Beloved

Believers in Christ can create a welcoming atmosphere, ready to walk in compassion but clear in our
convictions based on the Scripture. 1st John 3 exhorts us:
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

The truth of God's Word compels us and empowers us to exhibit Christ-like characteristics which lead us to welcome others into our fellowship.  The way we walk should, ideally, invite others to become followers of Christ as we are His followers, according to 1st Corinthians chapter 11, when Paul wrote to the church at Corinth to follow him as he followed Christ.  What we have to evaluate is whether or not we are truly following Christ.

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The church in action, living out the character and commands of Christ, can be a powerful and a
welcoming force in our culture. Colossians 3 states:
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

I came across an eye-opening piece from a professor at the University of Nebraska - a professor who was raised in an evangelical background, abandoned it in college, and started attending a Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) church in Lincoln.  Why?  Well, in an article on the Religion and Politics website, professor Max Perry Mueller, who teaches religious studies, said:

I tried Lincoln’s Unitarian and United Church of Christ offerings. But while these denominations’ politics aligned with my own, their theologies and their styles of worship did not. My evangelical upbringing was still with me. I needed more Jesus. I wanted to talk about Him, sing to Him, and exhort Him with my prayers. And I wanted to do so with others doing the same.

Now, Mueller definitely writes from a liberal perspective, but he began attending a conservative church.  His article is full of the indictments against Donald Trump that you might expect from a man in his position.  But, the election actually was something God used to nudge him to seek a deeper walk with Himself.  He writes:

SOON AFTER I BEGAN attending Grace Chapel in September 2016, the arrogance of my self-prescribed mandate to become a Christian witness to longtime professing Christians was made abundantly clear. Grace didn’t need me; I needed Grace. Each Sunday, I’ve gone to church depleted, due to worrying about the damage Trump is doing to the health of our democracy, our civil liberties, and our planet. Weekly fellowship with the Lincolnites—some of whom did vote for Trump—fills up my spiritual reserves for the week when I teach and write; when I call my representatives; when I participate in marches. My time at Grace Chapel has also taught me that I’m guilty of the Manichean thinking—dividing the world into evil (Trump voters) and good (anti-Trumpers)—that I found so unchristian in the evangelical churches in which I grew up.

And, Mueller has caught a glimpse of the role of the church and the kingdom of God:

What’s more, my time at Grace has taught me that I’ve made an idol out of politics. I’ve outsourced to politicians both my power and my responsibility as a citizen and as a Christian to work to build the kind of “beloved community” that I want to live in. As Pastor Ben told me recently over coffee, “This election exposed how fragile democracy is, and how fragile the church is. This current moment has exposed the fact that we can’t control much at a national level. So we must build the kingdom in local ways.”

Mueller is at odds with his father, and that has caused concern - and it is based on who each chose to vote for in the past election.  His father voted for Trump, Max did not.  But, they're both trying for reconciliation, it seems.

Now, he doesn't completely line up theologically with this PCA church.  One example is that he doesn't like that Grace will not ordain gay people.  But, he states:

Despite these misgivings, for now I feel at home at Grace because the leadership and the laity emphasize humility and charity, where each week we are called to “walk alongside”—not in front of—those with whom we disagree.

So, there are some poignant takeaways from this article.  I think the first is that seeds planted can be watered and produce desirable fruit.  Mueller admits to praying the "sinner's prayer" in his early teens but abandoned what he calls "conservative Christianity."  But, a seed was planted and he began attending his current church because he wanted "more Jesus."  We can be confident that the Word of God will not return void and that a person who has a childhood experience with God could one day return to Him, as the Spirit draws him or her.

I really do think about the church as a place where everyone can be "safe."  Max admits that he was seeking out somewhere to be safe - "spiritually and culturally."  And, even though he walks among people with whom he finds disagreement, he has discovered that safety in the church. Now, from a Biblical standpoint, safety doesn't necessarily mean compromise or a lack of challenge; rather a trust that is in operation among people who will disagree with each other, yet accept one another in Christ's compassion.

Mueller also has gained a greater sense of the kingdom.  It is true, the kingdoms of this world will one day pass away and Jesus Christ will be installed as Lord of all people.  It is very easy to trust in political leaders, thinking that our hope is in them - this is deceptive; for our real hope is in the Lord. He will use governmental leaders, but ultimately we are called to place our trust in the hand of a sovereign God, not in fallible humanity.  And, we can regard the Church as a "beloved community," which I consider to be a place where Christ is exalted through relationship - with Him and with one another, so that He might be glorified in us and to our culture.