Friend Of Sinners

“A friend of tax collectors and sinners” — Luke 7:34 ESV

When Jesus was on earth, His whole life was an evangelistic mission.  Jesus was the ultimate Evangelist, because everything He did was for the purpose of pointing people back to the Father.  His sinless life was a living witness that displayed the superiority of living in the pleasure of the presence of God over living in the sinful, fleeting pleasures this world offers.  His teachings were to provoke those who had an ear to hear to seek the Lord while He may be found. When he was with His disciples, He was teaching them how to live in right relationship with the Father, and when He was with sinners, He winsomely extended the offer of relationship with Him and with the Father.  When He went to the cross, which was the “crux” of His mission, He poured out His blood to redeem mankind, and not only was that the most evangelistic act of all time, but all evangelism hinges on it.

Jesus gave a mission statement in several different places in the gospels, and it was worded differently each time, but it was always evangelistic.  Listen to Luke 19:10 — “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost,” or consider Luke 4:18 — “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor,” or examine Luke 5:31-32 — “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” or think about John 6:37, 40 — “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me… For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Jesus is the ultimate Evangelist, and when we share the gospel, we become a part of the mission He lived for.

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This blog is an excerpt from Robert Presson’s devotional book, “Look to Jesus,” available for a donation of any amount at cityrevivalnola.com/give. Please indicate that you would like the book when you give.