Is Church Only For Good People?

Let me cut straight to the chase. The answer is a big fat NO.

Other ways this question might be expressed is: Church seems to be for people who have their lives together, my life is falling apart so I wouldn’t fit in there? OR I’m a bad person so God couldn’t possibly be interested in me? OR I’ve shown no interest in God ever, why should I now and if I did would He be the slightest bit interested in me?

Here is the good news. God created you to be in His family and longs for you to connect or re-connect IRRESPECTIVE of your past. God’s commitment to provide a way for you and for all of humanity was (and is ) absolutely amazing. He sent His one and only Son to die a most ghastly death so that Jesus could make a way available for anyone who so desires to join His family. In fact when Jesus was on earth he clearly stated that he came for those who are ‘lost’ or separated from his family. On another occasion He said “It isn’t the healthy that need a Doctor but the sick”.

So when you go to the average church on a Sunday morning wherever that might be it looks as though we are all pristine and together but alas it isn’t true…..far from it. It’s not that we are all fake but the truth is we do show up a lot better than we really are. If you could get a ‘soul and mind reader’ and write up on the church wall what you see inside everyone’s soul it would be a shocking display to put it mildly. You would discover that there are angry people, addicted people (especially to pornography these days), fearful people, abusive people, liars, cheats, greedy and adulterous people. And the most shocking of all is that it would be people who you least expect. The truth is that the best place on the planet for all people is be part of a loving, forgiving, and accepting community of people who are all travelling on the same road. And that would be a local church.

Yes church is for everyone and you are welcome today.

Alan Vink is passionate about communicating the timeless truths of the Christian faith to a watching world. The blogs he writes here is seeking to answer questions and respond to objections that many people have concerning Christianity and the (Christian) Church.