September 05, 2006
Ask Me
A couple Sundays ago our outreach committee began a new ‘ice breaker’ for making visitors feel more welcomed to the church. The committee’s idea is to have all members wear blue name badges that say, ‘Ask me about my church’. Obviously they expect those wearing the badges to give a favorable and supportive opinion of the church to anyone who asks. However, if we’re as honest as the Lord was about the seven churches in Revelation, we would be sharing not only the strengths, but also the weaknesses of our church. Although not overly enthusiastic about the endeavor, Bill signed us up for a badge. I’m thinking…this badge has potential. Oh please, ask me. Let me share!
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Gail;
----Jesus prayed before He was abused and hung on the cross that God would give His followers unity so that the world would know God had sent him. Paul wrote by the same Spirit in which Jesus prayed, that the people of the church were not to bother one another about holy days, eating or not eating meat, and other matters of doctrine or practise. To him, there were only the few doctrines which the apostles had taught the early church that were necessary for fellowship with the Lord, and he insited on those.
----Those teachings are laid out clearly in the New Testament. They include the kindness, gentleness, consideration, respect, honor, looking to one another's interests, each pleasing his neighbor, doing good to all men, especially the household of God, and on and on and on found throughout the Word. Never do you find Paul or anyone else presenting these teachings of Christian behavior as disputable matters of conscience, "...do them if you believe in them." They are taught in the Word as absolutes, traits of the new life, activity in the light, the fruit of the good tree, not choices.
----As such, these are the elements of unity that Jesus prayed for, not debatable doctrine. These are the tags showing unity that hang on the believer saying to the visitor, "Yes, this Jesus was sent from God, you can tell by the way we all treat each other with respect, acknowledgment, and welcome, pleasing one another more and more as we learn about one another more and more, regardless of what teachings we might individually hold."
----All of the emotionalism of all of the contemtorary celebration in the world blasted all at once in the same place can not begin to speak the volumes that the simple actions of a soul clothed in these good works of proper behavior towards one another shout aloud! But as long as the contemporary influence at that church still is not understanding that this godly behavior is to be given out to all without measure and without partiality, I think Bill has made a good decision. You're going to have to put on the, "Ask me about my church" badge and understand that it really means, "Please give me a chance to explain."
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