Found
Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,
“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
— Romans 10:20 —
SERVE TO BE FOUND
With Jesus' death, the invitation of becoming a part of God's family was extended to include all people. As Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he reminded the Jews God's family is bigger than them alone. God promised to find those who did not know him long before Jesus came to earth. After the cross, God fulfilled His promise by making Himself known to the Gentiles and including them in His family. Paul asks Rome to do the same by intertwining themselves with their new family, the Gentiles.
The First 10
A few weeks ago, my local church family gathered together. We talked about our importance of being a servant and going to guests on Sunday mornings. We are the folks who welcome our guests as they move from our parking lot into worship. We learned if a guest walks through these first 10 minutes without a personal connection with someone, it can be 10 years before they step back into a church. The worship team and pastors do not make this personal connection with guests in these first 10 minutes. It is those of us opening our front doors, standing in our lobby, and sitting in our seats!
In the book of Isaiah, God identified two strategies He used to call his not yet children into His family:
I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;
I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
Within both strategies, God said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name.
HERE I AM
God made a personal connection with His not yet children by saying Here I am through His words and actions. Because of this personal connection, His Kingdom grew.
Before the cross, Jews were God’s only children. Gentiles did not belong to God’s family. After the cross, God’s children included all who believed. The door for belonging to God’s family opened to Gentiles and they became not yet children of God. As the Jews welcomed Gentiles into God’s family, Paul reminds them what God said in Isaiah: If they have never heard of Me, I will find them. I will show them who I am. I will say Here I am.
I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me. —Romans 10:20b
Like the Jews, we are called to welcome our guests and say Here God is. We are called to be servants. A servant is found by those looking for his master. A servant approaches those whom their master seeks. As a servant of God, we go make ourselves available to our guests with our hands and feet. We show our guests who God is with our time and voice.
NEXT STEPS
Here are some ways we can say Here God is as we welcome out guests in their first 10 minutes in church.
GO: Go to our guests.
Face the crowd. When serving outside, turn your body and eyes towards our parking lot. When serving inside, turn them towards our front doors. When we see someone we do not know, look their way and walk towards them.
Give a gesture. Follow our guests cues to determine what gesture to give. If they are standing to the side, stand next to them. If they step closer, step closer, If they step back, step back. If they reach their hand out, reach back and give a handshake/hug. If they smile, share with a genuine smile of your own.
SHOW: Show our guests who God is.
Time. Put your phone on silent. Be undistracted in your tasks. Give your full attention and time to who is in front of you or who might be coming your way soon. Guests arrive 15-20 minutes before worship starts or 5-10 minutes after services begin. Arrive early, get settled, and be ready to welcome them during these windows.
Conversation. Say hello or thanks for coming. Ask guests about themselves. If a guest says a few words, respond with a few encouraging words or a complement. If you discover a shared interest, let them know. If you don’t, introduce them to someone who does. If a guest mentions Jesus, be bold and share a quick sentence about who Jesus is.