Heartland: A Church Connected: Recent Episodes
Heartland Mississauga A Church Connected
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Zacchaeus the tax collector
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.’” —Luke 19:1-10 NIVUK
- We Assign Labels “A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.” —Luke 19:2-3 A tax collector Wealthy Short We must be very careful not to be of people simply because of the labels we assign them.
It is possible that the very label which we may believe to the individual from Jesus is the very thing that causes them to take interest in Jesus.
- Jesus Comes Over “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ … ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.‘” —Luke 19:5, 7b Here Jesus is assigned a label by virtue of his rapport with Zacchaeus. Jesus takes on the identity of “guest of a sinner” and becomes guilty by association. Here Jesus is only in the eyes of the judgemental onlookers. He is
“Love isn’t something we fall into, love is someone we become.” —Bob Goff
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I myself am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” —1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Love Everyone Always Paul says, “I have made myself a slave to everyone…” Paul specifically mentions three groups: Jews: Paul conformed to Jewish law on indifferent matters (Acts 16:3; 18:18; 21:20-26). Gentiles: Paul took his place in the culture in order to reach them (Galatians 2:11-21). Weak Conscience: Paul refrains from exercising his Christian freedom (1 Corinthians 8:9-12). Paul says, “I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 Corinthians 9:19b). How To Love Everyone Always Big Opinions Lead To Big Obstacles
Paul was not focused on winning arguments he was focused on winning people. Fight the urge to trade kindness for rightness. It’s possible to be correct, but not right. Arguments won’t change people. Simply giving away kindness won’t either. Only Jesus has the power to change people, and it will be harder for them to see Jesus if their view of Him is blocked by our big opinions. To Like Or Be Like
There’s a big difference between liking Jesus and being like Jesus. 1 John 2:6 “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” Attendance Isn’t Everything
Jesus said, “…send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38). Perhaps we need to start measuring church health, growth, and spiritual renewal by how we empty our churches, not just how we fill them. Cannonball Love
Jesus came to earth and declared He would turn God’s enemies into His friends. Jesus saw loving God and loving neighbours as one inseparable mandate. Bob Goff: “Don’t put a toe in the water with your love; grab your knees and do a cannonball. Move from the bleachers to the field and you won’t ever be the same. Don’t just love the people who are easy to love; go love the difficult ones.”