Leave the Light on and the Door Open
And never be surprised who walks in
“What if the church wasn’t just for Christian folks, but for the non-Christians, the poor, or those brand new to the faith?”
So begins a past Redeemer City to City newsletter.
What would it look like to be the church for those who are new or not yet part of the church? How would we engage our community? How would we speak? What would we assume about people who are not Christians?
What I want Christians to assume is that no one needs the grace of God in Jesus more than we do.
Why?
Because the church is not for those who are good, but for those who need grace. It is not for the strong, but for the weak. It is not for the able, but the helpless. It is for us. And it is for them.
Because Jesus came for us and for them.
All it takes is for the Spirit to exercise regenerating grace by raising someone from spiritual death to new life. At that point, they become one of us—a member of the community of sheer grace through the cross of Jesus.
Let us never forget this, lest we become a church merely for us.
We’ll grow spiritually proud, and then cold, putting a low priority on the church’s primary mission.
The truth is, at one time, all of us were them. Thankfully, someone left the light on and the door open so that we could come in and be home.
So, let’s be Christians who leave the light on and the door open, and never be surprised by who walks in.
As one who has found great fulfillment serving at various "seeker" churches, I much appreciate your post. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." And are we not now the body of Christ in this world until His return? So, should church be a place that we come to be served or to serve? And if we only serve other members of the body of Christ, that is self-care (which has its place), but we should never confuse it with serving.
Thanks for sharing, Paul!