A church can be an unforgiving place. Let’s face it. We expect more out of people in the church than we do in other places. After all, we are believers in Jesus Christ and to use a phrase “ought to know better”. The problem is that we are warriors who are in the midst of spiritual battles; we are sinners who have been redeemed but not yet perfected; and we are all at different stages of spiritual maturity. One of our deacon’s wives stated it perfectly this week when she said to me, “I know that every church has its problems.”
How do we survive as the family of God when we know that these problems aren’t going to go away? It’s no surprise that the Lord tells us how to handle it in His Word. Here’s what He says, “14And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”(1 Thessalonians 5:14-15)
Two characteristics more than any others help us to be the family of God: patience and kindness. When we become exasperated at something in the life of the church, we immediately need to check where we register on the patience meter. Am I upset because I expect someone to be further along spiritually than they are? When someone upsets us, we immediately need to check where we register on the kindness meter. Do I have plans to “get back” at someone? Have I learned to be kind for Christ’s sake even when I’ve been hurt? A church full of believers who have learned to be patient and kind is a church equipped to confront the needs of lost, selfish people.
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