Being a Christian

Over the years things have been said about Christians that have really been bothering me and I’d like to clear the air. When we go to church what are we looking for, “God”, and we are looking for Him because we are spiritually sick, wounded and lost. Taking the first step through those double doors can be nerve racking, first off you may not know anybody there and maybe not even used to being around people all that much, so the thought of having to introduce yourself and meet new people can be a challenge in itself. Giving yourself over to God is another challenge also, letting go and trusting that someone else is going to have control over your life is very hard for a lot of us. In this blog I am speaking to new Christians, existing Christians, and people that aren’t in church at all. I have said this in quite a few of my other entries but no one is perfect and no one should be expecting others to be either especially Christians. Romans 3:10 as it is written:” There is no one righteous, not even one;. So that being said we should not be judging others since we are not perfect either. It can be hard at times but we need to forgive people for their sins and trespasses knowing that we all make mistakes. Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you. There’s a huge misconception about how we are supposed to present ourselves before we walk through the church doors and this really needs to be said. I hope that all the readers out there take this to heart. YOU ARE NOT TO BE PERFECT BEFORE YOU WALK THROUGH THOSE CHURCH DOORS!!!!! We are all seeking God whether we know it or not, it’s like God has a homing beacon in his pocket and all of our lives we are meant to find him. Most of us don’t even know that we needed to search for God and just stumble upon Him. Some of us may have heard about him and want to see what all the hubbub is about. But the majority of us search for God because we know that our lives are unmanageable, we’re lost in drugs, alcohol, gambling, sadness, depression, spiritually broken, and not having any hope. We want something better in our lives than our current situation. Remember this, IF WE WERE PERFECT WE WOULD NOT NEED GOD IN OUR LIVES! And since we just established that no one is perfect then that means we all need God in our lives. We are searching for God because he is the great physician. Mark 2:15-17 When Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ” Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them,” It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” So basically what Jesus is telling them is that you don’t have to be perfect to come to him. He is going to meet you where you are in whatever condition you are in so long as you’re willing to open your heart to Him. The Bible is absolutely full of scripture like these. If you were looking for a church and the pastor or some of the congregation tells you any different than what I have written then you may want to look for a different Church. Even after we start our journey with God we will continue to make mistakes. There are a couple people that are apostles and just regular disciples that walked with God and made mistakes after they gave themselves over to him. Peter was one of the apostles of Jesus and had denied Jesus three times after he had been walking with him for so long. Jesus was then crucified and Peter became one of the stronger apostles after realizing his failures and shortcomings. He was actually the first apostle to produce a miracle. Acts 3:1-10 one day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer- at 3:00 in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the Temple gate called beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said,” silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the Temple gate called beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. So what I’m trying to tell you is that even after we start our journey with God we are going to stumble and we are going to make mistakes, but it’s up to us to pray and ask for forgiveness which God freely gives and continue on our journey with him. Please join me in prayer this morning for a little bit of strength. I would like to challenge you to walk through those Church doors after this prayer or if you were at church and were discouraged at what someone said please give it another shot. Dear heavenly father thank you so much for being there for us each and every day even when we don’t fully know you we can still come to you in prayer no matter where we are in life. Help us to find you Lord, help us to notice you in our surroundings. Help to soften our hardened hearts from all that has happened in this world. Hold us like only you can Lord we are sick and in need of your guidance. Please pick us up out of the dirt and embrace us and hold us comforting us like only you can. Help us to know you more and everything that we do and see and say. In Jesus precious name, amen!