FRIENDS WITH SINNERS
By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi.
Matthew 9:10 -11 "And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?"
The Pharisees were a religious sect with strict moral codes stemming from the laws of Moses and it wasn't permitted for a renowned prophet or priest from God to eat with members of the public or sinners. This was a measure that was taken by the priesthood to avoid being corrupted.
Jesus' approach to this was quite the opposite, He was a people's person and discouraged any form of segregation among His followers, He loves sinners and came to save sinners and not to condemn them . He was the embodiment of love and love does not segregate, therefore, His reply to His critics was succinct and revealed His purpose for having dinner with sinners as stated in Matthew 9:12-13 "But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He stated clearly that the world has a sin disease and He is the cure. To cure the world requires an interactive approach towards solving this problem. Jesus hates the sin but loves the sinner.
There are two extremes that exists in the church with respect to our relationship with non-christians . These extremes are counter productive in bringing souls into having a relationship with Jesus. The first, is that taught by the so-called' holiness ' movement , this teaching says the sinner should be avoided as much as possible but to be contacted only for the purpose of seeking for church membership. Therefore, a Christian should not be seen eating, living with, a person who isn't part of the 'holiness' group for the fear of losing their righteousness . This may seem wise at first glance but is unbiblical and grossly hypocritical and cannot make a person more or less holy (Col.2:19-23). Members of these sects work in companies owned by non christians, attend schools taught by non christians or sinners, eat foods and use medications from non christian nations, everything from equipments to building used by their churches are by non christians. Therefore, the only way to avoid interactions with non- christians is by relocating to another planet. The scriptures says in 1cor 5:9-10 "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world." .it is impossible to separate oneself from sinners .
The second extreme is that of being emotionally involved with a non-believer in Christ with the hope that by so doing, they will make a commitment to serve the lord.In the first place there is no sincerity in such a relationship and any relationship built on falsehood can't withstand the temptations and trials that accompanies the Christian faith.Persons engaged in this practice often carry around emotional baggage and struggle with faith. They are opportunistic and selfish. We cannot achieve a righteous goal through unrighteousness. Playing with a person's emotion only leads to bitterness and a sense of betrayal. We lose friends by this method of soul winning. A lot of Christians have found themselves indulging in shameful acts with dare consequences through this mode of preaching the gospel especially to persons who were once Christians. The scriptures says in 1cor 10:12 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." This is also an abuse of the liberty we have in Christ, we are thus admonished in 1cor 8:9 "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak." Such emotional entanglement are a distraction to the new believer in the pursuit of a wholesome relationship in Christ. Our purpose has to be right in our dealings with others.
We are to have a peaceful relationship with all men as long as they are willing to dwell in peace with us, Christians and non-Christians can peacefully coexist ( Rom 12:18). We are instructed to pray for the peace of the community or nation we find ourselves in (Jer 29:7) regardless of who is at the helm of affairs, we owe our leaders daily prayers ( 1tim2:1-2) .Whatever relationship we find ourselves requires divine wisdom to avoid exploitation(Col. 4:5) .
It is important that we identify with their weakness while seeking to bring home the gospel which is our primary focus. We shouldn’t belittle them in anyway remembering we were once like them. This may require speaking their language, eating their cuisine and celebrating their culture while seeking for common grounds from were the bases for teaching them the gospel could be established (1cor 9:19-22). This shouldn't be seen as an attempt to be a man -pleaser( Gal.1:10 ) but seeking for an opportunity to witness the gospel without compromising , the scriptures says in Luke 6: 26" Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! " it is the desire to be socially correct that has led to many becoming false teachers. We should never be ashamed to speak the truth of the gospel (Romans 1:16) and shouldn't be afraid of being rejected by non - christians ; some will hate you for your stand for the truth ( 1Pe 4:4) but in the end you'll emerge victorious.
Prayer /counseling +2348098536911, +2348035536911
Email :Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
Matthew 9:10 -11 "And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?"
The Pharisees were a religious sect with strict moral codes stemming from the laws of Moses and it wasn't permitted for a renowned prophet or priest from God to eat with members of the public or sinners. This was a measure that was taken by the priesthood to avoid being corrupted.
Jesus' approach to this was quite the opposite, He was a people's person and discouraged any form of segregation among His followers, He loves sinners and came to save sinners and not to condemn them . He was the embodiment of love and love does not segregate, therefore, His reply to His critics was succinct and revealed His purpose for having dinner with sinners as stated in Matthew 9:12-13 "But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He stated clearly that the world has a sin disease and He is the cure. To cure the world requires an interactive approach towards solving this problem. Jesus hates the sin but loves the sinner.
There are two extremes that exists in the church with respect to our relationship with non-christians . These extremes are counter productive in bringing souls into having a relationship with Jesus. The first, is that taught by the so-called' holiness ' movement , this teaching says the sinner should be avoided as much as possible but to be contacted only for the purpose of seeking for church membership. Therefore, a Christian should not be seen eating, living with, a person who isn't part of the 'holiness' group for the fear of losing their righteousness . This may seem wise at first glance but is unbiblical and grossly hypocritical and cannot make a person more or less holy (Col.2:19-23). Members of these sects work in companies owned by non christians, attend schools taught by non christians or sinners, eat foods and use medications from non christian nations, everything from equipments to building used by their churches are by non christians. Therefore, the only way to avoid interactions with non- christians is by relocating to another planet. The scriptures says in 1cor 5:9-10 "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world." .it is impossible to separate oneself from sinners .
The second extreme is that of being emotionally involved with a non-believer in Christ with the hope that by so doing, they will make a commitment to serve the lord.In the first place there is no sincerity in such a relationship and any relationship built on falsehood can't withstand the temptations and trials that accompanies the Christian faith.Persons engaged in this practice often carry around emotional baggage and struggle with faith. They are opportunistic and selfish. We cannot achieve a righteous goal through unrighteousness. Playing with a person's emotion only leads to bitterness and a sense of betrayal. We lose friends by this method of soul winning. A lot of Christians have found themselves indulging in shameful acts with dare consequences through this mode of preaching the gospel especially to persons who were once Christians. The scriptures says in 1cor 10:12 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." This is also an abuse of the liberty we have in Christ, we are thus admonished in 1cor 8:9 "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are weak." Such emotional entanglement are a distraction to the new believer in the pursuit of a wholesome relationship in Christ. Our purpose has to be right in our dealings with others.
We are to have a peaceful relationship with all men as long as they are willing to dwell in peace with us, Christians and non-Christians can peacefully coexist ( Rom 12:18). We are instructed to pray for the peace of the community or nation we find ourselves in (Jer 29:7) regardless of who is at the helm of affairs, we owe our leaders daily prayers ( 1tim2:1-2) .Whatever relationship we find ourselves requires divine wisdom to avoid exploitation(Col. 4:5) .
It is important that we identify with their weakness while seeking to bring home the gospel which is our primary focus. We shouldn’t belittle them in anyway remembering we were once like them. This may require speaking their language, eating their cuisine and celebrating their culture while seeking for common grounds from were the bases for teaching them the gospel could be established (1cor 9:19-22). This shouldn't be seen as an attempt to be a man -pleaser( Gal.1:10 ) but seeking for an opportunity to witness the gospel without compromising , the scriptures says in Luke 6: 26" Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! " it is the desire to be socially correct that has led to many becoming false teachers. We should never be ashamed to speak the truth of the gospel (Romans 1:16) and shouldn't be afraid of being rejected by non - christians ; some will hate you for your stand for the truth ( 1Pe 4:4) but in the end you'll emerge victorious.
Prayer /counseling +2348098536911, +2348035536911
Email :Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
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