It is true that sometimes the worst advert for Jesus Christ are the people who purport to follow Him.
Let me bring that closer to home, sometimes I am the worst advert for Jesus Christ through my behaviour. It’s sometimes lax, apathetic and somewhat aloof to the situation that people struggle with every day.
It is not always like that. (Thank God, eh.)
Likewise, however, some of my worse experiences of community/relational life has taken place in church expressions. Sometimes I’ve never felt so isolated, alienated and ignored as I have among people who will make a big deal out of ‘praising God’. I do have experiences I could relate to that end. Indeed I relate those experiences when I can, not to bad-mouth church, more to highlight critical lessons in what church is meant to be like that I am supposed to learn from.
Let me stress that again. Bad experiences are no there to mope over how bad people can be. It is meant to be a learning tool so that we no longer have to behave like that, so that we can pursue the godly alternative.
This post, however, is contrasting that with the fact that the church is really the church when it is there for you.
Just as I have incidents when I’ve felt so alone, so I have a treasure trove of episodes when in my some of the toughest times in my life brothers and sisters have stepped up to the plate and given me love that overwhelmed.
When talking to a friend recently, we reviewed how it is often on the long journeys to events that relationships are deepened than often what happens at the events. I took it to be metaphorical of how people on the journey of life with you enrich that journey. There have been people who have walked with me in my life along some treacherous areas, but their loyalty and love have remained firm, even while others have deserted me.
I am told from time to time that the Christian journey is one between just me and Jesus, but I know that there is a lot more to it than that, and the love for others that I’m called to reflect akes sense in the light of the church that is there for people in whatever season of life. Paul in the epistle of Romans talks about empathy – celebrating with those who celebrate and mourning with those who mourn, and it’s difficult to do that unless you put yourself in positions to experience that with people.
I’m grateful to God for brothers and sisters in Christ paying the price to do something like that and I’m a more passionate believer in Christ and desire to replicate that service to others because of that.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 