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The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.

Luke 7:34-35 NLT

Jesus was good at making friends. Because of his walk with God, Jesus connected with the hearts of the most notorious “sinners” without insecurity or compromise. His love and hope attracted people that the main religious establishment had failed to reach. 

This message of friendship is especially relevant today, as increasing numbers of people are turning away from organized religion to meet their spiritual needs. Jesus helped people experience the love of God through friendship, and we can’t underestimate how important it is that we do the same. 

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Let’s learn how to imitate the mindset of Jesus so that we can offer the hope of God’s love to the people around us. 

Jesus possessed a relationship mindset. 

Jesus didn’t walk the earth full of insecurity, seeing threats, fearing enemies, or viewing everyone as competitors out of envy. Instead, his relationship mindset led him to see potential friends—people with hearts longing to be known and ready to be transformed. This relationship mindset came from his connection to God, and overflowed into every person he came into contact with.

  • Read: John 15:1-17 NLT.
  • Ask: What does this passage tell us about Jesus’s relationship with God? How did his relationship with God influence his friendships?

Jesus enjoyed people’s company while showing them the way out of sin. 

Jesus was a friend to “tax collectors and sinners” but never participated in their sinful behavior. He didn’t create barriers through the hypocrisy of religiosity; he opened doors with the authenticity of his friendship. 

  • Read: Luke 19:1-10 NLT.
  • Ask: How did Jesus befriend Zacchaeus? What does verse 10 tell us about why he wanted to spend time with Zacchaeus?

The life of Jesus was marked by a radical willingness to embrace those whom society had written off, and in doing so, he redefined what it meant to walk with God. While others grumbled about his association with sinners, Jesus saw people in need, treating them as friends, not outcasts. 

 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. [15] And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. [16] So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

2 Corinthians 5:14-16 NIV

To walk with God as Jesus did means to view the world with this same love, building relationships instead of walls, leading people out of sin into the transformative power that comes from walking with God.

Reflect and answer these questions before continuing:

  • How might adopting the relationship mindset of Jesus transform your walk with God?
  • How would you compare your mindset to the relationship mindset of Jesus?
  • Do you participate in or lead people out of sin when building relationships?

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As the editor in chief for Deep Spirituality, Russ Ewell writes, teaches, and innovates with his eyes on the future. His teaching is rooted in providing hope for those turned off by tradition and infused with vision for building a transformative church. His passion to inspire even the most skeptical to view God through fresh eyes can be found in his book, He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself.

Jesus Making Friends 8

As the editor in chief for Deep Spirituality, Russ Ewell writes, teaches, and innovates with his eyes on the future. His teaching is rooted in providing hope for those turned off by tradition and infused with vision for building a transformative church. His passion to inspire even the most skeptical to view God through fresh eyes can be found in his book, He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself.

Our first book is officially live.

Rebuild your relationship from the ground up with He's Not Who You Think He Is: Dropping Your Assumptions and Discovering God for Yourself.

Jesus Making Friends 9