BE THE CHURCH
Mitch Bensel
Everyone can be the church.
Proverbs 3:27-28 KJV
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
The other day my neighbor was shaking and weak and was headed downstairs to get his laundry. I said, “You want me to go get it for you and bring it back up?” He said, “No it's broken again. It's gonna’ be a week.”
I just put my hand on his shoulder. I didn’t plan on it .. was a feeling to just place my hand on his shoulder. No words were said. Just by doing that brought a thought of comfort. You don't realize it when you do it. So, in that moment he looked back at me and calmed.
For That moment of compassion was from God and he felt calmed, not by my hand but by God moving to him from my compassion. You don't have to give everybody all you own, you don’t have to walk the streets and be homeless you just have to have kindness. Which is very rare now .. or fake and just a ‘work’ being done.
Most of us feel we have to do a magnificent thing to ‘be the church.’ God doesn't need magnificence from us. He is the magnificence.
The smallest little light is all He needs from us, kindness to others. Kindness imparts love. kindness imparts God, God is love. Kindness literally imparts the Holy Spirit.
Love all, we are truly brothers and sisters here. When you do good things, it gives God’s light to the person and you are representing Him. You can just smile at someone or you open the door for them. God trickles into that person as you open the door because it's a kindness. When your kindness is done, God is present. That's when you would be the church.
Being the church is being aware of others from a place of love, compassion and kindness. Is very easy to see if someone needs help or even to engage in casual conversation at the checkout. Show kindness with a gentle tone and a thank you. The service industry is massively verbally abused. BE that one calm soul they saw that day. Let them take that moment of ‘kindness’ which will impart the Holy Spirit right into them. Bring that smile to them. Follow the nudges of even what to say. “thank you for being here today or I couldn’t buy my barbecue chips.”
Being the church is doing what Jesus would do. Being the church is all about love and our actions Whatever you are drawn to do, do that, then that is what God wants you to do. He never forces. It's never a forced action of kindness. That's fake. That's a ‘work’ that's not from the soul. That’s a “look at what I'm doing.” That is YOU getting something out of it not them.
Generally, doing something very small, usually something very simple impacts that person more than all the money in the world would because God is involved, compassion and kindness that flows literally from our words and actions covered with God’s love. They feel it. They begin to think of God. The more they think, they begin to reach. The more they reach, God says I'm right here. They begin to hear God.
I was in a busy bakery once. They make you take a number for they are always very busy. I hadn’t taken one yet then they said, “don’t forget to take a number. A lady that was in front of me, that was there before I walked in, she reached at the same time I did, but I was closer and got it first. I immediately handed it to her “you are next.” She stood for several seconds motionless with her mouth open in total shock. She finally spoke, “This never happens, usually it would be ‘tough luck’.” I repeated, “you are next.” She stood motionless for a bit then slowly took the ticket from me, not looking at me looking away but still in obvious disbelief this happened. That moment of simple common sense, respect and kindness flew into her with God’s light. Think of how sad it is that this very small ‘right thing to do’ was so unbelievable to her every sense. BUT she felt kindness which obviously had not been present in her world.
That's why kindness is so important and so easy to do. Kindness that's simple really isn’t it?. It's beautiful.
He’s showing me as I'm telling you about the lights. I see them move from us to the ones we help. Just imagine Jesus looking at you in the crowd and just smiling, and waving, and walking on by. Jesus … God's Son but also a man of flesh. He's just smiling at you. Jesus never thought of himself was always for all around him, was for us. As we walk in His glory we walk with love and kindness. Jesus didn’t judge He simply smiled. With that moment, even from Jesus, it was a wee trickle of light that the one standing by the side of the road felt to their souls core. Love is carried by light to touch our spirit. God is spirit and spirit talks to spirit as we must talk with Him in spirit. When we do a kindness we are feeling compassion, which is caring, which is love which is from God. He's never forceful. He does everything gently and kindness my friends, is a gentle way to be the church. It is a magnificent way to be the church, it is a
simple way, to be the church.
You know, truly, the kindness isn't for you. It is for that other person.
If there is no connection to God, that is a forced action, it’s useless. What a HUGE lost opportunity to impart the Holy Spirit. What is a connection to God Mitch? The action is for the person not for what you can get out of it.
Please do a simple kindness out of the blue when nudged. When a thought hits, “help them” “pray for them” “smile at them” “comfort them if they look distressed, not with fancy talk or loud movements but gentle and calm” that nudge will never be heard if not learning to love all as self.
A neighbor fell and after she got home from the ER a thought came to me, “get her some flowers to help her smile and let go of the memory.” Kindness. It came to mind, it was an action of good fruit hence from God so I did it. Not wanting anything but to help her not feel anguish or sadness over the ordeal. Everytime she looks at those flowers she will feel peace and God’s love. Why Mitch? Because they were given with love and a wish of peace when she glanced upon their beauty. Light from God is a smile, God’s presence is a feeling of peace. Those flowers daily will give her peace and calmness with just a glance.
To be the church is when you're walking through your day, you just open the door for somebody, or pick up something somebody dropped, or look at them, and say a prayer for them in your mind, if they're wobbly, The kindness creates, God's action, To be the church is to always have God on your mind and in your heart. For that is when you will quickly and easily hear Him and do a small or large bit of kindness that you will know is from God.
God. The forefront of my mind is always on God. This is how it should be. I’m always thinking about God, and He should be in front of your every thought. God. God. God is right there. It's like angels sing praise to God 24/7. I can feel and see it in my way. I see the name God. Or I see a light always there in my mind. God. God. God. God.
If I walk, I'll say “Thank you. Help me God. Keep me safe.”
I'll stop and go. When there are sirens, I stop and get into the prayer place and say the same prayers, help them be ok, help all around have compassion, help them know how to heal them, help them feel your peace Lord and know all will be ok. Sometimes there is an added, “if they need an attorney let it happen easily and let them not be afraid.”
I have witnessed too many countless times the power of kindness, the power of prayer. YOUR one time kindness to a total stranger has the potential to literally change their entire life. With kind thoughts God is present, with kind actions, God is present. yes God is ever present but we ‘as the church’ must become the vessel that literally drops His light into all. Kindness does that. because, as I repeat and I have repeated myself quite a bit. We are a slow folk in the noggin and sometimes have to read or hear things several different ways and times.
That’s being the church.. That’s a love no matter who they are, or their lifestyles, all people not just those people that you agree with their decisions and way of life ALL people. ALL
Being kind to all is such a simple concept to be the church is to literally LOVE all. have to love/ be kind to / that nasty person over there. The dirty homeless person, the one in church that never truly looks dressed right.. Love them too. You know not to judge. Romans 2:1
At a healing celebration of God’s love in Zanesville I was shown by God His love for all of us. The filthy, the clean, the vile, the righteous. simply love all. When you cross paths with someone and you feel nudge, “help them open that door, wish them a blessed day, say a silent prayer for them” when you become kindness walking through your day, you become the light of God. You get out of the way of self and allow God to shine through you.
God bless you all