It hit me 'like a ton of bricks'! This question, that is. About a month ago I was sitting in a gathering with my wife and many others who make-up my church family. For once I was sitting in a gathering behaving, minding my own business, being quiet, not contributing, not saying a word, keeping my opinions to myself, just listening...
...listening to the facilitators that evening and members of my church family discussing another way for us to encourage one another and build-up each another. It was about halfway through that discussion when the Spirit of God dumped His load of bricks upon me with, "But what about 'them'?"
I did not have to ask Him who the 'them' were? I knew. I still know. They are the Lost. They are the Ignored Ones. They are the Different Ones. They are possibly even the Forgotten Ones. They are the Ones the church has found little time for, because we believe we need to find even more time to be together encouraging and building-up one another.
My initial reaction to this invasion was one of fear. I was scared. I was even terrified, because we the church do not want to hear this at all! And, by the way, 'thank you' God for placing that on my heart and electing me to be the messenger. I now have a little taste of how the prophets of old must have felt. That is main reason why it has taken me a month to build-up enough courage to just put this down in writing.
We 21st Century Christians enjoy fellowship. We love being together. And anyone even hinting at questioning the amount of time we spend together must be crazy, "off", a real looney-bird! Yet there, right there, right there in black and white is the very aspect of our fellowshipping that truly puzzles me..."the amount".
Lee, are you going to claim that there is a passage of Scripture that actually states..."Of course not". Lee, have you become the 'on earth' judge deciding when someone has had enough fellowship..."God forbid"! So Lee, now do you know what is best for each individual Christian..."No...No...a thousand times, No"! If this is not what you are suggesting; then what is it?
I am simply wondering... Have we begun to forget the other side of the coin? Because we have become sooooo infatuated with the one side(us being together), have we forgotten that there is another side(them being away). Do we understand the nature of our heavenly Father enough to know that "He is not willing that any should perish, but that all may come to repentance".
It is a matter of our mindset/our lifestyle. Where our minds are set, does it match the mind of Jesus? Does Philippians 2 come to mind here? He also says in Luke 19 that He came 'to seek and to save that which is lost". Who did He consider first...'Him' or 'them'? Who do we consider first...'us' or 'them'?
II Corinthians 5:14 says, "...for He died for all , that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf"
I realize that this will not be the end of this discussion. However, the Spirit of God believed that it must begin somewhere! Honestly, where do you see the pendulum setting in this realm?
The spirit of man asks, "What about us"?
The Spirit of God asks, "But what about them"?
Which one do you hear speaking to you?
