I go to a church which is highly integrated and diverse.  There people of all races, incomes, upbringings, life experience, etc…
New people are coming in all the time.  Some of them dress differently.  Some act contrary to my understanding.  Initially, some may even be a bit repulsive.

How does God turn this stew of humanity into a church body?  Well, in my opinion, he does everything that I instinctively do not.
He sees all as the same.  He is not a respecter of persons.  All of us, even moi, are in great need of Him through our daily actions.
If we were to use His standard and look at people through His eyes, not only would the church be stronger, but it would grow beyond comprehension!  We spend so much time worrying about the minutiae of loud music, life, tradition, and fashion, that we miss his blessing that day.  We end up receiving nothing but strife.  We worry more about what the praise and worship leader is wearing than The One whom we are supposed to be praising and worshiping.  And, oh, the music is too loud and I don’t know the words well enough to belt it out with my wondrous voice.  Then the rest of the service is spent mulling over the problems we see.

The point is that we need to be more aggressive when it comes to remembering why that building is there and all of us come to it at the same time every week.  May be we need to unclog our minds from the junk and clutters them on a daily basis.  Can I get an Amen?

So… here’s the deal. I have changed my focus on what is important when I step foot on my church campus.  When I come to a service, I prepare myself with two things in mind…

1. I am here to worship You, Lord. I am here to to bless the name of the Most High God! It is my privilege to call out Your name!
2. I come expecting that what I hear from the platform will change me. I expect to hear from God EVERY time I step into His presence.
I am not looking for milk. That’s for babies. I am not bothered by what women wear. It’s my job not to look twice if there’s an issue. Even if someone comes who may irritate my senses, I choose to look at them, the best I can, with Gods Eyes.  I understand they are precious to Him and thus, precious to me.  I know I am no better.  So, I come to worship. I come to honor God with my tithes, offerings and service. It’s all about Him, not me. You choose whether you receive or not. Music or clothes do not keep God’s message down. The gray matter between your ears does.

BBTO