As a church we endeavor to be a place where all sorts of people can mutually and cooperatively wrestle with the issues of life….even the really difficult issues of day to day life as well as the issue of life and death. This demands that a church be a healthy place….but not a perfect place. It is a people (and a place) who attempt to look in the mirror and be honest with themselves (which is not easy sometimes), and then look into the eyes of those around them and be honest with them (which can be even more difficult at times), and then peek into the face of God and be honest with Him (which can be the most humbling yet amazing thing in all the universe).So this thing called the church becomes a very important organization….or more appropriately…a very unique organism. You see, an organization can be simply a structure to accomplish things where as an organism is a dynamic, growing, and living entity. That is what the church is supposed to be. It is called the ‘body of Christ’, the ‘temple of God’. Wow, isn’t that amazing….God wants His people to join together under His authority to be a reflection of Him in the world…. His hands, His feet, His people individually designed to fit together to reflect His glory and to make an impact….to touch and serve the world so they might experience God through His people. Now if that is true we (the church) have a tremendous challenge and an amazing privilege as the core of our lives. It will not be done without His Spirit empowering us, without His Spirit speaking to the hearts of our friends and our families and our neighbors, without us faithfully reaching out to those around us with a hand, with a kindness, with an encouragement, with a message of grace and forgiveness. Are we up for the challenge? Are we willing to be healthy even though we are not perfect? Let me know what you think!
Your bro,
Kevin
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Let’s run the race! Heb. 12:1-3
being healthy starts with humility. being humble enough to be honest and open with one another.
just like i put off going to the doctor for about 2 months now… i finally became honest with myself (and alisha) that the sinus problems were too much to handle. after seeing the doctor, he was able to listen to me and meet my needs with antibiotics.
i am sure that there are needs in our community that we aren’t humble enough to be honest about.
somehow i have the feeling that the holding back doesn’t just hurt the one that that isn’t open and honest. doesn’t it feel good to help someone out??
I totally agree with Jim…
Allowing ourselves to need is one of the greatest detriments of the church today yet Jesus says in Galatians 6:2 “Carry each one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Who doesn’t want to fulfill the law of Christ?
In doing this though, it means that we must break down our stone walls of self protection and be transparent. I can say from personal experience that it’s such a scary thing, to let people in and allow them to care. As a church that is learning to “one another” well, we will see a big room with many people become a room that feels safe and welcoming. We’re on our way and I’m excited to be a part of it!