How Wide?
Cats! They aren't my favourite animals, I'm not going to lie! In fact I was a bit frightened of them at one time (although I would never have admitted it) and would try and keep out of their way if I could. I'm not sure what it is about them but they seem to know a secret they're not willing to share with a mere human. Then, one Thursday night, a small pair of eyes looked at me from the darkness through the glass of the patio doors. I opened the door to a beautiful black cat who was famished and desperate to be let in. The minute the door was opened, a transformation took place in me and I was smitten, much to the delight of our daughters who'd been desperate for a pet. It fascinated me how one little moment could change years of prejudice. It reminded me of the encounter I'd had with Jesus that tipped my world upside down.
For me, there is nothing that depicts the width of God's love more than the picture of Jesus, arms stretched outward, enduring the cross. Making it possible for our sins to be removed as far from us as East is to West and even in His suffering offering words of comfort to the man next to him (Luke 23:41-43) Those who have a heart to show this wide love, see the lost living on the outskirts of "polite society". The homeless, destitute, broken, unloved. They have a passion and drive to reach out and share the good news that we are all loved, valued and precious to the One who created us. The words of the commission "go out..." are some of the most important to them. They have an urgency about what they do and any minute not used to grow the Kingdom is a waste. Church is somewhere to recharge batteries and recruit new helpers to put into action their vision for reaching those not yet saved.
There are innumerous charities in both the UK and around the world, set up by "wides". Operation Christmas child, World Vision, Tearfund, A21, Samaritans and so many more. They go out and meet the world where it is, right in the middle of the chaos. They are driven and compassionate.
Because of this outward pull, there is a natural tension between these focused wides and other pastoral parts of the church. Wides can become restless and frustrated when church gets too settled in the pews, busy making programmes for the already saved. The church needs this stirring as it can easily become a comfortable Sunday Club. When Sam, the cat, was neutered the vet said it was quite common for the most avid of hunters to become lazy and just sit in the house waiting to be fed, getting fat. God spoke to me and said that this is what had happened through the ages to parts of His church. I'll try my best to explain the revelation I received that day:-
Historically some groups of evangelicals have misunderstood their commission. While full of zeal, rather than sharing the Good news that God's love, grace and mercy has made it possible for all to be invited to share in His goodness and be adopted in to His family as a son or daughter, they instead chose to partner with fear, using the threat of "Fire and Brimstone" or something similar, to try to frighten people out of hell. When fear is the foundation used for a faith that is designed to be built on love, the house is never going to accomplish the plans of the architect. In a bid to remove itself from this bad press, not wanting to be associated with the negativity of being forceful "Bible Bashers", many denominations swung so far in the other direction they inadvertently neutered their ministry. When outreach (reproduction) is no longer a priority, we become fat cats only interested in turning up to be fed, then sleeping until the next mealtime. I think that's a fair and frightening analogy of not only churches that are missing wides in their mix, but also us as individuals when we become too content in our own salvation. Of course, the Lion of Judah can never be neutered!
At the other extreme, when outreach is the only focus of the church, the "found" can be left feeling used and abused. A body to fill a job roll, emotionally abandoned once saved. The second part of the great commission is"...making disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.... " While the symbolic act of Baptism is an important declaration of faith, I believe there's more to this verse than that. In Biblical Jewish culture, names weren't just something you were called, but were used as a description of someone's character. The original meaning for baptised is to be immersed and overwhelmed. This verse is calling for us to immerse disciples in all the different characteristics of Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit until they take on the same characteristics. Sharing the Good news of salvation with the world isn't Jesus's only mission for His church. He wants us to be saved and made whole. To do this, the body has to be healthy and have internal ministries in place to tend, teach and equip the precious people God places in our care. We cannot afford to be either an outreach church or pastorally inclined church. We must learn to understand, honour and embrace the different callings that we each bring.
There's something healing for our soul when we get caught up in a really good hug. Not an awkward pat on the back or shake of the hand, but a long hug that makes you feel safe, loved and accepted. Arms can't do this by themselves. They need to be attached to a body. People need to be welcomed into a loving embrace from the church.
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