Let’s talk about some ways the Church has helped me. Lately I’ve heard some heartbreaking stories of how people in the church have hurt others, effectively driving them away from going to church, and in some cases even sparking doubt in Jesus.
We absolutely need to talk about that side of the story sometime. It’s a serious problem that I hope believers will learn to confront and stop. For today my goal is to remind you that God does use his people for good things. I’m going to share 5 ways people in the Church have helped me:
- People in the Church have loved me.
- People in the Church helped me when I was in need.
- People in the Church have helped me carry my burdens.
- People in the Church have prayed for me.
- People in the Church have rejoiced with me and wept with me.
What is “The Church?”
Just in case anyone needs clarification, “The Church” is a broad term that refers to everyone who believes in and follows Jesus Christ. Biblically “the Church” simply means the gathering of believers. Here in the U.S. the term can have a somewhat institutional connotation. We tend to think of churches as the buildings and their names, and sometimes even just as the shady celebrity pastors that lead some of them.
In this article, I’m thinking of the body of believers as a whole. That said, here are five ways sincere people in the church have helped me:
1. People in the Church have loved me.
Jesus told his disciples, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Love means caring, showing each other respect, building each other up, and also holding each other accountable for our actions. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 lists the following attributes of love:
- Patient
- Kind
- Not envious
- Not boasting
- Not arrogant
- Not rude
- Doesn’t insist on its own way
- Not irritable
- Not resentful
- Does not rejoice at wrongdoing
- Rejoices with the truth
- Bears all things
- Believes all things
- Hopes all things
- Endures all things
- Never ends
Consider the other Christians you know. Do they do some of these things well? Nobody’s perfect – that’s why we need Jesus to sanctify us, and why Paul had to write what love should look like! But I hope you know a few people who are intentional about practicing love like this. Do you think you do well at some of these? What could you improve on?
I feel blessed to have known many believers who know how to be gracious and truthful in love. Part of that comes from not confining myself to one church. I’ve been to home fellowships, friends’ churches, served at Christian camps, and gone to Christian colleges. As believers, we have family everywhere we go – those who have learned to love well will eagerly show you so.
2. People in the Church helped me when I was in need.
There was a time in my life where I felt that people in church just gave me the side eye and sort of looked down on me. I also felt torn that no one knew what was really going on in my life. But when I found safe believers who could listen and respond maturely to my struggles, their generosity turned my life upside down.
Something I see again and again in the new testament, especially after Jesus ascended, is that his followers were deeply focused on helping one another. Acts details several accounts of people giving up their land and homes to help take care of people who had less than them. The letters in the new testament frequently mention doing “good works” alongside encouragements to refrain from sin.
That kind of generosity changed me as a person, because it showed that people who truly love God and want to please him don’t just live for themselves. It shows that those people even exist! My experiences with generous believers strengthened my faith that Paul is telling the truth when he says “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
3. People In The Church Have Helped Me Carry My Burdens
One of the most encouraging things in my life has been the times other Christians have helped me with the burden of sin and temptation. I have confessed past sins to trusted believers who prayed over me and reminded me that God has washed me clean. Incredible friends have sent me bible verses and prayed for me to help me withstand temptation.
There are some people who live like Pharisees, always looking to condemn people for their sin. Mature Christians remember that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They will walk with you to overcome your sin instead of just pointing a finger at you. We are called both to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12-13) and to speak “only such as is good for building up… that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
In my experience, strong believers don’t turn a blind eye to each other’s habitual sin, nor do they point it out to judge it. My prayer for you all is that God would bring those people into your life, and make you into someone who helps others in that way, too. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 is part of an awesome passage, go check it out!)
4. People in the Church Have Prayed For Me
Several years ago I struggled with a plethora of food intolerances and constant stomach upset – and suddenly, for a little while one night, it was gone! It had been so long since I had felt normal that normal felt heavenly. The next day, my mother mentioned that she had asked her fellowship group to pray for me at the very time I felt so good!
“Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working”
James 5:16
Prayer is a priceless partnership between fellow believers and with God. I have seen God move powerfully when I’ve prayed for others, too. He’s used it to speak to others’ deepest needs and bring us closer together.
If you haven’t experienced prayer like this before, or you’d like to participate in it more, there’s a couple ways to start. Pray diligently for others on your own. Write those prayers down and take notice when God responds in that person’s life! Ask someone whose faith and love you admire to pray with you. Jesus taught the disciples how to pray; we have to learn at some point too!
Someday I’ll know just how many people were praying for me to overcome the odds of my life. God is kind and reminds us he is listening by answering some prayers along the way. Sometimes it’s the longsuffering prayers that bring the sweetest joy when God’s work comes to fruition.
5. People in the Church have rejoiced with me and wept with me.
Hopefully that’s something any friend will do with you, regardless if they’re a fellow believer. But for Christians, we have an explicit instruction: “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). This is a simple yet life-altering facet of putting others’ needs before your own.
When my grandmother passed away, I was touched by the other young adults who showed up at my home the next day to just spend a few hours with me sitting in the pain. When I share my testimony, it gives me even greater joy to see others light up at the hope of God’s work in my life. Likewise, God is teaching me to treasure the great peaks and valleys of my brothers’ and sisters’ lives.
Again, if this is something you haven’t experienced – pray. Psalm 68:5 says “God settles the solitary in a home.” It was a long journey, but he brought me to a place where I could accept and share sorrow and joy with others. He can do the same for you.
Conclusion
Thank you for letting me share 5 ways sincere believers in the Church have helped me. I’m curious what your experience with other believers has been. Has it taught you more about God’s character, or did it leave you feeling lonelier than before? I pray that God would grow us to be united in love and faith. And if you’ve had a hurtful experience with the church – I pray that he would redeem it.
Again, the five ways people in the Church have helped me are:
- People in the Church have loved me.
- People in the Church helped me when I was in need.
- People in the Church have helped me carry my burdens.
- People in the Church have prayed for me.
- People in the Church have rejoiced with me and wept with me.
Grace and peace to you.
-Almost a Walrus
