Home for All
More often than not we have the front door to our house wide open. We love the breeze coming through, and we also love that kids and those in our neighbourhood feel welcome to come in to our home.
This is what this value is all about - creating a culture that welcomes people. That removes any unnecessary barrier so that people can come to experience and know Jesus.
This is the culture that Jesus carried with Him.
Luke 15:1-2
All the tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus was accessible, people felt strangely confident in approaching him - no matter their background or lifestyle. The religious elite of the day didn’t really appreciate this openness. But in the openness Jesus displayed, Jesus called people to lay their lives down.
We want to create a culture where people belong first. Then they might believe and then through that belief they might experience transformation.
Belong —> Believe —> Behave.
Easy entry, high calling.
Look what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
I don’t believe Paul was trying to compile an all inclusive list of sin, but rather pointing out the need for a Saviour for all people. Paul says here some of you were once like that. It appears that the church in Corinth had a culture of welcoming in the sinner. They had caught the heart of Jesus. Easy entry, high calling.
HOME
When I think of the idea of home, I think about these big ideas;
A seat at the table
There is something about being at home, being known and loved. There is comfort. There is a sense - I have a place here. I know where I fit. This might not have been the case for all of us, or still isn’t the case for all of us - but it should be the case in God’s family.
There is a seat for the person who is lost, waiting to welcomed home.
A place to contribute
At home, there is something to contribute. I have things that I am responsible for at home (the grass for one thing!) and each person, when they contribute makes the home flourish. Each person has something only they can contribute.
Romans 12:4-5 (TLB)
Just as there are many parts to our bodies, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of it, and it takes every one of us to make it complete, for we each have different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others.
We all have a part to play and contribute;
encouragement
accountability
service
care
The body of Christ works best when we all play our part.
A place to wrestle with God’s word
One question I get asked, Every. Single. Day. Is why? I have a 2 year old and 5 year old and they are wanting to know everything about everything. It is tempting to answer these enquiries with a simple ‘because’. It is easier than trying to explain why the earth is round and why we don’t fall off sometimes. But, for them to learn and grow it’s important to engage with these questions - through the ‘wrestle’ of understanding their foundations are being strengthened, so when someone tries to tell them the earth is flat they have a better understanding than “it’s not because my dad said so”.
For all of us, the wrestle with God’s word is so important. We can learn truths of God’s word as we grow up in church and never understand why we believe it. Home is a place of safety to explore these questions without fear of judgement or asking the tough questions.
God is patient with us as we learn and grow. Let’s be patient with all who come.
ALL
All, means all.
no matter colour of skin.
no matter age.
no matter sexuality.
no matter wealth.
no matter gender or preferred pronoun.
no matter family background.
no matter religion.
no matter addiction.
no matter lifestyle.
no matter past.
no matter what - there is room for you!
If there is room for me, there is room for you.
Room to be known and room to be loved.
To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything.
Timothy Keller
Jesus was called a friend of sinners, a drunk and a glutton.
Matthew 11:18-19
18 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
Jesus never denied these accusations - he wasn’t a drunk - but he was living in such a way that the religious elite of the day thought - it’s TOO MUCH compromise.
Jesus aim was not just ‘draw crowds’ but to make disciples. We can think and assume, that this value means we are ‘lowering the standard’ or watering down the gospel. But that isn’t what it is about.
“It’s about showing people the gate to the narrow road and not making them jump a fence first.”
You can come in as you are, Jesus takes us all. But He changes us all. And wisdom is shown to be right by its results.
It’s about the fruit; are we seeing people come to know Jesus? Are we seeing lives and families transformed?
A church for the unchurched.
It’s great we have so many ‘churched’ families involved at SBC. I want my kids to grow up to be committed followers of Jesus.. But growing up in church makes it’s easy to be involved; you know how to speak, act and think.
This value is about creating an environment, a culture, where the unchurched, the person who doesn’t know how to dress, how to speak, how to live comes in and doesn’t feel judged, but loved.
They feel SAFE. They feel like they can be THEMSELVES, exposed, real, authentic.
HOME FOR ALL
There is room for you.
There is a seat at the table just as you are, we all need a saviour and redemption. A church for the unchurched.
Easy in, high commitment.
Let’s show people to the open gate, not close it and make them climb it.
