Our Shared Humanity

This past Sunday, my pastor preached about the humanity of Jesus and why it’s so important for us to understand the hypostatic union within Christ. Jesus endured so much during his life here on earth. He was falsely and publicly accused and punished for things he was not guilty of. He was stolen from by a friend. His closest friends abandoned him when he needed them the most on more than one occasion. People he loved fell victim to terminal diseases. People he loved were unjustly murdered in cold blood.

Jesus may have even grown up fatherless like a lot of people still do. It’s not explicitly said what happened to Joseph in scripture, but there is no mention of him beyond Christ’s childhood. He’s not even mentioned at the site of the crucifixion. Some traditions say that Joseph died when Jesus was still a child. Maybe he did indeed endure what it was like to grow up without an earthly father. Maybe he did indeed watch Mary endure the hardships of a single mother, which were much worse in those times than they are as of this writing.

Sickness, disease, death, police brutality, racism, sexism, tyrannical government .. it goes on and on. Jesus dealt with everything we still deal with. He suffered the same way we suffer. Jesus steps off of his rightful throne and meets us in our humanity. He understands our cries of suffering and our prayers for justice because he experienced it all himself. It wasn’t mentioned in the sermon I was listening to, but the shortest verse in the bible is John 11:35: Jesus wept. That sums up his humanity in one simple statement.

“If God’s real, I believe he became a man
Otherwise, ain’t no other way to understand
What it’s like to be me
What it’s like to be an outcast tempted by all the devil’s diseases”

These lyrics came to mind while I listening to the sermon and considering all the implications it has for us. God not only answers our prayers, but he understands the pain behind our cries for help. He felt that very pain himself. He felt desperation.But not only that, He promised to make all of this right in the end. God is not sitting in clouds looking down on us and burdening us with harsh judgements, though we deserve them for our crimes against him. Instead, he’s entering into the suffering with us and is actively making things right leading up to his restoration of things to the way they should be.

Our tears mean something to God. He hears us and responds to us (Psalm 4). He gives meaning to all things, both good and bad. Ultimately, everything will work out for the greater good (Romans 8:28). Apart from Him, apart from hope, there is no rhyme, reason, or purpose to any of this. Without Him, we are forced to cling desperately to the things in this world before they’re all taken from us, ending with our very lives and that’s the end. We’re but a mist that’s here and gone that reaches any real fulfilment because of the brevity of our lives.

This is why we cling so tightly to our faith. We are all hurting people that Christ died for. Not only us, but the very world itself suffers for its separation from God. Our great hope, our faith, it all lies in the belief that what He said is true and he’s going to do exactly what He said. He’s going to fully implement a kingdom that has no bounds and he’s going to wipe away every tear. No more sin, no more death, no more abuse, no more addictions, nothing will exist that contracts what his will for us is. I cannot fathom or imagine it, but these are the promises given to us.

Not Superman

When I’m going to do something for the greater good, I’m known for doing it in the most radical way I could possibly think of. Sex trafficking bothers me, so I pick up prostitutes and preach the gospel to them. Our country sheds the blood of thousands of innocents every day, so I protest alongside men and women that feel the same way I do. A lot of my friends are not saved, so I welcome them all to challenge my beliefs to see if they can’t make sense of things I do and say. Biblical illiteracy is widespread, so I spend a lot of time delving into the debates going on at the highest level so I can share what I have learned with those misrepresenting what I believe in. I have my hands in a growing number of ministries that help people that are in need and I stand by all of them in deed, in word, and even monetarily. But, if you really know me, one thing is for sure. I am not Superman.

I could go on about not being perfect, but that’s obvious. We all fall short of righteousness. When I say “I’m not Superman”, I mean I’m just an ordinary guy. There is nothing particularly special about me. God did not design me with special traits to be some sort of caped crusader on His behalf. He does not need me for that as I’d fail miserably anyway. What I mean is that there is no fundamental difference between me and you.

