Inclusivity

Jesus’ mission on earth was to clear a path between the presence of God and the people he loves. John’s Gospel puts Jesus’ cleansing of the temple front and center so that we read the entire story in light of this central action.

For many, religious rules are comforting. But the gospel invites us into a radically healthy but utterly paradigm-shifting freedom from old rules and regulations. The church is meant to be the beating heart, the epicenter, of that message of freedom.

Traditionally, it was assumed that the good news of Jesus was reserved exclusively for the religious. But God gives vision to both a religious man and non-religious man to correct the cultural understanding of who this good news was for.

Certainty and faith, fear and calling – the story of Saul’s transformation and encounter with Jesus has it all. The perspectives of Saul and Ananias give a great challenge for today’s church in regard to the mindsets of religion.

The church’s inclusive invitation and exclusive truth claims have prompted resistance from religious and secular alike. When it comes time to prove the power of this message, however, the ancient church’s evidence is the same as ours: healed lives.