Walking To JerusalemChikamu

Keilah – The City of Betrayal

There is always a situation when we are dependent on gates and walls. The very things we intend to protect us can turn into the things that keep us from being free. We build walls around our hearts to protect us from being hurt, but these emotional walls can also keep us from receiving love. We can be so guarded that we don't allow others to penetrate our protective layers. In our pain, it is hard to realize that the heart is stronger than we ever could imagine; it can recover from horrible disappointments and love again.

The enemy can exploit those walls and cut us off from the freedom God intends for us to experience. We can become so entrenched in an ideology, a theology, a role, or even a career that we forfeit the freedom to move on to something better. Sometimes the gates that were intended to protect us become the bars that hold us in. Then we have to take the bold risk of leaving what once was a safe place and venture into what is unknown. Freedom is not free. It always requires the high cost of risk. We have to leave the walls of safety to maintain the freedom of mobility that God intends for us.

Our lives, even as believers, cannot be limited to the four walls of our churches or those walls will hinder us from having an impact in our world. Jesus went to the synagogue every Sabbath, but the rest of the week He was found in the city squares and streets. Jesus was always surrounded by sinners and tax collectors, and he dined with people the religious leaders of His day would not dare to break bread with.

I believe Christians should go to church, but we should also serve and lead in our communities so the love of Jesus can be seen in our world. We cannot let religious walls keep us from venturing out and impacting our world. Those walls are too small to house the amazing love of Jesus, and they are too small to house the personal impact one person can have on the world.

At our church in Denver, we have always supported and operated a food pantry as one of the ministries. When I moved to Denver, I made sure we partnered with our local food bank, even though it was a secular organization. We decided early on that we would not limit our services to our own church members. We recognized that hunger has no color, no faith, and no ethnicity. Hunger is a human condition that the church was commanded by Jesus to heal, regardless of the circumstances. By tearing down those religious walls, we quickly saw our community regard us in another light. They didn’t see the church as a fortress that was inaccessible to the community. We wanted them to see us as a resource and a legitimate community partner. We wanted them to see us not just as a faith community, but also as a community of faith open to serve the city. We refused to be walled in.

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