Day Two: Come As You Are

One of the misconceptions about Christians is that we are an elite group of soap-box preaching, dress-wearing, right-wing fundamentalists who don't accept "real people" into their inner circle. To me, this is not only a tragedy, but it's just plain disgusting. Of everyone, Christians should be the most tolerant group of people. After all, if we're supposed to be living representations of Jesus Christ, then we should live as He lived -- and since Jesus hung out with the wrong crowd and loved them, it seems just plain wrong to turn our backs and shun people who struggle with addictions or "sketchy lifestyles." I put that in quotation marks because, after all, don't we all have sketchy lifestyles?

What bothers me is this idea that, in order to submit your life to Christ, you must have your act entirely cleaned up, all your questions answered, and you must re-register as a Republican. And what's up with that, anyway? Why are all Christians I know Republicans? It's like Jesus won't love you if you didn't vote for George W. Well, guess what, folks? I'm a registered Democrat. I voted for Obama, and I'm darn proud of it. And, although I might be stoned for saying so, I'm pretty sure that Jesus would be a Democrat if He were around today. After all, he was someone who was for the people. He cared about the little guys. And I'm pretty sure I remember Scripture saying that He shunned the guys who hogged all the money. It's a moot point, so I won't argue it, but I just want to throw the idea out there.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a Christian who has flaws. I won't go into my long list of misdemeanors here, but suffice it to say that I'm pretty sure I've broken almost all the commandments at one point or another. And wasn't it the Apostle Paul, one of the foremost leaders of the Early Church, who said that he was the chiefest of sinners? I mean, Paul was a murderer and a torturer, a persecutor, and pretty much an all-around jerk. And before he got his act together, he decided to follow what Jesus had for his life. And the Lord did big things with Paul, the jerk face jerk.

The bottom line is this: if you have questions about God, questions about being a Christian, or questions about what it means to be a Christian, you're in good company. That's a good place to be in. Don't be afraid to ask those questions. And certainly, don't think that you have to be cleaned up before you step foot in a church. Think of it like a hospital. You don't send healthy people to a hospital -- you send the sick, the wounded, the dying. God forbid that a doctor would ever send someone away because they had a gun shot wound from a gang fight. Or say, "Sorry, we can't help YOU" to someone who'd accidentally overdosed on drugs.

Church should be a haven for the sick and wounded, not a place where they are turned away. For those of you who are already involved in a church, what are you doing to be like Jesus to those who don't know Him? What are you doing so that they can feel safe, loved, and cared for? If you don't know the Lord and have questions, that's a healthy place to be. Feel free to ask questions -- that's healthy, too.

The important part is this: come as you are.