19. Everyone is welcome in God’s Kingdom, but not everyone is suited for God’s Kingdom.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
Are there people that you find hard to share God’s Kingdom with? Talk to Jesus about these people, what He would like for you to know.
What does Jesus see in a person that causes Him to love them? How could you join Jesus in this love?
If everyone who desires to follow Jesus is part of God’s Kingdom, then the question is not “are they included?” but rather “How am I loving them?” What do you think about this way of viewing people?
What do you think makes a person well-suited for God’s Kingdom?
Few people would disagree with the belief that Jesus came to earth to invite all of humanity into a relationship with the Father. Most would also agree, however, that as it exists today, the Church, the body of Christ, does not always reflect this belief. Why is it that churches often gather people who are so similar ethnically, socially, theologically, and even in age or stage of life?
Why is it that many people experience church as judgmental, exclusive, and unwelcoming? In Jesus’ last prayer before dying He said, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 17:20-21, NIV).
Why is it that “oneness” is so absent in the Church today? In His ministry on earth, Jesus welcomed those that others wouldn’t—the Samaritan woman, the woman caught in adultery, the tax collector. Jesus also taught about accepting the “unacceptable”: the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, and the woman drying His feet with her hair.
Jesus welcomed many people that others of His day thought were unacceptable. But not everyone Jesus welcomed joined Him in the Kingdom. Everyone is welcome, but not everyone may be suited for God’s Kingdom. The rich young ruler and the Pharisees, the socially successful and the religiously successful, often seemed ill-suited for the Kingdom. The distracted, pre-occupied, and worriers did not seem suited for the Kingdom. Just because Jesus invites us into His Kingdom does not mean we will enjoy it.
If we take Jesus’ teaching seriously, then we must accept that our own suitability and enjoyment for a relationship with God in His present Kingdom, is somehow connected to our willingness to welcome all of humanity to join us.