Feb
3
2014
Tour Guides
Posted in Discipleship 4 Comments
I never imagined being a tour guide.
There were the unofficial assignments of giving a tour at school.
There were the unofficial hostess tours as I showed someone my home.
My children have been tour guides on their college campuses.
Being a tour guide is an important job.
You show someone where to go so that they will feel comfortable in the new surroundings.
Of course, you have to know your way around first.
That is the challenge.
A tour guide who is not familiar with the place is the proverbial fish out of water.
You can’t fake it when someone asks you a question and you haven’t a clue.
You can always tell when the tour guide took a crash course right before the tour.
They have head knowledge but not heart knowledge.
Imagine a weary traveler needing a place to rest.
You know just the place and you take them there.
Imagine a sick person needing a place to recuperate.
You know the perfect place to bring them.
You must be familiar with the place before bringing someone there.
You must see their need and know a place to meet that need.
Your knowledge must come from your heart, not your head.
The people asking for directions need sincerity.
I thought of all of this as I sat in church.
I looked around at my church family and I was amazed.
People of all ages, who if not for Christ, would never have any connection with each other.
Different backgrounds, different locations, different ages, yet family all the same.
Connected to each other because we are connected to Christ.
I looked around at the children who seem to grow each week.
We rejoice with them over successes and comfort them in disappointment.
Our families receive the blessing of children from the Lord with great joy.
Our church is growing God’s way.
I pondered how each of us has been given a job.
We each have the job of being a tour guide.
We each have to know the Lord in order to show someone else the way.
We each have to be part of a local church and help others feel welcome there.
We are Jesus’ tour guides on a day-to-day basis.
We are often the first thing people see when they come into church.
We are on the front lines; but do we take our job seriously?
How good are we at noticing the little child standing with their hands in their pockets?
How good are we at introducing new people to other church members?
How adept are we at helping people feel welcome?
If we sit in church with a consumer mentality, we want to be served.
If we sit in church as Jesus’ tour guides, we want to bring others to Him.
We want others to know the joy we know every time we come through the doors.
We want others to know there is a place where they are welcome and loved.
Best of all, we want them to know that Jesus is there.
We are not bringing them to a place as much as we are bringing them to a Person.
I talked to a dear friend after church and she said the word I had been thinking.
It was Communion Sunday and we had just shared the Lord’s Supper.
We stand and sing the same hymn after that meal fellowship.
We join hands across the aisles and join our hearts and our voices.
I looked at every person in church connected to every other person.
No one was unattached.
Little children stretching to reach the hand of the grownup next to them.
Families connected to other families.
Jesus is there.
He is the glue that holds our hands together.
He cements the bonds we share.
He is the reason we come each week.
He is the Person we come to spend time with.
My friend said it best: It is so sweet here.
It is sweet; strangers who are now family under the Headship of Christ.
Hands joined together, hearts blended together, voices raised together.
All to His Glory.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12)
Jesus’ Kingdom Manifesto.
The tour guide’s manual of the Kingdom.
The perfect Tour Guide showed us the way so that we can show others THE WAY.
We need to be part of a body of believers as much as we need to breathe!
We need to be connected to each other by first being connected to Him.
Then the fellowship will be sweet, from the heart, sincere.
How I wish the walls of our little church were made of glass.
Then people driving by or walking by could see inside.
They would see people joining hands in sweet fellowship.
They will come in and meet tour guides committed to showing others the Way.
What a great message for us to all remember! We don’t even know sometimes if we are
being a tour guide, but people all around us can see how we behave and hopefully see the love of Christ in us. Let us all be tour guides to our families, friends and even strangers. I am so blessed to be a part of the family of God at Windsor, and many of the members there have been tour guides to me in my spiritual journey.
Sue,
It is exciting to think that God chooses us to give others a tour that leads to Him. What an honor and a privilege.
I enjoy worshiping with you each week.
Gina
One word; AMEN! This is timely because last night when we were studying with Pastor Chaya, he asked a question on the topic of how Christians are supposed to behave in the end times. The question? Whose job is it to share the Gospel? To help the weak? To admonish the unruly? To encourage the fainthearted? (1 Thess 5:14 ff) The answer? US; the brothers and sisters in Christ! We’ll be together for eternity; let’s start now!
Al,
How blessed we all are to worship together and serve the Lord together. We are truly family.
Gina