Recently, I came across two articles that I found very insightful. Both articles deal with issues that plague the church in our culture today.
There are many reasons why people don’t go to church today. The list seems endless. But why do we go to church? And, when do you especially need to gather with your church family?
The Most Important Time to Go to Church
David ‘Gunner’ Gundersen says it clearly: “The most important time to be at church is when you don’t feel like it.”
“Covenants are made for the hard times, not the good times. In the good times, we don’t need covenants, because we can get by and stick together on feelings alone. But covenant communities hold us up when we’re faltering and pick us up when we’ve fallen. They encourage us when we’re weary and wake us when we’re slumbering. They draw us out of ourselves and call us to our commitments and responsibilities. They invite us back to the garden of Christian community, where we grow.”
The author does a good job of helping us see the need, value, and vision for gathering together as the people of God.
The second article tackles a hot-topic issue in our culture: immigration.
Our culture is polarized. Both political parties and many news outlets use fear and anger to mobilize people to action. Divisiveness runs rampant.
In his article, Missiologist Ed Stetzer tackles the subject of dealing with immigration, loving the stranger, and reforming immigration.
Stetzer asks, “How should Christians think about immigration and refugees?”
“We live in a culture where many political and religious leaders are teaching believers to fear the stranger. What is clear from the data is that this counter-discipling narrative is winning in the church….”
I pray that we will show up differently in a culture of anger, divisiveness, and fear. May we show up in a way that changes our world. May we learn how to love the stranger.
