It is easy to fall into the trap of treating church as your own personal country club where the only people who are welcomed are those who talk, look and act just like us. While on Earth Jesus went out of His way to break the down the dividing walls and reach out to all. Jesus wanted disciples from all walks of life. Yes, Jesus is exclusively “Lord”, but He is also an inclusive “Savior”. Phillip Yancey writes:
“In short, Jesus moved the emphasis from God’s holiness (exclusive) to God’s mercy (inclusive). Instead of the message “No undesirables allowed,” he proclaimed “In God’s kingdom there are no undesirables.” By going out of his way to meet with Gentiles, eat with sinners, and touch the sick, he extended the realm of God’s mercy. To Jewish leaders, Jesus’ actions jeopardized the very existence of their religious caste system - no wonder the Gospels mention more than twenty occasions when they conspired against Jesus.”
The powers at be wanted God all to themselves, when Jesus welcomed all to God, they got angry. God is not our God alone, He is God for all and wants all to come to Him and be saved
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross” (Ephesians 2:13-16)
