CALLING ALL WHO ARE SICK

Mark 2:17 “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Once there was a church that had prayed fervently for God to give them growth. It happened that one Sunday at worship a known prostitute entered the building and took a seat in the back of the building. Everyone ignored her. After hearing the sermon, she felt the call of the gospel and responded. The preacher and the congregation didn’t know what to do, much less say. After a very long and uncomfortable silence one well respected man in the congregation stood up, breaking the silence, and suggested that they all pray. He prayed, “Oh Lord, we know that we have prayed that this church would grow and that we prayed that many would hear the gospel and believe. But when we prayed we didn’t know that you would be sending such sinners as this. Don’t you know that we don’t allow people such as this in our church?”

Have you ever heard a star athlete or other famous individual say, “I don’t want to forget where I came from” or “I want to give back to the community”? Sure you have. It’s a pretty common saying among the privileged in our society. It’s touching to see NBA superstars feeding the hungry on Thanksgiving or movie stars that help clean up depressed areas. It’s a sign that they acknowledge that they are blessed and that they have something to offer. I can’t imagine Lady Gaga taking up a collection to help pay for Justin Bieber’s new yacht. That would be ridiculous because, he obviously doesn’t need assistance in paying for things like that.

As Christians, we too have been given something of great worth. We have been introduced to the love of Jesus. We have been touched by unbelievable mercy. We realize just how much he loves us and how much he loved us while we were living as sinners. That’s what we have to offer. Although we should desire to lift up our fellow believers, it would also be misguided to only share our experiences with the saved. You see, there is a world full of “sick” people. Some are physically sick and many more are spiritually in need of a healing. Christ left us with a non-negotiable mandate to reach out to the lost – to share the facts of hope and renewal to all who don’t know Christ.

But here’s the thing about “sick” people -- they are sick. They won’t be whole. They won’t look as we think we do. They won’t live like we think we do. They will come from places that we don’t want to go. They come to us because of our mandate. We should look for them because of our mandate.

Beginning tonight, I have the honor of being a part of the greatest evangelistic event that I have ever seen - “Blink – The Door”. Over the next eleven days, thousands will give their heart to Christ. We will see people from all walks of life come forward to accept Christ. Why? Because they are sick and in need of a physician. This is their moment. It is their opportunity to become well and find the love and acceptance that they so desperately need.

As believers, we must put away all preconceived ideas and notions that cause us to look upon people and see them as anything short as someone who is loved by God. The easiest way to do so is to remember that the only difference between them and me is that I was sick and have already been touched by the great physician. Remember the example that Christ left for us in scripture. He sat down to eat with sinners. Because they needed him.

Be on guard of your heart. We should welcome the most sick and the most hurting into our midst. They may spill their drinks on our seats. They may write their girlfriends name on our walls. They may be viewed as the “riff-raff” of society. They may even remind us of where we came from. I hope they do.