Have you been sitting in church lately and felt like something's missing? The worship's great and the preaching's better than ever. You're so full of the Word, you're about to pop. But in the midst of the feast, you notice there's still a hunger.
Then you look next to you and see a total stranger. For three rows up, the faces look vaguely familiar but you can't quite recall the names. You don't know who these people are or what's on their hearts.
That's the problem. You don't feel connected to those around you. There's no sense of belonging. Church just doesn't feel like home.
Get To Know Your Church Family
Many Christians today have come to accept that sense of isolation as normal. But it's not!
According to Ephesians 3, the Church is God's family, and the members should be knit together in love (Col. 2:2). In a family, people know you. You're missed when you're away and there's rejoicing at your return.
People laugh when you're happy and encourage you if you're sad. They serve cake at your children's weddings. They comfort you when it's time to say goodbye to relatives who've gone on to be with the Lord.
Spiritually, you need those kinds of relationships—not just with relatives, but with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. So, don't treat church like an impersonal training center where strangers come together to worship and hear the latest teaching.
Instead, follow the instructions of the Apostle Paul:
"Welcome and receive (to your hearts) one another…" and "Be mindful to be a blessing especially to those…who belong to God's family."More Than Shaking A Hand
(Rom. 15:7; Gal. 6:10 AMP)
Get to know the people around you. Find out who they are, where they work, and what's on their heart. Invite them over for dinner. See if there's a way you can minister to them.
Just as you would at home, look around the church and see what needs to be done. Find a place to plug in and labor with other members.
Learn what it's like to rub shoulders with them while you're doing dishes after a church supper, changing a diaper in the nursery, or praying for someone at the hospital.
Yes, it's important to have good teaching and wonderful worship. But when you walk through those doors and see the faces, God wants you to know you're home.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.