God Wants His Children To Know...

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matthew 25:35-36 (niv)

Currently, I have been on a tough journey looking for the deaf in need of Jesus Christ. It is like a "needle in a haystack"! Ever since, I have been meeting deaf souls that have a steady jobs, great families, and nice homes who appears to have absolutely no desire to live a surrendered life for God among Fairfax. It put a tear in my heart seeing that they have hardened their own hearts. We have a few within the body of Christ (His church) whom portrays a strong desire to serve the Lord and a heart for deaf souls in the fields ripe for harvest. And I pray that God will use these few to reach out to hungry and lost deaf souls for His glory!

I have been reading Jesus' parable of the "Wedding Banquet" (Mt. 22) where He tells that God's Kingdom (church) is like a King (Jesus) who sent His servants (faithful Christians) out to invite those (lost souls) to the banquet (church; eternal life). There were lost souls with different professions who refused to come to the King to celebrate together (fellowship)! Not only do we feel the rejection from people we're trying to reach out to, God does! I have been struggling with this question, "Why aren't people who come don't become part of the family of God?" I have received an email from people whom have visited His church at Fairfax share their comments with me or that I get them from a person they are close to.

We do alot of things: fellowship luncheon (potluck), picnic, retreats, Ladies' Night Out, Men's Night Out, Christmas banquet to encourage souls outside of the body to grow with us. But it is still not enough to keep them within the body of Christ. Criticizing church is the easiest thing to do on this planet so you would think we know how to handle a rejection! Sort of. It makes a preacher bang his head on the wall when he hears a couple of things:

1. People couldn't find the church (we're right between two busiest highways!!)
2. We want more emotion in singing (or) there's too much emotion in singing.
3. You sang old and tired songs but we also sing new and exciting songs and get beat up for that!
4. Your worship center isn't worshipful (meaning pretty, crosses, stained glasses, wooden pews)
5. One of your members gave me the look so I am disgusted.
6. No one came up to me and welcomed me. (Now, that's not entirely true.)
7. I know one of your members (probably the weak ones) so I don't see how this church can help me if it doesn't help them.
8. The preacher doesn't have time for new visitors (probably because members are asking me questions after the services where they should be spending time with visitors).
9. The church isn't very friendly.
10. The sermon was too long but some of the sermons are short and I get beat up for that, too!

Allow me to give you a couple of conclusions to help both the members and those visiting Fairfax or your local church:

1. You might have been sitting near other visitors, and all of you waited around for the other to speak up, and you came to the wrong conclusions about the church (i.e. church is unfriendly).

2. Don't criticize my people for not being friendly to you if you do not seek out newcomers in your church back home and welcome them. It's real easy to get hypocritical on this issue.

3. True, the Bible tells God's people they are to welcome the strangers among them (Leviticus 19), but nowhere are we excused from doing the will of God because someone was not friendly to us. Some of the most influential Christians I know joined a church where no one spoke to them for the simple reason that they knew God was leading them there. He was, and their faithfulness made it a greater church.

4. Be real careful about telling other people that a church is unfriendly. You could be guilty of slandering the body of Christ (church). What if someone who overhears your attack is unsaved and has been invited to attend that church where he might have come to know Christ and be baptized? What if your negative words influenced him not to attend, and no one ever reaches him? Many a person has come to know Christ in churches that do not do a very effective job of greeting newcomers.

5. Learn a lesson from this. Look around for new faces and give them a smile and a handshake. Offer to introduce them to the minister. Make sure they filled out the visitors' information card so the church will have their address. We have some members who look for first-timers and offer to take them to lunch at the restaurant in your area. Lunchtime becomes an excellent occasion for the newcomers to ask their questions and to learn of the church.

These are the things God wants His children to know what to do with people who come to Him. Remember, we are His servants and He has called us to serve! The family of God is a fellowship of love in which the members treasure each other and minister each other, but are always reaching out to welcome the strangers whom the Father is adding to His church!