~* Reflecting on Sunday's Message *~
August 5, 2013 at 10:52am
We need to get our hands dirty.
Sitting on the sidelines picking flowers is not what God had in mind when He told us that the Church has a mission to reach out to the lost.
So far, I've seen servefests and rallies, ice cream socials, backpack giveaways and other awesome ways to minister to the communities... But where is the relationship? This Sunday I was reminded that the early church was most effective because of the relationships it built with others.
Wow! Imagine if the church today got radical and actually became friendly... (brain explodes)
Imagine if we lingered outside a little longer, when coming home from work, to greet a neighbor...
What would the world be like if we loved others like Christ does from Sunday to the next and not just on special holidays where cheer and brotherhood are encouraged?
I like how Pastor Chris McMillan said that *"we rarely see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the church (western world) because we aren't doing anything that requires it. Our most dangerous moments are sipping coffee from a cup without a sleeve."*
Our hardest decisions are like "Hmmm should we get the tan carpet or the honey beige for the atrium?"
When there are real churches on mission with people ready to give their lives to help another person, to be a light in this world and spare no expense.
Someone is actually holding, ministering to and loving on the orphan, the widow, the beggar, and the prisoner that we occasionally pray for every time one of those starving child commercials comes on.
In our neighborhood there is a woman or man with a sign up, begging for food and we snub our noses at her/him. "Get a job you lazy bum!"
Then go to church, a missionary visits and shows slides of starving families halfway around the world and we cry... Feel deep inner skin tinglies... Put five dollars in the "missions offering tray" and think we are off the hook.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. As a sacrifice. Flesh torn, bruised, bludgeoned, scared and bloodied... Skin shredded beyond unrecognizable, body dragged through dirt and filth... So we could play church and sit on the side with clean hands and feet... Not even a speck of someone else's messy life on our righteous robes.
Sure, we'll convince Him. Fine Sunday best clothes on... We'll convince Him we are His.
But will we REALLY convince Him?
Sitting on the sidelines picking flowers is not what God had in mind when He told us that the Church has a mission to reach out to the lost.
So far, I've seen servefests and rallies, ice cream socials, backpack giveaways and other awesome ways to minister to the communities... But where is the relationship? This Sunday I was reminded that the early church was most effective because of the relationships it built with others.
Wow! Imagine if the church today got radical and actually became friendly... (brain explodes)
Imagine if we lingered outside a little longer, when coming home from work, to greet a neighbor...
What would the world be like if we loved others like Christ does from Sunday to the next and not just on special holidays where cheer and brotherhood are encouraged?
I like how Pastor Chris McMillan said that *"we rarely see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the church (western world) because we aren't doing anything that requires it. Our most dangerous moments are sipping coffee from a cup without a sleeve."*
Our hardest decisions are like "Hmmm should we get the tan carpet or the honey beige for the atrium?"
When there are real churches on mission with people ready to give their lives to help another person, to be a light in this world and spare no expense.
Someone is actually holding, ministering to and loving on the orphan, the widow, the beggar, and the prisoner that we occasionally pray for every time one of those starving child commercials comes on.
In our neighborhood there is a woman or man with a sign up, begging for food and we snub our noses at her/him. "Get a job you lazy bum!"
Then go to church, a missionary visits and shows slides of starving families halfway around the world and we cry... Feel deep inner skin tinglies... Put five dollars in the "missions offering tray" and think we are off the hook.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son. As a sacrifice. Flesh torn, bruised, bludgeoned, scared and bloodied... Skin shredded beyond unrecognizable, body dragged through dirt and filth... So we could play church and sit on the side with clean hands and feet... Not even a speck of someone else's messy life on our righteous robes.
Sure, we'll convince Him. Fine Sunday best clothes on... We'll convince Him we are His.
But will we REALLY convince Him?
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