Good Morning everyone! PK asked me the other day to share what I personally had encountered being the Church in my world. Since I didn't get to share on Wednesday, here are my notes for you to check out:
Being the Church isn’t always the most popular thing. When I was in school, it meant keeping my friends in line (in love), speaking up when people were being stupid, and walking a fine line because I was, and still am an example. But it also meant praying for people when they needed it (in public), being the encourager to my friends when they were upset from things ranging all the way from boyfriend/girlfriend drama to a death in their family, and since a lot of my friends didn’t have any Spiritual influence in their lives, it mean being a counselor to them to give them sound, Godly advice. All of my friends knew where I stood/stand with God, and consequently they came to me for answers to a lot of different things.
I was known as the girl who knew God, but I still had friends and influence in my world. I think a lot of times we think in order to be an “On fire” Christian we have to go live out in the woods, not bathe, and eat bugs like John the Baptist. Not true.
Jesus lived among the people. He hung with prostitutes, adulterers, flat-out sinners, and people that many religious people would be freaked out by. Not that I’m saying that you should go out and find a prostitute to hang around with, but you should be willing to hang with the smelly kid, the annoying kid, the loaner kid, the depressed kid, the ones that most Christians would turn their noses up at.
Remember at camp, when they played the video of the people on the street telling their opinions of Christians? There was one guy in particular who had nothing but weird and horrible things to say about Christians and a lot of the campers booed him. They MISSED THE POINT. I felt sorry for him. He’s LOST and he’s going to hell (currently). And if every Christian who comes across him dismisses him as a weirdo, or someone who can’t be saved because of his views, he will go to hell. God LOVES that guy just as much as He loves you and just as much as He loves me. One of my best friends in High School was an Atheist. We DEFINITELY DID NOT agree, but we were still friends. He said I was the most real Christian he had ever met. He watched my life and I believe he saw something in me that he needed. Now, I didn’t lead him to the Lord in some “glorious” Church service or anything, in fact, I never personally prayed with him to receive Salvation, but I just simply walked out my faith everyday and Jason knew exactly what I stood for. Every once in a while, he would ask me questions, or want me to debate with him about stuff, and I would answer his questions, but he always remained my friend.
Sometimes being the Church in your world doesn’t mean that you will personally lead a school revival. Can God do that? OF COURSE, but a lot of times, when you choose to be a light and to put others first you will be picked on, taken advantage of, persecuted, made fun of, etc. BUT ALSO, people will be drawn to you like moths to a flame. You have what they need.
We HAVE to see people as more than just their beliefs. When I was in Bible college, they said on average, it takes as many as seven separate personal contacts/presentations of the Gospel before a person will accept Jesus. What if you’re contact #7? A heavy thought, but, if we turn our back on everyone who disagrees with us, we might deny some people of the last chance they have to know Christ. We have to allow God to show us how He sees people. Only when we begin to see ALL people like He sees them can we fully be the Church.
***Jess
