meet and support his son, through great hardship and eventually is hired as an agent for a stock exchange company.  He moves up the ladder, but it was tremendously difficult at first– no job, no place to live, no way to really care for his son, and needing steady income.  Who would Jesus reach out and touch?  With whom would He fellowship?  I think it might surprise us...as it did the religious in Jesus’ day. 

II. The religious won’t interact with anyone they see as sinners.

The more I grow in my walk with Jesus, the more I identify with the Pharisees.  They are indignant about Jesus’ actions!  How dare Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners!  Clearly, Jesus is following the plan of His heavenly Father.  He isn’t doing this for show, but is compassionately caring for people the religious have rejected!  Jesus loved people who knew they struggled with sin and had a need.  Look at His response to the Pharisees– healthy people don’t need a doctor, but the sick do, so I am reaching out to those who know they are sick and so need help.  Jesus was not saying that the Pharisees were righteous in and of themselves so didn’t need Him, but He was recognizing what these people recognized– I need help to live a righteous life.    I can’t do this on my own, but am utterly dependent upon Jesus to help me!
Where are you with this today?  Do you avoid others because you believe you are more righteous than they are?  Are you growing in humility, or in arrogance?  Do you have faith in your ideas about God, or true faith in God?  These kind of questions might help you discern if there is any vestige of pride or self-righteousness in you.  The Pharisees are not the ones who received forgiveness.  They received condemnation because they were not willing to acknowledge their own need for the righteousness of God.

You see, compassion for others can never co-exist with judgement over others, because judgement creates distance, distinction and so prevent us from really knowing one another.  When our thoughts are pervaded with judging others, this hinders others from experiencing the love of Christ they so desperately need to change.  Judging others was not Jesus’ way nor His perspective!  Do you remember when the woman who was caught in adultery was dragged before Jesus, and the religious asked Jesus what they should do with her.  Someone noted that the man they caught with her was not brought before Jesus, only the woman; but Jesus’ response is powerful.  The one who is without sin should throw the first stone.  Beginning with the older ones, they all dropped their stones and left.  Jesus looked up at her and asked, “Where are you accusers?  Isn’t there anyone to accuse you?  Neither do I accuse you.  But, go and sin no more!”  The law said that the one caught in adultery should be stoned.  Was Jesus ignoring the law or ignoring holiness?  No!  Jesus was fulfilling the law, and upholding true purity by calling her to sin no more.   This is the model for us, people of God.  For Jesus, compassion led the way.

One of the most powerful ministries I have ever witnessed is the ministry of Betel.  Betel, which is Spanish for “Bethel” (which means “house of God”), is a ministry to drug addicts and prostitutes which has opened centers in cities around the world.  Betel began when a missionary sensed the call of God to Madrid, Spain.  They began sharing the love of Christ with middle class folks and students, with very little fruit.  One evening, the missionary, Elliott Tepper, was coming home and saw a drug addict lying on the street, and he sensed the Lord calling him to stop and speak to the man.  This led to an invitation to his home, where he was fed and shadowed all day long to help him go through withdrawal and get free from drugs.  As Elliott cared for him day after day, this man came to faith in Christ, was delivered from his addiction, which began a powerful ministry which is still growing today.  Elliott loved this mana nd invited him into his home instead of judging him.  The most important aspect of this ministry is the beginning, when Betel members will meet an addict and ask them if they want to be free of that lifestyle.  They ask without judgement, without condemnation, because they know that they all have been freed from the ravages of drugs themselves.  The same thing is true of every one of us!  I shudder to think about where I would be had Jesus not gotten a hold of my life when He did.  It wouldn’t be pretty, of that I am certain!  I am a sinner saved by grace, so that now, I have been bought and adopted as a son into God’s family.  God did this by His infinite mercy and grace for me, not because of anything I did to make myself righteous.  People of God, we must die to every bit of self-righteous attitude and love people where they are!  This is Jesus’ way!

III. The grace of God calls on us to fellowship with people in need of our love.
If we are going to be used by God to impact the city where we live, which we believe is God’s will for us, then it will only happen as we develop relationships with others.  When I worked on campuses, we would tell students to get out of their “rabbit-hole” Christianity.”  Do you know what I mean by that phrase?  Some Christians poke their head out of their home to see if any serious pagans are around, and if the coast is clear, they run to their Bible study.  When finished there, they enjoy fellowship with others in their church at lunch.  Then they go to the Christian hair dresser or barber, and then run to their Christian meeting, and run home.  They breathe a sigh of relief because they have not tainted themselves with any dust left by the pagan world around them.  Are you a rabbit-hole Christian?

Jesus seemed to go out of his way to hang out with serious pagans.  How many relationships are you developing with others who either do not know Jesus or you do not know yet where they stand with Jesus?    If the person beside you at work is unchurched, how are you interacting with them so they can see the light of Christ in you?  I find this to be harder as a pastor than I did when I wasn’t a pastor.  Ann and I have worked hard since moving to a new neighborhood a year ago to interact with our neighbors when we take walks.  We seek to attend every neighborhood gathering possible.  As we have done this, eaten meals with folks in our neighborhood, gone to parties– and yes the alcohol was flowing freely there– gone to pot-lucks and board meetings, we are earning trust.  We didn’t do this well in our last neighborhood, but have determined that this is one of the open doors for us to build relationships with some people in need of Christ.  For you, it may be through a civic club, through a sports team, through your interaction at work, through a school organization which you join to improve the quality of education at your child’s school, or at the country club.  It doesn’t matter where in one sense, as long as you maintain the perspective that you are asking the Lord to use you to minister to or pastor those around you. 

Bill Fuller shared with us a few weeks ago how he adopted a restaurant– a place he would eat every week, with the intent to pastor the waiters, waitresses, managers, or others who were there.  He would come in and ask how the Lord answered the prayer he prayed over the waiter or waitress the last time he was there.  Then he would ask what he could pray for this week.  Ultimately, you are seeking to invite people into your home to get to know them better.  You are wanting to be in other peoples’ homes you are seeking to pastor, so they can get to know who you are.  Use any opportunity that the Lord gives to you to pastor others.  Because Ann and I have been praying for and developing relationships in our neighborhood, a neighbor called last week and asked if we would pray for her because of severe back pain she is having.  Ann listened for a while and told me about her request.  I called her the next day and asked if we could come over to her house and pray over her in person, because sometimes that is more effective, but also, it gives us face to face prayer time which God always uses in some way.  They are very Catholic, but I don’t really know if they are born again or not.  When I asked if we could pray with her in person, she recounted a time her priest prayed over her like that when she was in the hospital, so agreed.  Ann and I read a couple of Scriptures and prayed in faith for healing for her back.  This would not have happened if we had not taken the opportunity to come to their house when they invited us for a party, or if we had not stopped to talk with them and learn about their needs when we saw them out on other occasions.  I am excited to see how the Lord will work in this out for His glory.
What is it we are after?  We want a relationship with others, where we can be in a position to bless them, to fellowship with them, to pray for needs in their lives, and to share the gospel with them.  As you build relationships with others, be yourself, with Christ at the center.  I tell people that I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to fill me and to use me however He desires, before walking to our neighbors, or anywhere else.  You can make a significant impact on others by living this way!  God will use you to love another person into faith in Christ.