A 133-year old congregation was being torn apart. The pastor was being heckled during his sermons. Competing factions were passing around their own collection plates. The police even had to be called in when the arguing got out of hand during a service.

I remember speaking at a Michigan church as a guest of the pastor. When we arived, an older gentleman was passing out papers to people arriving at the front door. When I sat down and read the paper, it was 15 reasons why we need to get rid of the pastor. Why do Christians not see the damage they are doing to the Lord’s church with such actions? Who is interested in the god of a church like that?

In Jesus’ longest recorded prayer, He prayed: “I pray that they all may be one…that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21). Let’s join Jesus in this prayer of unity.

• Does the worship draw you into a closer walk with God?
• Does the church membership have a broad mix of demographics (age, race, socio-economics, etc)?
• Does the message challenge you to go beyond your present limits in faith?
• Does the church use relevant methods to communicate?
• Do you feel “life” in the church or has it felt like a funeral home visit?
• Is there a focus on children’s ministries (an essential for reaching young adults)?
• Does the church talk about Jesus as our only hope?
• Does the church emphasize the Bible as the Word of God?

These are things that should be evident to anyone visiting for the first time. We may not be the best at these things, but they should be a measuring gauge for us in being the church Jesus called us to be.

Jesus was obviously a liberal when it comes to helping others. Suppose Jesus attended our church and was in charge of a row of seats. What kinds of people would He bring into our church and how would they be received? Next to the aisle would be a peaceful man with a reputation just a few months ago of running naked among the stones at the Waterloo Cemetery, cutting himself with rocks and screaming at passersby. We don’t want a guy like that in our church.

Sitting next to him would be a man named Bartimaeus. He’s a nice enough guy, but every time we would sing about grace, especially the line that says, “I once was blind, but now I see…”, he would get really emotional and embarass everyone around him. We don’t want a guy coming to our church who can’t behave himself.

Next to Bartimaeus would sit a woman who dresses too gaudy. She also has a reputation that she was caught in bed last week with another man. She could use a few lessons in good taste. Really, she should know better than to show up here.

I’m not so sure Jesus would do the best job at recruiting new people into New Hope. What do you think?

This movement sets aside the traditional idea that church is where we go on the weekends to watch the pastor and key leaders do ministry. The new model is that weekend services are to inspire and motivate individual church members to “be” the church in reaching out to friends and neighbors. Its about building non-threatening relationships with pre-believers outside of the formal church structure.

I am currently rereading the Book of Acts to rediscover how the Early Church did things. In Acts, it wasn’t just the twelve apostles who did ministry, but it was everyone’s involvement. Paul said that the role of the five-fold ministry was to “equip the saints to do the work of ministry”. That’s a whole new concept in some churches.

What do you think about that?

However, we are cutting her some slack due to her circumstances. She did attend here periodically in the past, has been baptized, accepted the Lord as her Savior, and now desires to become a member. Why should we deprive her of her desire in her last days?

So, we are bending our rules for her. This weekend our elders will consider her application, and, I expect, approve her as a member. Do you agree or disagree that we should bend our rules for this lady? Why or why not?

But, he said, that’s where the friendliness ended. Once in his seat no one made any attempt to have any connection with them. As a matter of fact, one of the friendly greeters in the hallway came and sat beside them and never spoke to them again.

I said, “Do you think this was a case of people who knew their ‘job classification’ did a good job, but if people didn’t have a ‘job classification’ they didn’t see any responsibility in the church?” He replied that he thought that was a good summary.

Please help me make newcomers feel like we want them here. They no doubt feel a little intimidated when visiting our church, but we all have a responsibility to build the family of God. So, go introduce yourself to somebody. They’re more scared of you than you are of them.

As he sat down, he asked the gentleman sitting next to him, “Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?” The man replied, “No.”

Now, very excited to be in such a great seat for the game, Bob again inquired of the man next to him, “This is incredible! Who in their right mind would have a seat like this at the Superbowl and not use it?” The man replied, “Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Superbowl we haven’t been to together since we got married in 1967.”

“Well, that’s really sad,” said Bob, “but still, couldn’t you find someone to take the seat? A relative or a close friend?”

“No,” the man replied, “they’re all at the funeral.”

I talked with a young man this week who told me the reason he didn’t go to church was because someone sent him an unsigned note from his old church saying that he should better control his children. So he quit going, blaming the church for being judgmental. I asked him how he was going to help change that situation from outside. We sometimes get our priorities backwards.

I was a student minister at a little church up on the Hudson River – I’d go up every weekend from Princeton, where I was in seminary. I met my wife in that church, in fact. “Fellowship” consisted of a monthly meeting of the women’s association and an occasional men’s breakfast, where you had a baseball or football player come in and give his testimony.

Then one weekend, I found out some shocking news: a teenage girl in the congregation had left town to go to her older brother’s. She was pregnant. I said to the dear woman who told me, “Could I go and see her?”

“Oh, no,” she replied, “You’re the last person she wants to know what’s happened.”

Suddenly it hit me: That’s what’s wrong with the church in our time. It’s the place you go when you put on your best clothes; you sit in Sunday school, you worship, you have a potluck dinner together – but you can’t bring your life! You leave behind all your pain, your brokenness, your hopes, even your joys.”

How do you think New Hope is doing in that area?

There were 86 visiting family groups in the Saturday night services, 60 visiting family groups in the Sunday 9AM service, and a whopping 135 visiting family groups in the Sunday 10:30AM service. In a day when nothing is traditional any more, seekers still choose to attend that 10:30 AM service over the other alternatives.

The 10:30 service is a mission field! On an average Sunday there will be two visiting family groups attend that service (last Sunday there were 7). These are people who have expressed an interest in our church, have never been here before, and are prime targets for what we say our mission is: To make disciples who make disciples. It also contains those who come back a second, third, and fourth time: great potential.

If anyone really wanted to make a difference in the Kingdom of God, that’s the service to attend and become involved in. That’s the service where needs are the greatest. That’s the service to be praying for.

The oddity was not in his departure, but in her behavior while he was gone. She continually forgot that she was engaged. Some who were closest to her never heard her talk about it. There were even times when she was seen on the arm of other men. She forgot that she was engaged.

This is the story of the church, the Bride of Christ who often forgets She is engaged while She flirts with the world. How’re you doing?