A sincere, heartfelt apology

In this post, I want to spend some time apologizing. I would like to apologize to those that the church has offended. I want to apologize to the homosexuals who feel like Christians hate them, and I want to tell them, God loves you even though you go against his will, and those who hate you are NOT following Christ's example. I also want to apologize to the people who have been hurt by someone in the church. The Church is not perfect, and a lot of people in the Church aren't Christians in the first place, they're just posers. I'm sorry if your parents used the bible to justify abusing you, the Bible does not support abuse of any kind, it actually abhors abuse, and holds abusers accountable. Jesus even said, "If any one of you would cause one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better if you had a millstone tied around you neck and were thrown in the ocean." God doesn't approve of such behavior. I want to say sorry to those who feel ostracized from the church. To the goths, the metal heads, and the bikers and skaters, I am sorry if the dress code of some churches has kept you from getting to know Jesus. The Bible does not teach an attitude of conformity to any man, person, or Church, only to God and his word, and God made different people with different traits and different interests so that all might be saved. God loves you, your talents, and your interests, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE. I also want to apologize for the way the Church has acted and behaved in certain situations. I want to apologize for the way Christians say one thing, and do something completely different, all the while pretending they're perfect. I want to apologize for the fact that some Christians seem to care more about conversion, and less about you as an individual. I also want to say, to those of you who may have been hurt by the Church, don't let the way Christians behave deter you from seeking God. Christians are not perfect, we are not righteous, we are not without blame or fault. Finally, I want to share a few poems that I have found on the net, that emphasize this point:

DON'T SHOOT THE WOUNDED

(by Chuck Girard)

Don't shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever.

They need our love no matter what it is they've done.

Sometimes we just condemn them, and don't take time to hear their story.

Don't shoot the wounded, someday you might be one.

It's easy to love the people who are standing hard and fast.

Pressing on to meet that higher calling.

But the ones who might be struggling, we tend to judge too harshly, and refuse to try and catch them when they're falling.

We put people into boxes and we draw our hard conclusions, and when they do the things we know they should not do,

we sometimes write them off as hopeless, and we throw them to the dogs.

Our compassion and forgiveness sometimes seem in short supply, so I say...Don't shoot the wounded!

We can love them and forgive them when their sin does not exceed our own. For we too have been down bumpy roads

before but when they commit offenses outside the boundaries we have set,we judge them in a word and we turn them out,

and we close the door. Myself I've been forgiven for so many awful things. I've been cleansed and washed and bathed so

many times that when I see a brother who has fallen from the way I just can't find the license to convict him of his crimes.

So I say... Don't shoot the wounded!

That doesn't mean we turn our heads when we see a brother sin and pretend that what he's doing is all right.

But we must help him see his error, we must lead him to repent. Cry with those who cry, but bring their deeds into the light .

For it's the sick that need the doctor, and it's the lame that need the crutch. It's the prodigal who needs the loving hand. For a

man who's in despair, there should be kindness from his friends. 'Lest he should forsake the fear of Almighty God and turn

away from God and man, So I say...Don't shoot the wounded! ©1982 Sea of Glass Music/ASCAP

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I 'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

By Carol Wimmer

Do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. James 2:1

A man attended a church regularly for several months, but he was always ignored. Because no one knew who he was, and he looked out-of-place with his old and worn-out clothes, no one ever took the time to speak to him. One Sunday as he took a seat in church, he intentionally left his hat on. As the pastor stood on the platform and looked out over the audience, he noticed the man with the hat right away. So he summoned one of the deacons and asked him to tell the man that he forgot to remove his hat. When the deacon spoke to the man, he responded with a big smile and said, "I thought that would do it. I have attended this church for 6 months, and you are the first person who has ever talked to me." There is no place for prejudice or favoritism in the family of God. We who have been born again through faith in Jesus are equals in God's sight. And that equality should be evident in the way we treat other believers. We must be hospitable and courteous to all, regardless of their race, social status, or appearance. When we show favoritism, we sin against people whom God loves and for whom Christ died. Let's be gracious to everyone and be careful to avoid showing partiality. --Richard De Haan

All those who know and love the Lord
Must show by word and deed
That they will not discriminate
But welcome those in need. --D. De Haan

Prejudice builds walls; love breaks them down.

