Galatians 5:14
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
I saw it....
I saw it last night....
I saw the Kingdom of God at work....played out among a group of folks.
(refresher: The Kingdom of God is the dynamic rule and rein in the lives of people here in our time and space).
Some may be thinking, "O.k....so you saw the Kingdom of God. So what?" Well, it was a pretty big deal. It would have been easy to chalk it up to simple hospitality...Southern charm....good manners..but what I saw was a group of people who chose to love strangers. Not a choice made by a decision made....or one that was coerced by some unseen force...but rather a collective action that came about because these folks truly love Jesus, and their response to others is kind of natural because of the Holy Spirit that lives within.
Most of you know that I have been pastoring up at Northside Baptist Church for almost two years. They are a small rural church that has seen a decline in attendance over the years, as has most churches in the area. But the people who call Northside home have a fire and zeal to be who God has called them to be. That calling has taken on many forms as the years have gone by. Well, Sunday morning a man showed up for Sunday school and the worship service. He was from Arkansas and was in town working on a job over at Deans Sausage. He actually was following another group when he got lost. So he decided that he'd try to find a church to stop at. This had to be a God-thing because there are a number of churches up and down highway 11. But as he drove by Northside, he saw the sign in front of the church. "Visitor's Welcome". So He decided to stop and come in.
He discovered the hidden gem that is Northside...the people. They welcomed him with open arms. When I say welcome...I mean welcome. Not a syrup, religious kind of love...but the pure, incredible love that only God can bring through a person. The man received an invitation to come and join the Wednesday night meeting. Now here is the kicker...Wednesday night was to be the monthly business/meal.
To my surprise, when I walked into the fellowship hall last night, there sat the man who'd saw the sign and stopped to go to a meeting, and he'd brought one of his fellow co-workers with him. The whole "Love your neighbor" thing kicked up another notch as a meal was provided for these two. We got a chance to hear their story and get to know them. We found out that their job at Dean's Sausage ends Saturday and they will be headed back home, but that they would be returning in a few weeks to do another job. Well a corporate invitation was extended for them to come back and join us. They assured us that they would. They were prayed over and we sat down to "break bread" (Southern term for putting on the feed-bag).
As I sat there watching all this unfold in front of me, I thanked God for these folks and the collective heart that reached out to these two men. And to think, it all started because a man saw a sign in front of a church. Going inside, he found out that the words on that sign were more than an invitation.....they should have read..."Kingdom Of God Inside! Come and Join Us!!"
You see...the Kingdom of God is more than a catch religious phrase that is used. It is a lifestyle. I saw it last night, and it was beautiful.
God on you...
mbb
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