"The Inner Ring"

I have several different groups of friends, or "inner rings". Inevitably, these groups do become necessarily exclusive. There is simply a limit to the number of people that can fit into a single room, play cards, or sit on a couch. There is nothing wrong with having good groups of friends, or even being a little exclusive. Having a group of people that you care about, and who care about you is a great thing, and trying to have too many close friends is inevitably going to fail.

The thing to be careful is how we form these groups, and the reason for making friends. If we enter friendships with the motive of just being part of the group or because you think you can gain something from friendships they will invariably disappoint. Sure, you might gain whatever you think you might have, but in the end unless you change your attitude you probably won't have gained a real, meaningful friendship, just a shallow one that will die out or never become deep.

In the church, inner rings are also necessary, I believe. Churches should be very careful as to who they select to be their pastors, elders, and deacons. They should be people who stand by the central teachings of the church and truly care about the church they are a part of. Also, while I do not think anyone should be barred entrance into the church, as everyone needs God, I think churches should have a standard for membership. In order to gain membership, a person should also not only believe the central teachings of the church but be acting on those beliefs. This means that those who do not have their life in order or are still living sinfully should be asked to wait for membership until their life is in order. Membership in the church is not something that should be taken lightly. It is a commitment, one that should affect your life very much. If being a part of the Christian community of the church is not enough to make you want to get your life in order, perhaps you need to reevaluate you priorities and ask yourself if God is really the most important person in your life.