Our convictions may be quite different. You may be called to be a part of a ministry that I couldn’t fathom being a part of, and I applaud it. Why? Not because you are made in any peculiar way, either. It’s because we are both obeying the mandate of The Great Commission and at the same time expanding the kingdom that will see no end. This is how it’s done. Ordinary people like you and I act as the hands and feet of Christ, in essence, preserving and being a light to the culture around us.

I don’t do what I do to bring glory to myself. That’s not the point. I don’t care if anyone sees me as good or bad, because this is all bigger than us. I do what I do to inspire people like you to get up, get out, and do something. You are just as capable as I am of following your convictions and making a difference. Do politics bother you? Study law! Get out in the field and make a difference. Have you had bad experiences with law enforcement, health care providers, or even car salesmen? There’s room for us there too. It doesn’t really matter what it is. When you’re doing it for His glory and His honor, the fruit will come!

We have to stop being so short sighted and think about what could be in the future! Instant gratification isn’t going to bring any of this about. We have to be willing to sweat, weep, and bleed for it! We have to be willing to get up, get out, and get uncomfortable if we’re serious about what we are called and commanded to do in scripture.

There’s a lot to be said about this. Perhaps, I’ll flesh it out more in time to come. Maybe I’ll just share some of my favorite ministries and invite others to share theirs. The more of us getting involved at the street level, the better off everyone is in general.

This is Not for You

A number of things have been said about me and the things I believe. I’ve had my friends share their displeasure and ire of me on many occasions. This is not just on the internet, mind you. This is in real life in face-to-face encounters as well. I’m well aware that some of those people I’ve had conflict with think that I’m delusional or possibly wicked. I am perfectly okay with that.

 

I used to be a person that thought people like me were annoying. I didn’t understand people sharing stories about their faith and their favorite bible verses. “Who cares?” I always questioned. No difference would ever be made. It was pointless and stupid to share religious things outside of the church. There was something very important for me to learn from the persistent of those aggravating Christians.

Isaiah 55:11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

The first chapter of Romans tells us that we all know God, but in our sinful rebellion, we suppress the truth of God. The first chapter of First Corinthians tells us that the word of God saves those who believe but is foolishness to those who are perishing. Jesus said that those that aren’t with Him are against Him. Here’s the point: we will not have an excuse on judgment day. We won’t be judged for what we don’t know. We’ll be judged for what we do know. These words people like me share will either save you by the power of God or bring condemnation on you when the time comes.

I remember a time when I was nominally Christian. I believed there was a God out there somewhere and that Jesus somehow pointed us to Him. I was not interested in being in fellowship with his followers, though. I was not interested in reading the things he said or trying to be like him. I was a good enough guy. I was better behaved and more virtuous than most in my own mind. Why would I need a church or to hear about this bible stuff people were spouting? But, luckily, someone out there loved neighbor and God enough to persistently share the gospel.

My eyes were opened by a YouTube video. Let that sink in. No one personally preached to me in a way that made things click. No one coerced me to turn away from my sin. I don’t even know who made the video or how I came across it. I’ll never meet the person or have any interaction with him or her in this life. Now I sit here sending this message to you a person struggling to live consistently with his faith because God deemed social media a place for His word to advance and do what it’s supposed to do. By His grace, His words saved me.

So, if you’re offended by me for the things I say, fine. If I anger you, fine. If you hate me and the things I believe (which I’m aware some of you do), fine. Guess what? I don’t care! The greatest man to ever live came and taught us the greatest love there is and we killed him. I don’t care if you block me, unfriend me, or whatever the case may be. That’s soft compared to what happened to Him.

The criticism and vitriol I get for what I say means nothing when someone says to me that something I said or did has them rethinking their position on God or something important. It means nothing to me when I see my friends turning away from their sin to follow Jesus. It means nothing to me when my little brother says to me “this is what I need” and “I want more of this”. It means nothing to me when I see people as broken and hurting as I was before I was saved by the word of God.

