Skip to main content

Create Some Space for Others

                 When doing up a dress shirt, if you do not get the first button in the right place, every other button will be wrong.
                I think the church has missed the first button.
                As groups and individuals, we do a lot of good.  We have good intentions.  We love God and we want to make disciples, but most of us are not seeing a lot of fruit.  What are we missing?
                Hospitality.
                When you read that word, you probably think about having someone over for supper.  That could be part of it, but Biblical hospitality starts with something much simpler.  It starts with an attitude.
                “I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law… so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law… so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
                Do you hear what Paul is saying?  He will do anything in order to build a bridge to others so that he can teach the gospel.  He will be interested in whatever they are interested in.  He will go where they go.  He will do what they do.  He will not compromise his faith, but he will put his personal preferences to the side and ask, “Can I join you?”
                That is the exact opposite of what I was taught!   I was told to run away from people.  I was told that I should not have any non-Christian friends.  We formed a church softball team so that none of us had to meet any one we did not know.   We insulated ourselves, hid in the church building and then wondered why we were not having much impact on the community.
                “The word became flesh and dwelt among us!” (John 1:14).   If Jesus’ example teaches us anything it is that we ought to be running towards people, not away from them.  We ought to be welcoming, instead of shunning.  We ought to be going, instead of waiting.
                A hospitable, welcoming heart that makes room for others is the first button. 
                If we get that wrong, nothing else will line up.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

  Let’s play a quick game.  Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God.  Got your words?  Good!   Here comes the game part.  I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours.   David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching.     How did you do? This is not a useless exercise.  The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him.  For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me.  When I remember that...
Post a Comment
Read more