What do you think about when you leave church?

What do you think about when you leave church? What is your mind centered on? Besides the trivial thoughts of where we will eat lunch afterwards, there are deeper things to be considered. I believe the first ten minutes after a worship experience may be the most critical minutes of your week. These are the moments where, in our weakness, we can already begin to push the message out of our minds and begin to worry about what's on our plate.

More specifically, do you leave church thinking more about yourself or about Christ? This is a very revealing question. If you leave thinking mostly about yourself, i.e. what you must do to get your life together, improve, stop destructive habits, etc., then the gospel has been missed altogether. As Tullian Tchividjian writes in this post, "the gospel always directs you to something, someone outside of you..." When we leave church thinking mostly about Christ and his finishing work for us on the cross, we are freed from the feeling that there is something more we must do to get more of God. Yes, there are disciplines to be engaged in that train us in godliness. But these disciplines are only a means to an end, not the end themselves. Our trust in in Jesus, not in ourselves. It's the only solution for both the strongest and weakest believers. Confidence, hope, and strength is found in knowing that Christ's love for me does not depend on my work for Him. Knowing this is what creates joy, obedience, and growth in our walk with Him.

Scars

Last Sunday I was in Chattanooga with friends for dinner. We were in the middle of a great weekend serving together in Ringgold, GA helping tornado victims start to rebuild their lives. As I was walking down the street a woman approached me, asking if I could buy her some food. Her name was Angela. She told me that she had been asked to leave all of the local shelters because she cut herself. She then showed me her scars. Both wrists and forearms were covered in scars. We walked up and down downtown Chattanooga looking for a place still serving food that late, when finally Taco Mac came to the rescue. I bought Angela two chicken tacos for $5.41 and wished her well. What I found out was that Angela was often seen walking the streets asking for food, so much so that several waitresses recognized who I was talking about. It was sad that Angela was known by her scars. This encounter is still with me. Many of us are walking around with scars - both visible and invisible signs of the hurt and pain we bear at times in this life. For many, scars are a sign of defeat; of a victory won by depression, anger, grief, etc. But our scars were not meant for defeat. They were meant as a sign of victory. When Jesus bore our sin on the cross and suffered scars in his hands, they were a prelude to a coming victory. He shortly thereafter showed off these scars to Thomas as proof that he had overcome the grave....so, scars are a sign of victory. On the cross, Jesus was scarred so that you wouldn't be known by yours. We have scars, and the reality is they won't be gone until Jesus makes all things new. But they don't mark us. They don't have control over us. They are a sign of the grace of God.

Do your scars remind you of grace or guilt?

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:24-28