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What would it look like if we as a church truly understood the magnitude of the Gospel? What if we became humbled by the adoptive agape Love that was given to us and then extended that out into the world right next door and beyond?
This past weekend I had the pleasure of preaching & sharing music at a church in Doylestown Pennsylvania that not only convicted me of my own lack of evidence of my faith but also blessed me by their heart.
Michelle Munari, the founder of Just Love, and adoptive mother (many times over!), invited me to share my adoptive story and music at her home church, Covenant, for their Orphan Sunday weekend. Upon arriving and throughout my time there, I was not only blessed by them more than they by me, but was comforted and filled with hope as I saw a church living out the Gospel in such a way that God intends, as a number of adoptive children greeted me and then preceded to the stage to sing as a choir "How He Loves".
Pastor Rob Chifokoyo, a minister from Zimbabwe who found his way to Doylestown through an urgent medical need, stepped up to the pulpit for each service and gave a convicting sermon to us, the congregation. His sermon was titled "What Do You See". In a world full of shallow feel good messages (something that I am guilty of leaning towards in my own talks), Rob felt the Spirit leading him to give a sermon that challenged and motivated the church to BE the church. He read from the book of James, which tells us that as Christians, we need to not only be hearers of the Word, but doers. The book of James emphasizes that our faith needs to be backed up with evidence, to not just say that we are followers of Jesus, but SHOW the world that we are. It was a sermon that opened up my eyes and heart to what I can tend to do, which is to come to church on Sunday mornings and have this mentality that that is all I "need to do". No, church only starts there, and transcends far beyond the four walls of the comfort of our church building.
We as Christians are all called & commanded to care for the orphan and widow. We are called to live out the Gospel, to share this Love that was given to us through Jesus. Once we understand that we were once orphans and now we are adopted into the Lord's family, we should be driven to extend that same Love to others. The world should know us through our love, not our debating or judging.
Did you know that there are about 300,000 Christian churches in the United States, and there are about 100,000 or so children eligible for adoption here in states as well? Let those numbers sink in.... That means if less than half of the churches that name Jesus as Lord and Savior adopted one child as a church, there would be no more orphans here in the country. That's amazing! That's all it would take.
Could we do that? Could we be a church that not only claims God's love, but gives it to the rest of the world like we are called to do? God intends for us to be doers of the Word. So I ask, what are you going to do? What are you being called to? Pray & seek the Lord's guidance to be difference makers in a struggling and dark world.
Foot Fives all around,
George
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