A church .....

... that desires to reach out to people. Is it a church that is attractive to new people or is it a church that reminds those who are not so used to go to church why they do not go to church? What kind of church do you belong to? Only when you have ended up in a situation where you have done something wrong, only then you will know what kind of church you belong to. 

Is it a church that lives out Jesus' grace in practical behaviour and that cares for and raises up the one who has done something wrong? A church that includes the wrongdoer like the father included the homecoming son? This son had wished his father to be dead and requested his father to give him his part. The son got it and he sold it. He went away and wasted the money. One day, he found himself in a situation where he did not have anything to eat but to eat with the pigs. He thought about his father and that he would be much better off being a slave in his father's house. He felt sure that he could never be his son again. To make a longer story short, his father welcomed him with open arms and made a party to celebrate his homecoming. He was truly included as son. Is your church a church which treats regretting wrongdoers in a way that the father in the above story treated his homecoming son? 

Or is it a church that preaches Jesus' grace but in practical terms shuts down the one who has done something wrong? Is it a church that does not receive the wrongdoer like the above father, but rather according to the attitude of this father's other son? This other son got very angry when his father treated the homecoming son the way he did. If it were the other son who had been seeing his brother first (before his father did), the homecoming son would have been chased before even entering the house. Is your church a church with brothers and sisters in Christ who uphold an attitude similar to the angry son above? Is it a church with leaders who only open their arms to the successful but who turn away from those who are not successful and those who do not fit in?

You may think that you belong to the first category church. I really hope that you do. But do not get too much of a shock if one day you should end up being a regretting wrongdoer and you face your church's “true” behaviour. You might be told that you are not welcome to church, maybe for an limited period of time. You might be abandoned by those you thought were your friends so that it will be quite impossible to come back to the church.

If that ever happens to you, remember that it is not God who has set you aside. Instead, those who have set you aside are human beings. They might be church leaders, but still human beings. In God's eyes, they are not any better than you. They may not have done the same mistake as you, but none of them are free of mistakes. Not one single human being can stand righteous in his own strength. Both church leaders as well as you and I totally depend on Jesus' love and grace.

If that ever happens to you, remember that Jesus Christ was completely free of sins and still He gave up His life on the cross. Not for His own sins, because He never had any sins  -  but for your sins and for my sins.

If that ever happens to you, remember that neither Christian brothers and sisters nor even church leaders can remove the fact that Jesus died and rose for your sins and for my sins. So if you feel that people in your Christian surroundings behave and have an attitude like the other son above, you are better off considering that church as part of your history and those people as part of your past friends.

Remember, it is not the church leaders, the church organisation or the church people that have saved you. It is only Jesus' sacrificed blood that makes God look at you as if you were totally free of sins and mistakes. Of course, neither you nor me are free of sins and mistakes in our own strength. But thanks to Jesus Christ, God will never ever blame us or judge us for our sins and mistakes. Jesus took upon Himself the blame and the penalty for each and every one of our sins and mistakes. Including the one that is the reason why you are now not allowed to attend the church. Including the one that is the reason why many of your Christian friends have turned their back against you and do not communicate with you anymore.