Being a Christian is not being part of an exclusive group of people who have received favor from God. Jesus tells us that His kingdom is in heaven, but His mission on earth was to redeem those who were lostTOn sin. That, to me, indicates that He came to save everyone. He ministered to all people, from various walks of life as well as those who others considered to be “low-lifes.” Why can’t we be more like He was? Well, for one thing, He’s God and we aren’t. However, His life is to be an example for us to follow. Still, everyday we see injustice, unfair treatment, bizarre behavior, immorality, hate, bigotry and on and on. We’ve forgotten how to talk to each other as well as how to listen to one another. In our exclusiveness, we’ve turned people away from Christ’s everlasting message, rather than bringing the good news to their attention.

We’ve all had experiences where we place our trust in a close knit group of people. For some it’s a group we share coffee and conversation with. For some it can mean being part of a clique or gang that makes you feel important. In the world of business, your success is a measure of your worth. In regard to your popularity, it can be your sense of humor, your zest for life, your ability to manage more than the average person that gets attention. There is even a sort of hierarchy in the church that poses that same works oriented value on people, In God’s eyes, we’re all the same. Even though we don’t deserve to be in His inner circle, every human life has the same opportunity to be part of it.

Have you ever heard Jesus differentiate among people? He definitely criticized what was happening with the leadership of the church, because it was going against God’s Word. He associated with all kinds of people, from the very rich to those who had lived in poverty throughout their existence. He conversed with prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, princes, soldiers – people from every walk of life. His mission was not to save one exclusive group over another. He came to save all of humanity.

That is the good news we all need to hear right now. Our hearts are breaking in so many ways, but God loves us so much that He gave His life for us. He then overcame death and resurrected as a foreshadowing of what we will experience in the end. In order to come together again, we must be willing to talk and to listen. Those key elements to problem solving have been underused for a long time. Instead we often feel our voice is the only one worth mentioning. Instead we should be following the commandment that Jesus gave us.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” John 13:34 ESV