The local church doesn ?t seem to have the same valued position in communities that it used to have. Because of scandals, the church isn ?t always viewed in a positive light. Because of changes in our culture ?acceptance of homosexuality, abortion, divorce, etc. ?the church is marginalized because of what we believe. And that has harmed the church ?s influence in our community.
Even when it comes to “simple” things like adding parking spaces or holding events outdoors on our property, it ?s more common for our neighbors to be irritated with us. When we try to bridge the gap between the church and the community, distributing invitations to Easter services or light bulbs or food, people look at us with wary eyes.
Sometimes the church deserves those wary looks. It reminds me of the position of Israel in 1 Samuel 17 as they were heckled into inactivity by Goliath. While the story of David ?s defeat of Goliath is the exciting part, the key for the church today is in verse 46 where he states that the victory over Goliath was meant so “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” It seems that Israel believed they were God ?s chosen people because there was something special about them. The church seems to have adopted that same view, and now that the world sees that we are people just like them, they dismiss us. David ?s statement shows that Israel ?and, by extension, the church ?is made “special” because of God ?s presence.
Regardless of what people think of the church, we cannot let it stop our ministry of bridging the gap in the community. While we need to stand firm in our beliefs, we need to make sure that we do so in a way that shows that God is among us. As we increase our outreach, benevolence, and evangelistic efforts, we must lift the name of Jesus, not our own, so that he will be praised in our community.