Before I get started on this article, I want to make one thing perfectly clear – I am not knocking His church, I am questioning the misconceptions of His Word by members of the establishment. If I have to listen to one more person make false assertions on the validity of a person’s faith or whether a church is legitimate because it does not meet the criteria of an individual’s preferred belief, I am going to push back a bit more than I have in the past. Yes, there are churches out there that add rules and regulations to the already perfect Message, and there are those who make up criteria to judge a person’s whereabouts in their faith walk, but I would suggest they are adding their own finite parameters to an already perfect, infinite Message. She can’t be a Christian; do you see the way she is dressed? He can’t be a preacher; he is covered in tattoos. This isn’t a real church; they don’t follow the liturgical calendar. This church is not a proper church, it’s full of homeless people and drunks. They don’t do communion properly, the preacher wears shorts and sandals, the music is not to my liking. I was watching a video from Zach Williams called “Heart of God” and the chorus, in my opinion, says it all:
'Cause there's only love in the heart of God No room for shame in His open arms There's beauty from ashes, so come as you are And there's only love in the heart of God
Consider this for a moment, in Luke 8:43-48, a woman who had been suffering for twelve years could find no relief from her affliction. She could not go to temple, could not talk to the holy men, could not have contact with anyone for she was considered unclean. Jesus went out into the market place and she took a chance at a miracle, she snuck in and simply touched Christ’s robe. The second Jesus recognized her touch, He stopped and called her forward and said to her “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” A man stricken with leprosy, suffering great pain not only physically but emotionally and spiritually because he was shunned and unable to attend worship ceremonies sought out the Son of God (Matthew 8:2-3), knelt before Jesus and said “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
The heart of God on full display. There was no room for shame in His presence, there was no question of whether they were in good standing with the church, with the holy leaders, there was only compassion and complete healing. As I mentioned in last week’s sermon, we are a broken community with churches divided by manmade rules. If His churches came together as one united voice calling out to the world that “… everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” Rom 3:23-24 NLT and accept that we all stand on equal footing before the Lord, division would disappear. You see, no one is better than the next person, His infinite love and forgiveness is available to all who call upon Him, to all who have faith in Him, to all who give over their sins to the Master. Do you have the courage to reach out and embrace His perfect forgiveness, His perfect healing? Are you willing to touch the hem of the Master’s robe? Are you willing to tell the world that He has saved you?
This week, Community Minister, Eryn Austin-Bergen, will start a two-week series where we will be seeking direction for our faith family’s journey for the next year. Your input either online or in person will truly help us continue to be relevant in our community, both online and in our town, Please plan to join us either in person or online at 10:30 AM this Sunday. The service will be broadcast online on our website (https://www.mainavefellowship.ca/socialplatforms, or you are more than welcome to join us in person at 402 Main Ave. W in Sundre, AB.
Blessings,
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