2 Chronicles 6:32-33
"As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm--when he comes and prays toward this temple,
then hear from heaven, your dwelling place and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that ll the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your name."
This verse caught my eye. This is what church is supposed to be like, opening and welcoming of all who come to worship. This is the welcoming spirit I've found in every church I've attended, from Oregon to Florida back to Oregon, then down to Texas, back up to Ohio, and now back to Oregon again.
The family of God should be like any loving family, where you are welcome to stay with your aunts and uncles and cousins if you travel their way. Instead of the connection of family bloodlines, believers are joined by the blood of Christ. In both cases, there are certain shared experiences that bring people together.
And it's implied in verse 32 that the foreigner is respectful of God's temple. He goes to pray toward the temple. So he is not the bad houseguest who complains constantly and demands that his hosts cater to his every need and want. Instead he is interested in what his hosts are doing. He wants to learn more about them, and spend time with them, and enjoy the beauty of their home.
So, let's remember this when others come to visit our homes, or our church homes. And remember it, too, when we visit others.
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