I write with a heavy heart his morning.  You see, there was a certain issue I became aware of and became angry....but not in myself, but a Godly anger.  You know, when you lose yourself and your own opinions on the matter, and realize it's God's opinion that matters?  And you feel Him calling you to speak, so you do.  It's one thing if what you need to say has to do with admonishing 'sinners', but quite another if He's calling you to admonish other Christians...

Christians don't take well to having someone challenge their beliefs.  They want to stay safe within their own world, what they know.  So many Christians these days are afraid of sinners-  they don't want to welcome sinners into their lives, they want to 'love' them from afar.  In my specific incident, they don't want gay people near their children, because they might be molested...they say they love gays, but they can love them from afar.  Christians are so intent on protecting their children from the world that they are not teaching their children to go out into the world and spread the gospel.  It's like so many Christians today are ruled by fear, rather than love.  It's easy to say someone else is supposed to go out and minister to 'these people,' because I don't wan them anywhere near me.  Heaven forbid we should allow them into our church to dwell amongst us!

Is that what Jesus taught us?!  To 'love' from afar?  (I'm putting the word love in quotes for a reason.)  To protect our own Christian churches and communities by keeping the sinners out?  Are we to tell someone who is gay that you can't come within the walls of our church because we are afraid of you?  YES, this does make me angry!  Very angry.  And I believe it makes God angry, too.  

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is this:  "Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind." and the second is:  "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Matt. 22:37,39.  AS YOURSELF!  Do you love yourself from afar?  Do you tell yourself you are not allowed within the walls of a church because you are a sinner?  Oh, that's right, you're already saved.  So you must be 'better' than the ones you are wanting to keep out, right?

I just think that churches need to be careful not to develop policies or give the impression that you have to be saved before you come to church.  We should be welcoming sinners with open arms, including someone who is gay.  Because God may be leading them to our church for a reason.  And once they get saved, then God himself will change their hearts.  (I personally, am proof of that, but that's a story for another day.)

We need to trust God enough to accept the people He has sent to our church and love them, really love them.  Treat them like we want to be treated.  Even if they smell like alcohol, are dirty, or gay.  We need to show them Jesus' love- SHOW them, not just tell them.  When they see His love through us, they will know His love.  And once they have accepted His love and His forgiveness, then He can begin the healing work and changes in their hearts and lives.  And turning them away from our church is not going to get anything accomplished to further God's kingdom, it's just going to increase the number of people out there who will continue to be afraid to reach out to God because they've been rejected by the church.