1 post tagged “barbecue”

    It is blatantly obvious when reading the Bible, that Jesus hung out with sinners. If you want to you can replace sinners with the ever popular "marginalized people", but I'll stick with non-Christians. Jesus hung out with people who didn't know Him, so that they could get to know Him.
    It's a pretty simple plan really. If you don't know me, I'll hang out with you so you can get to know me. I mean in Mark 2, the religious people of the day wonder why Jesus is chillin' with sinners. Because they didn't know Him. Jesus says right after that in Mark 2:17 that "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners." If you like to look at the Bible as something that comments on itself and doesn't contradict, which you should because that is how it is supposed to be taken. We find out that none of us are righteous, but that's another topic.
    The thing is if we are Christ's ambassadors, with God making His appeal to others through us (2 Cor 5:20), then we are doing a pretty craptastic job of hanging out with people who don't know Jesus. We (Christians) are the group of people that sticks in their bubble. I mean really sticks in it, like if you don't and actually hang out with people who don't know Jesus yet, people will probably talk about you.
    The gospel allows for us to have a relationship with God. Jesus came to meet us where we are to instigate that relationship. We, as Christians, should probably follow that example and meet people where they are at. It will be messy, but where is the fun in the clean stuff? And by fun, I mean faith and obedience.
    I'm just going to shoot out some practical ways that one can meet, hang out with, and love on people who don't know Jesus yet.

    1. Where you live. - No matter where we live, we have neighbors. It's way easier if you live an in a dorm to hang out with people there. I mean you live with people then over near them. If you live in a house, you have neighbors. Thanks urban sprawl. Go back to the 1950's version of America. Have a barbecue and invite your neighbors over. Start to be friends and help them out when they need it. God didn't give you that barbecue and all that other stuff to be used on you. It's for Him.
    2. You probably have a job. - Work sucks (for the most part). You're coworkers probably don't like it anymore than you do either. Help them out. Serve them. Help them with what they need to do, as well as doing what you need to do well. Hang out with them outside of work. Trivia nights are fun (see Yesterday's or Delany's in 5 points.)
    3. Classmates. - This is a shout out to the students. You sit next to people who don't know Jesus, or have a terrible perception of who Jesus is because of people who claim Jesus treating them terribly. Have them over to study and cook them dinner. Hang out. If its a class for your major, you will probably have other classes with them. Don't just sit in your own world. Love your classmates.

    There are some problems that come when you hang out with people where they are at. I'll talk about them in my next blog, I hope.