Outside The Holy Huddle

I recently read a statement that grabbed my heart. Jesus spent 90% of His ministry outside the synagogue. Let me put that another way. Jesus spent the majority of His time rubbing shoulders with irreligious people outside the religious gathering place.

Jesus crossed paths and ministered to an adulterer, a prostitute, a tax collector, a leper, several blind men, demon possessed people, hypocrites, the lame, a chronically ill woman and those grieving over the death of children. Jesus did not spend all of His time in a holy huddle surrounded by religious people doing religious things.

It is easy for followers of Jesus to insulate ourselves from the very people who need Jesus. We have to get outside and minister to those who do not attend our religious gatherings. Some have this naturally built into their days because they are students or work in the public sector. They constantly cross paths with irreligious people.

Have you noticed that Jesus treated sinful people with love and grace. He did not make excuses for their sins. He called them to a holy standard of living but He loved them. They felt comfortable around Him. Jesus was approachable. He still is. Does that define our interactions with irreligious people? Have we become so pious irreligious people shun us?

Do you get outside the holy huddle? Do you purposely engage people from different walks of life. Just this week I met a girl named Tasha who is a single mother and got to pray with her. I came across Juanita and Rex and prayed with them. I met Johnny, Jeremy and Paula. Each of these people I met outside the walls of Heritage Baptist Church.

Jesus purposely encountered people down on life, struggling in sin, and desperate for hope. Shouldn't we willingly do the same? People stumble through life weary and often disillusioned. By and large many of them have given up on the church. O that we might introduce these people to Jesus. I am thankful someone did that for me three decades ago. It is my mission to point others to Jesus too outside the holy huddles.

Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
10  for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."