Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
The religious watched and were appalled as the low-life dregs of society were drawn to the Saviour to hear Him preach and to eat with Him.
A week ago, a good brother, sister and I ministered to a drug addict. We packed up and moved this person who was literally stymied, frozen in place by their addiction. We paused to pray several times for grace and strength for this poor soul, overcome by poverty, shame and the ravages of dependence.
Many expressions of gratefulness were conveyed as we worked circles around them in the heat and humidity of a house without air-conditioning and in press of the summer sun.
And the kicker, we didn't know this person from Adam. They were a sinner in need of Christian compassion. They had experienced plenty of religion, powerless to lift them above their saddened condition. This person is now assured in their relationship with the Lord!
Jesus said to look upon the fields, for they are white unto harvest. Those vast fields are rife with the type of people that Jesus received criticism for pursuing.
But there they are, standing in need of Christian compassion and a good dose of the gospel of Christ. If we don't reach them, who will?
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