Come just as you are...really?!

     I've seen a number of signs that reflect this attitude on churches marques and even one town that has it on it's welcome to our city sign when you enter from either direction.  The real question is whether they really mean it or not.  Similarly, many see their homes in the same manner.  You may always be welcome here but call and let me clean the house first.  Maybe you fit in one of the categories?  I grew up in a time and place where you could drop in on neighbors and neighbors did the same with you.  Life has changed.  While we want to "come as we are" to the church; often we are met with a list of what you need to do and who you need to be in order to worship with them.  Likewise, many people are shocked at the idea of just dropping in to say hi.  The question that comes to my mind is whether those around me would really like me to come as I am.  I'm sitting here with pajamas on and not showered or saved with coffee in hand.  The only thing I can see that would be accepted would be the coffee.  In fact the "dress code" of most churches alone are enough to keep me away.  But that's only a small problem.  The bigger problem is formed by the world which intends to keep alienation in place for all those who do not fit and can't really come as they are. 
     I'd like to think that people would love like Jesus.  There are some who do and there are many who don't.  Would you feel comfortable standing up in your church at prayer request time and ask your church to pray for your sexual addiction, for your gambling addiction, for you to keep yourself in line for your probation or parole?  Would you as for prayer to control your urges to binge eat or your throwing up after every meal?  See what I mean?  We certainly can say that we can come as we are but really?  So, what do the signs really mean?  Would I be welcome in a city when they know I am an active burglar?  Would you be welcome if they knew you beat your wife, cheated the government or preyed on the unfortunate?  Would cities, churches and YOU really say, come as you are?  I'd like to say that was the case but we must be cautious about who an what we let into our home, our churches, and our cities.  God has told us to beware of the wolves coming in sheep clothing and to not be unwise in our  choices.  That goes for most anything.  Those cities, churches and other organizations that tell you and I to come as we are for the most part really saying that we want you to come as we want you to be.
     Jesus said that he wanted to come to him just as we are.  Now that's something we absolutely need to do.  Pretending we don't have a past or current problem isn't wise when approaching God who knows everything.  We don't need to worry about coming to Jesus as sinners because that's why he created us, lived amongst us and died for us.  He rose so that we could also rise.  Just as I've said so many times before; when we acknowledge who we are before Christ and confess our need for Him to forgive us our sin, we then have come as we are.  Notice that we have a sinful life that has been forgiven.  God, in the Bible, states that "he remembers our sins no more."  William James said, "We may have a God in heaven that forgives us our sins, but mankind does not."  There in lies the problem.  True we aren't God.  True we have been saved.  True we have had our sins forgiven.  True we are changed and as Paul says, "it's no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me."  True we need to renew our relationship with Christ daily and keep from sin.  True, many will enter the kingdom of God without the approval of any church.  Christ calls us to come as we are and you can count on that to happen when you and I choose to end our miserable life of sin and death.  Now if we could only be transformed that we could meet people like Jesus met people.  For in him is the only place one can truly come as you are...really!  It's always your choice.