Who Do You Turn To?

So when the storms blow into your world, your marriage, your health, your family, your finances…what do you do? Do you turn to God? Do you turn to friends? Do you have people in your life who love you so much that they will press pause on their own lives to come to your rescue?

When I open the Bible to the early pages of the book of Acts and read the description of the Church that Jesus left His disciples behind to launch, I am speechless. The early church that bore the name of Christ was nothing short of breath-taking. It wasn’t only the message of a risen Savior. And it was more than the miracles being performed by the apostles in the name of Jesus. Those things all mattered a great deal…but don’t underestimate the power of people wrapping their arms around others in loving, serving, sacrificing, caring, enduring ways.

When the Church was birthed, it had the most transformational message ever preached. But it was a message that was proven to be believable by the followers of Jesus who began to imitate their Master as they laid their lives down for those around them. We learn that they did so with extreme acts of selflessness like selling their belongings and giving the proceeds to those in need…by rejecting the cultural norms for separation of people groups…by rejecting the notion that their lives should be all about themselves. People loved God and others so much (once they had given their lives to Jesus and been filled by His Spirit) that they decided not to simply live for themselves…but to come to the rescue of others.

This past week a great friend of mine fell ill. She is someone I love very much, and she became sick with something that has yet to be identified yet. I fully expect she will be fine when all is said and done…when Jesus touches her with His healing hand. She’s being very brave, but this blog is less about her bravery in the face of pain and more about another beautiful thing I have witnessed. I have watched person after person…push pause on their life and rush to my friend’s side. People are refusing to just be concerned about themselves and their problems. They are joyfully, eagerly, prayerfully coming to the aid of someone who needs them. It has been thrilling to watch the church, the body of Christ, sacrifice and serve someone who is hurting.

You see, 2000 years ago the sacrifice and love of the Church was so magnetic that it was nearly irresistible to the watching world. This week as I have watched sacrificial love at work in the life of someone encountering a rogue storm, I must say…the Church that bears the name of Christ is still irresistible. So who do you turn to when the storms hit?