So, go on. Mock me behind my back. Laugh among those that agree with you. Say hurtful things to me while you hide behind a monitor. I do not care. You know why? Because this is not for you. Of all those given to Christ, He will lose not even one. God’s word will affect all of us in the way it’s meant to. It either will save you or condemn you. Just know that God knows that we all know that He’s there. We are all without excuse.

Tender Words

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

 

I say and post a lot of things in jest. Some of these things are deeply held convictions with no context and some of these things are just humorous explanations of what’s going on in the world around us. Sometimes, I share memes with buzzwords that I don’t bother to delve into. Sometimes, I share an opposing view because of how ridiculous I may think the statement is.

All that being said, I’m going to offend someone along the way. I know that and I don’t shy away from it. I invite people to pick at my brain when there’s a disagreement. If I am not being consistent on the path that I’m on, I want to know! I do not mind engaging people on what’s going on in my heart and mind at all, but it really bothers me that there are so many keyboard warriors out there.

For some people, especially skeptics, I expect antagonistic comments to be made about things that I share. So, what? That’s just a skeptic being a skeptic. I don’t really care about that and this is not about them. I’m not saying all my skeptic friends are unreasonable or unfriendly, but I take it a lot more personally when a brother or sister attacks me because we’re family.

Dear brother or sister, if I say or do something that personally offends you, you’re invited to address me personally. Send a direct message to me, call me, text me, have lunch with me, or have a drink with me. If we have those options, let’s take them. Can we not solve our differences the way the world does? Why do we get involved in flame wars? How are we showing love for one another or God when we do that? We’re simply not. We just anger one another and absolutely no progress at all ends up being made.

John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Don’t forget that we’re the city on the hill. We have the light to shine. People are watching what we’re doing and how we treat one another. We cannot say that we love God if we show hatred for our own brothers and sisters. I’m pleading with you to please treat one another in your online interaction the way you would treat each other in a face-to-face encounter. Let’s reason together and show love for one another even when our convictions are different, shall we?

As for me, I refuse to engage in it. If I feel like I’m being attacked by a brother or sister, I’ll say what I have said here and I’ll just disengage. At that point, I don’t even want to talk about anything anymore and why would I? Christians, we can and must do better.

Cutting the Legs Off of the Holocaust

The following is a conversation between a friend and I on Facebook concerning this picture that I posted on Facebook to demonstrate one of the absurd ways we use to justify the murder of our young.

To start the conversation, the false assertion that Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with abortions is made when they themselves say it is “only 3% of what they do“, which is a lie. This dialogue is based on misinformation from the get go.

Secondly, he goes on to say that the majority of abortions are medically necessary. Well, what do the stats say about this? Ireland disagrees with this for sure, but we’ll have a look anyway.

According to WebMD, the most common reasons are contraceptive failure (sexual immorality), an unwanted pregnancy (likely sexual immorality), to prevent the birth of a child with birth defects, pregnancy resulting from rape or incest (sexual immorality), or physical or mental conditions that put the mother at risk, which, as we have already seen, are typically not life threatening. You can have your fill of other sources like womansissues, prochoice.org, abort73, or whoever else you want to go to. The typical answer you’ll find is sexual immorality. Though, selfishness and the love of money does come up now and then. For the sake of the conversation with my friend, I’m hammering in on the recurring theme, sexual immorality.

This is not to say that I don’t know that pregnancy can cause health issues. God declared that so to Eve after the fall. Justifying the murder of millions for the sake of something that’s a rare occurrence doesn’t make sense. And yes, yet again, I understand that abortion does indeed put the mother of the child in danger as well. Some say that this doesn’t happen at all, but that’s another argument.

Commenting on my own response, I was baffled that he said that Planned Parenthood has nothing to do with abortions. This guy obviously knows nothing about Margaret Sanger and her wildly successful (so far) bloody mission. I was so dumbfounded and offended, that I didn’t notice he appealed to an ultimate standard to how I should behave. I’ll get to more on that later.

