Monday, July 8, 2013

Are you the church?

It's no secret that our calling (our JOB) as Christians is to love people, share the gospel with those who do not yet believe, and build up communities with fellow believers. I don't know about you, but to me the task of witnessing to the world as Jesus commanded me to seems quite daunting. But no matter how  introverted or new at Christianity you are, there is one thing you can do that can be the difference in someone joining your church or not: you can make them feel welcome.

Maybe this person is a new Christian and coming to church for the first time. The whole experience can be confusing, which often times us "veterans" can forget since we have been singing "Jesus Loves Me" since we could coo. Find this person, introduce yourself, have them over for dinner, get to know them, be their friend. You just became another reason for them to come to church and a safe place for them to ask questions.

Or maybe this person is a former Christian who has been away from God and/or the church for a period of time. This person can often have an even harder time coming back to church. They are worried about opening about their life, being judged, or even just being questioned. Love this person, let them know that they are welcomed back with open arms, find out how you can serve them and pray for them. You just demolished the lies that Satan put in their head that has been keeping them from coming back.

If you can, imagine your brother/sister/parents/best friend lives in a different town and falls into one of these categories. Show new people at your church the hospitality you hope would be shown to them.

After all, we're not just a part of the church, we are the church.


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