Dinner with Jesus | Week 1 | Pastor Kevin Kringel
Dinner with Jesus
Week 1
Your Table Can Change a Life
Big Idea:
Jesus didn't just preach in synagogues. He also changed lives around dining tables. If we follow Jesus’ example, our dining tables can become places where Heaven touches Earth.
We may not realize that meals change lives and, in turn, change stories.
It was a meal of rebellion that broke our relationship with God way back in the garden. Since then, God has worked through meals to restore that relationship, eventually inviting us to share a meal at His table.
Revelation 3:20 (NIV):
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
It was a meal that began the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 18:1-8), leading to the birth of Israel and, eventually, Christ.
It was a meal the children of Israel shared that God used to bring them out of Egypt and to give them an identity-Passover. That meal points to another Passover meal centered around a table with Jesus.
Key idea: God has used meals to change lives even more than church buildings and pulpits.
“Dining tables are a place where Christianity moves from being learned to lived.”
Every family has memories around a table.
Birthday dinners.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners.
Sunday after church meals.
Date nights.
Engagements. – (I remember my previous worship pastor in Illinois; it was at a meal discussion he decided to propose to his girlfriend.)
Grandma's or Abuela’s dinner table.
Conversations after funerals. (healing memories)
Celebrations like after a graduation or promotion.
Some of the biggest and most formative, healing moments of our lives didn't happen in auditoriums. They happened around dining tables.
One of the most surprising things in the Gospels...Jesus was constantly eating.
Luke 7:33-35 (He’s a glutton and drunkard; you do not get this reputation for fasting all the time.)
Scholars have joked that Luke's Gospel is basically one meal after another.
Jesus is either
• Going to a meal
• At a meal
• Leaving a meal
He is almost always around a table.
Some examples
Levi's house
Simon's house
Mary and Martha
Feeding the 5,000
Feeding the 4,000
Wedding at Cana
Dinner with Pharisees
Breakfast on the beach
Emmaus
Last Supper
Zacchaeus
The list keeps going.
Food wasn't random. It was strategy.
WHY?
In our culture... (we separate our faith)
Religion happens in church. Life happens at home.
For Jesus...Faith happened in homes, in the street and in the temple.
The synagogue mattered.
The temple mattered.
But most life transformation usually happens around ordinary tables. Again: “The table is where Christianity moves from learned to lived.” (discussed, applied, shown)
The book of Acts continues the pattern of Jesus…
Acts 2:42-47 "They devoted themselves...to fellowship…breaking bread...house to house...eating together... praying together…glad and sincere hearts."
The early church wasn't built only by inviting people into religious buildings. It spread because believers invited people into homes around tables.
OBSERVATION: Jesus rarely asked people: "Come to church."
Instead..." Come eat." (5,000, 4,000, Passover)
Or..." I'm coming to your house." (to eat: Mary and Martha, Matthew, Zacchaeus)
Hospitality became the front door to relationship with God
“Hospitality is evangelism with a plate in your hand”.
WHY TABLES MATTER
A table gathers everyone.
Rich.
Poor.
Republican.
Democrat.
Boss.
Employee.
Neighbor.
Family.
Stranger.
Everybody eats. (We are not solar powered; by design, we need to eat)
Around a table, people slow down.
Walls come down.
Conversations become deeper.
People listen.
Questions happen.
Stories are shared.
Faith becomes personal.
A pulpit may proclaim the Gospel. But a table often prepares the heart to receive it or helps explain it so someone can live it. (my kids, one-on-one discussions with people)
People can argue with someone's beliefs...
It's much harder to argue with someone who just cooked you dinner. Hospitality disarms people.
Story: Luke 19:1-10
One day...
Jesus walks into Jericho.
Thousands of people surround Him.
There are crowds everywhere.
Jesus sees someone who is a sinner but also hungry. His hunger was evident, so he climbed a tree to see. God looks for the hungry. They may not know what they are hungry for, but He does.
ZACCHAEUS: Notice what Jesus DOESN'T say.
He doesn't begin with sin.
He doesn't begin with repentance.
He doesn't begin with judgment.
He begins with an invitation. "I'm coming to your house today."
-The invitation is for Zachaeus but also for the crowd. Both are seeing what God is like and how God thinks about sinners.
Amazing observation...just before this Jesus heals a physically blind man, bidding others to bring him to Jesus, but this spiritually blind man Jesus pursued personally, “I’m coming to your house!” Love is saying that, not anger or judgment. Notice Jesus is not uncomfortable around him, nor is he worried about being corrupted by his sin. Not worried about others' opinions.
Maybe we should start being more direct about going to lunch with people: “Today we will grab lunch.”
