The Well Palmdale, CA

Last night was an awesome night...it was one of those nights that I love being a pastor. We had a great BBQ at our Community Group at the Cross'. There was great food and great fellowship. We even had an ecouraging study with good conversation. We talked a lot about being priests...the kind of priest that Peter talks about in 1 Peter 2. We've been called to represent God to the world. As we talked about the many places of our valley that need God's grace, peace, and mercy, we talked a lot about the need of forming a relationship. Without a relationship with the people we serve...then it significantly hinders our ability to bring about mercy in those places.

The reason why I wanted to bring up something that we've talked a lot about was because of a course I recently took. Last week I went down to Brea for a lecture on church planting lead by Erwin McManus who is the pastor of Mosaic down in L.A. One of the things he talked about was the need, as pastors, to love the community we serve. I think that as priests in this area this is also true. We need to be able to look at the people we have been called to serve and be able to love them. This can't be forced though. You can't force love...not at all. I think that as a church and individuals, we need to be able to let go of our prejudices, presuppositions, worldly standards, and our worldly expectations and see the beauty that we are surrounded by.

We need to let go until we see the beauty. Just think about it. God has made every human being on the face of this earth. He made the ones in the blighted areas and the ones in the affluent areas...He made us the same...equal. We are all still sinners, though...and we are both loved and pursued by God, too. We just need to let go of who we are and what we expect until we see the beauty that God sees. Last night we talked about people in our lives who are not only unbelievers, but have a dislike for the church, Christians, and God's Word. Most of us even know people who will even antagonize us until we get angry...just to see if the righteous one will fall. Even the worst antagonizers, the worst criminals, the biggest jerks, the most immoral, the rudest, and those who we feel are so far away from the truth have something in them that God sees as desirable...something that resulted in Him sending His Son to die for them just as much as He died for us...and God has called us to be a priest for them. I pray that The Well is a place where the priests can be filled so that we can bring God's grace, peace, and mercy to the most unlikely people...the ones that we would never expect to come to a worship service or let alone have a saving faith. I know we can...God has promised that we can. I hope you all have a chance today and this weekend to be a priest for the unlikely ones...the ones so far gone that nobody dares be a priest for their sake. Just let go...you'll see the beauty...and you'll begin to love as God loves.

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