"Where's your heart at with the Lord?"
You know those questions that go deep straight away? I love those questions. Sometimes I find small talk really hard coz I just wanna get to those deeper questions. This one was shared with me recently as a question their old pastor used to ask his flock. It's a brilliant question.
Often I ask people "how's your relationship with God" or "how's your faith". But the response we give to questions like that tend to be around how our quiet times are going (or not going!). Not that quiet times aren't a good indicator, but there's something about asking "where's your heart at" that quite literally gets to the heart of where they're at.
And it's biblical.
I recently heard a brilliant sermon on James 2 from my old church back in Oz which talks about the dynamic between faith and works. We aren't saved by or works, we're saved by faith.
But what is faith? It's more than intellectual assent. You might say that you believe in God. In your heart of hearts you might agree with the premise that Jesus died for your sins. But until you act on that faith, it's only intellectual assent.
Likewise, you can say that you have faith in your doctor, but if you don't actually follow their advice, your actions demonstrate that you don't actually trust them. You can say you trust in Jesus. But unless your actions demonstrate that you trust him, it's only words.
This is super helpful when we think about encouraging someone who isn't coming to church or community group. Or encouraging ourselves to head along! Broadly speaking, I reckon there are only two reasons why someone doesn't come.
The first reason is circumstances. It may be physically impossible for me to be there. It may be that I'm unwell and I'm loving others by watching the livestream and keeping my germs at home. Or it may be circumstances which aren't actual barriers but lower the threshold for staying away. Maybe I'm exhausted. Life is really hard or busy at the moment. Or I was up too late the night before. There's a deadline. A family member staying. A birthday party. Or that person I don't want to see is going to be there...
The second reason is conviction. My heart just isn't in it. It's just not a priority. I'm not feeling it this week.
The weaker our convictions, the less significant the circumstances need to be to make us decide not to come.
Whatever we do, let's be motivated by love, from a heart of sincere faith, trusting God's ways are best. A church that loves the Bible isn't a church that likes to study the Bible and understand what it says. It's a church that loves to repent in response to what God's word says. Not in a legalistic way, but because of the sincere faith and love in our hearts. Let's be that kind of church.
So whatever your circumstances, what are your convictions at the moment? Where is your heart at? Whatever you're facing, what would it look like for you to put your faith into action by loving God and loving your brothers and sisters in Christ this week?
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth... And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." (1 John 3:18, 4:21)
Let's love our brothers and sisters by showing up to encourage one another, even when it's hard.
Grace and Peace,
Andy Williams
(Membership Pastor)
eNews - 12th July 2024