Before Zacchaeus ever changes...Jesus eats with him.
Grace came before change.
Belonging before behaving.
Relationship before repentance.
Hospitality opened the door for salvation.
Notice...
Jesus didn’t preach a sermon.
No miracle.
No confrontation.
Just dinner… Some of us do not invite people to dine with us because we don’t know what to talk about. Meals create conversations. (space for the Spirit to move)
You are not eating with them to win an argument or close a deal. You are eating with them to show them they are seen and loved. The conversation may or may not flow into an opportunity to share the gospel, but the relationship being built is holy.
Seemingly in the middle of the meal…Zacchaeus says
Half my possessions...
I'll repay fourfold.
No one told him to do this. (His money was what kept him from God; now he found true riches, and money no longer controlled him. Money now became a way to enrich others and demonstrate the kingdom of God. However, there is a long-standing belief in Israel and in the NT that repentance is demonstrated by your heart for the poor.)
APPLICATION
Maybe your dining room is more important than you thought.
Maybe your grill...your patio...your kitchen...your breakfast table...your favorite restaurant...is holy ground.
Your table may become the place where someone first experiences Jesus.
JESUS' MISSION: Luke 19:10 "The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."
How?
Sometimes by preaching. In this instance...By eating.
THE THREE TABLE CHALLENGE
Table One-Eat with your family.
No phones.
Read one Scripture.
Pray together.
Ask one spiritual question.
Build disciples at home.
Table Two-Invite another believer.
Strengthen Christian friendships.
Encourage someone.
Share testimony. Talk about what you learned in the Scriptures this week.
Pray together.
Acts 2 community.
Table Three-Invite someone far from God.
Neighbor.
Coworker.
Coach.
Teacher.
Single mom.
Widow.
Someone new.
Don't make it awkward.
Don't preach.
Just love them.
Listen.
Ask questions about their journey, family, needs.
Let Jesus work.
Closing Vision
Imagine...
If just 400 people at Calvary each invited one person to dinner...
That's 400 new lives being loved and experiencing Jesus in you.
400 potential brief or long Gospel conversations.
Hundreds of children hearing parents pray.
Neighbors becoming friends.
Lonely people finding belonging.
Our desire is a living Faith shared naturally. A Christianity that is lived, not just learned.
No stage. No lights. No microphone.
Just a table.
Altar call:
1. God, help me begin inviting people to the table.
2. God, I come to the table today.
Week 1
Your Table Can Change a Life
Big Idea:
Jesus didn't just preach in synagogues. He also changed lives around dining tables. If we follow Jesus’ example, our dining tables can become places where Heaven touches Earth.
We may not realize that meals change lives and, in turn, change stories.
It was a meal of rebellion that broke our relationship with God way back in the garden. Since then, God has worked through meals to restore that relationship, eventually inviting us to share a meal at His table.
Revelation 3:20 (NIV):
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."
It was a meal that began the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 18:1-8), leading to the birth of Israel and, eventually, Christ.
It was a meal the children of Israel shared that God used to bring them out of Egypt and to give them an identity-Passover. That meal points to another Passover meal centered around a table with Jesus.
Key idea: God has used meals to change lives even more than church buildings and pulpits.
“Dining tables are a place where Christianity moves from being learned to lived.”
Every family has memories around a table.
Birthday dinners.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners.
Sunday after church meals.
Date nights.
Engagements. – (I remember my previous worship pastor in Illinois; it was at a meal discussion he decided to propose to his girlfriend.)
Grandma's or Abuela’s dinner table.
Conversations after funerals. (healing memories)
Celebrations like after a graduation or promotion.
Some of the biggest and most formative, healing moments of our lives didn't happen in auditoriums. They happened around dining tables.
One of the most surprising things in the Gospels...Jesus was constantly eating.
Luke 7:33-35 (He’s a glutton and drunkard; you do not get this reputation for fasting all the time.)
Scholars have joked that Luke's Gospel is basically one meal after another.
Jesus is either
• Going to a meal
• At a meal
• Leaving a meal
He is almost always around a table.
Some examples
Levi's house
Simon's house
Mary and Martha
Feeding the 5,000
Feeding the 4,000
Wedding at Cana
Dinner with Pharisees
Breakfast on the beach
Emmaus
Last Supper
Zacchaeus
The list keeps going.
Food wasn't random. It was strategy.
WHY?
In our culture... (we separate our faith)
Religion happens in church. Life happens at home.
For Jesus...Faith happened in homes, in the street and in the temple.
The synagogue mattered.
The temple mattered.
