In my effort to share the Gospel of Christ, I meet people that reject Christ because of how they view people that claim to follow Christ. They look at the church as an institution full of hypocrites and decide that it is not where they want to be. The purpose of the church is to bring together those that believe in Christ to obtain spiritual maturity (Ephesians 4:13), which include worship, teaching, prayer and encouragement in the faith (Hebrews 10:25), and to spread the Gospel to unbelievers in the world (Matthew 28:18-20). Yes, the church is a place full of sinners but not all sinners are hypocrites. Christianity is all about Jesus so it is incorrect to invalidate the faith or the institution based on what sinful Christians have done or continue to do.

Jesus also condemned hypocrites. The bible clearly states that God will judge hypocrites (Matthew 24:51). It tells us that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). In other words, no one is perfect and all are dependent on Christ for redemption, salvation and spiritual maturity. In fact, the church is the only place where one must admit to being a sinner in order to be accepted as a follower of Christ. The church does have its share of hypocrites but the world we live in is worse. We live in a world with dishonest businesses, spousal infidelity, politicians that cheat and lie and TV advertisers that exaggerate. We still employ the businesses, get married, vote for politicians with exposed flaws and buy the products that do not live up to their claims. At least the Christian admit he is a sinner and needs Christ.

While there is no perfect Church or perfect person other than Jesus, there are many sinners, unlike you, that are not hypocrites that can help you, teach you and encourage. If you decide to accept Christ and attend church, ask Christ to give you discernment concerning the Pastor. One must understand that not all church Pastors are called by God and those that are called, are not sinless. The bible says that those that lead must be above reproach (1 Tim 3:2). If the Pastor teaches false doctrine (beliefs not supported in the bible), or “preach to the right and walk to the left” (does not live what he preaches), or lives extravagantly off the church tithes, it is not a Church you need to attend. Jesus was not a hypocrite (nor a sinner). He taught us about “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (false teachers and Pastors) Matt 7:15, and He did not take from others to live an extravagant lifestyle. But most important He welcomes all and does not reject you based on your sin. Christ is the savior and His church is the place for spiritual growth. Don’t allow people to keep you from accepting the invitation and becoming the person you were created to be.