5. If you listen to someone’s story, they may listen to yours.
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One thing I have learned in life is everyone has a story. There is a reason they make the choices and decisions they make. What I have also learned is the less you know about someone’s story, the easier it is to judge them. For example, how many people do you know who don’t know Jesus? You probably know quite a few, and some of them may even be in your own household. My suspicion is you probably treat them far differently than those people you don’t know.
It’s easy to proclaim judgment from a distance with people you never engage with. However, with people you know, usually your first instincts are to reach them and not to condemn them. When you get to know people and you listen to their stories, it builds a level of trust. When someone trusts you, then you create opportunities for them to hear what you have to say. This may not create the initial change you want, but it creates scenarios where you can tell them the truth and plant seeds because they know you love them and care about them.
6. Focus on drawing people closer, not pushing them away.
The people who complained the most about Jesus eating with sinners were the Pharisees. If it had been left to them, no one would have ever gotten saved. We can’t afford to be like the Pharisees. When we act like they did, we push people away and close doors. However, when we love like Jesus, we draw people close and we open doors. A few chapters after the dinner at Levi’s house, here is what you discover.
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’” – Luke 15:1-2
Jesus accomplished his goal. He opened a door so that those who were apart from him could hear him. Notice again who were the complainers…the Pharisees. The more we reach out to people and build relationships, the more open doors we create. This does not mean they will all come, and it doesn’t even mean you approve or agree with their choices. It means you care about them enough that you do everything you can to reach them. The fact remains that if we approach this like the Pharisees, then we have no shot at reaching anyone.
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