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Enjoying Jesus Day 15

Matthew Parties

SCRIPTURE

DEVOTIONAL

Matthew sets the stage for engaging our neighbor with biblical hospitality. Matthew was a tax collector in Capernaum, working under the Empire, Rome. Tax collectors were frequently despised as traitors and cheats for working with the enemy against their own people. They were seen as unclean for working with Gentiles. His profession made him an outcast from both Jewish community and religious life, unwelcome at religious life. 


Jesus calls Matthew while he’s sitting at the tax booth, and Matthew leaves everything to follow him. As a demonstration of his love for Jesus, he throws an elaborate banquet, and invites other tax collectors and sinners to attend, with Jesus and the disciples as the guests of honor. Immediately, Matthew invites people to get to know Jesus. 


We build a strong bridge of connection when we invite our friends who don’t know Jesus yet, to get to know some other friends who follow Jesus. People often need a safe place to belong before they are ready to believe. By creating opportunities for our unchurched friends to become friends with our church friends, we can create space for God’s love to be experienced naturally, incarnationally and without pressure or preaching at them. If we can get our unchurched friends to be friends with our church friends, we get to take part together in blessing those who are in the process of coming to Jesus. We journey together with our church family, praying for our unchurched friends, and together rejoicing when they take steps towards faith. 


Can you, like Matthew, plan a get together with a church family and an unchurched family? Throw your own “Matthew Party,” where the goal is simply relationship building, allowing our unchurched friends to begin to trust a few Christians. It doesn't have to be a party; it could be a BBQ, coffee or simple dinner. The goal is relationship building, not perfect hosting.



PRAYER

Dear Jesus, give me a heart like yours, a heart that is happy to sit at the table with those who don’t know you. Give me a heart that loves people like you do. Show me who you want me to include in my Matthew Party, and give me the courage to make the invite. Amen.

SONG

Come As You Are
For God So Loved