08.30
I know some people that don’t like others coming to their church until they’re good enough, whether that’s with the wrong-doings in their life or simply in the way they dress. I know others that will let anyone in the doors, but never really lead them in following the ways of God. I think that both are the products of human nature. In my humble opinion, both extremes need to be tweaked a little bit because the Jesus I know did both.
Jesus accepted everyone and loved them regardless of who they were or what they did. The dude who never did wrong and knew God the best let everyone come and get a chance for a relationship with God. However, he also told them how God wanted them to live and if they needed to change, he told them to. It was an amazing balance of truth of right & wrong and the grace of love. An example of this is the lady who was “down with OPP”. By the law, she was to be put to death. By grace, she wasn’t. Jesus didn’t condemn her even though she was wrong, but he also did tell her to stop the sinning.
I love Christians and I give the benefit of the doubt that all churches have good intentions. However, I also think that we need to keep learning and maturing in our faith. Many people have been hurt by us and none have been hurt by Jesus. We need to represent the best we can and we aren’t there yet.
If you’ve ever been hurt by Christians, whether you are a Christian or not, I hope that you can forgive us and find great healing and find God. Let us know if we can help. If you are a Christian, I know that all our contexts in life and ministry are different, but let’s learn this balance even better than we do now. It isn’t easy, but, I think it’s the right, loving, and godly thing to do.
