Recently my heart has been stricken with the realization that things just aren't the way they should be. I'm not necessarily talking about the world we live in, but I'm talking about how we, Christians 1. Treat each other and 2. Treat others. To increase the scope of this discussion even further, I'm talking more about the church.
A little less than a week ago one of my brothers in Christ posted a blog talking about Grace in the Church (which I encourage all of the readers to read; its very short). The church is supposed to be one of the greatest proprietors of grace and ironically, at times it feels like it's the most against it.
When I think about what church, the first absolute first thing should come to mind is Grace followed by Mercy. When you come to church you are acknowledging that you have fallen. You are hurting. You need to be surrounded by other people like you. You need to go to the hospital and see Dr. Jesus in the ER. Jesus reminds us in Mark 2:17 that healthy people aren't the ones that need the doctor; rather its the sick. Not just the sick, but the professed sick.
When you become a Christian, when you decide to be in the fellowship of other believers, you are acknowledging that you need help. That living this life in isolation is desolate. That you absolutely need Jesus. That you absolutely need to be Taken the The King!
I pray that this isn't taken by deaf ears and I will be as respectful as I can possibly be, but, with that premise, why are we turning people away from the building? A free clinic will not turn away people regardless of their insurance policy but the church, the ultimate free clinic will turn away someone because they haven't been "churchified" yet. It is one of the most disheartening things to me, when I hear stories of church ushers that should be defined more as bouncers. We shouldn't be turning away people that sin differently than us, we should be embracing them. We should have our church doors open to those that think differently than us, dress differently than us, think differently than us. That's what the beauty of Christendom is.
If you see a young person with their pants hanging half way on their waist, hat on backwards, walking up to your church building you have every right to tell them respectfully that it's not proper etiquette to wear the hat in the building. I have absolutely no problem with that. But when you, as the "church goer" gets to the point where you talk down to them and say that same phrase snarlingly. That, I have a problem with. With the former situation, you are talking out of love. You are not asking for a huge commitment and you are respectful. With the latter, you are just talking out of plain disrespect and animosity to people different from you.
Jesus didn't make people change in order to be in his presence (and this man was the Son of God!). No, he came to the level where the most hurting where at. He took a lot of criticism for it. But he went after their heart, not their outward expression. He let the people be changed through constant interaction not forceable interjection.
Now let me be clear. I again have no problem if a church has specific policies for leaders. For example if both men and women can't wear clothes that reveal too much while they are on stage because when it comes down to it, leadership is a privilege But when church-folk try to super-impose a second form of salvation; that you have to be just like us or you can't be taken to the King, we have a HUGE HUGE HUGE problem!
No wonder Christians have this bad reputation of being judgmental No one, I repeat NO ONE should have to feel like they have to "get right" in order to go to church. I pray that this doesn't fall on deaf ears because it's something that we need to take into serious consideration or I'm afraid that insituation that we know as the church may crumble to pieces (especially in the Western Hemisphere). We need to extend that Grace & Mercy that Christ has given us because if we are completely honest, we are just as consistently broken and torn down as some of these people that get turned away.
--MJA
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