Well that's their problem and their issue, but nevertheless cold love is not real love at all. Cold love ministers a different spirit to people. God wants us to learn how to open our heart and celebrate, and make people welcome in our life. I remember when we first started the church here, at one point there there was a whole lot of things happening. It was all exciting and wonderful and was a bit wild. Then in the midst of all the wildness, we had about eight Mongrel Mob from Auckland came into the meeting. That was a bit of a surprise. You don't see that every Sunday do you? It was quite fun really. I thought oh yeah, this is good, you know, all the gear and the tattoos, every kind of thing on and whatever. It was quite exciting you see, and we preached the gospel, and they got saved. We had people come up and they got saved, and then at that time there I had some people in the church, and I had one person there; the thing he said, well I'd love to be used in ministry, but I don't want to get involved with these guys.
I looked at him in the eye and I said, if you won't get involved with these guys, I don't think this church is the place for you, because we're involved with them. If you want to be involved in ministry, you can't pick and choose who you minister to. You need to learn to embrace who God brings into your life, see? So you need to love them, reach out and love them. So we reached out, and we had a really wonderful time - they flogged the offering but - you know that offering box that's down the back there? Well that walked out the door with them one night. [Laughter] But I went and talked to them, and they brought it back. We got it back as you can see, we got it back, but the point is this, is that the religious spirit over some people, will not permit them to love people that God wants to impact. It divides the world into those who are acceptable, and not acceptable, those who I like and reach out to, those who I won't get involved with. The heart of God is to reach out to people wherever they are, whatever's going on.
See, you start to think about that. Think of what are the chief criticisms that Jesus' opponents had, that He ate with all the wrong kinds of people, sinners and messed up lives, all the kinds of people that the good people wouldn't mix with. But Jesus mixed with them, because He came to demonstrate the love and the heart of God. Isn't that fantastic? Don't you love that? Love initiates action to do something! Let's have a look in Luke, Chapter 10. I want to have a look at where the same issue is raised again by someone else. It's a lawyer this time, trying to trap Jesus and ask Him the question, well you know, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And He throws it back at him in Verse 26, said what do you read in the Bible? He said you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength, and all your might, and love your neighbour as yourself. He said well done. You've answered rightly. We'll do this and live - but he wanted to justify himself, so he said to Jesus who is my neighbour? Jesus answered and said, well a certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, departed, leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. He saw him, and he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, he came and he looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and saw him, and had compassion. So he went to him, bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, took care of him. On the next day when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave it to the innkeeper and said, whatever more you spend, when I come back I'll repay you. Who of these three, do you think then was neighbour to him, who fell among the thieves? He said the one who showed mercy, and Jesus said go and do likewise. Notice the question, who is my neighbour? Jesus reversed it and said, who is a neighbour? So the lawyer's trying to trap Jesus and catch Him out over the law, and Jesus makes it very clear, it's not a matter of trying to identify who around you is your neighbour. What counts is, are you a neighbour to those around you in need? Are YOU a neighbour?