Our Real Message to the World
Is our gospel compromised?
What message are Christ followers actually airing to the world through our interactions? Are we salt or just salty? I’m speaking to myself.
Let me be transparent here. I co-lead a ministry with two other women. Last week, I responded to one of my co-leaders on a string of email messages regarding an event. As I pressed ‘send,’ my spirit went into full unrest. It wasn’t the message but my tone behind it. Holy Spirit kept nudging me, “You wrote that without Me. We need to make things right so the enemy doesn’t have a foothold.…”
Jesus said, “This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.”
Matthew 5:23-24 The Message, emphasized
Later that night, while rocking in my comfy chair and trying in vain to enjoy a personal time of communion with the Lord, my unrest increased. Go to this friend and make things right. Even if my co-worker didn’t detect the saltiness behind the mask of my well-written “sweetly corrective” email, I needed to make amends.
God is more interested in us amending our relationships within the church than He is with our nice offerings. Amending a broken relationship in the Body is keeping His family together. Do we care enough about the interests of our blood-shedding Savior to take action?
Hypocrisy is leaving a trail of broken unamended relationships and then cheerfully dropping a generous offering in the plate to the Lord. Relationships are hard enough without adding the pretense element, so why would anyone in the world want to be a part of something so superficial? This might even fit in to one of the 6 things God hates, “…anyone who stirs up trouble among the faithful.”
What is the proof that God’s heart active in us? As soon as we remember that our brother or sister has an issue with us, we leave our gift before the altar and hurry to go make amends. That’s love. And agape love among brethren is what will turn our world upside down.
Is Holy Spirit prompting you to hurry and make things right? Let’s do our part to dwell in peace with our fellow Christians and keep our Heavenly Father’s beloved family together.
Lord, make my heart so sensitive to Your heart and toward my brothers and sisters that I’m burdened until I make things right between us. In Jesus’s name, give me Your love for Your Family—my family.
Sowing Seeds of Bravery to Be His Family
