Open your heart!

Sean, my son, and I were talking about the church he has been attending for several months. He really likes it. The worship music is good, both from an engaging quality and in Spirit! The pastor is a good teacher and a man of faith. Their facilities are first rate. Sounds good, right? It is except for one thing - it is hard to 'fit in.' He has found that there is a tightly knit group at the core of the church that is really 'the church,' and hundreds of people who just attend without really forming a strong connection to the Body. As we talked, I was thinking about the church that I lead, wondering if that is the experience of people who join in worship at the Assembly.

It is quite natural for each of us to form attachments to people of similar interests, or educational background, or economic status, or age, isn't it? Once we have secured a place in a group that meets our social needs, we are apt to close the gates, content with our little 'four and no more!' Natural? Yes. Right? No! Believers, because of the love of Jesus Christ, are taught to have open hearts, to receive others with joy and acceptance. In addition to a personal relationship with Jesus, they are called to be people that love. One way this is expressed is in interest in others, our care for them, and our willingness to keep on adding others to our circle of friends. In Romans, Paul expounds on the grace of God for chapter after chapter. Then, as he closes the letter, he urges personal holiness. "Present your body as a living sacrifice to God!" He doesn't stop there! A further indication of the grace of God at work in us is our sense of community. "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. . . . Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. . . . Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!" (Romans 12: 9-10, 16, NLT)

Genuine Christian love goes far beyond shaking someone's hand in the time of greeting at the beginning of the church service. It is more than being polite to people who are new. It is an active interest, a genuine concern for those who we might otherwise consider 'outside of our circle.' It does not 'just happen.' Genuine community is built intentionally by those who realize that because they are loved, they must love others. It takes time, requires an investment of ourselves, and involves risk. Some who enter the community of faith will be frauds, others will take advantage of the love, using it for selfish benefit. Others will bring spiritual gifts that enrich our gathering, perspectives that help us to grow and meet the needs of our community.

Are you a xenophobe [zěn'ə-fōb']? That is someone who fears foreigners or customs that are strange to them! Realize this - in the Body of Christ - there are no strangers! We are brothers. John reminds us to be "faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you." (3 John 5, NIV)

A repeated New Testament directive to Believers is about showing hospitality. Does that mean you have to create a big gathering, put on a feast, or spend a lot of money? No way. It is a call to an open heart that accepts others, that looks for ways to strengthen the Body of Christ, both in your local congregation and in the Church. So, open your heart. Discover the great, big wonderful family into which God has called you in Christ Jesus.

Here's a word to ponder -
"This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other." (John 13:35, The Message)

"Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always "me first,"

Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, The Message)