Today's guest post is from my good friend, Dalia Fam - a missionary in Lusaka, Zambia who has guest posted before. In today's post, Dalia opens her heart and reveals a message God has been convicting her in recent weeks. It's a humbling example of what happens when we examine ourselves and allow God to point out areas that need repentance. You can follow Dalia on Twitter (@AmaiAbusa) and also on her blog, Simple Life of an Orthodox Mission Mom. And if you're interested in guest posting on my blog, check out my Guest Post guidelines for more info.
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” – Mother Teresa
Jesus sat with the sinners.
He ate with and loved them.
He was surrounded by them.
As we grow in our churches and in our services, we started focusing our efforts on building the next generation. So the church of Zambia can be strong. But along the way, I started noticing something different. Our church became different.
When we first moved to Zambia, when a prostitute came into our church, even dressed in her clothing from her Saturday night activities, many of us would sit with her, feed her and hug her. She would cry with us and we loved her. Genuinely.
But this past Sunday, something changed in me. In our church.
A young boy that used to be active in church is going through some tough times. He has been drinking and doing drugs. He came to church obviously drunk and not wearing the best of things. Although I greeted him and smiled, from the inside, I was disappointed in him, looked down on him and wished he wasn’t around. One of our greeters in the church went to my husband and said why on earth is this guy dressed like this at church. Servants shunned him out of class. Everyone rolled their eyes.
The Sunday before, a young girl came to church. She was wearing a really tight dress and super low cut where all of her chest was showing. I was so embarrassed by her. She was sitting next to me and I wanted her to cover up! I mean the Sunday school kids were staring at her. So, I thought I was being very motherly and lovingly and I covered her with a head covering around her shoulders and told her to respect the church when she comes. Inside my head I wanted her to go away.
Some of you may be thinking, what's wrong with that? You taught her respect. You covered her up. But that is just it. I should leave the “covering up” business to God. He covers her sins. He covers her with His blood.
My job. Just to love her. As she is. Just to accept her. To accept him. As he is.
I humiliated her. I told her by covering her up that she isn’t good enough. I thought to myself I would do it to my daughter, wouldn’t I? So I am showing her love, right? I am teaching her, right? But, if I truly check my intentions, it is not from love that I covered her.
I keep screaming at the youth in my head from disappointment. Why can’t they change?! Why can’t they be holy?! Why can’t they love God?!
And then the answer came crashing down on my head.
Because I am not loving them. I am not loving them. Just as they are.
I smile from the outside but inside I squirm and I want them to disappear. I don’t want the hard service of loving them. I want to continue focusing on those that are “good” in the church – those that are worth investing in. The faithful.
Yes, I know we are doing a “noble” thing to invest in others. To grow them. But the Church was built to care for the lost.
The Book of Acts shows us how the church should look like. Most of the book was about converting the Gentiles. The non-believers. The lost. The sinners. It is good to focus on building and developing the faithful but we can never forget loving the lost. It is good to have great programs and activities. But don't forget who these activities are for. We should never make them feel segregated because they are not servants or active in the church.
They are the church. They are why the church exists.
Jesus sat with the sinners.
He ate with and loved them.
He was surrounded by them.
“Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.” Luke 15:1
He called the outcast to Him. Even when the disciples were shooing the children away, He challenged their thinking and brought the little children to Him.
But my fear is if we are only building others up and not seeking and serving the lost, then we are not a living Church. And it isn’t about programs to care for lost – but to love them. Genuinely.
So somewhere as we grew, we lost our original vision. The mission of Christ. To seek and serve the lost. Isn’t that why Christ came? Isn’t that why we are here? Isn’t that why the Church is built?
“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” Matthew 18:11
A man recently told a story to our local priest. He came to one of our churches and didn’t feel welcomed at all. He went to a bar soon after and was warmly welcomed. They bought him a drink, hugged him, and sat with him. They listened to him. Something the church could not give him, the bar could.
How sad is that? Have we lost our way?
In building others, did we lose our focus? On those that need Christ the most. The lost. The broken. The hopeless. The drunkard. The prostitute. The sinner.
One of the most famous stories in the Bible is the prodigal son. The reaction of the father to the lost son who came back should be the way our church members react when they see a lost sheep coming back. Not judging them. Whether they have repented or not. We should just love them. Genuinely.
Jesus let the sinners touch his feet. Wash his feet.
I can’t blame anyone else in my church for not doing what I myself am not doing. What I myself should be imitating as Christ did.
We have to reexamine the way we are personally in the church. We have to reexamine the way we are as a church. Don't say this is for someone else. You can be a great scholar or teacher or servant but without this we are not great Christians.
Let’s chat: What can we do in our churches across the world to seek and save the lost? What do you think?