Have you ever been in a situation where you met someone and by the end of the conversation you felt like you have known them your whole life? That can and does happen but not often. Some people, it seems, just have a gift for getting to know people and enjoy their presence in just a short time, others struggle. As you read through the gospel we read how Jesus enjoyed being with everyday people eating and drinking with them to the point that the religious leaders accused him of being a glutton and a drunkard. If you turn and read Luke 19:1-10 you will read about Zacchaeus the tax collector who climbed a sycamore tree just to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed by. What made this man want to climb a tree just to see Jesus walk by? I might be wrong in my thinking but I imagine that when Matthew had invited Jesus over for dinner along with all of his other tax collecting associates that word traveled fast. Didn’t matter who you were or what occupation you held anybody could have a meal with Jesus. Of course this made the religious leaders upset because Jesus didn’t follow their standards. Other people like Lazarus, Mary and Martha must have had numerous meals with Jesus. Jesus enjoyed being around people. It didn’t matter who they were, what color their skin was, economic situation, tall, short, skinny or fat or somewhere between, Jesus just loved being with people. He knew the right questions to ask. He would listen for their response and keep probing until they knew that he knew all about them and that he still loved them anyway. Don’t get me wrong he called sin sin and demanded repentance from it. He called for people to turn back to God and follow his commandments. So how can we enjoy getting to know others? It really begins by learning to ask questions and being willing to listen. This is where I struggle-listening. If you know me you know that is where I struggle. I will share a couple of tools that I am learning how to use to help me is being able to ask question and learning to listen to others. On learning how to ask great questions I recently downloaded the “Questions in a box” app on my phone. It has four categories from which you can ask questions. The app is free or you can go to “QuestionsinaBox.com. On learning how to listen if you like to read books Larry King wrote a book, “How to talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere,” great little read. Then the other help in learning how to actively listen is from some coaching principles called the listening loop. You ask the question and wait for the person to respond. Then you can respond with, “What I heard you say was…, Did I hear this right? Please tell me more about it? People truly do love talking about themselves. If we learn to listen with the help of the Lord Jesus we will know them better, be able to pray for them and then see them as Jesus sees them. If you would like to learn more about following Jesus in a personal relationship we will be glad to help you start on your journey here at First Baptist Church or any of the other Bible believing Churches in our community will be glad to help you as well.
Categories: Weekly Sermon