A Letter to the Church

To the Church, 

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God." - 1 John 4:7-8

My experience in the church was devastating, and I can only imagine what It would be like to come in as an unbeliever-someone who may be curious about Christ and wanting and searching for answers. Instead of being shown love and being welcomed, they are ignored and rejected!

I'm not in anyway saying that everyone at that church or that every church is full of false Christians. No. We're all sinful and imperfect, we make mistakes and we don't even realize all the times that we mess up. We are all are guilty of not showing Christ's love when and how we should. We become comfortable in our lives and our "Christian" groups. We feel at home, and we don't want to leave that or change that. I get it and I understand that. I'm guilty of the same thing, and I'm sure I haven't been welcoming and loving to people when I should have been too. I've gotten caught up in my comfortable life as well; but God does not call us to be comfortable. He doesn't call us to just stay together and fellowship together. I'm not saying that those things aren't great; having fellowship together is a great and wonderful thing, but we aren't meant to just do that. We aren't meant to just hang around those who are already Christians and know Christ. Those who are healthy are not in need of a doctor, remember that?

"While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many sinners and tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisee's saw Him eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with sinners and tax collectors?" 

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
-Mark 2:15-17   

I'm not saying that we are perfect and not in need of Christ; we all need Him and will always need Him. But Christ ate with and welcomed those that were "sinners" and the ones who would make others uncomfortable. The Pharisees were uncomfortable when they saw it, and they asked "Why? Why does he do this?" Are we really going to question God too? Are we going to ask Him why He wants us to step out of our comfort zone and welcome others? Are we living like Christ? Or like the Pharisees...?

Think about it.

How are we supposed to be living? Should we be talking to our groups and our friends and ignoring the ones who need to be shown Christs love? Are we supposed to let them walk through our doors and ignore them? Should we let them walk past without being shown His love and hearing His words?

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have love you, so you MUST love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we out to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother and sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let is not love with words or speech but with actions and truth." 1 John 16-18  

Do not just preach God's words and think you're all good. You have to show others His love, through actions and through God's truth! We can ALL talk and read the Bible aloud; that's the easy part. The hard part is going out and showing Christ's love through our actions! It isn't easy and it isn't always comfortable, but it's what we're called to do! Don't let someone who may be looking for answers walk away because you weren't comfortable enough to take action and show love.

God talks so many times about loving one another; it's all over the Bible! He says that those who don't love do not know Him! How many times must He say it before we wake up and LISTEN?

I'm not by any means saying that I'm perfect. I'm saying this to myself just as much as to any other Christian. We all need to hear this; we need to know that we aren't called to be comfortable. Do you think that being beaten and being spit on was comfortable? How about being rejected by the ones HE CREATED? Was that comfortable? Being whipped and crucified, was that comfortable? Having all OUR sins on Him and being separated from the Father.... was that comfortable?

No?

Then who do we think we are? That we're allowed to live in comfort and do nothing when the Savior and Creator of the world died and suffered so much for us. You are nothing in comparison to Christ. We all are nothing without Christ. How dare we think that we can just sit around and do nothing, and let Christ take all the pain and suffering from us when He did nothing wrong! The reason He died, was BECAUSE OF US.

Wake up, Church! Step up! Show God's love to those who desperately need it! Show them His love and bring them to Him. Don't turn them away from Him because you're too comfortable to do anything!

Open your eyes and see. Open your ears and hear. Open your heart and let Him use you for His uncomfortable, wonderful, purpose!