Is your church family strong enough to let people who believe some strange things and behave in ways you don’t approve still be a part of the family?
Let’s unpack that a little bit. I think MOST church families follow the “Believe, Behave, Belong” mindset. If you believe certain things (that our church family believes), and behave in a certain way (following the rules we believe God expects), then you can belong here. Oh you can visit for a bit, or hang out at our “outreach events,” but if you want to sing in the choir, help organize the food pantry, or serve as an aide in a Sunday School classroom, you have to believe and behave. You really don’t belong otherwise.
I would argue Jesus did it totally differently. But that’ll have to be the topic of a future blog post, because this past weekend I came across something that was a little stunning in the book of Leviticus.
Leviticus 19 starts with this statement from Moses to God’s people: “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Holy means “set apart for a special purpose,” and the verses that follow go over all the rules God’s people are to follow that will show them to be radically different than the other nations around them. Some of the rules are what you would expect: don’t steal, don’t lie, act justly and fairly. Some seem a little weird, like, “You shall not round off the hair on your temples or mar the edges of your beard.” God makes it clear he is REALLY serious about them keeping these rules meticulously. “Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you. For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” Yikes.
God wants his people to be different. He lays out the rules. He warns there will be dire consequences if they do not follow the rules. And then he says this:
“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
Wait, what? “Follow these rules! I’m deadly serious about them! But if there are people among you who are not part of the family, show them unconditional love and acceptance. Treat them like they are a part of the family, even though they won’t act like it.”
Why do we expect people to believe and behave before they can belong? If we really think believing certain things and behaving in a certain way is best for people, we need to earn trust and influence in their lives first. And the way we do that is by letting them belong!
Belong first. Be patient and let believe and behave come later. THAT’s how God designed his family to work!
The experience of grace often comes first as the entryway to belief.