Can we love God's church, yet feel compell to leave it?

3/21 16       Everett, Lee -18, 25

I know I do. Every week, in fact. I leave to bring the Gospel message out to the world, into the streets and the marketplace, into parks and into the workplace.

And it is out there that I am reminded just how much I appreciate the Church when I rejoin the gathering of believers on Sunday mornings. What I am reminded of out in the world is just how relatively few in number we believers in Jesus are, and I'm more grateful for our relatively small band of brothers and sisters.

I'm also reminded, among all the non-believers out there, just how far many are from even seriously considering faith in Jesus, not to mention showing up at church on a Sunday morning.

For example, a church brother and I had two conversations, one with a young man named Everett and another with Lee, a grad level biology student. Both have grown up as atheists in China and have put their faith in science – man’s ability and efforts to discover truth – rather than in God.

We had in-depth conversations with both and were able to share many Gospel truths with them, but both will need nothing less than God’s miraculous intervention to bring them to saving faith in Jesus and involvement in His Church.

Yet far from being discouraged, I am encouraged for a few reasons. First, I am encouraged to be a part of God’s work in their lives. The fact that they crossed our paths and were willing to stop and talk lets me know God is at work in them. Their story isn’t over.

Second, I am reminded of the miracle God has done in my life and in the life of every believer – and what a privilege it is to join a group of miracle-bearers every Sunday morning, praising God and receiving His word together.

Sure we are all at different points of maturity and immaturity in our faith, and we all come with different amounts of baggage from our former lives as pre-believers. But all of us who have been born again of the spirit are walking miracles.

Jesus said “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

If God could reach us, He can reach anybody! What a joy to be in our Church family and what a joy to personally invite others!