Welcome!
In my Heartlight.org post this week, Welcome One Another, I reflect on Romans 15:5-7. There the focus is on how important it is to welcome one another into our lives and into the life of the church family. I hope you will take a look at the article and reflect on it. But in the blog today, I want us to focus more on things that we allow to be barriers to our welcoming folks into our church families. Let’s get honest and identify these barriers and then find ways to break through them. Here are some questions that might help “prime the pump” on this issue. I’d love to get your response and feedback on this.
What keeps us from having “the same mind” and being of “one heart” and glorifying God together with “one voice” Romans 15:5-7)?
Paul describes how we were welcomed by Christ (Romans 5:5-11). What does that mean for the ways we are to welcome others (Romans 15:5-11)?
Paul speaks strongly to his Christian friends in Philippi about “the same mind” and points us to having the “mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:1-11). What is “the mind of Christ”? How is it displayed in our lives?
What do you need to do to more deeply value and welcome brothers and sisters in Christ who are different from you?
What keeps you from reaching and welcoming others into the body of believers?
What barriers do we often let get in our way that keep us from more openly welcoming those who are different from us?
Honestly? I believe what most often stands in our way from reaching out to others, especially those who are different, is our own selfish pride….I think sometimes we fear accepting others, along with their differences from ourselves because it may somehow make us feel less significant…Although we know we are to humble ourselves before God, rarely do we manage it completely. Meaning that what humility we do manage is simply for God and not for man. To truly humble oneself, is to become a servant to all, whose needs we have the ability or gift they require to be lifted up….The way in which we often regard others would lead an onlooker to believe that we think we are more important than our Lord and saviour, our Christ, Jesus….For God’s sake, everyone, look inside yourselves, and please don’t get me wrong, I include myself here….Jesus, our Lord and King, left the comfort of the kingdom of Heaven and walked on this earth in servitude to us…. Sure, he came to testify to truth and give his physical life so we could have eternal life but I’m certain in all his power and glory he could have managed that without all the pain and suffering he let himself be put through….He came to set the perfect example, to leave his footprints on the path that leads to eternal life. We aren’t assured of it simply because he died for our sins and we say that we believe it and believe in him….
…He showed us how it is to be done…
…blessings, gratitude and grace…humility, servitude, sacrifice, suffering…
Lord, I thank you for all the many blessings I’ve received in this life, even though, because of my weaknesses and sins I really don’t deserve them. Take my heart Lord and fill it with your love till it’s overflowing and give me the courage and strength to reach out to others in need and touch their lives with your infinite love and grace…Bless them Lord as you have blessed me with your unconditional love and Grace…In the name of our Christ, Jesus, I pray…amen
Blessings and grace,
David
David
26 Jan 09 at 1:15 am
What do you need to do to more deeply value and welcome brothers and sisters in Christ who are different from you?
This passage should help us have strong motivation, that is, – any of our brothers has the potention to be our \"hope,joy,crown,glory\"
1Thess 1:19-20 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence our Lord Jesus When he comes? Is it ot you? Indeed you are our glory and joy.
Alison
26 Jan 09 at 8:15 am
Hello Phil,
Just a thought on your question…
Most of us do not take time to see what is going on around us. We have been captured by the cares of this world. We do not really see the needs of others because we are either living in past regrets or living in future goals. To see the needs of others we must slow down and live in the present. Do we know if our brother in Christ is hurting when he says he is fine on a Sunday morning? What about someone who has come through our doors for the first time? Are they lonely? Hurting? How do we see people who are different than us? How do we love one another as Christ has commanded us? Do we think that it will cost us more than we are willing to sacrifice of our time, pleasure, and resources?
