Okay, time to debunk a myth before I really get into my point today, though debunking the myth helps set the stage. There is this thought out there that people want a friendly church. Now, to some degree, this is an understandable thing. Very few people want to go somewhere where the people are unfriendly. If a person goes to a church and is basically ignored or made to feel a stranger or an inconvenience, then there is a problem. As God's people, we do want to be friendly toward others.
However, the myth says that people want a friendly church. Why is this a myth? Simply being friendly is not enough. I've encountered people that are friendly at various places such as the DMV, the dentist's office, and a variety of other places. That doesn't mean that I want to regularly go there and hang out. Sure, they may be very friendly, but I'm not going to come back just because the people are friendly.
So if it's a myth that people want a friendly church, what is the reality, then? It's more along these lines. People don't want a friendly church, they want a church where they can find friends. Yes, there is a significant difference in that statement. Friendly means you greet them with a smile, but you don't lose anything if they don't come back. Being friends means that it matters to you that they are made comfortable, that they know what to expect, and that you want to see them again, repeatedly. Being friends means you care about them, that you want to get to know them better, and want to spend time with them.
Okay, so we've debunked the myth. But the thing is, what I've just typed could easily be said about the country club, the fitness center, or any other place that you go to regularly. The reason we connect with those who make their way into our places of worship and fellowship is not merely to become friends, but to become connected together in Jesus. We connect as friends, but we connect in the one who has connected us to Himself. We connect in worship because we are refreshed in the one who is the vine for all of us varied branches. We connect in fellowship because Jesus sharpens us and strengthens us for His work as we come together, and as we are then sent back out into the community.
Think about that the next time you see someone outside of those 30 that I had you name yesterday. How can you connect with them as a friend, and as you do that, how do you also see God working to connect them even deeper to the one who is the vine for their branch? Tomorrow, we'll think a bit about what this might look like.
However, the myth says that people want a friendly church. Why is this a myth? Simply being friendly is not enough. I've encountered people that are friendly at various places such as the DMV, the dentist's office, and a variety of other places. That doesn't mean that I want to regularly go there and hang out. Sure, they may be very friendly, but I'm not going to come back just because the people are friendly.
So if it's a myth that people want a friendly church, what is the reality, then? It's more along these lines. People don't want a friendly church, they want a church where they can find friends. Yes, there is a significant difference in that statement. Friendly means you greet them with a smile, but you don't lose anything if they don't come back. Being friends means that it matters to you that they are made comfortable, that they know what to expect, and that you want to see them again, repeatedly. Being friends means you care about them, that you want to get to know them better, and want to spend time with them.
Okay, so we've debunked the myth. But the thing is, what I've just typed could easily be said about the country club, the fitness center, or any other place that you go to regularly. The reason we connect with those who make their way into our places of worship and fellowship is not merely to become friends, but to become connected together in Jesus. We connect as friends, but we connect in the one who has connected us to Himself. We connect in worship because we are refreshed in the one who is the vine for all of us varied branches. We connect in fellowship because Jesus sharpens us and strengthens us for His work as we come together, and as we are then sent back out into the community.
Think about that the next time you see someone outside of those 30 that I had you name yesterday. How can you connect with them as a friend, and as you do that, how do you also see God working to connect them even deeper to the one who is the vine for their branch? Tomorrow, we'll think a bit about what this might look like.
It would be too exhausting to try to connect with everyone you meet. Sharing your faith and our need for Christ with casual acquaintances, relatives, friends, and strangers is part of our evangelistic desire, as it should be. As for the needs we see in the lives of others, helping widows, homeless, disabled, sick, elderly.....this is also our calling. Sometimes God will point us in a particular and specific direction....to personally connect with and help maybe one lost soul.....and if we are led by the Spirit....this too is God's plan.
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