Typical of conversations with skeptics, he assumes I am unlearned because I hold an opposing view. A person that doesn’t know what Margaret Sanger’s mission was and the principles it was founded on is telling me I don’t know facts. Here’s a fun fact: handing out pamphlets will not cleanse the blood of the millions crying out from the ground. No, I don’t care that they do those things. There are plenty of alternatives to choose from that won’t encourage you to murder your child.

To start with, he’s not starting from the very beginning as he claims he’s about to do. I address that in my next comments. In another twist of irony, he’s using language (it’s really common for pro-murderers to not know what the word “fetus” means) he doesn’t understand to defend his position but ends up supporting mine. I get to that in my next comment as well. On to some things I didn’t say!

He’s making yet another outrageous statement with nothing to back it up. Upon conception, a baby has just as much information in his or her DNA as anyone reading this. You don’t become human. You are conceived human. The only thing that separates us from a newly conceived life is our degrees of growth! Yet, he compares the baby to a tumor with no source to back up such an outrageous claim. Interestingly, he implies that the baby isn’t really alive with quotations. I wonder at what point he arbitrarily decides that the baby actually is alive, but that’s beside the point.

In this video, Bill Nye demonstrates that he does not know that humans are indeed born with all the same information and are human from conception, nor does he know that there is a difference between the mother’s body and the child’s body. The popular science guy that champions logic is saying this. At this point, I found myself morally indignant and angry. He’s using the tools of God to defend the murder of our children and I wasn’t having it. He did get another comment in before I let loose:

How can you defend this bloody massacre without being aware of how many lives it has claimed? Keep in mind I was given a knowledge challenge by this very same person. Before I give my full response, which was lengthy as you can see, I’ll say again that I don’t care about clever arguments or witty banter. I do not care about winning arguments. I care about saving lives and seeing people come to Jesus. I care about the souls of everyone involved in this. That said, here’s the rest of what I said to him:

What I should have said is you don’t want that sin or any sin at all to have to give an account for. The punishment for sin is death and this is just a despicable crime. Fortunately for all of us, there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ, our propitiation. He took on the full wrath of God so that we wouldn’t have to pay the ultimate price. This is what the gospel is about and this is what the message I’m trying to convey. This isn’t about conservative vs liberal or pro-life vs. pro-choice. This is about the gospel and what God declares to be good, which includes rescuing the weak and needy. No one is weaker and in more need than a helpless baby.

I went ahead and removed the name of the person being engaged because as far as I can tell, that person has withdrawn from the discussion. I talked about this last week, but I’ll say it again: I have no respect for atheism as a worldview. It degrades people and strips them of their dignity. The respect my friend mentioned above becomes null. Why would you respect someone that has no value or dignity? So what? It’s so empty and void, that according to it, killing children is okay. Atheism is a bankrupt parasite of a worldview and it cannot even defend itself without borrowing from the Christian worldview.

I don’t mind having a civil conversation about any of this, but I will not put up with any talk of abortion being “good”. You cannot have good without God. That invokes God into something that’s clearly evil and I cannot bare to even behold it. If you’re a skeptic and you’re bothered by charges against atheism, good. I guarantee that you will only find conclusive answers in Christ.

I’ll close all this with two questions:

1. By what means did God enter His own creation? (Luke 1:31)
2. What was the horror of that period? (Matthew 2:16)

K10

I spent 10th anniversary of Katrina catering a wedding. It was the furthest thing from my mind that we hit that milestone. I’ve got so many other things going on right now that I really haven’t had time to reflect on it. Now, that I have time, I don’t really want to. It’s unnecessary for me.

I can’t be bothered with pictures of flooded streets and destroyed homes. Yes, we lost a lot. People died, animals died, homes were flooded, and most of us had little to nothing to our names to being with. Charity Hospital, the place I was born, is no more. The very landscape of the city was and still is tattered and torn. As many things as I hated about that city, with losing it, I lost a lot of the only place I had ever really known and the memories that went along with it. That includes pictures, businesses, schools, and everything else we don’t really take notice of until they’re gone. Yet, here I sit, not really caring about that anymore.

