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I have been wanting to share this for a long long time. Anyone here listens to casting crowns?great band. awesome sound. there's one song that particularly touched my heart. It's 'If We Are The Body'. When i first listen to the song, it was kinda like,"ok,meaningful lyrics,great tune". It didn't really hit me hard first time. After a few times though, this song just kept coming back to me. Kept reminding me. Here's the lyrics.

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

CHORUS
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way

Pretty meaningful eh? I tell you, it hit me real hard. It forced me to think of the role im playing as a christian. Imagine this scenario which i think is all too familiar. It's youth service, a new guy shyly steps in, gets greeted by the ushers and is led to his seat. The youths by this time is already aware of his presence. "you go say hi first lah!", "you go, then i go?ok?", "i DARE u go shake hands", "bluek!pokka dot shirt.ewww" etc etc. It's guaranteed that ppl will go shake hands. But i wonder how many of them has a real GENUINE interest to get to noe the guy?. Okay, lets say that guy is a little mentally retarded. He talks loud, can't sit still and is wearing clothes of the 70's.

" I shake hand oredi mah"

"Aiya, im not good at taking with this kind of people"

"Let the pastors and grown ups handle it. They're the REAL pros"

"aiyo, see? see? got usher sitting and talking with him already ma, so settle liao la"

"He wont like me"

"Go talk to him for wat..waste time...he next week most probably won't come also la.."

"I'm real cosy right here. And i don't intend to move."

Sounds familiar? Well, it does for me at least. Time and time again i have seen this kind of people walking in and out of the church. And im ashamed to say that i gave some of the excuses above.

People, it's time to reach out. It's time to reach out to those who really need His grace. It's time to treat upon injustice. It's time to get out of our COMFORT zone and really go out to meet the needs out there. It's time to reach out to that group of teenage ah bengs who talk loud, swear loud and speak in a language you barely understand. It's time to reach out to that person who has been sitting quietly in the backrow for countless sundays with the only the occasional friend.

And i don't just mean the non-christians. What about the newly saved? the real QUIET christians? the christian geek who has no true friend? the teenager who's so shy she always sits with her parents during sundays? the guy who seems to have running nose all the time? the christian fella who has a FACEFUL of pimples?

When Jesus paid the price of our sins, he didn't just want only a particular group to get in. The beautiful ones. The talented ones. The famous ones. The educated ones. The friendly ones. No. He wanted all to come. No matter the person's character and background.
Doesn't it strike you that Jesus seems to spend the most time with the 'sinners' and the 'unclean'? Zacchaeus,the woman with the issue of blood. Mary magdelene. The pharisees. The lepers. The possesed man at gadarenes. Even the pharisees. He din't condemn any of them. I believe if Jesus HATED sinners, He would have spend his days chilling out with the prophets, the teachers of the law, carpenting.
But, that ISN'T Jesus. Jesus is all about love. He loves EVERYONE of us.

Isn't it high time we do something about it too? We all talk about impacting the community, but who actually takes time to do it? We talk about the great commission with zeal. But who does it? It's about time we change our attitudes towards this people and actually reach out to them. It's high time we stop giving excuses. It's high time we start changing from the inside out and subsequently change those around us.

These people need us. Guaranteed; it's not going to be easy. We may struggle at first to break the barriers between us. But i believe that God will be on our side helping us, strengthening us, encouraging us to go on. If we would commit ourselves, He would take charge and create those openings for us.

Remember, it's not just about the lost. It's also about those already saved but neglected too.

I'm going to start with myself.

MATT 22: 39. Simple verse, but tells a whole lot.

My apologies if I have talk too much. Hehe. Just wanted to share what was on my mind. Hope those reading enjoyed it. Haha.

Cheers...