He Went Outside!

And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. (Hebrews 13:13 NIV)

Beautiful One, have you ever noticed that most of Jesus' ministry was done out-of-doors? He traveled to many places teaching and bringing good news, but most of his ministry was done outside of the temple.

The House Of The Lord or Church as we call it today, is a wonderful place. If you have ever been active in a specific church you have probably discovered how special it is to belong and to connect with the Lord and His children. However, for many people the church has brought many sorrows. The place where many seek refuge has, instead, repelled others! Some will never recover from the wounds inflicted within those walls, and, may I say, this should never be.

Not on our watch! 

I currently work at a resort and encounter hundreds of people. Before this job I was in full-time ministry. It's safe to say that I'm a people person, and I encounter many from different backgrounds, religions, and varied social classes along the way.

What I find so interesting, and somewhat disheartening is, that as much as I loved being in ministry, when I went to work in the 'real world,' one of the reasons I enjoy it so much is the secular people I work with. In many cases they seem much nicer and more genuine than many I interacted with in the church environment.

Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't being around Christians (those in your spiritual family), make you feel your best, not your worst? I know that it's an uncomfortable subject, but that's OK! . . . it is a needed conversation! And because we as Christians feel so passionate about the kingdom of God, dare I say, we need to work on feeling more passionate because it is filled with the most precious things on earth . . . people! Church ministry is available to help aid growth and knowledge of the Lord. We learn to serve, gain wisdom, and experience maturity as we mature. Ministry helps us to connect to our newly found spiritual family. We belong to something greater than we've ever known, and we become known to others. For some, this is actually the first time they are ever known to anyone, and they go from survival, to stability, and are well on the way to reaching significance - right before our very eyes!

But often times, what's right in front of us, escapes us because our focus can get skewed. Oftentimes, growing the kingdom becomes all about gaining numbers and forgetting about the hearts that beat within those numbers. So often we tell others to come as they are, and when they finally step through the doors, we reject and silently judge them.

Maybe you have not witnessed this, but I have. Forget Satan, Christians can do more harm to God's children, than anyone else. The oldest trick in the book is to divide the house so it cannot stand! But, the first step in changing anything, is becoming aware that a problem exists.

Being in ministry has allowed me to experience many wonderful things. And along with anything good, there also comes the snags and tears too.

Recently, I was reminded of an event that changed me. I've carried it with me as a reminder of just how "we the people" can be. It also reminds me of how amazing God is as well.

One Sunday morning, there was a man visiting our church for the first time, He was a relative of a known family that attended regularly. There was nothing unusual about him: just a typical visitor on a Sunday morning. During the message, he got excited about what was being preached and shouted out briefly. It was no big deal.

But, the prayer warriors in our church, acting more like a pack of wolves, swooped in, and stood behind him and immediately began praying. Before I knew it, a few from the pack asked the man to leave and politely escorted him outside. I found out after service they had deemed him "demonic," and wanted to avoid any further disruptions.

I witnessed the whole thing and was deeply disturbed by what transpired. But, as far as I could tell the man was not demonic. The poor guy wasn't familiar with church "formalities". He didn't know the correct lingo of 'hallelujah' or 'praise God!' He was simply excited to hear the message.

Just so happened that a children's teacher was outside during the same service. Having just arrived in the parking lot, he got the news, without any explanation, that the children's services were shut down until further notice. Feeling heartbroken, he wondered if he was the reason for the unexpected decision. He thought someonemight be angry with him because of difficult meeting he had had the week before with church leadership.

He was told that the unusual decision wasn't because of him. But, the truth was that church leadership decided that same morning that this teacher was demonic. This same man had successfully taught the children for over two years!

Beautiful One, as church staff I was aware of the true reason and didn't have the heart to tell this man what the leadership thought of him. Right or wrong, if I erred, it was on the side of protecting this man from being deeply wounded. But, what I find so beautiful, is that this teacher deep within knew something was wrong and did not want to go into the service until his heart was right. Well, as he waited outside for something from God, the other "demoniac" being ushered out from the sanctuary ended up at his side!

Hmmm . . .two so-called demoniacs found themselves together, standing outside the church. Alone, bruised, and misjudged, they suffered while the good Christians inside sang and praised. One might wonder where the Lord was at that moment. I think it is safe to say that He left the church service, too! He went outside with the men! 

I guess the point I am trying to make is that Jesus never judged anyone. Instead, He extended mercy. He never rejected but rather He went out of his way, going through crowds, breaking all the rules of tradition and law, to search out the one who everyone else had kicked out!

In fact, as far as so-called demonics were concerned, He would never tell them to leave. Instead He took pity on them, freed them from their bondage, and sent the "demons" away while keeping the man close to him.

It's no wonder that Jesus stayed outside. When we become inclusive, things just get weird. And when we get weird, we tend to hurt people. The Lord Jesus himself said "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!" When we as Christians hurt, or repel another away, we truly don't know what we are doing!

And we all have done it!

When the Church, God's people, care about what He cares about, great things happen!

Beautiful One, just believe, and take a walk with Jesus, outside!