The Church
I got to thinking recently about church. My church. The church. And what church is. I've been struggling with what makes a good church, what makes a great church, and what my role in both are. I know this seems like a loaded topic. In fact, the church, as a whole, has been lamb-basted for quite some time. First, as a Christian, I can say with a firm level of certainty that there is no level of perfection this side of eternity. There is no person who has all the right answers and there is no set of people who are doing it all the right way. Knowing this, I've still been struggling lately with a few things concerning the church.
My church is filled with people from all walks of life. We have business owners, community leaders, blended families, traditional families, single-parent families, seniors, and young alike. So what makes us any better or worse than anyone else? The simple answer is, the people. Yes. The broken-down, self-admitted sinners that grace the doors each and every Sunday. You see, a church is not the place we go to meet Jesus. No, he is there, in us. We bring Him along when we show up. For those who don't know Him personally, it is us, His people, they are looking to in order to meet Him. This is both an awesome responsibility and humbling fact.
Today I went to my home church. The church where I met Jesus for the first time. I met Him through the loving people who brought Him with them each Sunday. I met Him through the words spoken by a Pastor who exudes the love of Christ and wishes nothing more than others come to know Him personally. Today's message was on Revival. About living out your life as one who has the Lord in them. It begged me to ask, do people meet Jesus when they meet me? I'm not talking the Bible-thumping, in-your-face, you are going to burn in the pits of Hell if you don't repent and turn to the Lord right.this.minute type of meeting. I am talking the compassionate, kind, thoughtful type of meeting. I am talking salt and light of the Earth type of meeting. I am talking the nonjudgmental - you don't look like the kind of person I'd want to be friends with - type of meeting.
I think this is where we have to be oh so very careful. People come to church seeking. BUT, they come back to church for the people. I will be the first to admit not all personalities are the easiest to get along with. However, as the church, we need to be less focused on cliques and more focused on open invitations. When people feel like they are on the outside, begging to get in, they go away. And where do they go? Sometimes they stop going to church altogether because the people there say they brought Jesus but honestly, they didn't show they did. Sometimes people jump from church to church for the same reason. There is a lot of hype on how great the church is, but I've seen first hand the way people hand select those they wish to include and how they shut the door on others - metaphorically speaking, of course.
If we are the body...
If we are to reach the lost...
If we are to be the hands and feet...
If we are to help the lost and weary...
If we are to be the temple of the Lord...
Then we must, as a whole, stop turning our nose on those who don't fit into a mold society says we/they have to fit into. We have to stop using triage as a way of deciding if a person is worthy of our conversation, let alone a sideways glance. Jesus came for all. He found you. He found me. He found each and every one of us that asked Him into our lives. He is in us. We need to be more than present, we need to show up.
And when we show up, we will see all the broken, painful pieces that make up His church. We will see that each person has a story. Each person has a reason for finding His love to make them whole. Each person is a child wholly and wonderfully made by a God who wants nothing more than to have a place in their lives. When we see that, we can stop turning people away at the door under the false pretense we are open for all to come inside.
Programs, worship music, bulletins, Bible studies, all of the "things" lose their purpose and value when the people don't bring Jesus. In real estate the main concept is location - the building can be a dump as long as the location is right. The same thing can be said for a church. If Jesus comes with the people, the building is of no value because the location is already right.
I will leave you with the thing I will be reflecting on myself, this week - Am I bringing Jesus with me wherever I go?
Have a blessed week,
-M
My church is filled with people from all walks of life. We have business owners, community leaders, blended families, traditional families, single-parent families, seniors, and young alike. So what makes us any better or worse than anyone else? The simple answer is, the people. Yes. The broken-down, self-admitted sinners that grace the doors each and every Sunday. You see, a church is not the place we go to meet Jesus. No, he is there, in us. We bring Him along when we show up. For those who don't know Him personally, it is us, His people, they are looking to in order to meet Him. This is both an awesome responsibility and humbling fact.
Today I went to my home church. The church where I met Jesus for the first time. I met Him through the loving people who brought Him with them each Sunday. I met Him through the words spoken by a Pastor who exudes the love of Christ and wishes nothing more than others come to know Him personally. Today's message was on Revival. About living out your life as one who has the Lord in them. It begged me to ask, do people meet Jesus when they meet me? I'm not talking the Bible-thumping, in-your-face, you are going to burn in the pits of Hell if you don't repent and turn to the Lord right.this.minute type of meeting. I am talking the compassionate, kind, thoughtful type of meeting. I am talking salt and light of the Earth type of meeting. I am talking the nonjudgmental - you don't look like the kind of person I'd want to be friends with - type of meeting.
I think this is where we have to be oh so very careful. People come to church seeking. BUT, they come back to church for the people. I will be the first to admit not all personalities are the easiest to get along with. However, as the church, we need to be less focused on cliques and more focused on open invitations. When people feel like they are on the outside, begging to get in, they go away. And where do they go? Sometimes they stop going to church altogether because the people there say they brought Jesus but honestly, they didn't show they did. Sometimes people jump from church to church for the same reason. There is a lot of hype on how great the church is, but I've seen first hand the way people hand select those they wish to include and how they shut the door on others - metaphorically speaking, of course.
If we are the body...
If we are to reach the lost...
If we are to be the hands and feet...
If we are to help the lost and weary...
If we are to be the temple of the Lord...
Then we must, as a whole, stop turning our nose on those who don't fit into a mold society says we/they have to fit into. We have to stop using triage as a way of deciding if a person is worthy of our conversation, let alone a sideways glance. Jesus came for all. He found you. He found me. He found each and every one of us that asked Him into our lives. He is in us. We need to be more than present, we need to show up.
And when we show up, we will see all the broken, painful pieces that make up His church. We will see that each person has a story. Each person has a reason for finding His love to make them whole. Each person is a child wholly and wonderfully made by a God who wants nothing more than to have a place in their lives. When we see that, we can stop turning people away at the door under the false pretense we are open for all to come inside.
Programs, worship music, bulletins, Bible studies, all of the "things" lose their purpose and value when the people don't bring Jesus. In real estate the main concept is location - the building can be a dump as long as the location is right. The same thing can be said for a church. If Jesus comes with the people, the building is of no value because the location is already right.
I will leave you with the thing I will be reflecting on myself, this week - Am I bringing Jesus with me wherever I go?
Have a blessed week,
-M
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