We Are Not A Club
The room is quiet again; the small tentative wave of discussion once again receding in the wake of yet another outburst, another strange question, another meaningless ramble. I look around the room and see faces in various stages of impatience and indifference and the thought comes to me unbidden: "I wish he just didn't come anymore."
The last few months, our small group of relatively like-minded believers has been surprised by the arrival of people who are by every definition of the word "different". We've seen them as a chance for our group to exhibit true acceptance and sincere love for people who are unlike us but need Jesus as much as we do. However, as the months past, we found ourselves more and more at a loss as to how to connect to them, how to help them change and see true growth. If they don't change or if they begin to make our other church members feel uncomfortable, what do we do? How much do we risk in hopes that they will somehow finally understand who God is?
How do we love someone with Christ-like, all-encompassing, relentless love when we don't have any emotional love for them?
I still don't have the exact answer to these questions, but the decision to love is one of the most powerful decisions we could ever make. The strength of that conviction can transform the most difficult, broken, tortured souls into beings of worship and vessels of grace. I was ashamed to realize that much of my objection to these "difficult" people coming and disrupting the harmony of our church was my instinct to control the membership of my carefully constructed club. It's the attitude that says act like us or you're out, prove that you can behave or we can't have you around. But being part of a body of Christ is not an exclusive membership that you must strive to obtain. Are there rules that should be followed to protect the church and facilitate a healthy spiritual environment? Of course! Is spiritual discipline as vital as warm acceptance? Most definitely. But if we are to be honest with ourselves, it's a lot easier to dislike and find excuses and reasons to reject than it is to love and find reasons to pursue.
My prayer is that God will soften my heart and sharpen my discernment so that I can love people in a way that brings people into the knowledge of Him who loves them perfectly and completely. God give us wisdom to know how to be your hands and feet to those who need you most.
The last few months, our small group of relatively like-minded believers has been surprised by the arrival of people who are by every definition of the word "different". We've seen them as a chance for our group to exhibit true acceptance and sincere love for people who are unlike us but need Jesus as much as we do. However, as the months past, we found ourselves more and more at a loss as to how to connect to them, how to help them change and see true growth. If they don't change or if they begin to make our other church members feel uncomfortable, what do we do? How much do we risk in hopes that they will somehow finally understand who God is?
How do we love someone with Christ-like, all-encompassing, relentless love when we don't have any emotional love for them?
I still don't have the exact answer to these questions, but the decision to love is one of the most powerful decisions we could ever make. The strength of that conviction can transform the most difficult, broken, tortured souls into beings of worship and vessels of grace. I was ashamed to realize that much of my objection to these "difficult" people coming and disrupting the harmony of our church was my instinct to control the membership of my carefully constructed club. It's the attitude that says act like us or you're out, prove that you can behave or we can't have you around. But being part of a body of Christ is not an exclusive membership that you must strive to obtain. Are there rules that should be followed to protect the church and facilitate a healthy spiritual environment? Of course! Is spiritual discipline as vital as warm acceptance? Most definitely. But if we are to be honest with ourselves, it's a lot easier to dislike and find excuses and reasons to reject than it is to love and find reasons to pursue.
My prayer is that God will soften my heart and sharpen my discernment so that I can love people in a way that brings people into the knowledge of Him who loves them perfectly and completely. God give us wisdom to know how to be your hands and feet to those who need you most.
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