ROOM FOR JESUS – DAY 3 of 8

Is there room for Jesus at your church? Seems like that last place we should have to ask that question. Right? But remember that when Jesus showed up at the temple, He did not look like, speak like or act like the religious leaders expected the Messiah to look, speak and act.

So, maybe the better question would be, “Is there room in your church (or fellowship group) for a follower of Jesus who looks, speaks and acts differently than what is ‘normal’ for your congregation?”.

Do you know the difference between inclusion and belonging? From a work perspective, Dave Wilkin, CEO of 10KC, a mentoring and networking platform for companies like Nike, GE and more, describes inclusion as having a seat at the table, but belonging is not only being at that table, but having your voice heard and valued. * 

Thinking about this from a church perspective, inclusion means that you allow someone to attend, let them sit in a pew and listen to the sermon, but never give them a voice, or responsibility or a real place in the congregation. Never make them feel truly welcome or that they have a part in the work of God.

I once asked a minister what would happen if a transgender person showed up at services. Someone who had already transitioned. He asked for some time to think about it. Clearly, it was not something that the leaders had discussed. Yet, if we are casting the net as fishers of men, we are going to be catching all kinds of fish. You think God will never call someone who had transitioned to the other sex? Why not?

With issues such as this – issues new to our current society – it is wise to take some time to consider what you would do if Jesus or an angel showed up in a form like this, specifically to see if the church could make room for such a beloved child of God.

Sisters in Christ, it is important that we consider it, pray about it, maybe even fast about it, and seek wise counsel from the Bible. We would do well to see what we can learn from how Jesus treated the unwelcome of His time - the lepers, adulteresses, tax collectors and others who were generally not given the gift of belonging at dinner tables, let alone in the temple.

I won’t tell you what the minister eventually said because I am asking you if there is room for Jesus in your congregation if He shows up looking so differently from most of the children of God in you group, or if it is someone who sins differently or struggles with different issues that are “allowed” or “acceptable struggles” in your congregation.

I’m not going to tell you what he said, because when it comes to something besides the question of restrooms (which seems to be the one that immediately comes to most people’s minds), the real question is about welcoming sinners and how that works in hearts and minds of your congregation.

It may seem like the one place we should not have to ask if there is room for Jesus is when it comes to church congregations.  However, congregations are made up of repentant sinners who are not done learning about their own sins, about God, about Jesus, about love, about the scripture and about our Christian walk. How do I know? Because I am one of those congregants myself, still learning and growing, and working to expand the room for Jesus in my own life.

I welcome your comments and questions along the way. You can write me in the comments/chat section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org

* https://www.worklife.news/culture/inclusion-and-belongi/