We Are the Church

A compilation

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.—Galatians 6:10

*

We walked out of the sanctuary and into our church’s main lobby. I thought my husband was headed toward our usual corner where we typically chat with a few friends after service. But my husband veered off to a different side of the lobby. When I spotted him, I noticed his arm was around the shoulder of a fellow church attendee. The two appeared engrossed in a deep conversation.

As we drove home, I couldn’t help but ask what that conversation was all about.

My husband filled me in: “During the service, I noticed that man’s socks. I noticed his socks because of the holes he had in his shoes. I felt a strong nudge in my heart to buy the man a pair of shoes … so I was asking the man his shoe size.”

We’ve attended this church for over 20 years. It’s a fairly large congregation with multiple service times, so meeting new people was nothing new for my husband. But walking up to someone he has never spoken to before and asking him his shoe size? Now that was a first.

I continued my questioning: “Oh, wow … was he surprised? Was he insulted? Does he simply like his old shoes?”

My husband replied, “No, he wasn’t insulted at all. His eyes filled up, and his chin quivered. He actually seemed moved. I gave him my number and asked him to call me. I told him I’d like to meet up with him at the mall.”

Two days later, my husband and the man met. There, in the food court, this man shared his story. A few poor choices had led him to where he was. He was thankful for a stable job, but he still had a long way to go.

He told my husband, “I don’t do well with handouts. I accepted your offer because I knew it was God. I have a funeral to attend later this week. This past Sunday morning when you approached me, I had just looked through my closet to see if I had a pair of shoes decent enough to wear to the funeral. I didn’t. So I asked God that morning if He could somehow provide a pair of shoes. When you asked my shoe size, I knew God had heard my prayer. I was overwhelmed by God.”

After purchasing the shoes, my husband asked his new friend if there was anything else he needed. “No, thank you,” his friend replied. “I’m good. I just asked God for shoes.”

My pastor reminds us quite often that the church isn’t simply the building we worship in. It’s us. You and me. We are the church. We are the body of Christ. His hands. His feet. When there is a need, if we can meet it, we meet it.

In Galatians 6:10, the Apostle Paul encourages both the church in Galatia and the church today: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Maybe you’ve felt that tug to encourage a brother or sister in need, but you hesitated because you were unsure how they would respond. I’d like to challenge us today to push through the awkwardness and prayerfully act upon God’s prompting.—Binu Samuel¹

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Christians have the command to “make every effort to add to your faith goodness.”² We should be known for our goodness. When people hear the word Christian, their first thoughts should be of honor, integrity, kindness, and good deeds. The idea of doing good to all men echoes Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Our lights shine when we follow Jesus’ example of doing good wherever we go.³

In our efforts to do good, we must not overlook the priority Paul sets in Galatians 6:10. We are to do good to everyone, but we are to pay special attention to the family of Christ. How we treat our fellow believers is a sign of our faith: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”⁴ That love for the family of God shows itself in acts of goodness and charity⁵ and is, in fact, one proof of salvation.⁶ We start doing good unto all men by softening our hearts toward our brothers and sisters in Christ and dedicating ourselves to their well-being, as though it were our own. …

Doing good can start today, with little things. Whatever our circumstance, there is some way to do something good for someone, to the glory of God. A small goodness is better than no goodness and can, in fact, have a great impact. As Samuel Johnson said, “He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do any.”—From gotquestions.org⁷

*

Being in a Christian community is similar to being part of a family. Usually we have a sense of belonging with our family; we are confident that our parents, grandparents, or brothers and sisters love us and will be there for us when we need help. We feel that they’re watching out for us.

That same sense of belonging, concern, and love is what we are to build with our brethren in the Lord. We who believe are part of God’s family.

To create this sense of unity we need to take the time to care for one another, to pray for one another, to visit those who are sick, help those in need as much as we are able, and try to lend a helping hand when there’s a big job to do such as a move or the launching of a big project. Of course, sometimes what people need most is a listening ear, sympathy, validation of their struggles, prayer, and encouragement.

We have the privilege and responsibility to manifest the Lord’s love to the people in our community who are in need. We are to show love to all mankind, but especially to those of the community of faith. The Bible says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”⁸

Besides the practical ways we can help each other and bear one another’s burdens, there are spiritual ways as well. One such spiritual element of a thriving, healthy community is when we take time to encourage one another.

John Ortberg wrote, “Every day, everyone you know faces life with eternity on the line, and life has a way of beating people down. Every life needs a cheering section. Every life needs a shoulder to lean on once in a while. Every life needs a prayer to lift them up to God. Every life needs a hugger to wrap some arms around them sometimes. Every life needs to hear a voice saying, ‘Don’t give up.^’”9

When we strengthen and lift up our brethren, we are then part of their labors also. Only God knows how many times the great things that have been done by men and women of God throughout the centuries were made possible by another believer who had the ministry of encouragement and prayer.

We are not islands. We are dependent on others, whether we are willing to admit it or not. Uplifting and encouraging those in our community of faith is essentially infusing energy into the mission and the spread of the gospel, as each of us is buoyed up by others to do God’s will probably more than we realize.—Peter Amsterdam

Published on Anchor April 2022. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
Music by Michael Dooley.

Posted in: altruism, audio, community, compilation, giving, love, unity

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