Sharing from the imperfect beats waiting for it to become perfect

When it comes to testimony, imperfections trump impressing others.

In any endeavor, we have a definition of progress. And at least part of that definition includes minimizing mistakes, weaknesses, and setbacks. Anything less than ideal needs to go.

Not so with sharing about Jesus’ presence in our lives.

Christianity is the one endeavor that embraces the idea that our progress is not of our own doing. One implication of Paul’s statement - that God is carrying on to completion the work he began in us - is that we’re unfinished. And that doesn’t stop God.

In fact, it’s His opportunity.

Imperfections are assets, not liabilities

Consider the account of the accountant - in his own words.

In Matthew 9, Jesus’ call for Matthew the tax collector to follow him brings up something for us to regularly revisit. Verse 9 has Matthew following Jesus. No more than one verse later, we find Matthew hosting sinners and tax collectors for dinner - with Jesus in attendance.

I’m intrigued by what the account doesn’t include:

1. There’s no extended track record of Matthew having followed Jesus. I’ll admit I’m implying this dinner took place on the same day Matthew began following Jesus. Even if it wasn’t day 1, we know it was shortly after he left his tax collector’s booth to follow Jesus. It certainly wasn’t long enough to have attained any level of mastery in the things of faith.

2. There’s no concern about who was in attendance. The crowd in attendance gave the onlooking Pharisees cause to pause - and be perplexed. Meanwhile, knowing Jesus would be there didn’t stop Matthew from hosting ‘sinners and tax collectors.‘ Best of all? It didn’t stop Jesus from showing up either.

3. There’s no shame about his condition. I find it interesting (and amusing) that it wasn’t enough to refer to tax collectors as “sinners.” They received their own designation, as though there were something especially horrid about them that warranted this separate description. As for Jesus? We find him sitting right there at the table with a whole crowd of them - and he meant to be there:

Now put all this together: a new follower of Jesus, hosting dinner for a crowd of sinners and tax collectors, under the critical eye of those more “experienced” in all things God.

It would appear the critics looking in on this scene still had a lesson to learn.

Sharing from the imperfect beats waiting for it to become perfect

What I love about new Christians is that they don’t know what they don’t know.

I’ve recently encountered someone new to following Jesus. And Jesus is the subject he brings up, without reservation. Not sports. Not the news. Not his hobbies. Jesus’ grace upon him is the topic of conversation. He dives right in, and there’s no easing into it.

I love it. And I’m challenged by it.

Anytime we find ourselves caught up in someone else’s imperfections, it’s a challenge to us. Are we sharing about and from our own? If not, then we’re missing out on pointing to God’s grace and mercy in our lives. We’d benefit from a return to what this tax collector understood on day 1 of following Jesus:

Our lives set the table for sinners (and even tax collectors) to encounter the Savior.

Nathan