God is really good when He only speaks in short statements. Let me explain – as I stated yesterday, Ms. Mary bought me a new book to read by Mark Hall who is the lead singer for Casting Crowns and just happens to be a student pastor that gets it. (By the way, if you don’t have this book, go get it and read – the name is “Lifestories”.) As I am reading this book about the stories that led up to Mark writing the music for the group, God begins to speak in little short statements. Short statements are good because long and drawn out can be overwhelming. Through all of this I now have a couple of new favorite songs and concepts for some great messages from God and His word. I am now going to borrow from one of my students, Crystal Symsick, and talk about music.
The first song is “Does Anybody Hear Her”. This song has been haunting me since I heard it for the first time. Being the introvert that I am, I have a tendency to study people and how they react to those around them. My question is – have we, as the church, become the church that is pictured in this song? Are we so wrapped up in our group and our friends that we don’t even notice the hurting world around us or worse yet do we only give the lost negative attention? I know that I work with a great group of students, but I also know that I have watched visitors walk in and not have any of these students speak to them and they leave without a touch from a friendly person. Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that we all have our friends that we want to spend time with when we come to church. What I also realize is that when we leave, those people will still be our friends. If our focus is only on those that are close to us, our family, friends, those we have things in common with, we miss those that pass us on the streets or in the halls at school. If we become so wrapped up in our own little world that we never make eye contact with those around us, we will never reach those that are lost around us. If we look down our noses at those that don’t fit in with our group are we any better than the exclusive country club? If we go through life surrounding ourselves with people that are saved how will we ever be salt and light to a dieing world.
If you think that maybe you see a little frustration in the previous paragraph, you do. The church should be a place where the hurting and the lost can find healing, not condemnation. We need not be surprised by the conduct of those that are lost; they don’t have a relationship with Jesus, their still lost. We need to remember that except by the grace of a loving God, we are all those lost and hurting people. We were all once sinners that are now saved by grace. We understand what the need is and how it is fulfilled. That hole, that hurt, can only be fixed by a relationship with Jesus. My prayer is that we would all be aware of those around us, that God would open our eyes and our hearts to the lost in the world that we live in and that God would give us the opportunity to do the work that He has set before us – to reach the lost through His gospel.
For now, I’m done. I’ll write about my other favorite song in another post. Keep your eyes on Jesus and be aware of those around you and seek an opportunity to touch someone for Him.
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