Hi. So, last night was a little uncharacteristic of me. I don’t normally do responses quite like that, but I really felt led to do so based on the message and content of 1&2 Timothy (plus, in retrospect, I think I have a bit of a habit to do something quite bold to introduce myself, lol).

If you weren’t there, at the end of the message I asked all those present who has taken hold of eternal life and publicly proclaimed Christ to stand together. After that I asked those who were still seated if they wanted to take hold of the eternal life that they are, indeed, called to stand with us.

And while it WAS powerful to stand in unison in the name of Jesus like that, I also realised that doing something like that has the real potential to single people out and make others feel really uncomfortable.

What I didn’t do, that I really should have, was to preface that I didn’t want to pressure anyone in this exercise. I also failed to frame the whole exercise in love, stating that if anyone didn’t feel like now was the time to stand it’s okay, and that it’s the job of the church to make them feel comfortable while fostering and nurturing them along, and perhaps, down the road sometime, they will want to take that stand on their own.

I didn’t do that, and I’ve been kicking myself for it. There’s the potential, with having quite a lot of new faces and semi-regular people last night, that I might have scared some off. While I don’t make concessions for the bold proclamation I prompted, I am sorry that I got caught up and forgot to closely consider anyone who may have felt uncomfortable or unwelcome – which totally goes against one of my points last night; that the church, especially the Living Room, is designed to make everyone feel at home, like part of the family.

So, whether you are reading this for personal reasons, or if you’re using this for a group discussion, here’s some things to consider:

1. How did the response time make you feel? Did it enhance the message and overall worship, or did you feel that it detracted from the service and make you feel uncomfortable?

2. Did you notice anyone around you not standing, and did you feel able to talk with them?

3. Have you ever felt singled out at church or another Christian function? If so, what happened, and how did you feel then?

Other things to reflect upon and consider from the message of 1&2 Timothy:

1. What do you make of this notion of “church family?” Where do you see others treated as father, mother, brother, and sister figures?

2. Do you agree that this is a good way to revere each other? If not, why and how would you describe the relationship between others at church?

3.Think of a time when you felt ashamed of something. What helped relieve that shame? Are you still ashamed of it?

4. Have you ever felt the same way about your Christian faith?

5. What does it look like to “Fight the good fight of the faith (1 Tim 6:12)?”

6. How do you interpret ‘taking hold of the eternal life, which you were called to’ to mean?