There Are Sinners in Church?!

Imagine how startled I was to hear this little piece of news!

The conversation went something like this:

“Rev., you know I love you and have a lot of respect for who you are even though you are a girl pastor." (siiiiiiggghh) “But I just can’t come to your church regularly because there are sinners in your church.” 

I was soon to learn that he wasn’t talking about your run-of-the-mill every day sinners like liars, cheaters, speeders, gossipers, criticizers, or stingy, selfish, self-righteous religious folks.

No, he was talking about hard-core sinners. 

Hmm. “Say more about that,” I invited.

“Well, there’s drug addicts and drinkers.”

Mmm, hmm.

“And convicted felons.”

Mmmm, hmmm.

“And there’s people living together out of the holy bonds of matrimony.”

I see.

“And people stand outside the church smoking.” (Must be talking about our Celebrate Recovery ministry).

Wow.

“And,” (There’s more?) “Well, I hate to say it,” (Go ahead you’re on a roll.) “I just couldn’t follow a leader who lets people sin.” (Did I really just hear that?)

He went on to say that if I at least preached against sin he could be a little more tolerable.

Really?  Wow. I wasn’t sure how to even respond.

I’ve been wrestling with this for a while. Am I soft on sin? Is church the place for sinners? 

Have I created an atmosphere where people are comfortable in their lifestyles without desire to change?

Today I sat with a long, lost church member. Out of the clear blue she called our home. She found our number in the phone book. I am so grateful we decided to keep our land line!

She is in the hospital.

As she shared her heart and fears and desires I listened…our eyes leaking...she’s hit rock bottom…been there a couple of weeks….really wants to make a change in her life...heard a voice telling her to hold on when she didn’t feel like holding on….wants to come back to church to people, “who will believe in me with me so that I can keep being well.” Wow!

She called me. She knew she could call her pastor.

When she was coming around I never said anything about her lifestyle. I spent our time together telling her how much God loves her; that God’s plans are good for her life; that nothing—not death nor life, nor angels or demons, not drugs, alcohol, sex, homelessness, anger, or crime could separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39).

Driving away from the hospital I thought about this whole notion of being soft on sin.

Now I have a response…I don’t care about sin! Yeah, I said it.

Nope. I am here to share the loving kindness of a living Christ who invites those who are weary and heavy burdened to come and find rest (Matthew 11:28).

You see, it’s like this: I know all of the dangers of drinking soda; everything from heartburn to bone density loss and kidney failure (not to mention the weight gain). But all that knowledge didn’t detour me! 

However, when I am really thirsty I know that there is nothing as refreshing as a tall, cool, clear glass of water. I’ve had water. I’ve experienced its refreshment. My body craves it, and the more I drink water the more water my body craves. The more water I drink, the less soda I drink and when I do drink it my body rejects it.

Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about! I want people to crave Christ, not to be scared into some episodic encounter with “salvation” but to have an experience that is life long and sustainable. I want people to get to the place where they naturally reject sin.

Sinners do not need to hear all about the dangers of their sins over and over again. As a matter of fact, I have never met a sinner who didn’t know about hell.

Nope, sinners need to hear how God’s love covers a multitude of sins; how God’s promises do not change; how grace and mercy bring us through; how the Spirit helps us with our weaknesses; and about compassion and how to live in this evil world.

We need empowerment and courage, strength and stability. We need assurance and hope.

(Notice my use of ‘we’?)

We sinners need Jesus.

It is my mission to make the refreshing waters of the Holy Spirit so enticing that those who need to clean up their lives will have the desire and the courage and the empowerment to do so and that those who have experienced the refreshing of Jesus will crave Jesus all the more!

Now, don’t let me fool you when you are strong enough to handle it I’ll call you out on your stuff with a compassionate boldness that either sends you away furious or compels you to immediate better living. There are people in my life who call me out on my stuff too!

We mature at different rates and some areas of our lives mature faster than others. More time than not we need to heal to become whole. We need a safe, nurturing place to heal.

I am proud that our church has been such a place and I am proud that I have been such a pastor.

There are sinners in church!

I feel a new marketing campaign emerging….

, "The Friendliest Church in St. Charles"... where sinners are welcome!

547 Washington Street, St. Charles, MO 63301, www.stjohnstcharles.org

Sunday Celebration: 11 a.m.  Celebrate Recovery: 6 p.m.