They Won't Come

Yesterday a pastor friend posted one of those cool graphics with appealing artwork on Facebook.  It asked two very interesting questions.  The first question was “Who would never come to your church?”

My first thought was “it’s not my church, it’s Christ church that I attend”, but I very quickly moved to wondering … why wouldn’t someone come to the church that I attend?  That forced me to wrestle with the thought … what if it is because it is the church that I attend?  What if it has been my attitude or lack of love that has caused someone not to come to church?  After spending a few moments on my own pity party blaming myself for the world not knowing Christ, I began to focus on the people.  Those people that need to know the wonderful love of Jesus. 

I am reminded of Paul’s teaching first to the church of Ephesus when he told them ?  Be very careful, then how you live – not as unwise but as wise, “making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Later he taught the church at Colossae in a very similar way but gave some additional direction.  “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:5-6)  It seems that God through the teaching of His apostle Paul was very concerned that people not yet in the church would be drawn to the church by the actions of believers, not pushed away from the church.

But then came the second question, that  is one we really have to wrestle with, “What’s keeping you from going to them?”  What would happen if the church … you know that one that you attend …really started going to them?  Not going to them to increase the attendance at that church, but that those people … you know the ones that would never come to your church … could someday go to heaven.  We are surrounded by broken people who have a laundry list of reasons that they believe eliminates them from the church.  Their entire list has to do with their past.  Their past mistakes, mistakes of churches in their past, etc.  But their past doesn't have to define their future.  Our community is facing a heroin epidemic.  People don't know what to do about it.  For the addict what they need more than anything is people that truly care!  They don't need simple platitudes like "Just give it all to Jesus!"  Many of them have tried that.  What they have to have are some people that will care about them and be willing to go through the pain of withdraw with them.  The wife whose husband has just walked out needs a friend who will just hold them and cry with them.  The parents whose children are out of control don't need Facebook post about bad parents from people who have never been the parent of an out of control teenager.  What they need are friends who will come to them and sit with them and cry with them and love their troubled teenager.

In John 1 Philip went and found his friend Nathanael and told him he had to “come and see” Jesus.  In John 4 Jesus went to a well to talk to a Samaritan woman with such a bad reputation that she had to go to the well alone each and every day.  But Jesus went to her and confronted her with both truth and grace.  Once she had experienced that level of concern … she went back to town and invited everyone to come and meet Jesus.

So who do you know that would never come to the church you attend?  Why won’t they come?  The better question is, Why won’t you go to where they are?

Keep  on Reaching!!!

Finding Joy

I've realized that there are far too many times that I am not as joyful as I should be.  Compared to the overwhelming portion of the world I am blessed beyond measure.  So what is wrong with me?  I think I have discovered two things that destroy my joy.

First, like almost everyone else my joy is affected greatly by unforeseen circumstances or trials that come to most of us on a regular basis.  Years ago when I was a ministry intern one of my responsibilities for the summer was to memorize certain passages of scripture.  The first one was James 1 .  I was really puzzled at the time when I was given this passage to memorize.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I mean consider it joy when you face trials, that really didn't make a lot of sense to a single 20 year old college student.  Wait ... maybe that was it!  As a 54 year old husband, father, grandfather and pastor it make a whole lot more sense, because over the last thirty-five years there have been many more trials.  Trials lead to perseverance, perseverance leads to maturity.  I hope that I have matured a lot over the years and when I am not in the midst of a trial it is easy to look back and see how "God has worked all things out for my good."   Things haven't always worked out the way that I wanted but that is not the promise of scripture.  God said that I could become mature and complete and that he was working things out for my good, not that they would always be good.  My prayer is that the next time I find myself in a trying time I will be able to remember God's faithfulness.

The second thing that can rob my joy is when I see people I care about in my family, community and church making decisions that I know are not wise.  A friend told me years ago that "anytime you want something more for someone than they want for themselves, you are the one that will be hurt".  His point was until a person realizes that there is something better out there for them they won't be hurt, because they are not mature and complete.  My prayer in this area is Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer that "God will grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference".

What is stealing your joy?  I pray that we will all be able to single-mindedly live in peace and JOY this year.