Growing up in a rural area in the late 70s and early 80s as the son of a Baptist pastor was a great way to observe people. Between the church we went to on Sundays and the church that ran the small Christian school we attended until 1985, it was possible to see two opposite sides of how Christian behavior could be.
The folks from the church in Otis (Dad's church) were laid back and accepted people, pretty much without judgment. If memory serves, one of the deacons even smoked a pipe. The church in Northampton, well, they measured sideburns. That is to say, if you didn't fit in with what they believed a Christian should be, you weren't welcome.
The latter flies in the face of what the apostle James had to say and even in the face of the teachings of Paul. Even more so, it goes against the great commission, but still, on any given Sunday people are made to feel unwelcome and unworthy in churches all across the United States based on how they are perceived by those already there.
In the book of The Acts, the second chapter, the final several verses, we see an example of how we should be as people of faith. No judgment, no condescension, just love and support.
Does this mean we just give sin a pass? Of course not. It means that we love and accept people. We pray for them and help them with their struggles.
Things have changed a lot since the 70s and 80s. For one thing, gas for $1 a gallon would be fantastic. The culture has changed too. We live in a world of permissivism. In the eyes of secular society, everything is alright so long as no one gets hurt.
Strangely, in all this acceptance, so many people feel like they don't belong. The very place where they, as people should feel love, has earned the reputation of an exclusive club.
People love to throw around Matthew 7:1, but they lose the context of it. read through to verse 6 and it suddenly becomes clear. Jesus says we aren't to throw pearls to pigs. Judging someone based on scripture, when they are completely ignorant of what it says, isn't going to work. They won't get any value out of it.
So, our approach needs to change. We need to love all people, as flawed as they may be, just as Jesus Christ accepts us, as flawed as we may be. In time, when they find Him, He will deal with the flaws.
Live as Jesus lived and He'll take care of the rest.
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