One of the most important elements for the growth of any church is how loving we are
as Christians.
It is so
very important that our churches
are
full of love.
It’s love that reaches
people.
When a church loves, it attracts people like a magnet.
May you decide to make your church one that truly loves
others with the following three A’s:
1. ACCEPTANCE
Do you know why people have a hard time
accepting others? They confuse
acceptance with
approval. There’s a
big
difference between
acceptance and approval. You can accept somebody
without agreeing with
his
lifestyle. He may be doing something totally
opposite
to the word of God, but
you
can still accept him as a
person
without approving of the sin
he’s involved in. We need to recognize
the
value of every person.
Romans
15:7
says, “Accept one another
just as Christ accepted you.”
We must
remember… how did Christ
accept us? Unconditionally; Non-judgmentally. No one’s acceptance
is based on performance! If
you
want to be like Jesus -- you can’t play favorites. Jesus
treated
everyone with
dignity. God loves everybody.
There is discrimination everywhere else
in the world – but the church should be the one place that no matter who you are or what your background
is… you’re welcome. At church we
must always cultivate an attitude of acceptance. We want
to
communicate
that
the
church is a hospital for sinners, not
a hotel for saints. This is a church where people
are growing. This is a
church for people who
don’t have it all together. It doesn’t matter where you’ve
been – it matters where you are now and we
want to
help you to know Jesus. We need to make sure we
are showing people
that
they’ll
be welcome
here. We want
to see people far from God become
passionate Christians and those who are near God
make a difference in the world.
Mother Teresa once said, “If you judge
people, you have no time to love them.”
2. APPRECIATION
This goes a
little bit
further
than
acceptance. Philippians 2:35
says, “Do nothing from selfish
ambition or vain conceit, but in
humility consider
others better than yourself. Each of
you should look not only to your own interest but also
the
interest of others.”
Appreciate everybody.
Appreciation is a form of valuing others. It is driven by our heartfelt gratitude to
God for what He
has done for us and this allows us to give
to, and
value others with
respect.
Appreciation
is
different from gratitude because gratitude is a reaction to what someone has done for us- such as,
God’s grace.
While appreciation
is honoring others while also
being grateful for what we have.
It is being
thankful
and
glad for other people. We are looking
beyond
ourselves. This “OUTlook” will empower us to
see the right time
and place to give
a kind word, and
to know when someone is in need.
Ask others how you can pray for them and
then follow up later
by asking how things are going – this lets them know you
care about what is going on in their lives. Look beyond your normal group of people
you
associate with –
literally ask for God to give you His eyes.
As in Brandon Heath’s song:
Give me your eyes for just one second Give me
your
eyes so I can see
Everything that
I keep missing. Give
me your love for humanity
Give
me your arms for the broken hearted . The
ones that are far beyond my reach Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me
your eyes so I can see
Let
God
give you His eyes to
see who needs encouragement and where He can use you to reach out to
not
only those you know well, but
also those who need ministering to by the gift of appreciation. You would
be surprised how a
smile,
a note
saying I
am thinking of you or praying for you, or as simple as a hello, can make a difference in the life
of someone who needs it.
Let’s pray for
God’s eyes that we
might
treasure
others just
as He
cherishes us.
I was once told, “Kind words
can be short and easy to speak, but
their echoes are truly endless.”
3. AFFIRMMATION
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Encourage one another and build each
other up.”
The world is full of discouraging people; very few people live to
build others up. We can get
too preoccupied with ourselves
to see and
value others. However, scriptures point out how valuable
it is to God that we
take the time to encourage others. Hebrews 3:13 reminds us “ But
encourage one another daily, as long as it
is
called “Today,” so that none of
you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. That kind word
at just the right time can lead
a person out of a bad thinking situation or your kind gestures can point others to Christ. When people
stumble, don’t condemn,
instead sympathize.
Be an encourager,
not a condemner.
You can encourage
people just by smiling at them. The greeter’s ministry at many churches is vital for we
only have one chance to make
a first
impression. We need people
who
love the Lord
and who show it in their faces. There are those that have
an amazing personality that can make anyone feel welcomed. We can all watch and
learn from those people
who help ignite a flame for anyone and everyone
to feel
welcome.
Absolutely nothing can
stop
the church that’s filled with love. Nothing!
It doesn’t happen accidentally.
It requires a deliberate effort by each member
of
the congregation.
Everybody needs to contribute to
the atmosphere
of the church.
REMEMBER: Love draws outside people in!
“And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother
and
sister.” 1John 4:21
God is just waiting for a church that will love
people unconditionally. He
can use that kind of church to
inspire a
spiritual awakening in
our community that all the forces of hell
could not stop. A church that
loves
people is a church that grows. The church that accepts, appreciates, and
affirms people
is the church that God blesses.
Nothing can stop a loving church.
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over
a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
There are two kinds of pillars in the church: one that holds the church up
and the caterpillars
that walk
in and out. Together we
need to make a commitment that we will receive
people unconditionally.
As
a Church we shouldn’t expect people to act like
believers until they are believers.
And to those that are believers and
have
fallen away – let’s love them back into the fold. The ground is level at the foot of
the cross. We are all equal in God’s eyes. Let
it
be said of your church the same as
it
was said of the New Testament Church, in
John
13:35 “See how they love one another.”
Less
of me More of Him,
Rick
