Bear Ministry 101
Yesterday seemed like any other Trillium Park service, until we opened the front doors and stepped into the foyer. A lady sitting in her motorized wheel-chair asked if we were there to conduct worship services. I said, “Yes mam! Would you like to join us?” She responded with a chuckle and said, “Oh, no! Probably not, I’m Catholic.” I told her that was fine, she could still join us and that I was pretty sure that God took everybody and that we did to. She politely declined. As we rounded the corner out of the foyer, sat another lady and she asked if we took hypocrites too. I said, “Yes mam we do. Everybody is welcome to join us.” I tried to stress the word, “everybody,” to her and all the other residents sitting there in foyer. When we got to the meeting room for worship, another lady asked us if we practiced open communion, because she was Methodist. Albert and I both informed her that we do. After these three encounters, I changed my devotional topic to talk about Christ’s inclusive, not exclusive invitation to Him and the Father. We looked at the parables of the great banquet, the lost sheep, and the lost coin, in Lk. 14 & 15, respectively. I read Lk. 19:10, where Jesus says He came to seek and save the lost. I read Jn. 14:6, where Jesus says that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father, but through Him. You know, God/Jesus wants everybody to repent and come to Him, 2 Ptr. 3:9. Money, job, house, car, skin color, background, past sins, etc., are NOT admission criteria for God. He wants the homeless, poverty, stricken man as much as He wants the upper-middle class man. My hope and prayer are that we Christians, reflect the same attitude, love, and inclusiveness to the poor, the homeless, the addict, the homosexual, the liars, the robbers, etc. as God does. He wants these people just like He wants us Christians. In fact that is what He wants us to do, make them Christians by baptizing them into Christ. I hope and pray that God will soften your heart and let you see everyone the way He sees them, precious souls; some saved, some not saved. I hope and pray you will look for the opportunities He gives you to seek and save the lost and to bring to Him the people He wants…everybody.