A few years back a friend asked me a question that has stuck with me. How do you measure the Love that people have for you at church? He said he measures that Love by how long it takes a person to get from the parking lot, in the front doors of the building, through the foyer, past the coffee shop, and to their seat. I have often thought about how much truth there is in that simple observation, because Love is revealed in the little things we do when no one is asking us to do them. I have witnessed men of renown walking through a church foyer who act more like a lost child than a man of the people. Sometimes, the greatest expression of Christ’s Love is not found in the sermon preached from the pulpit, but in the person who takes the time to stop being distracted by notoriety and fame and focus on who is directly in front of them, listening to the hearts of others, and make someone else feel not only seen but valued. For me, intentionality matters most.
For some, it takes a long time to get from point A to point B, because they say hello to just about everyone and just about everyone wants to say hello to them in an expression of Love. Some people walk in Love without even thinking about it. For the most part though, many are only interested in loving the easy or the ones that can help them in one way or another. There are some in the building that only Love certain people, people like them, their cliques. My intention is not to embarrass particular leaders but to challenge spiritual pride.
I have even seen different Pastors who have the gift of teaching and can share a great message but have no Love for those he is sharing it with; it is like a show, or performance, a motivational speaker with only a desire to get attention and not give it. I read a meme that said, “Jesus spent His whole life ENGAGING the people most of us have spent our whole lives trying to avoid”. There is a distinction between preaching Love and demonstrating Love because action takes effort and that is where the heart of the message shows the mind of Christ. There is a difference between being gifted in communication and being willing to care for people. A powerful sermon can move an audience emotionally, but the way a person treats others when there is no audience can reveal something different about their character.
I think about “those” people being avoided a lot because I was one of “those” people for most of my life and at times still feel that way. I try to reach out to the lost, the broken, the drunks, the drug addicts because I can relate from a personal level because that used to be me. I know what it is like to walk through the doors of a church and have people walk the other direction or steer clear in fear that something on you might rub off on them.
In my early days in church I was a Christian and yet I still felt like an outcast as I walked through the doors and have come to understand that it is not the way Jesus would’ve treated me. Jesus did not measure people by their past, their struggles, their appearance, or what they could offer Him. He saw people who were hurting, people who needed grace, and people who were worthy of being approached with compassion and dignity. There was a woman caught in the act of adultery, a tax collector, and many lepers. If we are truly seeking to follow Him, then we must be willing to look beyond what makes us comfortable and recognize the person in front of us as someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, more importantly, someone whom God loves.
The words of the Lord Jesus strike me to the core of who I am and also cause me to step out of my comfort zone. It is written in John 13:35 By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].
I have tried to encourage many individuals that were in tears because when they entered the “church” no one greeted them or acknowledged their existence in any way. I have been blessed over the past few years to find groups of people who Love me for me, and I Love them for them. Our Sunday night group is entitled Iron Sharpens Iron. It is a spiritual support group for individuals who have a common bond. That bond has been formed through trials and tribulations that many people experience but few feel comfortable talking about openly. One thing that we have come to understand is that We Are Stronger Together.
Love must become more than something we speak about on Sunday; it must become something people experience through the way we welcome, serve, listen, forgive, and stand beside one another day in and day out. It may mean sitting with someone who feels alone, offering patience to someone whose healing is taking longer than everyone else expected, or choosing to extend kindness when there is nothing to gain in return. These small acts of obedience may seem insignificant to us, but to someone who has felt forsaken or abandoned, they can become a reminder that God has not forgotten them.
By this point I guess you may be able to tell that I have experienced what it feels like to be denied Love and am trying to make sure others don’t get to experience the same thing. My prayer is that the people of God learn to live in the Love of the Lord Jesus, not only telling others that they are loved but by showing them by personal actions and sacrifice as He did. Dear hearers, I am inviting you to examine yourselves, your intentions as you go about your days, and intentionally pay attention to the way you treat others.
Dear Lord, help our churches become places where the hurting are welcomed, the broken are met with compassion, and no one has to wonder whether they belong. Help us to remember that the building is not the church but the people are. The children of God are the body of Christ and we need to actively be His hands and feet. May we learn to see one another through the eyes of the Lord Jesus rather than through our own biases. May we make room for every person at the table, be ready for every story to be heard, and ensure that every heart longing to experience His Love feels welcomed. And may everyone who walks through the doors of whatever church we attend leave knowing that they were seen, that they matter, and that there is a place for them among us. May we realize that everyone needs to feel that they are valued, because in Christ, we are loved, we belong, and we are stronger together. In Jesus’ precious and powerful name, Amen.
Closing thoughts: I pray that this challenges you without causing you to lose compassion. That this causes you to connect personal pain to a meaningful response. And that you understand this as an invitation rather than a condemnation. The way we make people feel in the presence of the church can either draw them toward the Love of Jesus or make it harder for them to believe that the Love of God is available to them at all. A person may forget the sermon. They may forget the songs that were sung or the announcements that were made. But they may remember the person who noticed them sitting alone, the person who asked how they were doing and patiently waited for an answer, or the person who welcomed them without making them feel that their past or appearance was a problem. And if someone who has felt rejected by a church reads these words, I pray you realize that there are still people who understand, care, and want you to know that you belong. This message was not pleasant to write but I pray that someone finds it something worthwhile. Next time you are at a church service think about, How long does it take for someone to reach their seat in your church—and what might that journey reveal about the Love we say we have for one another?
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My BeLoved, may the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen. In Christ Love, douglas. HE>i. pastord.blog
Special Note: I want to thank those who read what I write and are encouraged to support the ministry God has entrusted to me either one time or have decided to give on a monthly basis. I am encouraged to see certain verses playing out before my eyes like what is written in *Philippians 4:16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.*
To any who are interested, please feel free to reach out to me with prayer requests, questions, encouragement, or for information on how to come alongside me with financial support at pastord.blog@gmail.com or I do have a Zelle account associated with my phone number, 5202720387 last name Blaser. Thank you my Beloved for your ongoing prayers and support.
