Sinners Welcome

As I prepared for my 11th grade Sunday School class lesson on "Passing Judgment" it struck me just how judgmental we Christians can be.

As followers of Christ, we should be the first to be accepting of the shortcomings of others. Instead, we often hold people out to the side, helping them just enough, holding them at arms length so that they don't stain our flawless appearance.

Shouldn't church be a place where we can gather, admit our failures, discuss our struggles and gain confidence that others are wading through the muck with us?

3 weeks ago at my Tuesday morning women's Bible study I laid myself out for the ladies. After two others had taken their turn with their weekly prayer requests, I turned to the group and bluntly stated,

"I'm angry. I'm angry at everything, everyone and mostly, my kids."

Several other women in the group chimed in. Apparently, I was not alone.

Here's what I find to be true with non-christians, Christians and church in general:

Non-believers think that Christians are hypocrites. They feel this way because we say we are forgiven and yet we are quick to point out sin. (I used to feel this way, that's how I know.) However, that finger pointing is usually aimed at others. We do not fancy pointing out our own flaws. (This is not specific to believers, NO ONE likes to point out their own flaws.)

We believers are quick to point out "big sin" like pornography, homosexuality or adultery. However, the day to day stuff like lying, swearing, being judgmental or lustful thoughts are avoided like the plague. We avoid talking about these things because to discuss them would be to admit that we struggle with them.

Let me just say, for the record, I struggle DAILY with lying, coarse talk, being judgmental and lust. Not one day, not one, do I not struggle with one or all of these things.

I don't understand why we don't just fess up! I am broken and I cannot be fixed, not while I dwell on this earth. Let me just quote a bumper sticker or sign I saw somewhere that said,

"I'm not perfect, just forgiven." I mean, AMEN.

All of us are sinners, ALL of us. From the wisest person in the church to the prostitute on the street, we ALL fall short of God's glory and none, NONE of us are righteous.

The great thing about Jesus is that all sinners are welcome in His presence.

With all of that said, let me ask you these questions.

> If you ARE NOT a believer in Jesus Christ, how do you feel about believers? Do you find them hypocritical? If you've ever been to a church, what was the biggest turn off?

> If you ARE a believer, do you think you pass judgment too quickly? What is your biggest struggle? How do you think your church responds to those who are new and/or non-believers?

I will allow anonymous comments for this post. If you are a non-believer, please feel free to be honest in your evaluation of us believers. If you are a believer, feel free to openly discuss your struggles and the way you view yourself and the church.

Trust me, opinions and sinners are welcome here. If they weren't, I'd have to shut this puppy down.