The Open Church

Being part of a community of faith that is Open to God has two sides to it. One side is that when we are in crisis or grief and find that we can hardly put tywo thoughts together much less pray or listen to God, we know that there are other around us praying and listening for us. On the other hand if everyong in the community is rellying on everyone else to be open to God for them – no one is actually doing it!

Many of you know that I like to mountain bike. I compete once a season in a relay race that includes riding trails at night with very bright lights on our bikes. The first time my team was practicing riding at night, one of the guys had not purchased a light yet. I’d done a lot of night riding, so I gave him my lights and I tried to stay close to another team member, Fred, so I could see the trail with his lights. It worked okay, except that I could see obstacles like roots and rocks only in front of Fred’s bike, about 10 feet before I hit them in the dark. Also, Fred would periodically get ahead of me, and I’d be left to try to catch up to him in the dark so that I could see with his lights. It was a pretty rough ride.

The moral of the story is GET YOUR OWN LIGHT!

As in mountain Biking, so in the Christian walk – if we are always relying on others to stay close to God, to lead the way and to be in prayer for us, there will be times when we will be left in the dark. As a member of a community that is open to God, you need to individually get your own light.

If we are going to be a community open to God, and led by him, we need individually, and as a group do Romans 12:2 “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We have been called into this community to be a people open to God, but the fact that he has called us together tells us that we are to be…

A Community Open to One Another

As we lay our lives open before God, we must also lay our lives open before each other. Later, in Peter’s letter to the churches he writes:

1 Peter 4

7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

We are to be this tight knit community that is open to each other’s gifts, as well as struggles and failures.

Lessons from a Tavern, Citation: Charles Swindoll, Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 1.]

An old Marine Corps buddy of mine, to my pleasant surprise, came to know Christ after he was discharged.