(Disclaimer: If you are offended by what I am about to say…good. Maybe you needed to hear it. I do not apologize for what I am about to say, nor will I retract what I say, or make any concessions.)
Community?
Something has really been bothering me lately. It has been bothering me a lot actually. I also know that this has become an issue for others as well. So I figured I could address this, if only to get what I think about it out in the open. This is not solely a BCM issue (though we do have a big problem with this), rather I think that it is a Christian issue.
I have been told a couple of times recently that people have stopped coming to 180 because they do not feel accepted or part of the community there. This is a serious issue guys. I really have started to notice that as the semester goes along we, and I do include myself in that we, have started to go back to falling within our safe little group of friends and not really going outside our comfort zone and meeting and making new people feel welcome. Guys this should not happen. I say this because I am as guilty as anyone.
Cliques are becoming a huge issue. Not just little groups of people that won’t go out and mingle with others, but also the leadership council. I can no longer say that the BCM is a welcoming place. This is a very sad reality. How can we show God’s love to the campus if we really don’t like to be around each other. John 13:35 states:
“This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
I don’t think that this is saying that we should love only non-believers, but also fellow believers. If we truly claim to be followers of Christ, why do we close up around others that share our faith? Why do we judge each other more harshly then we do non-believers? It shouldn’t matter what our classification is, one thing is true; we should love one another as we love ourselves. This includes our brothers and sisters in Christ.
I haven’t told anyone this, but last week I had a dream that was really disheartening. I dreamt that the BCM had become like the Jewish church in Jesus’ day and we, the Council, we their Pharisees. I woke up in a cold sweat when I saw myself in the dream, but I think that this is exactly what is happening, though I do not believe that it has progressed that far. Why have we succumbed to that level? Why are we not the loving, humble followers of Christ that we are called to be?
I believe that the answer is simple. I believe we get so settled into routines that it is very difficult to break out of that routine. I believe that goes that same with groups of friends. I think we get so settled and endoctrined with a particular group of people that we really don’t want to step out of our comfort zone to include others in our group as well.
Have we progressed so far as to not change it? No, I don’t think so. It will just take some lifestyle changes. The Bible clearly states that we should be a community of believers. Paul preaches in Romans that: “you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another” (Romans 7:4a). He preaches something similar to this in 1 Corinthians: “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:23). And yet again for unity through the Spirit (Ephesians 4:1-3, Philippians 2:1-2).
Paul clearly believes that Christians are supposed to be a community, or better yet a family. I mean we are all baptized as either a brother or sister in Christ when we are dunked under the water. We are family if we believe in Christ. Why then do we treat each other as less than that? Instead, we should do as Paul tells Timothy. “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” (I Timothy 5:1-2).
I simply ask that we treat each other like we would want to be treated, that we would grow together as a body, not as individuals. If we were to do this who know what may happen. I always wondered how the early Christians managed to “recruit” others to the cause of Christ. I was reading through Acts the other day and I read this:
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2: 42-47).
Maybe we should take a lesson from the early Christians.
I warn you though, I said this in the disclaimer, I will call people out if I see you treat another as less than family, and I expect you to do the same with me.
May God bless you and keep you.
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