No Perfect People Allowed

Video Chairs

Slide #1

Prayer

How many of you have noticed the poster hanging at the end of the office hallway.

16 months ago when my family and I were asked to come and see if this was the church and the community that God had prepared for us to minister in…

The caption that is printed on the poster caught my eye…it’s from a book called “No Perfect People Allowed!

In this book…the author “John Burke” …explains the steps that are necessary in “creating a come as you are culture in the Church”…

I would like to read to you the opening sentence from the book that caught my eye…

“What do a Buddhist, a biker couple, a gay-rights activist, a transient, a high-tech engineer, a Muslim, a twenty-something single mom, a Jew, a couple living together, and an atheist all have in common? They are the future church in America.”

When you walk out your own front door it becomes very clear that the “Leave it to Beaver” and the “Andy Griffith” life styles no longer exist in America.

Everything in life has changed including the church her-self and how it reaches out to the seekers (lost) of its current generation.

In the fifties and sixties it was just expected that on Sundays…every business was closed…you and your entire family would get up…put on your Sunday best and head out the door to church.

But now…50 years have passed…and instead of finding businesses closed on Sunday…It’s hard to find a business that isn’t…and very rarely do you find a family with all its members attending a Sunday morning service.

We shake our heads in despair while whispering under our breath… “What has become of this generation”

And as disappointing as it is for us…what we often fail to remember is “what’s God think about all this?”

God’s number one concern is making sure you understand that even though you personally may have failed Him.

He still desires for you to daily seek Him out and ask Him to forgive you of your past… (sin)

His intentions have always been for your best interest…Quite the opposite of the world which we all live in.

And like it or not…We all have been born into a world that has become filled with excuses…materialism…and counterfeit gods… keeping us from learning the truth about God.

After reading the opening sentence from the book “No Perfect People Allowed”…it made me begin to think…what is it that’s so special about God and the Church that attracts a person into making a life changing decision.

Is it the friendly welcome that people receive when they first walk in the front doors of the church…is it the inviting smell of fresh brewed coffee …

Is it participating in the much needed worship service…or maybe just maybe…

It’s listening to the life changing message that Jesus Christ has to offer.

You see…God has always had a plan….You are His Plan…

His plan is one of purpose…His plan is one of forgiveness…and His plan has a future…

Slide#2 His Plan Is About Purpose

His plan has always been about purpose…this is why over 2000 years ago He sent His Son to this very earth to personally show us by example the correct way to live life by.

In Romans 12:9-21 is where we find the “Marks (Responsibilities) of the true Christian” (read)

Here we read where the Apostle Paul shares with us some very important incite about how Christians should live their lives. (But what about those who don’t go to church?)

What we just read does not register with the world outside the church.

The world outside the church is filled with hurting people…people who are being mentally and emotionally beat up.

People who daily are being taken advantage of… in their jobs…by their families… and by their friends.

They feel that no one cares about them…And no matter what they do…the current situation they find themselves in will never change.

(All they know is the world will beat you up…spit you out…and leave you lying to die)

This is why it is so important for the church to do its best to create a come as you are atmosphere.

An atmosphere where people feel welcome…where they feel important…where they feel they can make a difference…and where they can find God…meet with Him and change.

Gods plan was for the church to be a place where people can seek shelter from the storms of life.

Where they can count on people to be their friends and not have to worry about being taken advantage of.

This is why it is important for the church…(Christians ) to do their best to live their lives by what Paul shared with us from Romans 12:9-21…

It’s true…Gods plan is about a Purpose …But his plan is also about Forgiveness.