God Running is a place for anyone who wants to (or even anyone who wants to want to) love Jesus more deeply, follow Jesus more closely, and love people the way Jesus wants us to.

In our last post from the book of Acts we looked at the importance of warm hospitality and how God uses warm hospitality to attract people to Jesus. If you’re interested you can learn more here: “Warmly–Acts 21:15-17”. In today’s post we’ll see how Paul practices what he teaches, and how he goes to the wall when it comes to becoming all things to all people in order to reach others for Jesus by all means.

Acts 21:17-26

When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.

All Things to All People

Here we see how Paul doesn’t just teach others how to walk in the ways of Jesus but we see Paul walking himself in the way he taught in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. James has a concern and Paul’s obedient to James, one of the Apostles. James’ concern was that the Jesus followers in Jerusalem were still practicing Jewish traditions and these Jews who were still practicing Jewish traditions were concerned about Paul being opposed to these traditions.

So what does Paul do? Does he take a stand and publicly oppose his brothers in Christ there in Jerusalem? Does he rant on social media? Does he storm out of town?

Not at all. Paul, who teaches others to become all things to all people, becomes as a Jew in order to win Jews. That by all means he might save some.

Paul knows the deep abiding love of Jesus and God the Father. Paul knows that born out of Their love is Their desire to save all who can be saved. So out of his love, out of Paul’s love for Jesus and out of Paul’s love for our Father and out of Paul’s love for the Jesus followers in Jerusalem, Paul becomes whoever he has to become to reach this particular group of people for Christ.

What a great example that is for you and for me.

“Father, give us strength to become all things to all people as You desire us to. Help us to become to others who You want us to become. For the sake of Your great love for people, help us to attract the people in our lives to Jesus. Fill us with Christ and let it be that when people look at us, they see Jesus.

“In Jesus’ name we ask this of You.

“Amen.”

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Notes:

Image of Catholic Monks in Jerusalem via Wikimedia Commons

Available on Google Play Books and on Amazon!

Love Like Jesus: How Jesus Loved People (and how you can love like Jesus)

Love Like Jesus begins with the story of how after a life of regular church attendance and Bible study, Bennett was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. That led to an obsessive seven year deep dive. After pouring over Jesus’ every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job of studying Jesus’ words than he was following Jesus’ words and example. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennett’s own moral failures affirm he wrote this book for himself as much as for others. Love Like Jesus examines a variety of stories, examples, and research, including:

• Specific examples of how Jesus communicated God’s love to others.
• How Jesus demonstrated all five of Gary Chapman’s love languages (and how you can too).
• The story of how Billy Graham extended Christ’s extraordinary love and grace toward a man who misrepresented Jesus to millions.
• How to respond to critics the way Jesus did.
• How to love unlovable people the way Jesus did.
• How to survive a life of loving like Jesus (or how not to become a Christian doormat).
• How Jesus didn’t love everyone the same (and why you shouldn’t either).
• How Jesus guarded his heart by taking care of himself–he even napped–and why you should do the same.
• How Jesus loved his betrayer Judas, even to the very end.

With genuine unfiltered honesty, Love Like Jesus, shows you how to live a life according to God’s definition of success: A life of loving God well, and loving the people around you well too.

A life of loving like Jesus. (Kindle, hardcover, and paperback now available on Amazon and the ebook is now available on Google Play Books.)