Brand Ambassador
Luke 6:1-11
Jesus reserved his harshest critiques for the Pharisees and other religious leaders of His day. Why is this? For one thing, the Pharisees represented a brand of faith that Jesus took issue with. Conformity to scripture and tradition was paramount for the Pharisees, whereas people were paramount for Jesus. Jesus confronts legalistic leanings by showing us how to keep first things first.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” – Matthew 23:23
2 Legalistic Leanings
- An exaggerated need for certainty and/or control.
- Looking to catch others doing wrong.
“We are…Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.” – The Apostle Paul
- Pray that we would follow the way of Jesus and look beyond the letter into the spirit of God’s law.
- Pray that GFC would be ambassadors of Christ in a way that faithfully represents the heart of God as revealed in the life of Jesus.
