An Unstoppable Force

Lately I've been reading a book by Erwin McManus titled, "An Unstoppable Force". This book has really been pivotal in helping me to identify what I feel the role of the church is. I've also come to the understanding that the church as a whole tends to be exclusive, which is not what the church was initially designed to be. We find ourselves comfortable, we go into nice buildings, hang out with friends and family and walk away energized for the next week. The problem is we aren't bringing people with us. The greater problem is we aren't going to the people who are closest to us. We're content with our only friends being those we go to church with. We find it safe and warm to associate with like minded people, people who won't rock the boat we drift in. The church has become an institution, not a movement. The problem is we like to play it safe, because safe is comfortable. This quote from "An Unstoppable Force" has caused me to think, hopefully it will do the same for you. "It was easier to be certain you were right when you had never even heard of an opposing position. It was easier to be sure you were right when you felt you were in the majority position. It was easier to believe everyone else was wrong when you didn't know him or her personally. The idea that people without Jesus are going to hell went down far too easily for Christians who only knew Christians." The point is this. We have got to stop playing it safe. The bottom line is that when we die we will be going to one of two possible destinations. Many of us know where we will be spending eternity, here in lies the point. Many of those in our subdivisions, offices, schools, don't have the same knowledge. We have a certain knowledge, the knowledge of Christ. It is our obligation to share this knowledge with those who need it most. So we must associate with those we know are hurting, and have hang ups. We must associate with those we don't agree with. If we are going to truly see this community, city, state, country, world change for Christ we have to start with those closest to us. We have got to live in the middle of a battle field.