I’m not a victim of Katrina. I never liked the idea of being called a “refugee” either. I am a survivor. I was a vagabond searching for a new home. I was anxious to stand out on my own and to find out who I really am when the pressure is on. What was the world outside of the city limits like? What kind of people are out there? What kind of music do they like? What kind of food do they eat? With all this chaos and uncertainty surrounding the city, where is God? Those are the questions I asked myself when I set out without a permanent destination. It’s thanks to that storm that I got all the answers and then some.

Since then, I’ve become a man. I gained some amazing new friends and some old friends are now like siblings to me. I have two godchildren now. I’ve been invited to be a part of weddings, anniversaries, and sorts of other special events. I have been invited into many different homes across the country. My mind reels thinking of all the road trips, the flights, the trains, the buses, and all the taxis I’ve taken a ride in experiencing all this country has to offer.

It hasn’t been all great. I’ve hit the lowest of lows and I hated my life for a time. I’ve lost close friends. I’ve had my heart broken by people I love. One of those people did as much if not more damage than Katrina did to begin with. I almost got myself killed more than once. In the midst of all that, Christ presented Himself to me and I have never been the same since then.

If I had a chance to go back, I would lose it all again for those precious little children and their parents who I love very much. I’d do it again to say I went on a roadtrip on my birthday to attend a friend’s wedding. I’d do it again if would lead me back to those that love me at work. I’d do it again for that epic going away party that lasted three days before I went to Texas. I’d do it again to have the hand of God guiding me and showing me what love really is.

I’m grateful for Katrina. My life before it was another life and time entirely. Now, I see it as a launching pad. I have too much to do to wallow in sorrows of the past. My victory was proclaimed a long time ago. Lord willing, my story is still just beginning.

A Stroll Through St. Francis (1)

I met with a doctor at St. Francis hospital to talk about my accident and my experiences with drug and alcohol use. With hardly a warm up, I jumped right into the discussion to recount the events of the night. I can remember the things I did during the day, my demeanor, and conversations I had late into the night after I had already been drinking for a while. Once I had a few pints in me, I was even enjoying myself. I had a personal conversation with someone that inspires me to look beyond what’s right in front of me, which isn’t very typical of me to do.

The doc enjoyed how candid I was. He would ask my questions about my usage and I would just go on as if I was speaking with an old friend. I told him about the irony of the fact that I didn’t drink at all until after I left New Orleans. We discussed Hurricane Katrina and how the feelings I had from the fallout of that contributed to what I was feeling that night. I went on for a while about the dorm parties I used to go to and the many house parties I threw myself. It was actually pretty enjoyable talking about the highs and lows of experiences with alcohol use.

When I got around to telling him how this effected me spirtually, he seemed confident in my capability to resist. He said flat out to me that it’s clear to him that I don’t have a dependency issue and he agreed with my asessment of the root issue. I’ll say it over and over again until people get tired of hearing it or until I’m blue in the face and then some: we need one another. It’s not good for us to be alone. If someone was in close proximity to me and knew the emotional pain I felt that night, it would not have played out the way it did. Because of my stubborness and unwillingness to allow someone to love me in that capacity, someone could have died. I could have taken my own life as well.

Hear me. You reading this right now, yes you. No matter what you’re facing, you need an outside perspective to help you deal with it. I’m not talking about an out of state friend, an out of city friend, an instagram friend, a Facebook friend, or anyone out of reach. You need someone that can you can have a personal one on one conversation with about things that matter. If you don’t have it, seek it out. I’m your example of how ugly things can get, but it can be worse.

Ten years ago, two weeks before Katrina hit, a friend of mine took his own life for this very reason. At the time, I was too inexperienced in life to understand what was going on in him. There was nothing I could have done to help him. He was just as unwilling to allow himself to be loved in close proximity as I was before Katrina. The stress of life and isolation overwhelmed him that much. Even if you don’t think things can go that far, living in secret misery, as I used to do, leads to unnecessary pain and recklessness that can be avoided.

