By Pastor Matt
Last week in our 6-week Living Missionally Series, we looked briefly at the missional rhythm of blessing our neighbors.
This week, we’ll look at the rhythm of eating together.
Thankfully, this is a habit that many of us enjoy. Everyone has to eat.
But what does eating with others have to do with living missionally?
Review
Well, remember our definitions:
Missional living is the intentional practice of using our everyday rhythms of life for the purpose of creating genuine relationships, in which we can proclaim the gospel message authentically.
Remember, genuine relationships are the ordinary means by which we can actually speak the gospel message into someone’s life without it feeling forced.
Why?
Because, when we have relationships with other people, we actually can see, by the Spirit’s enabling, the areas where we can apply the gospel to their lives.
Evangelism (proclaiming the gospel and inviting to respond in repentance) can feel forced in our relationships when it’s not personally applied.
So what eating with others has to do with missional living is that sharing meals with other people opens the door for conversation, shared experiences, and quality time.
Jesus’ Example
Jesus had an uncanny knack for sharing meals with people, in particular those whom the religious leaders did not approve.
Check out Luke 5:27-32:
“After this [Jesus] went out and saw a tax collector (if you dislike the IRS, multiply that ten-fold for how much the Jews disliked tax collectors) named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table (tables were on the floor back then and everyone laid on their side to eat) with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes (the religious leaders) grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance.””
So, Jesus, in this text, creates a relationship with Levi. And then Levi makes this huge meal and that actually opens up the door for Jesus to share a meal not only with Levi, but all of his friends.
And what Jesus is able to do because he has shared a meal with everyone there is that he’s able to apply the good news of his coming into the world to them specifically.
You see, the religious leaders didn’t think they needed a savior. They were self-righteous and as a result, judged everyone else there. But the tax collectors and other company Levi kept knew they were in need of something. They were outcasts in their society because of their sins against everyone. So Jesus aptly applies this good news to both groups – “I haven’t come to those who are self-righteous but I have come to those who know they are in need and I’m calling them to turn from their ways and now follow me.”
Now What?
Jesus shares meals with folks in Luke 5, 7, 9, 14, 22, and 24. Each of these meals reveals a little bit more of the gospel message to Luke’s audience as Jesus creates relationships with these folks. And it actually gives us some great insight for our own rhythms of eating.
What we need to do is intentionally look at our week – our family’s schedule, our emotional bandwidth, our finances, our work schedules, etc. – and prioritize different meals for different relationships.
Is there a dinner you can reserve each week for inviting others in your church to? I know for our family, that night typically is Friday night.
Is there a lunch day where you can reserve each week for bringing someone from work along with you? Is there a lunch slot once a week, twice a month, once a month, that you could open up specifically for reaching out to new people?
Is there a coffee or breakfast time you can open up to grab a quick cup or bite before you run off to work?
Just by opening three slots once a week enables you to invest your time intentionally with at least three people each week.
Now for many, that might feel like a lot of planning and relational expense. However, just start small. Start with the coffee, start with the lunch, start with something. It’s better than nothing. And you can do so knowing that the Spirit is going to be working in that relationship.
Remember, you’re just trying to develop relationships at this point – you’re not going in guns’a’blazing trying to evangelize with every person you meet. No one is going to want to hang out with you in the office, your stroller group, or whatever other places are your community. Rather we are wanting to develop relationships, guided by the Spirit, and prayerfully consider the times and places where we speak the gospel into someone’s life.
Homework
So for this week, eat with three people, at least one of whom is not allowed to be from your church.
I’m praying for you all and looking forward to connecting with you all next week!
Pastor Matt