outside these walls

About 20 years ago, I went to Nashville with a group from the church I was attending. We went to a Youth Evangelism Conference. I don’t remember every detail of what happened back then, but I do remember a few things about the trip. The first thing I remember is that our speaker at one of the services was a man by the name of David Ring. David is a preacher who has Cerebral Palsy. I remember how he captivated the congregation in the arena that night. How inspiring was the message that he brought to us! He kept saying “look at me” and telling us not to feel sorry for ourselves or use petty little things as excuses for not doing what God wants us to do. God doesn’t put limitations on who He uses to do His work. He can use anyone regardless of how sick, broken, or useless the world may think them to be.
Another thing I remember is that we went to a service at a large church while we were there and heard a singer by the name of Brent Lamb. Brent sang a song in that service called “Outside These Walls”. That song has stuck with me throughout these past 20 years, and I still think about it to this day. The meaning of the song is that we as Christians shouldn’t be comfortable just doing our work and worship within the four walls of the church building. There is a dying, hurting, searching world out there and it’s our job to do whatever we can to help them find what they so desperately need.
One last thing I remember about that trip is that on the way back home, we “had a little church” on the old school bus that had taken us on the trip. As a matter of fact, we had to pull over to the side of the road for a while as the Holy Spirit came into that old bus and began to work and change lives. What a wonderful time we had as souls were saved, lives were re-dedicated, and some of us stepped out on faith and did things we never thought we would. To this day, that was one of the most amazingly spiritual services I have ever witnessed.
Now, 20-something years later, I still think back to that trip and the great things that took place on it. And I still find myself singing the song “Outside These Walls” in my head from time to time.

“Within these walls we join our hearts. We come together to be set apart. But worshipping on Sunday is just a place to hide if we can’t face on Monday the dying world outside.
Do the crying know we care? Do the lonely find us there? Are we so involved we do not hear their calls? Everywhere men are searching…they’re wondering why they’re hurting. Do they see the love of Jesus at all…outside these walls?
Within our hearts he planted a seed. It’s a love that will be there for all that we need. But safe in our seclusion how can we know that outside these walls are fields we need to sow?” ~ Brent Lamb

I have reached a point in my life where I realize just how true and relevant those words are today. We have to step outside the walls in our lives and realize that there is a greater work to be done. Not just the walls of the church building, but the walls of our own houses and even the figurative walls of our comfort zones. Working within the walls of the church is a wonderful thing, but most of today’s churches are filled with believers…Christians who, let’s be honest, are extremely blessed and fortunate in comparison to so many others in the world. We have to step outside the walls of our own homes and stop being so focused on ourselves and the trivial things we deal with on a daily basis. And to start, perhaps most importantly, we need to step outside the walls of our comfort zones and start focusing on what we can do to make a difference in this world and in the lives of the less fortunate ones who live in it. We need to stop looking out the window from the safety of that comfort zone waiting for someone else to do something…to make a difference. What if everyone did that? What if everyone waited on someone else to take the first step? Someone has to be first….perhaps you are the one who can inspire others around you. So what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time you opened the door and stepped outside your walls?