My willingness to openly confess all this won my doctor’s confidence in me. More important than that, I would rather not anyone else go through what I did to really understand how much we need one another. If you don’t have anyone to talk to about something that’s eating you up, talk to me. Even if you don’t know me, it would be better than suffering the same fate my friend did or myself to a lesser extent.

Joy Comes in the Mourning

The Lord has taught me a lot in the past few weeks. The fact that we are involved in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-12) has been made all the more clear to me. The things of God is so unnatural to this flesh, I have to fight myself for them. I never thought I would have to literally war with myself for the sake of righteousness, but here I am. I feel as if my very soul is screaming for the lonesome solace I’m used to instead of pursuing godly counsel that I just learned is so important for my spiritual and emotional health.

God’s lessons for me throughout this whole ordeal have come in waves. The first of those lessons was of my need to be in proximity of my brothers and sisters (Genesis 2:18). The second lesson I learned was I am not alone and I am loved (1 John 3:16-18). Now, I’ve come up to the most difficult part of this healing process. There are some people that He will remove from me whether I like it or not for my own sake and for His glory (John 15:18-23/Proverbs 18:24). This has been the most painful part of the Lord shaping me yet.

The person I am thinking of now is the most dearly loved in my life. Unfortunately, their heart is hard towards me. It’s been very heartbreaking to sever the bond that we had. It’s painful to just obey, but that’s what I aim to do. Instead of lamenting this loss and submitting to my sorrows, I just pray for my friend. I still love this friend of mine very dearly. The love is probably more intense now than it ever was before despite the distance between us.

I say all this, but this still troubles me. I wrestle with the urge to fight for our friendship so that it won’t go away even though I’ve been down that road before. It ends in bitterness and a lot of pain. There’s nothing that can be done to convince someone to stay when they’ve already committed to moving on. Anything that is done in resistance to this progression will only harm everyone involved. I should know. I’ve done it twice and ended up a wreck of myself both times.

Like Job before me and many of us now, I am learning how to suffer well. I praise God that He uses this pain I’m in to penetrate me to the core and further conform me to His image. I am happy that there is something for both of us in mind in the future. God is in control no matter how much it hurts. He will redeem this situation. That’s what I believe. That’s my great hope. It’s what gives me the strength to love my friend even still.

Will we ever have the kinship we had before? Will the heart soften towards me again? Is there some common goal we will work towards together in the future? Lord willing, the answer to those questions are all “yes”. Even still, my heart longs to be there every step of the way although it’s just not possible as things are. I’ll just be content to stay a great distance and applaud the victories and pray through the trials of my friend from afar.

Bonds

According to Spotify, the last song I listened to before I ended up spending a weekend locked up was “Velvet Rope” by Janet Jackson. I’ve always loved that song. It plays a prominent part in my life’s story up to now and the lyrics of it were prophetic that night.

“We all have the need to feel special
This special need
That’s within us
Brings out the best
Yet worst in us
Follow the passion
That’s within you
Living the truth
Will set you free”

Read more: Janet Jackson – Velvet Rope Lyrics | MetroLyrics|

What does this say about our nature as individuals? Why are we so deeply embedded with this need for one another? What does this say about our relationship with God? What does it say about the very nature of God? My urge to read the first letter of John brought me to a clearer picture of the ideas I had about all that already.

