I was just on my way home from the beach when I passed by a Lamborghini outside of a strip club. Such a nice car…  Anywho, it was before noon, so I figure it was the owner’s car, maybe I’m wrong, but I bet not.  Well, my next thought was of all the people who go in there and blow countless amounts of money on worldly, temporary pleasures to provide for that Lamborghini.  Well, my next next thought was of all the people who blow countless amounts of money in bars seeking temporary relief and relaxed conversation. I don’t want to hop on a soap box and point fingers, that’s not my intention.  I just get so excited thinking of what the church would be like if all those people put their money in the offering plate instead of a stripper’s g-string!!!  What if the billions of dollars spent on porn ended up at the feet of Jesus?!?!  I get so PUMPED! I’m bouncing in my seat right now!

I had a conversation with a guy in our church who said that if you put Jesus and beer together, the response would be HUGE!  He’s absolutely right!  Now I’m not saying we are about to start offering beer during service,  but his point was valid.  There are way too many people who will not walk through the doors of a church due to the condemnation they face because they had a couple beers the night before.  I almost don’t blame them.   Too many times we run them out.  We expect them to be a certain level of “clean” before they can enter “our” churches.  And that’s crap!

“Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” Acts 15:10

We are all sinners!  Romans 3:23!  No matter how “clean” I think I am, I am still FILTHY compared to Christ.

What if the church was a place of honesty and encouragement instead of fake smiles and judgment?  What if we replaced our religious standards with love and prayer?  What if we took in EVERY SINGLE BROKEN, UGLY, POOR, SMELLY, HOMELESS, DRUNK, DRUGGED UP, PROSTITUTE and loved them like Christ does?  We wouldn’t be able to build altars big enough to hold all the people laying their sin at the cross!

Its easy to say “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Try putting it into action.

I dare you.