“It’s Your Church. It’s God’s Church”
Luke 18:9-17
Mike Abrashoff wrote "It's Your Ship." Upon taking command of the USS Benfold he saw the opportunity to do something different. He called it the Golden Rule approach. Mike put himself in his sailors’ shoes and interviewed every sailor on the ship to find out what they valued and then made changes. He sent cooks to culinary school, offered college courses and asked officers to treat sailors with respect. He empowered everyone to make decisions and work to make their ship the best in the Navy, encouraging them with the words, “It's your ship.”
What a great way to describe the ideal church. “It’s not my church. It’s your church. It’s God’s church.” God empowers us to look around and work to make our church the best we can be. Easier said than done.
A pastor wrote: “One problem people have is the closer they come to God, the more clearly they see weaknesses in others. The temptation is to be critical of those who do not share your ideals. The secret to Christian life however is to hate the wrong, yet still feel love and tolerance for the one who does wrong. The problem does not grow less as we grow as Christians, the problem increases.”
When we first become Christians, we often go through a period of repentance. We recognize our faults and sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. Then we make changes in our life to please God. But as we do that, we also see more clearly the faults and sins of others, and we feel the need to do something about it. “We straightened up our lives so why can’t everyone else straighten out as well?”
Comparing our lives with others may enable us to look pretty good, but God wants us to look up and when we compare our life with God, we come up short.
This is a warning to keep our eyes focused on God, not others. Comparing yourself to God will always keep you humble. The second lesson is about hope. No matter who you are, there is always God’s promise of forgiveness and complete acceptance. Jesus said, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Luke 18:14
It’s not my church. It’s your church. It’s God’s church. The challenge is for each of us to look around with genuine humility and figure out how we can more effectively practice one word: encouragement.
Mike Abrashoff wrote: “Good began to happen when he went for the golden rule. I put people first, and as a result I was paid a thousand times over.”
Prayer Challenge: Ask God to help you encourage someone today?