The Safest Place on Earth

I have heard it said in a relational sense, "It is safer to go to a bar, than it is to go to church." Can't say I disagree in general. Although, I take exception to that quote in relation to my church, CrossPoint. The reason people say this, is because church is a place where people feel they don't measure up, they feel judged by others and they do get hurt by others. Whereas a bar, there is relative acceptance for who a person is, without judgement. This is very appealing and it feels very safe. We all desire a place where we can feel as though we belong and are accepted, just like on the old show "Cheers."

The gym I work out at is trying to promote such a place. Planet Fitness wants people to feel safe, unjudged and accepted. So, they have signs posted everywhere in the gym. The signs say things like "Judgement Free Zone," "Check your ego at the door." "Come as you are." They even have a "Lunk Alarm" which they set off if someone attracts too much attention to him or herself by banging weights or grunting too loudly. I wonder if these types of signs would be effective in churches.

Rather than put up signs to attest to the safety people can feel in church, we can give out the grace we have already received. For where there is grace, there is safety. When there is no grace, there is not ultimate safety. Often times, we replace grace with trust and falsely conclude that trust is the most important ingredient to a good relationship. Baloney!!!!

Trust can be good, but grace is far better. Trust says, "because I can trust you, I can relate to you." Trust espouses the notion that "I can feel safe with you because I can trust you." Well what happens when trust is broken? Trust is conditional. It is conditional upon two people living up to a standard. Furthermore, when one of the people fails to live up to a certain condition, then the relationship is broken.

Grace, on the other hand, is powerful and safe. Grace can begin when trust fails. Grace says "I accept you, even though you hurt me." Grace says "Even though you broke your commitment to me, I am still committed to you." Grace says, "I accept you, as you are." When people sense this type of grace, they immediately and finally feel safe, as though they belong. Trust is a terrible thing to base a relationship upon, but grace is a powerful thing to base a relationship upon.

In the story of Joseph, Genesis 37-45, Joseph's brothers break trust with Joseph by beating him up, throughing him in a well and selling as a slave to people in Egypt. His brothers then lied to their father by telling him that Joseph was devoured by a wild animal. Over a decade later, Joseph had become the second most powerful person in Egypt and is confronted with his brothers. Instead of giving them judgement because of their broken trust with Joseph and the overwhelming pain, trauma and heartache that accompanied that broken trust, Joseph gave them grace. Genesis 45:2 tells us that when Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers, "he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him and Pharaoh's house heard about it." Here is a man whose heart was so severly broken because of trust that had been broken. But instead of retribution, Joseph gave grace and focused on reconciliation.

It is recorded that his brothers were terrified in the presence of their brother. I believe they were terrified more because of their broken trust than because of Joseph's powerful position. But, as they understood the grace that was given them, they realized they were safe. When trust is broken, grace can begin and safety is experienced.

The book of Ephesians in the bible tells us that God "lavishes" his grace upon us. Our sin is so great against God, but God's grace is so overwhelming towards us. This grace allows us to feel safe with God. The book of Hebrews tells us we can "draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience..." Although we have broken trust with God, through Jesus Christ, we can receive God's grace.

In the same way, as people break trust with us, in the midst of our subsequent heart-ache and pain, we can extend the same grace to others that is available to us in Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus Christ, focused more upon reconciliation than retribution toward us, we can do likewise with those who have hurt us. There is no way we can do it ourselves, it is only by the grace of God.

Who is it in your life that has hurt you? Let me be so bold as to suggest, if you are unable to extend grace to them, it is because you have not truly experienced it yourself. The more we understand and receive grace from God, the more readily we are willing to extend it to others. May we do this always at CrossPoint Church, with those we love and especially with those who have hurt us most. For as Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what credit iss that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them...But love your enemies, do good to them and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great and you will be sons (and daughters) of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."

Beams Away!