I was proud to be with a group of guys this week, in our mid-week hang-out-together, who provided a safe place for a "newbie" to come into the group and provided real acceptance for this "seeker."
In fact, this "guest" felt so comfortable that he just told it like it was: He was seeking God, yes. He wasn't sure where it was headed. He had some definite views that didn't jive with what He understood the Bible to say on these issues. This caused him a lot of doubt and concern. He expressed a seeking heart and, at the same time, he talked honestly about his worldviews that were very, in our typical world of Christianity, "unChristian."
But, our gang of guys "got it." They saw the seeker and ignored the rest. They realized that he needed a place to come in where he could be honest about his doubts and concerns. He was testing the waters; he was testing our small band of Christians... and I believe we passed the test.
To me, this is Christianity. Providing a place where someone can come in with all their warts, troubles, questions, and confusions and lay them out on the table. They want to know if God will take them where they are at. Of course, He will. But they only know this after they look into the eyes of our Christian communities and see that acceptance there, in human form, first.
Steve, over at Deep Calls To Deep says it this way:
I believe that part of who God has asked us to be as a church is to be a place where people can come to us, whoever they are, and whatever they have going on, and find a place where they can simply be- and without pressure or expectation can learn what it means for them to be a follower of Jesus, and what it means for them to be themselves.
Amen. I believe we have provided a place for this "newbie" to learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Pray for him!
