Inside and Outside the Walls

A couple of days ago I wrote about the purpose of a church. I talked about how Christians mature in the faith, moving from seeing God and coming to church, hearing God as they learn about their faith and their gifts, listening to God as they begin to use their gifts, and serving God as they go out in the world to be disciples. A church, to function as an agent of God, needs to enable all of those steps.

It occurs to me that this is yet another example of the Greatest Commandment. Listen to it, but listen to it as it applies to a church -- a body of Christ:

You, my church, shall love me, the Lord your God with everything that you are and can be. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You, my church, shall love those outside the laws of your building as you love those inside of your building.”

That's what it's all about, isn't it? We are to love God. If we love God, we will keep his commandments. We will love each other -- those inside our church walls and those outside the walls.

The reading for today in Disciplines was John 14:8-17. Look at these verses:

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. (John 14:9-11)

The devotional this morning said that we are an incarnational people. I like that. We can see God in Jesus. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If we are an incarnational people, that means that when people look at us, they will see God. It means that if people want to know what God is like, they should be able to see him in us.

Image: From our stained glass at church.