We proclaim our love to others by volunteering at shelters, orphanages, soup kitchens, and other such ministries. We "get our hands dirty" serving people who aren't like us. We give money to the poor. We go on mission trips and live amongst the less fortunate for a few days. We give the man on the corner a couple bucks or some even go further and tell that man about Christ.
But there is a line we do not always cross in our very own church. In God's own house. The place where we are supposed to fellowship and love one another as brothers and sisters in our Christ Jesus. Often we divide ourselves up into groups or cliques. I hate that word. Go ahead and say it...That's so high school. But isn't it?
Ephesians 2:19 says:
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.
Wait a minute. Did God really just say fellow citizens? What exactly does that mean? Let's find out. The dictionary says:
fellow- a [fel-oh] person belonging to the same rank or class; equal; peer.
citizen- [sit-uh-zuh
n, -suhn] an inhabitant, or denizenSo God says we're all the same rank or class. We're equal. Call me crazy, but I personally think that we've been committing a sin here. There's a line so many of us are not willing to cross. Sure, some of us are more drawn to people that share things in common with us and we form friendships. That's normal. But why do we limit ourselves to only those people? Do we invite our blue collared brother to our home for fellowship over dinner? Have you wanted to invite the more 'priviledged' sister out for coffee but figured she wasn't interested in being friends with a person like yourself?
The following paragraph is an excerpt taken from the story of Ananias and Sapphira from bible.com:
“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them” (Acts 4:32). This is most amazing. The number of believers probably totaled five thousand or more by this time, and yet they were of one heart and one soul. The heart is sometimes used in Scripture to refer in a wider sense to the immaterial part of man’s being, including both his spirit and his soul. But distinguished from the soul, as it is here, it would probably refer just to his spirit, the innermost facet of man’s makeup, the center of his being to which God reveals Himself and in which God dwells. Those early Christians sensed a spiritual bond at the deepest level of their lives. Their spirits were knit together in the cords of Christ’s life and Christ’s love. They knew they belonged to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. But Scripture goes on to say that they were of one soul as well, and that is something entirely different. The soul is the conscious life force in man, his personality, consisting of his mind, emotions, and will. This is the level on which he thinks his thoughts, senses his feelings, and makes his choices. This is the realm of experience. Those early Christians were not only one because of their position in Christ, but they were one in experience also. They thought alike, they had deep feelings for each other, and they made decisions that reflected their mutual care and concern. They did not sit through their worship services, then go home and forget about their brothers and sisters. Since their congregation was so very large, when they all met together in the court of the Temple, they also gathered in smaller units in homes to get to know each other, to grow in their love for one another, to care about one another’s problems and minister to one another’s needs (cf. Acts 2:46).
Now that's an amazing example of community isn't it? They all came together in one accord of one heart and one soul! They cared for each other! I'm not saying we don't care for each other. I've experienced more love from my church family at times than from my blood family. But let it not go unnoticed that partiality goes on amongst us every day. We shy away from the coffee pot as the girl with the tattoos approaches. Or our bursts of laughter subside as a the outsider walks past us in the church halls. We don't talk to the girl who wears her heart on her sleeve anymore because she actually replies more than "fine" when somebody asks "How are you?" We try to stay inside our comfort zones. We don't like the unknown. There are people who compliment our personalities and checkbooks so we stick around them while offering a sweet smile to those we're less accustomed to being around.
1 Peter 5:8 says 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
I'm betting that first "someone" he is looking to devour is the isolated Christian. The one who doesn't feel like they have a place in their own home amongst their brothers and sisters. It's obvious, the lone zebra is going down when the lion is hungry. As soon as his pack leaves the watering hole without him he becomes lunch! And you better believe that that "someone" isn't always the lone ranger sitting in the back pew by himself. It's the man volunteering next to you that no one really talks to because he's socially strained. The lady who wears no makeup and dresses modestly in your bible study that you never really get to know. It's the beautiful girl that you think has a million people lining up to be her friend sitting in the pew in front of you.
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of it! And I know God is too! It's evident in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is a prophet sent to warn who?? The people of God!!! To warn them that God is angry. Those darn followers of Christ were up to no good again. They were worshipping in the temple but they were more concerned with the world around them. They were lukewarm about the Lord because they were wrapped up in appearances. Babylon anybody?? Bueller....Bueller....Bueller? Anybody get where I'm going with this? Same thing was going on down in Babylon. They're kidnapping the chosen people of God. But in all fairness God warned them. So who did the Babylonians take captive? Ohhh well...only the best of the best, the creme de la creme, the cream of the crop!!! The ROYAL family. But not just any old royal family member. Old king Neb wanted the gorgeous, smart, strong, rich boys. Uh oh...but
1 Timothy 6:7 says "The earth is passing away and all of its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. We are not to put stock in that which is material or made by man." Well that just slaps ya in the face doesn't it??
I hope everybody gets mad reading this blog! Mad at themselves. It's time to make a change. We can't preach what we aren't practicing. Love one another. It's commanded people! Wake up!!!!!!
On a lighter note, I think I just wrote a sermon. LOL
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