Friend of Sinners

Friend of Sinners- Matthew 11:19

Yesterday night I was introduced to a friend for the first time. I had no idea who this friend was until I met him and listened to him for over an hour. The scene at his house was of a party atmosphere where a couple of youth walked in and out freely with their nightly activities. Since the Lord brought me there I believed in the Lord's sovereign arrangement and focused on this friend with his colleagues as our gospel candidates.

What struck me first was how the Lord Himself was dubbed as "Friend of sinners" when He freely mingled with the sinners to save them. Today the Lord is not physically on the earth any more, but we are there physically for the Lord to save them. I took courage and prayed within to minister something divine into these friends. The initial lesson I went through was listening to whatever he had to say, from religions to philosophy to lifestyles and opinions. Though I tried to interject something from the Bible in between, the response was not positive. So I decided to silently prayer within and listen to him. 

The more I listened the more light I got concerning him and finally when the opportune time came, I spoke something that impressed him deeply and subdued him concerning his need for God. Thus, the ice breaking session was done and we became friends. One very impressive thing was that this friend had a lot of friends, a very good friends circle, I believe, for the Lord.

After I came and read my Bible, the Lord gave me these verses concerning these friends. 

Jeremiah 24 

6 And I will set My eyes upon them for good and will bring them back to this land and build them up and not tear them down, and I will plant them and not uproot them.

7 And I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am Jehovah; and they will be My people, and I will be their God; for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

Immediately I texted these verses to my vital group members and asked them to pray for their salvation and recovery, and follow up on this group of friends with a virtual banner "Friends of Sinners". They all need to be saved.

This matter burdened me a lot and I prayed for them. Something that dawned on me was to pray for them daily, establish a good friendship and start a group meeting in his home on a weekly basis, and shepherd them to the Lord Jesus Christ. I had a very bright hope within as I prayed for them, in spite of the outward situation of sins. The more I thought about it the more hope I have that one day, sooner than latter, they all will be pillar for the Lord's testimony here in Gurgaon.

Jesus, the Friend of sinners, makes us friends of sinners.