Before and After

 

I want to start with a question. What is your “before”? What is your “before Jesus”? All of us have a before Jesus. According to Romans 3:23 all of us have sinned and come short of God’s standard. So, all of our befores are as sinners.

 

The good thing is that all of us can have an after. We can all have an after, an “after we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord”. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Peter’s before was as a prideful fisherman and his after, a humble proclaimer of the gospel.

 

Matthew’s before was as a materialistic tax collector and his after, a follower of Jesus who died as a martyr.

 

Paul’s before was as an angry persecutor of the church and his after was a planter and builder of the church.

 

Mary Magdalene’s before was as an immoral demon-possessed woman and her after as the person who Jesus first appeared to after His resurrection.

 

My before was bigoted, apathy toward God, and a bored-with-church young man to a young man who loves Jesus, wanting others to know Jesus, and serving through His church.

 

Raise the Roof and Removing the Walls is letting Jesus turn your before into your after.

 

All of our befores are as sinners, but not all sinners are alike.

 

Acts 10:34-35 says, “So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.’”

 

You can be the President of the United States or a homeless person living on the street. It does not matter to Jesus.

 

Jesus wants all people, no matter your standing in society.

 

Jesus called fisherman to follow Him.

Jesus called tax collectors to follow Him.

Jesus called Zealots to follow Him.

Jesus called rich people to follow Him.

Jesus called poor people to follow Him.

Jesus called conservative people to follow Him.

Jesus called liberal people to follow Him.

 

Sinners are sinners, even if they look very different and all sinners need Jesus. We all need Jesus.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is seeing our sin and coming to Jesus to be forgiven and changed.

 

The church is called the Body of Christ and the Family of God.

 

A body is made up of many different parts and all of those parts are joined together and work together though the brain. Jesus is the head, the brain, of the church.

 

A family is made up of many different members with many different personalities and many different backgrounds. Jesus is the head of the church; the family and the church are united through relationships.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is come together as people redeemed by Jesus and forming His family to serve Him and grow His kingdom.

 

God’s people are going to look different, have different backgrounds, have different personalities, speak different languages, and worship and serving Jesus differently. The thing that will create unity is knowing we all have a before Jesus but are living together in our after in Jesus.

 

Living in Our After in Jesus and Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                   Joe