(I reprinted this from 2014. It contains a message that we all need to share.)
And the Spirit and the bride say Come. Let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” The Bible tells us about the God who invites us to come to Him. Our text is one of the most beautiful of invitations to come to the Lord. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said “Come unto me…” Throughout the Bible we are made aware that God invites us to Himself. The message of the Bible is “come in” instead of “keep out.” The Christian faith is about welcoming rather than keeping out. This is true of Jesus, it should be true of our churches, and it should be true of us. Does your church communicate to people “come in” or “keep out”? I read the following in the July 7, 2013 devotional from Daily Bread: “A beautifying project on the main road of my town prompted the demolition of a church built in the 1930s. Although the windows of the empty church had been removed, the doors remained in place for several days, even as bulldozers began knocking down walls. Each set of the doors around the church building held a message written in giant, fluorescent orange block letters: "KEEP OUT.” Some churches wonder why they do not grow, even though they are in heavily populated areas. They need to look at their fellowship and ascertain whether or not their fellowship says to visitors “come in” or “keep out.” Churches are built on fellowship, not friendship. This does not mean that we do not have friends at church. A church that is built on friendship alone, however, says to visitors, we have enough of us here and we don’t need you. Fellowship has open arms that invites people in regardless of how they look, act or smell. You know, kind of like Jesus acted with the “tax collectors and sinners.” Several years ago, my late wife, Mary, and I visited a church where I was to speak on behalf of our denomination. When we arrived at the church no one was there to greet us. After Sunday School no one spoke to us. The pastor did get my name because he had to introduce me. After the service was over, the people were fairly friendly, but not until then. As we left the church, I said to Mary, “Do you realize that if I hadn’t been the speaker it is possible that no one would have spoken to us?” If we had been visitors looking for a church, this would probably have not been the church we would have chosen. Their demeanor said “keep out.” Do you communicate that you want people to “come in” or “keep out?” The question is do you have a welcoming demeanor in your activities with people. Sometimes our attitudes communicate to people that we do not want to be bothered with them. I know that there are people who are “people” people and people who are not. (Try to say that three times fast.) But as Christians we have to find a way to be “people” people. Jesus was certainly a person that welcomed people into His space. The best example of this is that children obviously loved Jesus. Children have a way of knowing whether people are loving or not. People felt free to come up to Jesus and talk to Him. Even though Jesus grew tired from time to time and He and his disciples went off to themselves to rest, that was not the way He lived. People sensed that Jesus loved them. Do people sense that you are interested in them, and that you love them? That is an important question for a Christian. We are witnesses for Jesus Christ and we do not need to put a “keep out” sign on that witness. Proverbs 18:24a reminds us: “A (person) that has friends must show himself friendly.” This does not tell us that we should wear a “keep out” sign on ourselves. I know that all of us have good days and bad days, and that includes our relationships with people, but all-in-all we need to make sure that by the way we treat people we say to them “come in” ...not “keep out.” Just ask yourself which of these you are saying to people now, and work on being a "come in person." Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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