Inner Circle (Week 36)

​I grew up hearing the story of Jesus and knowing He chose to be near the unworthy, unlikely and unexpected, but some beliefs are easier in theory than in practice. Somehow I still imagine that if He walked this soil today, He’d choose to grab lunch with Beth Moore or Christine Caine over me in a heartbeat because they’re more worthy and He likes them more. I imagine them catching me eyeing admiringly from the street. They’d pity me of course, and let me sit quietly and listen from one table over.
 
Maybe your imagination isn’t as vivid as mine, or maybe you picture different faces at His favorite table. But I’m writing to tell you that the quiet little thought that tells you Jesus has inner circles is a lie from the pit of hell.

​When God tore the curtain, He ripped through every social circle layer and hierarchy of people preference, leaving nothing but complete access to Himself to everyone who believes. And He doesn’t just allow us to come close because He’s nice and feels sorry for us. Before you were born, God intentionally carved out a place not just near Him, but in Him, and He in you. He has the scars to prove it.
 
Did you notice that on Jesus’ last day on earth He surrounded Himself with previously distant people? You’d expect the needs of His darkest hours to be met by His best friends and family, but on the road to the cross, it was a complete stranger, not Peter, who helped Him carry it. And as He hung there, a criminal, not James or John, would be by His side, sharing His last conversation and encouraging Him with his last-minute faith. And it wasn’t his family who carefully took His body down and buried it. That role was filled by two men He’d once called whitewashed tombs themselves.
 
He didn’t allow these people to draw near and touch Him just because they happened to be around. Those interactions were planned since the beginning of time. Isaiah 53 prophesied that Jesus would die with the wicked and be buried with the rich. He loved that criminal and those rich, religiously elite men. He allowed distant people to minister to Him because He wanted them close. He didn’t want fear, guilt, shame, or pride to keep them from drawing near. He gave them their strength, words, spices, and tomb so they could come close enough to hand them back to Him.
 
The same is true for us. We’ve been entrusted with the resources and gifts we have on purpose and were chosen to live in this time on purpose. You are essential to the body of Christ. There’s a place for you. Not on the street admiring from afar, but in a seat next to Him.
 
This is the good news. Jesus doesn’t have an “inner circle only” policy because He only has an inner circle. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. And since He paid what it cost to demolish the barriers between Himself and every human heart 2,000 years ago, He doesn’t want anything to keep you from Him today.
 
If you’ve been allowing other people’s gifts and abilities to intimidate you and paralyze you in fear, recognize that their proximity to Him doesn’t exclude you. He’s made you worthy and wants you close, so pull up your seat at His table.

About the Author

Hi, I'm Kelly Orlowski and I'm a wife, fully-time mother, and part-time seminary student. I live with my husband and four children in Franklin, TN. A former social worker, I am the founder of Lady Crew Apparel, and passionately fight against human trafficking. I love seeing hearers become doers, and reminding doers to keep listening. ​

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