Alright, is it just me, or are we being sold a bill of goods on a bunch of stuff in our churches these days? All I've been hearing about recently is being faithful to God with your money/time, and he will provide, and people will make it through the economic recession/depression. Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't honor God with our money and our time, because we should. And I'm also not saying that people won't make it through, but I don't know that EVERYONE will make it through. Also, just because God doesn't allow someone to make it through difficult times, doesn't mean God is evil, or any less God. God is in control, and everything that happens, whether because he caused it or he simply allowed it, happens for a reason, including death. It's just that I think there are more important things to be talking about, like the fact that the day of judgement is approaching, and I don't mean death, I mean Armageddon and the end of the world. I know, a lot of people feel like the church and the world have been saying that for centuries, but the church had no clue back then. How could judgement day be approaching, if Israel wasn't a nation, Babylon had not been restored to power, and there was no movement towards a one world government, just to name a few biblical prophecies? Where are the sermons about revelations 22, which states that we will be rewarded according to what we have accomplished for Christ? Where are the sermons about sanctification, for crying out loud? The bible does say, after all, that knowing and believing in God and Christ are not merely enough, because even the Devil and his legions of Demons do that. Repentance is required, and feeling sorry is not the same as repentance. Repentance is a complete turning around of your life, it is handing over every single area of your life to God, it is basically becoming a slave to Christ, as the Greek word translated as Lord in the new testament says (kurious, meaning master of slaves). As Charles Spurgeon himself said, "All sin must be given up or else you will never have Christ. All transgression must be renounced or else the gates of heaven must be barred against you. Let us remember then that for repentance to be sincere, it must be entire repentance. True repentance is a turning of the heart as well as of the life. It is the giving up of the whole soul to God to be His forever and ever. It is the renunciation of the sins of the heart as well as the crimes of the life." Note, however, that he didn't believe that you had to be perfect, only that you stop justifying your sins. The Bible says that on the day of judgement, many will say "Lord, Lord," but God will say, "depart from me, for I never knew you." So my question is, where are the Sermons about feeding the poor, protecting widows and orphans, visiting the sick and those who are in prison, and clothing and providing shelter for those who don't have any? WHERE? Because, quite frankly, I'm tired of being sold a bill of goods, about how God wants people to be happy, and how God wants people to be successful, and if you're faithful, God will provide. I mean, he already sacrificed his son on the cross to save your soul and grant you eternal life when you didn't deserve it, and you want him to make you happy here, too? He's already provided by sacrificing Christ on the cross, and whether as Christians we live or die, are killed or continue living, die in poverty or live in a Mansion in Beverly Hills, everything we have, from our money to the clothes we wear to our very lives, is provided by God. Happiness is fleeting, joy is based on hope and faith that we will go to heaven and that God is in control, and I'm tired of the bill of Goods that is being shipped to us in some (but thankfully, not all) of our churches.

I've been noticing recently that the church is supposed to be a place where people can come and let their guards down, where they don't have to put up a front. You know, a place where people can actually admit that they don't have all the answers, a place where people can ask difficult questions, where people can agree to disagree, and above all, where people can share each other's suffering, pain, happiness, or whatever emotions people are feeling. Instead, the church is often the place where people have their guards up the most, and as a result, make others feel the need to put their guards up. Also, I find it odd that most modern day Christians go to church, listen to the preacher speak, go to bible study, listen to the teacher speak, and then go out to lunch, and they have the nerve to call that BIBLICAL FELLOWSHIP! I don't know where they get that from, quite honestly. Biblical fellowship is supposed to be about sharing each other's burdens, about being able to admit to weaknesses, about conversation, interaction, and pouring your lives into each other's; pouring your heart out, and knowing that the other person wants to listen, not just because they want you to think that they care, but because they DO care, and the reason they care is because Christ loved the church, and set the example. When are we going to wake up, people? When are we going to finally realize that the church has been asleep for the last 2000 years, and it needs to wake up? I think the time should be now, because if it's not now, it might never happen. There are broken, hurting people in our church's, and people don't even know about it, because we've turned a deaf ear on the homeless, and the needy, we are afraid to allow the prostitutes, the deviants into our churches, afraid to dine with them, afraid to share in the suffering of others, and it's time we bring a stop to all of this foolishness. Notice that I say "we" instead of "you", because I too struggle in this area. I think, above all else, it is time for the church to rise, and wake from it's sleep. And it starts with you and me.