Day 5: Applying what you have learned
Barry Applewhite, author
Christ Fellowship is one of the most highly-regarded churches in our area, so belonging to it conveys a certain type of privilege. In our church, we learn that we have been brought near to God in Jesus Christ.
How could belonging to a highly-regarded church cause you to look down on others who are not Christians or who belong to a smaller assembly? What kind of responsibility do we have to show the love and mercy or God (grace) to all and to uphold the honor of Christ and our assembly?
We all started out alienated from God by our sins, just like those who have still not found peace with God. The barren nature of modern life leads people to entertainment, for distraction from the emptiness, or to substances and sex to numb the pain.
How can we hold out peace with God through Christ to those ruined by a collision with modern life? How can the opportunity to belong to a loving, caring assembly be a bridge for those who need to cross?
Though our society still struggles with anti-Semitism, racial intolerance is an American dividing wall that far too many Christian assemblies still maintain (explicitly or implicitly). Peace with God through Christ cannot accept racial, national, or social barriers within our assembly. All are welcome!
What can you do to ensure that everyone who comes to Christ Fellowship feels welcomed and wanted? What inner barrier is Christ asking you to tear down once and for all?