Purity in the Church

So Ive been dealing and wrestling with this idea of Purity. We hear all the time that Jesus hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, drunks, etc. and people automatically say things like “If Jesus did it, then so can I”. But the real issue is that Jesus did not let these people influence him. He simply wanted to reach out to them. The church however has a certain type of Purity Code within it. We say that the doors are open to everyone, but then when a drunk comes in we scoff at them, or turn to our neighbor and say look at the drunk man. This is in no way welcoming. The church should be a place of true Love. Where people feel welcome. Instead many feel unwelcome. This bugs me so badly because in my own experiences, I have been the one judged simply because I had left the church for a period of time, during which I was participating in nothing wrong, yet I was judged because people assumed I was a drunkard. As a member of the church and a follower of Christ, I want to change the view on the church. The church is a place that is welcome to all, because lets face it, none of us are perfect. If a drunk man is not allowed in the church, then a man who lies should not be allowed. Jesus simply says “Come as You Are”. In all our dirtiness, hate, lust, lies. He still finds a way to love us the same. And so we should do the same to others.

Ordinary Radicals

One of my favorite authors, Shane Claiborne, has written a few books on what he calls being an “Ordinary Radical”. This is someone who is willing to radically follow Christ. I think of the church and how some people are focused on making the church a place of tradition and comfort. This is where I find discomfort though. I believe that following Christ is never about being comfortable. Jesus never did anything comfortable. He asked “ordinary” people to become “radical” and change the world. The disciples were asked to drop their nets and follow him. They did and if we read the Gospels we see that they were never comfortable. This might be a major turn off for some people, but I can say that I have done the most growing and maturing when I am not comfortable, yet I am allowing God to stretch me and use me. This is my favorite thing about following Jesus. Does anyone feel like it is not worth the headache of giving up what we know in order to be a tool in Gods kingdom? God uses “ordinary” people to do EXTRAORDINARY things!