Becoming People Who Look Like Grace
Matthew 23:13
Matthew 23:13 -- Jesus warns that those who use religion to block others from entering the kingdom of heaven are standing in the way of God's purposes.
The church is not a club for those who have already arrived. It is a well of hope for all who thirst. When people walk through the doors of a church, many of them already feel like disappointments. They do not need a checklist. They need to see what grace looks like with skin on it. Grace does not pretend that brokenness does not exist. It meets people in their brokenness and refuses to leave them there. If we have truly been saturated by grace, we will widen the welcome. We will build a bigger table. We will pull up another chair. The world will tell people they are not enough. The church should tell them there is room.
Reflection: Does the way you treat people inside and outside of church reflect the grace you have received, or does it reflect a checklist?
Application: This week, do one tangible thing to widen the welcome for someone who might feel on the outside. Pull up a chair. Start a conversation. Extend an invitation. Let grace move through you.
Matthew 23:13 -- Jesus warns that those who use religion to block others from entering the kingdom of heaven are standing in the way of God's purposes.
The church is not a club for those who have already arrived. It is a well of hope for all who thirst. When people walk through the doors of a church, many of them already feel like disappointments. They do not need a checklist. They need to see what grace looks like with skin on it. Grace does not pretend that brokenness does not exist. It meets people in their brokenness and refuses to leave them there. If we have truly been saturated by grace, we will widen the welcome. We will build a bigger table. We will pull up another chair. The world will tell people they are not enough. The church should tell them there is room.
Reflection: Does the way you treat people inside and outside of church reflect the grace you have received, or does it reflect a checklist?
Application: This week, do one tangible thing to widen the welcome for someone who might feel on the outside. Pull up a chair. Start a conversation. Extend an invitation. Let grace move through you.
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