What The World Needs From Us || March 3, 2010

Have you ever heard the phrase, "We are to be Christ to the world"? Have you ever stopped to wonder what exactly that means? We have been tasked to be Jesus' representatives to the world around us. The idea is that unbelievers can look at us and see Him shining through. Sometimes I have to question to what extent are we really doing our job.

Looking at Christians in general, how much can the world really see the Savior through us? How closely are we following in the example that He set? I wonder if some of us perhaps have been so caught up in the laws and regulations, that we've lost sight of everything else, lost sight of Him. Yes, there are rules and there are laws set for a reason, but there's more than just that. Should we not put our focus on where Jesus was focused? Should we not study the scriptures and what it tells us about His life on earth, and the example that He led, and then mold ourselves into that?

In the Bible, the Pharisees were the teachers and the keepers of the law. Because of this, they saw themselves as being so important, and so much better than those around them. They looked around at the sinners and saw them with condemnation, and as being beneath them. Like, After all, they're sinners, and we are Pharisees. We're above everyone else. They saw no reason to reach out to them. They saw no reason to try to help them. After all, they were better than the sinners, right?

Matthew 23:12-14 tells us,

¹²And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

¹³But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

¹⁴Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.


A while back I heard a story about one of the local churches in the area. One Sunday, a woman came in who wasn't a member there. She actually was someone well known in the community as being a lesbian. When she went there, the church members were looking around at each other, and looking at her and wondering why she was there, as if she weren't supposed to be there. They kept to themselves, and away from her. When she sat down in a pew, nobody else sat near her. She was there all kept away as if she was something contagious, and they didn't want her there. Finally, someone else who was there looked around at them, and looked at her, and introduced themself and sat down with her. That was all this person did, just made her feel human, not making her feel like she was something to be detested.

Now tell me, in this instance, who was the representation of Jesus, and who were the Pharisees? This woman wasn't invited there. No one said, Hey, why don't you come to church with us. Come listen to the preacher preach a message. No, she came on her own. They didn't want her there. She knew they'd know who she was and what she did, but she went there anyway. Clearly she was looking for something. Clearly she knew that she needed something, but with the exception of just one person, the entire church of "Christians" refused to show her what that something was. They refused to reach out to her and lend her a hand. They just refused. Again, who was living the example of Christ here, and who was living the example of the Pharisees?

Matthew 9:10-12 says,

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

¹²But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.


Do you see? We spend much of our time preaching to the choir. We stick to where it's safe, where we know, and who we know. How many of us really take a chance? How many of us step out of our comfort zones? How many of us really try to reach out to those who really are in need?

Does this mean that we should accept the sin that people have as if it's okay in order to make them feel better? No, of course not. But we also shouldn't show them condemnation when they look into our eyes. After all, that's not our place, that's between them and their Creator. No, we should let them see Jesus through us instead. We should let them know that He is real, and that He came here and died for them. He was crucified and rose again for them. Salvation is available for them. God wants them to come to Him, and it's not about us. He didn't come here just for us, but for everyone. We are not to be like the Pharisees, we are to be like Jesus. We are to live our lives in His example.


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