NO LONGER OUTSIDERS
And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:6 (NLT)
Here's something radical: the Gospel is literally for everyone. But if we're honest, we often struggle when God's invitation extends to people who are different from us. Yet God has always done it this way. Whether foreigners, pagans, sinners or those from the chosen race of people, all have been given the chance to trust and follow Him.
Throughout Scripture, we see God's heart for everyone to know Him—Rahab, Ruth, Nineveh, the Samaritan woman and the Ethiopian official—all outsiders who experienced God's mercy and grace. These stories crossed a boundary that religious people expected God to keep. But repeatedly, God's heart ached so much for all the world to know Him that He extended Himself beyond the limits of the rules to invite others into His Kingdom.
What's hard to grasp, however, is that many of God's people resisted His merciful heart, often adding expectations to the Gospel that God never required:
* Peter resisted the inclusion of the Gentiles.
* The Pharisees rebuked Jesus for welcoming tax collectors and sinners.
* The prodigal son's older brother resented their father's grace toward his brother.
The early church struggled because it confused God's requirements with cultural requirements. That's why Paul spent so much time explaining that salvation wasn't just for the Jews. Even now, we can find ourselves doing the same thing.
There's a difference between cultural conformity and Gospel transformation. Too often, we impose our preferences on conversion, accidentally requiring individuals to conform to human standards before recognizing their belonging in Christ. Obedience matters, but conformity isn't the same thing as obedience.
Throughout the Bible, God offers His invitation of salvation to anyone willing to say yes. His invitation extends to the richest, the poorest, the religious, the rebellious and the broken. The human boundaries we draw pale in comparison to what Jesus requires: He requires surrender, not perfection. Jesus removes our outsider status and additionally transforms our inward reality. It's never conformity that qualifies us— it's always Jesus.
APPLICATION: Jesus welcomed you long before you thought you had everything figured out. Who is He asking you to welcome today?
PRAYER: Jesus, thank You for welcoming me through Your grace. Help me love others as You do. Amen.
"… Our Father in heaven…" Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
• What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
"… may your name be kept holy." Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
• What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
"May your Kingdom come soon." Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
• Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
"Give us today the food we need," Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
• Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I'm around today?
"and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us" Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
• Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
"And don’t let us yield to temptation…" Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
• Is there anywhere I'm vulnerable to temptation?