"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 8:38-39 (NIV)
I once watched a video on Youtube by an evangelist named Clayton Jennings. In his video, Church Pew Bar Stool, he says that he once knew of a man, who after spending a long Saturday night drinking on a bar stool, felt for the first time in his life that he needed to go to church. On the following Sunday morning, this man woke up, got in his car, and went to the closest church he could find. I couldn't believe what happened to him next. The man had hoped to feel a little joy, a little love, and maybe even maybe a little bit better of a man by going to church. Instead, he felt downtrodden and crushed by the judgmental looks and bad attitudes thrown his way. After that moment, the man never stepped foot into a church again. He felt more love and acceptance sitting on a bar stool than he did sitting on a church pew.
As Christians, this story should make us ache with sadness. A man was able to feel more comfortable on a bar stool than on a church pew. It is selfish for us to accept this fact without acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. A church is a place where people come together to worship the one true Lord God. As a church body, it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone who steps into the doors feels completely at home. God has already done His part; God brought them to church by convicting them or showing them love. It is our turn to step up, take notice of them, and treat them with love.
Jesus says in John 13:34-35 (NIV), "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Jesus is making obvious: they will know you by your love. I have to agree with the Black Eyed Peas when they said, "Where is the love?" We are told in church all the time that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, if we are supposed to be disciples of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, then we should probably start acting more like Him. The Jesus that I know was a sinless man that hung out with drunkards, prostitutes, and sinners. Jesus did not make church to be a museum for good people, but to be a hospital for the broken.
Christians, and everyone one else reading, understand that I wrote this as a challenge to you. I challenge each of you to show more love, grace, and acceptance to others. You might think to yourself that you already show these things to others, but I know and God knows that we can all do better. Jennings says in his video, "Sinners are on the bar stool, sinners are on the church pew." It is time for us to stand up and start showing everyone more love. We are all equal and we are all in need of the never ending grace that our Lord God gives us. We have all seen what just happened in Paris and it reminds us of what hard times we live in. Don't you think that the world needs a little more love? Will you be the one that makes that change? Will you be the one that God looks upon and smiles? Go out and be that person!
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16 (NIV)
