Where "Church" Has Gone Wrong

Something has been bothering me big time. It's the way the Church "loves" sinners. Because I wouldn't call it love at all.

It's like for those of us raised in the Church, we use the phrase "Jesus hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors" for our advantage rather than for theirs as Christ intended. We use it as a means to justify surrounding ourselves with sin and engage in what they also do. I've seen it happen, and I've been guilty of it myself. Or we hang out with them to make ourselves "feel" better. Like clearly we are "more righteous" than so and so because we're only on beer 3 instead of beer 10.

But why did Jesus hang out with them? To make himself feel more like a saint? To surround himself with more obvious sin so he didn't feel as bad sinning? No.

He surrounded himself with the sinner to show unconditional love. Aren't we called to do the same?

I've seen the Church love the starving, the orphan, and the homeless on a week long mission trip many a times. But I have yet to see them love the homosexual by inviting them into their friend group for pizza nights and laughter. I have yet to see them continuously love the outspoken athiest in their class by taking him to coffee. I have yet to see them sacrifice time and comfort to help the hurting girl during her addiction to alcohol & pornography.
 Because it's much easier to stay above the surface isn't it? Breaking the bubble is scary and might cost you some of our precious time. It may cause you to be around some things that make you uncomfortable and be challenged in what you believe. It may cause you to repeatedly hold the hand of a friend who continues to make the same poor choice over and over again.

Christ calls us to love these people too. Especially these people. Because you and I, we're a sinner too.

Your love for them does NOT dictate your opinion about their choices. 

Often we are trained to think: "Oh no... but if I love them during their adulterous relationship, won't they think I am supporting their choices?" 

NO! And is it our calling to love based on how the world accepts our love? Of course not.
We're called to love like Jesus loves us.

Just like Jesus loves you for your heart and not your actions, we are called to do the same. 

How screwed would all of us be if God approached us like so much of the Church approaches the "sinner"?

"Well, I can't love Hannah as relentlessly and sacrificially as I love so and so because her sin is just too gross and different and consistent." THANK HEAVENS HE DOES NOT LOVE THIS WAY. That would be conditional love.

He looks at YOU. Not your flaws or your terrible choices or your sin. The only reason that "sin" becomes an issue is because it gets in the way of a relationship that you were created to have with your Creator. It steals your joy and keeps you away from the freedom God intended you to live in.

And let's remember unconditional love. It's unconditional. That means under NO condition does the love run out, end, or change. 

I've been hurt because of this issue, I've seen close friends be hurt by this issue, and I've seen many people turn away from the Church because "Christians" are not loving their neighbor if their neighbor is too "worldly".

That is crap.

Your neighbor is your neighbor. You wouldn't disclaim your neighbor across from you just because they live a way you don't agree with. They still are technically across the street from you regardless of how they choose to live there.

We don't get to pick and choose who the neighbors are God has placed around us. We are simply called to love them. And love them unconditionally.

So, I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone that the Church has somehow told you is "biblical". Because what's biblical is LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR AS CHRIST HAS LOVED YOU. Regardless of how they live or act or see God or see Christianity. That means stepping out of the "safe and relatively clean" bubble and into the messy, broken, and dirty reality of the world around us. Prove all of their opinions of the Church wrong by loving them unconditionally as Christ has loved you. That relentless, nonjudgmental, sacrificial, freeing, and patient love is what will show them who Jesus is.

Not your avoidance of them or refusal to be their friend because of the way that they live. Don't hear me wrong. I am not saying you have to agree with their choices or tell them that you do, I am saying you are called to look at their hearts and love them for who they are instead of based on your opinion of their lifestyle.

If you are someone who has been  h u r t  deeply by the Church, I am so sorry from the bottom of my heart. That is not God's heart for you. Judgment and hatred and rejection are not the job of the Church. Love and acceptance is the heart beat God intended, and you are no exception to that rule.

Just because someone is completely different from you, does not mean you cannot love them. Different people need hope too. Hope isn't confined by a lifestyle. You and another person could have absolutely nothing in common but you would both share this truth: you need hope. Hope is needed for every single human on this planet. And if we won't give it away to the broken, the convict, the alcoholic homeless man on the corner, the stripper, or the addict, who will?

-Han