Name Tags: You are… Mourners

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 5:4 (ESV)

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18 (ESV)

Entertainment is FILLED with emotion, which our Father intended it to be. Passion draws, ignites, and connects people. Think about its fields:

  • SPORTS! Teams cheer every win and grieve every loss. Their hearts stay in tune with the game at hand.

  • SHOWS! Singers open their hearts through words and tunes. Their lyrics and voices reach into souls.

  • FILMS & TV! Actors invite us into their stories. We empathize with their joy, fears, and tears.

What about the church?

Good churches feel and live as Jesus did. They laugh. They cry. They worship, and they pray… sharing each other’s trials and triumphs. Good churches extend their hearts to the world.

Some churches are crippled by apathy. They go through the motions, without feeling. Only God knows hearts, but are their’s stony? They’re copying the world– or they hate it! Neither of these lifestyles follows Jesus.

  • 'And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold' (Matthew 24:12).

  • 'We played funeral songs, and you didn't mourn' (Matthew 11:17).

But the Bible says, 'Weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

Where mourning is concerned, please consider:

  1. 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35). He wept with friends and for Jerusalem– for the pain and loss God's people would face. Shouldn’t we also mourn in sympathy? *

  2. 'The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning' (Ecclesiastes 7:4). We’re wise to regard and consider death, since death is the door to eternity. No, don't “dwell” there, but neither ignore it.

  3. Don’t 'Sorrow as others who have no hope' (1 Thessalonians 4:13). When your family and friends pass away, mourn, but DO show your confidence in Christ... knowing heavenly reunions await!

  4. 'Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation... but the sorrow of the world produces death' (2 Corinthians 7:10). To be sorrowful for our sins is right. To be sad when we’re disciplined is NOT.*

  5. If our church lives as the body of Christ, 'If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it' (1 Corinthians 12:26). Remember your kin suffering elsewhere. Mourn with them and help as much as you can.

Name Tags: You Are… Mourners (Part 66)

* (full Verse) 'For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death' (2 Corinthians 7:10, NKJV).

* (New Living Translation) 'For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death' (2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT).

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban