Let’s face it. Most of us Jesus-followers aren’t following Him in being a friend of sinners as He was. Matthew 11 is quite clear that He wore that charge as a badge of honor. We’re often afraid of what other Christians will think of us if we spend too much time with lost people.
One of the excuses we use is TIME. But the bottom line is that each of us has 24 hours in the day. And we can’t (and shouldn’t try to) get around the fact that Jesus spent TIME with sinners.
We also looked at the fact that we have forgotten THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP. In our self-absorbed culture, we tend to focus on me, myself, and mine.
We are looking at various excuses we Jesus-followers use for not following Jesus in this crucial area of being a friend of sinners. Sometimes Christians are confused about THE WORLD and our place in it. There is a great difference between being a friend of sinners (as Jesus was) and being a friend of the world (which James 4 condemns)! We fail to properly define the world and end up, ironically, embracing the world’s values but avoiding its citizens!
Let’s begin a brief discussion of the issue of FUN! What do you do for FUN? I was once asked to interview a candidate for the position of dean of our seminary and I asked him two simple questions: (1) “Please tell me about your unsaved friends.” (He candidly admitted that he had none). (2) “Please tell me what you do for fun.” (He said he didn’t have time for fun).
Somebody needs to develop a theology of fun! God made us to enjoy His world and that includes FUN! Mike Witmer’s Becoming Worldly Saints is a tremendous help in this area. We are to enjoy the world God has made. There is a fun-factor built into each of us. Hmmmm. What if we were to spend time with sinners — and have FUN with them? (to be continued)
Dr. Larry Dixon
