Maybe you're like me and you sometimes feel like you just don't fit in. Like in the 1964 holiday classic "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," perhaps you can relate to Rudolph with his red nose or the little North Pole elf who would rather fix teeth than tinker with toys. Maybe you feel like you’re living with King Moonracer (the winged lion) on the Island of Misfit Toys, just wishing you could fit in somewhere. You remember those misfit toys, right? .
• A Charlie-in-the-Box.
• A spotted elephant.
• A train with square wheels on his caboose.
• A water pistol that squirts jelly.
• A bird that swims.
• A cowboy who rides an ostrich.
The fact of the matter is, there are times when we all feel rather like one of those poor toys, like we just don’t fit it. Everyone else gets an invitation except for us. We feel like we’re always on the outside looking in. We wonder if we’ll ever find a place where we fit in.
I'm thankful that in this lonely world of misfits, God’s Word proclaims a wonderful truth. There is a place where misfits fit in. It’s not an island of toys ruled by a winged lion. It’s a body of believers joined together and governed by King Jesus Himself.
In Luke chapters 15-19 King Jesus proclaims good news for outsiders. In this "Gospel for Outcasts and Misfits" we begin to see the world through the eyes of the Savior, and as we do we begin to see Jesus’ vision for the local church. He wants His church to be a place, a people, where the lost are found, where the lonely find family, and where the longing find purpose.
You may feel like a lost toy on a lonely island of misfits, but King Jesus invites you to humbly accept His invitation to a place where misfits fit in, a place where the lost are found and the lonely find a family. Of course, it's not really a place or a space so much as a family gathering to worship the Father through faith in the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this Kingdom King Jesus Himself welcomes the diseased and makes them well (Luke 17:11-19); He welcomes the disabled and makes them whole (Luke 18:35-43); He welcomes the despised and makes them worthy (Luke 19:1-10; 18:9-14); He welcomes the distractions and makes them winsome examples of those who possess the kind of faith that gains entrance into and possession of the very Kingdom of God itself (Luke 18:15-17).
So what will do with the invitation of Jesus? Will you open the door when he knocks? Will you invite others to come in? Will you remove the obstacles in their way? Will you open the door and let them in? Will you make them feel welcome? Will you include them?
You may feel like a lost toy on a lonely island of misfits, but King Jesus invites you to humbly accept His invitation to a place where misfits fit in, a place where the lost are found and the lonely find a family. And once you’ve found this special place, King Jesus wants you to throw wide the door and invite everyone in!
If you're praying for a lost friend or loved one to be found, or if you're actively inviting a lonely soul to the family of God, please let me know so I can join you in prayer. Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." Salvation is entirely the work of God, which means prayer must always be our very first priority.
Blessings of Grace & Peace,
Jason Platt
pastorjasonplatt@gmail.com
• A Charlie-in-the-Box.
• A spotted elephant.
• A train with square wheels on his caboose.
• A water pistol that squirts jelly.
• A bird that swims.
• A cowboy who rides an ostrich.
The fact of the matter is, there are times when we all feel rather like one of those poor toys, like we just don’t fit it. Everyone else gets an invitation except for us. We feel like we’re always on the outside looking in. We wonder if we’ll ever find a place where we fit in.
I'm thankful that in this lonely world of misfits, God’s Word proclaims a wonderful truth. There is a place where misfits fit in. It’s not an island of toys ruled by a winged lion. It’s a body of believers joined together and governed by King Jesus Himself.
In Luke chapters 15-19 King Jesus proclaims good news for outsiders. In this "Gospel for Outcasts and Misfits" we begin to see the world through the eyes of the Savior, and as we do we begin to see Jesus’ vision for the local church. He wants His church to be a place, a people, where the lost are found, where the lonely find family, and where the longing find purpose.
You may feel like a lost toy on a lonely island of misfits, but King Jesus invites you to humbly accept His invitation to a place where misfits fit in, a place where the lost are found and the lonely find a family. Of course, it's not really a place or a space so much as a family gathering to worship the Father through faith in the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this Kingdom King Jesus Himself welcomes the diseased and makes them well (Luke 17:11-19); He welcomes the disabled and makes them whole (Luke 18:35-43); He welcomes the despised and makes them worthy (Luke 19:1-10; 18:9-14); He welcomes the distractions and makes them winsome examples of those who possess the kind of faith that gains entrance into and possession of the very Kingdom of God itself (Luke 18:15-17).
So what will do with the invitation of Jesus? Will you open the door when he knocks? Will you invite others to come in? Will you remove the obstacles in their way? Will you open the door and let them in? Will you make them feel welcome? Will you include them?
You may feel like a lost toy on a lonely island of misfits, but King Jesus invites you to humbly accept His invitation to a place where misfits fit in, a place where the lost are found and the lonely find a family. And once you’ve found this special place, King Jesus wants you to throw wide the door and invite everyone in!
If you're praying for a lost friend or loved one to be found, or if you're actively inviting a lonely soul to the family of God, please let me know so I can join you in prayer. Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." Salvation is entirely the work of God, which means prayer must always be our very first priority.
Blessings of Grace & Peace,
Jason Platt
pastorjasonplatt@gmail.com
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