It’s something so much bigger than us, it’s hard to grasp. It’s a divine mystery. The Father, Son, and Spirit are three of one essence that co-reign together for eternity. This is what we mean when we say “God is love”. In His own essence is a harmony a finite mind like mine can hardly even fathom. It’s something I sit back and marvel at instead of trying to fully understand.Being made in the image of God, the image of love, it’s in our nature to imitate this to the best of our ability and that’s why being alone for extended periods can evoke

Being made in the image of God, the very image of love, it’s in our nature to imitate this to the best of our ability and that’s why being alone for extended periods can evoke negative emotions. We’re not designed for solitude. In Genesis 2:18, from the very beginning, God declares “It is not good for man to be alone”. In Proverbs 18:22, it’s said “He who finds a wife finds a good thing”. In John’s letter, he instructs the church to not only love one another with words, but also with deeds. Paul(?) scolds the church for neglecting one another. Those are just a few of the examples I can think of that encourage community.

It all boils down to the greatest commandment, which we can’t obey in solitude: “Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If we love God, will we not also love those made in His image? From the greatest of us to the least of us, we’re all connected and we really do all need one another. The command to love God rids us of excuses to live in seclusion.

It’ll either bring out the best in us and we’ll bless someone in some way, or the lack of it will bring out the worst in us and who knows what will happen to fill that void. I could have taken my life as well as someone else’s. I know someone that committed suicide for this very reason. Do not take this lightly. Love is a very serious God mandated matter.

A Letter to De-Churched Christians

This is a plea to my brothers and sisters who have left us or have never been in arms alongside us. Please, come and join us! We need you! You are an important part of the body that’s missing and you make much more of a difference than you may realize. We are designed to need one another and to work together. We simply can’t practice Christianity on our own, and I want to emphasize why with the scriptures that describe us this way.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 describes this beautifully. We all have different gifts given to us by God. We bring different strengths and weaknesses to the table that we eat together at. Not all of us can sing. Not all of us are teachers. Not all of us are preachers. Not all of us are can care for children or the elderly. Not all of us are doctors, lawyers, or accountants. We all have something to offer that was given to us by God. You could effectively use your talents to serve God outside of a church. Maybe. Wouldn’t you agree that you would be much more useful on a team with people on the same mission as you are? Wouldn’t you agree it would be a more efficient way to spread the Gospel and a better way of showing that it has impacted your life and the way you see people?

In verse thirteen, it’s celebrated that we are all children of God and equal under that banner. We are called to go beyond the “tolerance and respect” of our time. We are called to lovingly embrace one another and to do life together. We are the ones that show the world what it looks like for humanity to really be brothers and sisters of one accord. I’ll give you some examples of what that’s looked like in the past to fully embrace what the church is supposed to be.

Men of little affluence were not taught to read or write in the time that Jesus walked the earth. Women weren’t even considered. They were considered more sinful and dumber than men. This was true even within the walls of the church. When Jesus changed this misperception for us, it opened the doors for all to worship together. In the fall out of this unity, more people learned how to read and write, more people learned to preach, and more people learned to care for the sick. It is because of their efforts that I’m even able to write this letter to you and you’re able to read it. That is how unity in the name of God changes the world forever.

Before I go too far off from my plea, I want to bring it back to how this effects you in the here and now. Have a look at Provers 27:17. How can we take heed to this advice if we refuse to join hands? How about Galatians 6:1-5, James 5:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, or Luke 17:3? How can we live this out if we refuse to join hands? If you need more convincing and you want something that flatly says “Get off your butt and go to church”, consider Hebrews 10:19-24. The Word is plainly calling you out!

We all aware that the church is not perfect. It will always have problems as long as people are involved. We’re all imperfect sinners that need the grace of God. We will never get everything right. But, I ask you, what progress will we make if you stand on the outside judging us instead of joining us and helping us to grow and change in healthy ways? If there really is a serious problem you see with the church, what progress will be made if you just walk away instead of confronting the problem?

Don’t forget that the church is not some impersonal entity. It’s composed of people like you and I. Jesus clarifies this in Matthew 18:20, does He not? So please, for the sake of those in need, please consider joining us! For the sake of spreading the Gospel as we’re called to do, please consider joining us! For the sake of living the Gospel and presenting your life as a sacrifice, please consider joining us! If you won’t for any other reason, do it because You have a God that loves you that commands this of the Christian life. Please, come and join us!