Save a Seat
We’ve all been in a crowded arena saving seats for someone.
Seats begin filling. The event approaches. Openings disappear.
We face a growing number of micro-conflicts.
Someone approaches your sweat-shirt covered seat. You extend your hand with a pained smile and say, “I’m sorry, I’m waiting for someone.”
Nobody likes that exchange, but we won’t leave our loved one hanging when they arrive.
The minor inconvenience and conflict are part of the duty of love for your friend.
The Event of Christ’s return is drawing near.
The arena of our lives is filling up. Your calendar has limited seating. Your wallet has limited seating. Your relational bandwidth has limited seating. Your attention has limited seating.
Christians must resist the pull to fill every seat possible with other believers. Churches must help them by restraining the relentless momentum of ministries and events.
What is keeping us from saving seats for our unbelieving friends, family, and neighbors?
If we don’t have the courage to say, “I’m sorry, I’m waiting for someone.” We will never have room in our lives for evangelism.
When a loved one finally walks through the door with questions, we don’t want them to find a packed house.
It is a good thing that Christians enjoy each other and a good thing the share life and ministry together.
But we must muster the courage to save a seat for the lost we love in our personal and church life.
The minor inconvenience of less church events and conflict telling a church friend no to save space for an unbelieving friend (or inviting unbelieving friends into the party) are part of the duty of love.
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:14–21