By David Faust

My little long-haired Chihuahua welcomes me at the door when I arrive home with her tail wagging and an excited look on her face. Unfortunately, not everyone I encounter has such a welcoming spirit.

Left Out

Several years ago my wife, Candy, and I moved into a new neighborhood, and a man who lived nearby kindly invited us to a barbeque at his house. When we arrived at the party, however, the other guests already knew each other and made no effort to include us in their conversations. Candy and I are experienced in social situations with lots of practice interacting with people we don’t know, but this was a tough group. (It felt like an impenetrable wall.) Other than the host who invited us, no one expressed any interest in speaking with us or making us feel welcome. We stayed about an hour, ate a few bites of food, thanked our host, and left. On the way home we chuckled about the unfriendly reception we experienced and thanked God for the friends who do want to be around us!

It’s sad to think something like that would ever happen when someone visits a church. Can you imagine how it feels to be a newcomer in the neighborhood, a new student in an unfamiliar school, an immigrant from another nation, or a first-time visitor at church? When you summon the courage to go to church on a Sunday morning, even if you’re confident in other social situations, feelings of insecurity stir inside. You’re not sure how you’re supposed to dress. You wonder, How will people treat me? How long will the service last? Will I be asked to do things I don’t understand?

Regardless of their size, healthy churches have a warm and encouraging atmosphere. They don’t feel like impenetrable groups. Large or small, growing churches project contagious enthusiasm that communicates sincerely, “You are welcome here.” It’s not that people are looking for a friendly church; they simply are looking for friends. In a cold world where safe, caring relationships seem all too rare, the authentic love of Christ is a powerful force.

Invited In

God called Peter to cross a major cultural boundary and preach the gospel in the Gentile household of Cornelius, but first Peter had to overcome his personal biases and broaden his relational circle. He remembered Jesus’ plain instructions: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), but he hesitated to move outside the circle of his familiar Jewish culture. It took prayer and a special vision from God to overcome Peter’s reluctance, and later he faced criticism from others who had similar hang-ups (Acts 11:1-18).

Peter knew Jesus personally. He was a witness of Christ’s resurrection, and he had experienced God’s abundant grace, even finding forgiveness for the egregious offense of denying Jesus three times. Yet it was hard for Peter to grasp the extent of God’s grace toward others. Finally the message sank in, and Peter affirmed, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (Acts 10:34, 35).

How deeply has God’s grace penetrated our hearts? Here’s one way to tell: How easily can a stranger penetrate the social circle we call our own?

David Faust serves as the Associate Minister at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Based on International Sunday School Lesson, © 2013, by the Lesson Committee. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©2011, unless otherwise indicated.

As you apply today’s Scripture study to everyday life, read Engage Your Faith by David Faust and the correlating Evaluation Questions.