God desires mercy

 God desires mercy

Matthews gospel records,

“While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.  

When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:10-13.

Sometime ago I told a Christian friend, at least he said he was a Christian, I told him I’d been invited to a same sex marriage. He said he disagreed with same sex unions and that I should stay away from it. His reasoning being by going I was agreeing with what they were doing. 

I had no problems with them getting married. They were a good couple. A couple who’d been pushed away from the gospel by people who seen them as having “a special sin”. For years this couple had heard in no uncertain terms that “they were going to hell because of who they were”.

Nothing could be further from the truth. They were no different than anyone, in any church anywhere in any city, anywhere in the world. They were like my friend and the rest of the world, a sinner in need of Gods saving grace.

The apostle Paul wrote,

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.

The way I see it no one who truly believes in Christ Jesus, has the right to say where anyone will spend eternity, especially those outside the church. 

Tony Campolo the American evangelist wrote,

“We ought to get out of the judging business. We should leave it up to God to determine who belongs in one arena or another when it comes to eternity. What we are obligated to do is to tell people about Jesus, and that's what I do.” Tony Campolo.

We cannot tell people about Jesus unless we can discuss Him with others. And we cannot do that if we continually are yelling at people, no matter who they are that they are going to hell.

Billy Graham wrote,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                                     Billy Graham.

As I write this it’s August of 2020 not only are we in a global pandemic but we are in the midst of, especially in the United States, a social upheaval.

Never in world history is there a need for saving grace and mercy of God.

Never has there been a time when the church needs to hear the word of Jesus who said,

“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:13.

Please think about it.