Luke 7 makes for a good study of how Jesus treated lost people. In vs. 34 the Lord sites some of the charges spoken against him. The basis for such criticism was his association with people who were “sinners,” being outside the inner sanctum of pharisaic fellowship. Jesus was neither a glutton nor a social drinker. Jesus did, however, associate with sinful humanity (Matt. 9:11; Lk. 19:7).

     Why did Simon invite Jesus into his house?  Perhaps, in true pharisaic style, he wished to scrutinize the character and claims of Jesus (Lk. 7:16, 39). Why did the Lord accept the invitation to dine at Simon’s house? The Lord never stood aloof from any class of persons (Lk. 5:29-30; 10:38-42; 14:1). He desired every opportunity to seek and save the lost – even this woman of a notoriously bad reputation (Lk. 19:10).Jesus Treated the Lost with compassion. Compassion does not excuse sin. Jesus noted, “her sins, which are many” (Lk. 7:47). Those who condemned Jesus knew that he loved the sinner (Vs. 34). The word “friend” is from philos, one of the Greek words for love, meaning “loved, dear, friendly.” It denotes that which one loves (James 2:23; 4:4). Jesus had compassion for the penitent sinner.The woman came because she sensed her own sinfulness (Vs. 37-38). Simon, however, was well aware of her sins, but not his own!

     Jesus Treated the Lost with Hope for a Better Tomorrow

Jesus dismissed the woman with peace (Lk. 7:50).  Peace of heart and mind had been missing from her life. She was given a fresh start. Note the way Jesus treated the woman taken in adultery (Jn. 8). Jesus did not say, “I can’t be in the company of such sinners!” He raised her expectations for herself when he said, “Go and sin no more” (Vs. 11). She did not have to live an adulterous lifestyle. To the homosexual Jesus would say, “Go and sin no more.” To the pedophile he would say, “Go and sin no more.” To the divorced he would say, “Go and sin no more.” To the abuser…

      Jesus Treated the Lost with Interest for Their Souls In three parables God’s attitude toward the lost is revealed (Lk. 15:1-2). God is the shepherd looking for the lost sheep (Vs. 4-7). God is the woman looking for a lost coin (Vs. 8-10). God is the father wishing to reclaim both sons (Vs. 11-32).

     What lessons might we learn? Maybe we should ask ourselves some questions. Namely, “Am I aware of the enormity of my own sin?” “Am I aware of the wonder of being forgiven of my sins?” “Having been forgiven much, do I love much?” The final word from Jesus about lost people was, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mk. 16:15). To whom? Certain ones, privileged classes of the right skin color and ethnicity?  No.  All men. The faith that restored the sinful woman will also save us – an obedient faith!

God’s people ought to be greatly concerned about the condition of the church!   Our physical houses are important, but the spiritual house of God is far more important.  Therefore, each Christian should be willing to exert time and energy to help improve the church.  Today we continue with part two of  “How to Improve the Church.”

Third, We Can Improve the Church by Helping Instead of Criticizing.   In the realm of sports, there are many diehard fans I like to call “lazy boy coaches.”  These are individuals who sit at home in their lazy boy recliners, and from their vantage point, they can criticize every call the coaches decide and disapprove of every action the players make.  They are not on the field playing.  They are also not on the sideline with the difficult pressures of decision making.  They are not involved, but they can criticize everyone who is involved.  Sadly, the church is filled with many people who are “spiritual lazy boy coaches,” and many of these people are professionals of the trade. They will not get involved.  They will not volunteer for a task.  They are not serving as an elder or as a deacon.  They are not preaching, teaching, or at work in any way.   However, they can criticize everyone who is working.  In their eyes, the elders never make the right decision, the deacons are not doing their jobs, the preacher is always doing something wrong, the Bible class teachers are not doing enough, and things are not going the way they think they should be handled.  This is not only sad, but it is sinful.   Individuals who choose to criticize instead of help are actually damaging the church.

However, uninvolved people with a critical disposition are not new among God’s people.  In the days of Nehemiah, God’s great leader endured the criticism of a group of people who only criticized and were not willing to work.  In Nehemiah 2:17-18, the Bible describes Nehemiah and a small group of Jews seeking to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Yet, the text continues by describing a man named Sanballat and his friends mocking Nehemiah and the work which needed to be done. In Nehemiah 2:19, the servant of the Lord describes how “they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, what is this thing that ye do? Will ye rebel against the king?” Thankfully, as Bible readers know, the work of God was completed despite the opposition and criticism from this group.  However, it seems like every congregation is still plagued with a Sanballat and his mocking friends.  Look into the mirror and ask yourself who are you more like in the work of the church. Are you like Nehemiah who was willing to work? Or, are you like Sanballat who was only willing to criticize?  It is a fact, if we want to help the church and improve ourselves, we need to stop criticizing and start kicking up the dust in the service of the Lord.

Fourth, We Can Improve the Church If We Never Allow Someone to Work For Us, And If We Never Allow Ourselves to Work For Someone Else.  Most congregations are blessed to have very talented members. However, there are at least two great temptations within this.  For some people, they may be tempted to sit back while others do the work for them. They may even justify their inactivity by believing they are doing the church a favor by allowing the more talented person to take their place and do a certain task for them.  Yet, at the other end of the spectrum, the other temptation is for a person to do everything and never give anyone else a chance to get involved.  This person may feel they can do a better job than anyone else, and because of this, they refuse to share the load of responsibility.  The reality is, both attitudes are not helping the church.

The Bible clearly teaches how it is not God’s desire for one talented or willing member of the congregation to do the work for half of the congregation. The church does not revolve around one member. Paul clarified this in 1 Corinthians 12 when he raised an important question. “And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body” (1 Cor.12:19-20).  Paul is emphasizing how the church is like a physical body. It is not made up of one very talented member, but it consists of many members each having worth, a purpose, and a place.  If we are willing to sit back while someone else works for us, we are hurting the church.  On the other hand, if we as a member of a local congregation are unwilling to share the work, we are also equally harming the church. Both attitudes refuse to allow the local congregation to operate like the body of Christ. In order to improve the church, every member needs to have a part and do their part for the Lord.