Come As You Are?

Come as you are.  Such a trendy phrase in the church right now isn't it?  But the question I want to ask you is this, should we stay as we are once we get there?  This has been an honest question I have asked for some time now.

As I sit here and write this blog I think back throughout my life.  I've been a Christian since I was about 9 or 10, so about 30 plus years now (are you calculating the age? I'm 41 :) So quite a while and I've seen the 'trends', if you will, in the church.  I've been in services where we sang 'As the Deer Panteth Forth the Water' and 'Abiding In the Vine' and thought we were on the cutting edge of music. Or when I was traveling the country with a music ministry Ron Kenoly's Lift Him Up was the best worship cd ever (which the name alone always made me want dessert).  As a kid I've sat through all the televangelists, the trials tribulations and mistakes and confessions...I've heard those all.  I lived through the legalistic stages and the name it and claim it stages, the Toronto and Brownsville blessing stages.  I've been in services where people sat for hours in the presence of God in worship or at the altar.  I've seen all the extremes and have learned something from each of them.

So here is my question.  Are you new to the world of Christianity or are you as old as Keith Green's music? (I am and 'Asleep in the Light' is a pretty fitting title for this blog).  This come as you are 'trend' right now (and I'm calling it that for lack of anything better to call it) is the latest phase the church is in.  I mean, I get that anyone and everyone should come and I love all sorts of people (my family is made up of all types) so I see the amazing benefit and calling we have of loving people where they are at in order to show them the love of Christ but I am left wondering if, in this trend, are we forgetting something?

Shouldn't we, when people come through the doors of our churches, be offering them a hope that Jesus will change their life?  I mean, really, isn't that why people are coming to church to begin with...aren't they there searching for a better answer then the one they currently have?  Are we being called to make them more comfortable? In effort to make our churches more culturally relevant and comfortable to all "sinners' (which we all are) have we lost a bit in our translation of being all things to all people? Shouldn't there be a bit more on the act of repentance and not just acceptance...isn't acceptance the thing that has gotten us into trouble to begin with? (Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:10).  

I had a very good friend of mine in my early 20's challenge me to quote entire chapters of Scripture back and forth to him to keep each other accountable and the chapter he and I would quote the most would be Romans 6 and my favorite part would be verses 1 & 2  

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
 
So this blog really doesn't have as many statements in it as much as it has a few questions that I have been asking lately of the American church.

Where are those days when we sat in God's presence for a few hours because we longed for Him to change our lives after we walked through the church doors.  We knew that coming as we were wasn't how we were going to walk out after spending time with Him and asking Him to change us from the inside out.  We didn't need to be impressed with all the programs, lights, eloquent speeches and skits....we didn't need to connect through facebook, twitter or Instagram....we knew we just needed to connect with God and He was going to work it out.  Simple. 

Don't get me wrong, I love all the bells and whistles the church has now (although the irony of the insurmountable amount of Christian/worship music being produced in comparison to the amount of time given to actually worship God in our church services is just that....ironic).  I just want to know if we can incorporate both the fancy things while also hearing a message about repenting and asking God to change us and our hearts.  Can we just realize that we can't 'go on sinning that grace may abound' and that God wants to change us and deliver us and renew us to use our lives for Him...isn't that what being a Christian is all about anyways? The transforming power of Jesus Christ?  To come in my own effort is just that....MY own effort not His.  That isn't going to get me where He wants to lead me.

God I love that you love us and accept us when we come to You as we are but I take greater joy in knowing You have a plan far greater than leaving me in my comfort zone of my own desires. I love how pushing me out of my comforts and desires for Your glory shows me Your ideas are much better than mine...Your ideas have been tried and true so I choose to trust You when You say it's time to change...