Two Kinds of Spurs

He sat alone on the cold stone steps of a church... It was Halloween night and the local ministerial association had received permission to shut down one of the city streets and host an annual event called Kids' Harvestfest. There were probably 200 people milling around as the children played games, listened to live Christian music, jumped around on inflatables, and ate candy and popcorn. Noise, pageantry, people, laughing; but, this elderly gentleman sat on the steps alone staring at his feet -or perhaps some memory I wasn't privy to.

Now I am not the most outgoing person by nature. But something about this man caught my attention and the still, small whisper of the Spirit assured me it was more than just my imagination. So, I took a break in my role as candy and supplies runner and sat down on the steps next to the man I would come to know as Harold. We introduced ourselves and then I asked Harold what he thought about the event. This opener led into a discussion about the Church in general and quickly turned toward problems we have encountered in various churches. Harold wasn't against the church. As a matter of fact, I found out he began his relationship with Christ in the early 50's and had been a faithful church member since. But he, like many of us, desire the Church to be so much more than we often see from week to week. Maybe you have had that experience yourself. So much of what we learn about the early followers of Christ and how they lived in community and reached people daily inspires us. We want to see more vitality, and greater impact on our communities for the Kingdom of God.

It's like a spur that digs at us little by little. And often, unfortunately, it comes out in conversations like this one. My friends, the Church is not all she is supposed to be -WE ARE the Church and we are works in progress. But the Church is still the Bride of Christ; the bride Jesus loves and that God is working to make pure and spotless. The question is, how do we have conversations that are hopeful and productive instead of fruitless commiseration? Because, I believe how we communicate together has great power to produce change, growth, and hope for the future. We can either be a spur - by being reactive and focusing on the negative; or we can choose "to spur" by being proactive and calling out the positive. The author of Hebrews lays the groundwork for us:
     "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

We can help shape each other in the body of Christ by spurring one another on as fellow believers. Here is a few ideas building off of the English vowels to make it easier to remember:
     I = Inspire - try to make sure you are living out and growing in your own relationship with God. People    
           who are walking closely with God, experiencing the wonder and joy of life with Him, and sharing it  
           with others  are inspiring.
     E = Encourage- Make it a goal to be an encourager. Look for the good in everyone and take a moment  
            to share with them what you appreciate about them.
     U = Uplift  - I am using this in the sense of inviting someone out of the places they are stuck in or are
           comfortable in. Sometimes we need someone else to invite us to be part of what they are doing. John  
           Mark in the New Testament got to travel the Mediterranean and see great miracles of God because  
           Paul and Barnabas invited him to come along as a helper.
     O = Outfit - Outfitters supply needed equipment to people. God has blessed all of us with certain gifts,
           talents, life lessons, etc. that are useful for building others up. If God has given you a gift for music,  
           look for people to pass it on to. If he has rescued you from addiction, look for places to use that  
           experience to help others. I have a friend who has outfitted numerous worship leaders, youth
           directors, etc. with the ability to play guitar. Who knows how big an impact your gifts could make.
     A = Admonish (Exhort would probably have been a better word, but I needed an "A" :) - There are
           times when the most helpful and loving thing we can do for someone is to caringly point out
           something that may well be hindering their growth in relationship with God. It takes a certain 
           amount of  relationship building to "earn the right" to speak into someone's life like this.   
           When our family returned from Okinawa in 1988 I had a major spiritual backslide. My father loved  
           me enough to confront me about where my life was headed. It was not an easy conversation, but it
           was a  necessary and healing one. It started me back to the arms of my Heavenly Father and I will be  
           forever grateful for my earthly father's admonition.

I'm planning to write these 5 simple helps on my Bible bookmark to remind me to prayerfully glance over them at the beginning of each day and ask God to bring to mind anyone I can inspire, encourage, uplift, outfit, or perhaps even lovingly admonish. Let's spur one another on to love and good works and see what God will grow and build through us. Blessings!