No Perfect People Allowed

Jesus once said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matt. 9:12-13).

Jesus said that to the Pharisees who were complaining that He and his disciples were associating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus was always attracting some of the most notorious of sinners. So when he overheard the complaints of the "church crowd" that day, He said that the reason He had come into the world was to call sinners to Himself.

At our church, we have borrowed a statement from someone else that says, "No Perfect People Allowed." In fact, I say this, "If you are perfect, you have permission to miss church for the rest of your life. After all, if you hang out with us at church, we might mess you up. We are a bunch of sinners."

Today is celebrated in much of the Christian world as palm sunday. It is the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem triumphantly on the back of a donkey and the people cried hosanna and laid palm branches along the way.But in only a few days many of them would join the "church crowd" and crucify Jesus. It is the "church crowd" that always seems to give Jesus all the trouble.

Life is so much more enjoyable when we come to the place that we realize we are not OK, but that Jesus loves us anyway. When we admit that we are sick with sin, Jesus can begin to change us. I am glad that God called me, and never gave up on me. I need the great physician to daily heal my sin sick soul.

The church that Jesus creates is not the same as the "church crowd". The fellowship of those who love Jesus is essential to those who genuinely want to follow Christ. We encourage and build one another up. It is the group who want to pretend to be religious, but have no real interest in Jesus that I am calling the "church crowd".

There are no perfect people, only those who think they don't need any help. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (I John 1:8) It is that group that thinks they are OK that create all the difficulty for Jesus still today. They get in the way of the sinners who Jesus came to help by blocking their view of Him. God's word says, "Humble yourselves before the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you." (I Peter. 5:6, ESV).

Please Tell Us

"How will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Romans 10:14, ESV)

Our mission teams had driven the road through N village all year long on the way to the village where we were partnering to work. It was rainy season, and mid August. We had one vehicle, and the first part of our team was setting up camp while the 4 wheel drive landcruiser had returned to the city for the rest of our group. On their way back they got stuck in the mud right outside N village. It was almost dark, and they were unable to free the truck after the heavy rain.

The villagers came out and invited them to spend the night. All of these team members were on their first trip to Africa. After a night of rest, the village chief said to our team, "We watched your truck drive by our village all year long. We knew that you had Good News, but you never stopped and told us. We prayed that you would stop and tell us. God got you stuck so we could know."
For the last two and a half years, as our church has partnered with our denomination's mission board in West Africa we have discovered people in many villages who are longing to hear the Good News that is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like this village chief, their hearts are crying out, "Please tell us." People like that are in Africa and China. They are in Mexico and India, and on all the continents of the earth. They are in the cities of the United States, and the rural areas as well. They comprise multitudes of languages and people groups.

The word translated "preaching" in this scripture literally means "announcing." Who will announce the message of Jesus Christ to every person in the world? I have noticed that in every village we go into in West Africa they have a very popular cola drink. How is it that drink can be there and we have not carried the greatest message ever given? Today, if you will listen carefully you will hear the cries of the untold masses, "Please tell us."