Recently, I met a young homeless couple that came into our church. They just arrived here from another state living out of her lift van. She has ALS and is in a wheelchair, she can do nothing for herself except speak, he is of another race and her care provider they are not married. They came to seek medical attention for her. There are many people in our church that could have befriended them, helped in some way but it would have involved getting involved. It would invlove praying for the couple, the sacrifice of not getting to the usual Sunday lunch at our local resturant. it would involve time away from family and friends, it would involve giving of our finances and provision, it would involve follow up to help them find a place to stay, it would involve all that Christ askes us to do to love our neighbor as ourself. You may ask,\\"did anyone get involved?\\" Yes, there were two elderly ladies on a fixed income. Who prayed for them, took them to lunch, helped them find a motel… which isn\\\’t easy because the motels are not all handicap accessable. Paid for their motel and gave them some spending money…and have continued to try to help them get all the assistance they need to relocate in another state…the couple came back to church this Sunday, are they still needy…you bet! How much more could have been done if everyone in our church were able to make the sacrifice of love for this couple and share the needs of this couple and the burden of these two elderly ladies? Our brothers and sisters that are different than us can get very messy. It will cost us something. But can we do any less in view of all that Jesus has done for us? He died for us while we were yet His enemies. And the greatest commandment that He gave us was to love Him and one another…Do we really know what that means? If not, we need to take a step of faith and help someone that is different from us that can not repay us for what we have done. And we will see the glory of the Lord at work in our lives and we will never be the same. Fear of the unknown will prevent us from getting involved with someone different than us…but, we are encoureged, perfect love casts out all fear. With God all things are possible even loving those who are different from us.
May God bless you and keep you in His abundant love by the power of His Holy Spirit who enables you to do all things through Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord.
Love and prayers,
Nancy
nancy
26 Jan 09 at 10:43 am
What is needed requires not only the breaking of comfort zones but the ability to show ourselves in an anuthentic light. It’s harder to “fake” the unity that should be amongst brothers and sisters when one has to step outside culture, or class or familiar surroundings. When you can’t impress people with words, all you have left are the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23. These have to be authentic in a Christian live. They can’t be faked.
Jason
27 Jan 09 at 8:35 pm
Thank you so much Phil – this is just what I needed to hand to someone.
I was brought up with a saying from my mother I never forget. There are good and bad in every land. Giving me a head start to accept Gods people whoever they are. Wherever God fills a heart there will be unity of understanding. We have lived in Malaysia and your account of Thailand was so familiar. God has some lovely people out there in His church.
We need to forget self which is full of fear, past guilt and grudges as this stands in our way and prevents us from moving on towards our growing in likeness to Him in graciousness, kindness, forgiveness and all thos other wonderful qualities our Lord has for us to share.
May He be your love and inspiration always.
Beryl
Beryl C of C Bristol UK
28 Jan 09 at 5:36 am
Phil,
This is another great piece! Thanks. I serve as a missionary in Bolivia and we too have been witness to some very moving movements of welcome when church members who have never met us before lovingly welcome us into the congregations, homes and hearts. Within the Bible Belt people tend to forget what a precious thing it is to find a body of Christ meeting somewhere. In places like DFW where there are congregations of every size and shape, people sometimes do not quite grasp the incredible gift it is simply to be a part of the body somewhere and have that constant support and love. For that reason I think our congregations in the Bible Belt actually struggle more than ones outside to create a unified body because it is so easy to pick up and move on to congregation Y when congregation X doesn´t quite cut it any more. That mindset doesn´t work when the next closest congregation meets hundreds of kilometers or miles away. In those instances such as for us here in Cochabamba, when interpersonal difficulties arise the stakes are much higher and people are forced to put much more effort into working through a clash, and that is a good thing! For this same reason in places like Thailand or Bolivia when visitors come it is really appreciated because their is a genuine joy when Christians from other places choose to spend their time with the saints in another city. I remember traveling with my grandparents between California, New Mexico, and Arkansas during the summers. One of the first things they did when they found a motel and checked in for the night was to look up the closest congregation in order that we may worship with them. It is a habit that never grows old, and one of my favorite parts of traveling is visiting seemingly “random congregations” there is always some connection though and it is always an encouragement.
JC
29 Jan 09 at 9:32 am
are we sheep or goats?
i’ve read all the preceeding comments. they all are so true.
am often longing to share these kinds of things w/ others. the sheep sometimes recieve, the goats who knows? God is still at work in us all, thankfully
Sherry
29 Jan 09 at 11:07 am
JC,
Your comments remind me of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s emphasis in classic work, “Life Together.” He believed and died for this kind of beloved fellowship with believers who would not be co-opted by the Nazi’s in the 30’s and 40’s and he talked about the fellowship with other believers as a sweet, precious gift from God and warned that our criticisms often had to with our idolatry of our dream of what church should be and a lack of appreciation for the people God had put into our lives.
phil
29 Jan 09 at 11:23 am