But most life transformation usually happens around ordinary tables. Again: “The table is where Christianity moves from learned to lived.” (discussed, applied, shown)
The book of Acts continues the pattern of Jesus…
Acts 2:42-47 "They devoted themselves...to fellowship…breaking bread...house to house...eating together... praying together…glad and sincere hearts."
The early church wasn't built only by inviting people into religious buildings. It spread because believers invited people into homes around tables.
OBSERVATION: Jesus rarely asked people: "Come to church."
Instead..." Come eat." (5,000, 4,000, Passover)
Or..." I'm coming to your house." (to eat: Mary and Martha, Matthew, Zacchaeus)
Hospitality became the front door to relationship with God
“Hospitality is evangelism with a plate in your hand”.
WHY TABLES MATTER
A table gathers everyone.
Rich.
Poor.
Republican.
Democrat.
Boss.
Employee.
Neighbor.
Family.
Stranger.
Everybody eats. (We are not solar powered; by design, we need to eat)
Around a table, people slow down.
Walls come down.
Conversations become deeper.
People listen.
Questions happen.
Stories are shared.
Faith becomes personal.
A pulpit may proclaim the Gospel. But a table often prepares the heart to receive it or helps explain it so someone can live it. (my kids, one-on-one discussions with people)
People can argue with someone's beliefs...
It's much harder to argue with someone who just cooked you dinner. Hospitality disarms people.
Story: Luke 19:1-10
One day...
Jesus walks into Jericho.
Thousands of people surround Him.
There are crowds everywhere.
Jesus sees someone who is a sinner but also hungry. His hunger was evident, so he climbed a tree to see. God looks for the hungry. They may not know what they are hungry for, but He does.
ZACCHAEUS: Notice what Jesus DOESN'T say.
He doesn't begin with sin.
He doesn't begin with repentance.
He doesn't begin with judgment.
He begins with an invitation. "I'm coming to your house today."
-The invitation is for Zachaeus but also for the crowd. Both are seeing what God is like and how God thinks about sinners.
Amazing observation...just before this Jesus heals a physically blind man, bidding others to bring him to Jesus, but this spiritually blind man Jesus pursued personally, “I’m coming to your house!” Love is saying that, not anger or judgment. Notice Jesus is not uncomfortable around him, nor is he worried about being corrupted by his sin. Not worried about others' opinions.
Maybe we should start being more direct about going to lunch with people: “Today we will grab lunch.”
Before Zacchaeus ever changes...Jesus eats with him.
Grace came before change.
Belonging before behaving.
Relationship before repentance.
Hospitality opened the door for salvation.
Notice...
Jesus didn’t preach a sermon.
No miracle.
No confrontation.
Just dinner… Some of us do not invite people to dine with us because we don’t know what to talk about. Meals create conversations. (space for the Spirit to move)
You are not eating with them to win an argument or close a deal. You are eating with them to show them they are seen and loved. The conversation may or may not flow into an opportunity to share the gospel, but the relationship being built is holy.
Seemingly in the middle of the meal…Zacchaeus says
Half my possessions...
I'll repay fourfold.
No one told him to do this. (His money was what kept him from God; now he found true riches, and money no longer controlled him. Money now became a way to enrich others and demonstrate the kingdom of God. However, there is a long-standing belief in Israel and in the NT that repentance is demonstrated by your heart for the poor.)
APPLICATION
Maybe your dining room is more important than you thought.
Maybe your grill...your patio...your kitchen...your breakfast table...your favorite restaurant...is holy ground.
Your table may become the place where someone first experiences Jesus.
JESUS' MISSION: Luke 19:10 "The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost."
How?
Sometimes by preaching. In this instance...By eating.
THE THREE TABLE CHALLENGE
Table One-Eat with your family.
No phones.
Read one Scripture.
Pray together.
Ask one spiritual question.
Build disciples at home.
Table Two-Invite another believer.
Strengthen Christian friendships.
Encourage someone.
Share testimony. Talk about what you learned in the Scriptures this week.
Pray together.
Acts 2 community.
Table Three-Invite someone far from God.
Neighbor.
Coworker.
Coach.
Teacher.
Single mom.
Widow.
Someone new.
Don't make it awkward.
Don't preach.
Just love them.
Listen.
Ask questions about their journey, family, needs.
Let Jesus work.
Closing Vision
Imagine...
If just 400 people at Calvary each invited one person to dinner...
That's 400 new lives being loved and experiencing Jesus in you.
400 potential brief or long Gospel conversations.
Hundreds of children hearing parents pray.
Neighbors becoming friends.
Lonely people finding belonging.
Our desire is a living Faith shared naturally. A Christianity that is lived, not just learned.
No stage. No lights. No microphone.
Just a table.
Altar call:
1. God, help me begin inviting people to the table.
2. God, I come to the table today.