Would you want your church to be known as ...

Everyone should be welcome at the house of the Lord. Does that mean condoning the sins? Of course it doesn't.

Also, interesting that Politician is listed in the poll. :laugh:

 

Agreed...I don't see the difference between politician & prostitute.



Yup...all are welcome. We should hope that God's presence there is so real that there is both love and conviction felt by the sinner as they come.

 

What do you mean by "friendly"? Sin should not be overlooked and accepted, but ALL people should be accepted as far as hearing the gospel and having the opportunity to accept Christ. The Holy Spirit can melt even the coldest and hardest heart. After all, the first disciples were sent out by Jesus to preach to ALL nations the good news they had heard and accepted. Do we say that only those who do "little" sins can be saved? Jesus came to "seek and to save the lost." That means ANYONE who is lost and not just the nicer sinners.

 

I voted for all except "politician-friendly."

FA

 

WHAT HE SAID! :thumbs:





About the only other things I could add to Jon-Marc's post would be that once a person receives Christ as Savior, we would go on to seek to have that person Scripturally baptized and continue to train that person to observe all of the things Jesus Christ commanded us to do.

 

I see 'freindly' as meaning over looking that sin, condoning it, allowing it.
But want to wait for saggy to explain before voting.

 

OH man, I am agreeing with MP again...

I am glad I have been able to influence MP's thinking.. He is really coming around...

Maybe I need to go to bed... and then when I wake up it will be a new day...

YOu know, I had this nightmare last night that we are inaugurating Obama as president tomorrow...

I would even welcome Obama in church.
Of course I wouldn't candy preach.. I would preach from the word of God.
No more, no less...

 

I don't - at all. But that was how I read the OP.

For me it simply means that they are welcome in the church... you know, like when Christ ate with sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors, instead of the Pharisees.

It does not refer to condoning anything.

FA

 

A better term would be "welcoming"

We hear welcoming and affirming churches...

I would want our church to be a welcoming but NOT affirming church...
That is the crux of the issue.

They can come in, but don't expect us to affirm any evil lifestyle.

 

Those sinners need to repent before they're welcome in my house... :laugh: :wavey:

God may let them in but not me.

 

All are welcome in our church, but it is known throughout the community as "A Family-Friendly Church".

 

I see it as welcoming them into fellowship, which means membership. Which would be condoning their sin.
I don't see it as mearly being welcome to walk into the building.

 

Tim, it could be that I have influenced you! :laugh:

 

This is how I took it, too.

"Prostitute-friendly," "drug-addict friendly," etc. implies an acceptance of lifestyle, not just the person. Or it could imply that. It's too ambivalent.

 

You can, but it would be hard. I think you'd have to be good friends already first, and even then it would be hard.

But to be a friend with someone who has a lifestyle of doing drugs, prostitution, etc. and imagine that they would welcome you as a friend knowing you disapprove of what they are doing would be rare. It would only work if they just liked you for some reason or were thinking of giving up their habits.

 

The bible says bad comapny corrupts good morals.

 

Careful how you apply that, though. Jesus didn't apply that verse by never ministering to those who were sinners and outcasts. :thumbs:

I think we're all looking at the term "friendly" and having to figure out what it means. I doubt that many of us are on different pages here...I would think that most all of us feel along the same lines, that these folks are welcome to come to our church and hear the Gospel...but that in order to be a part of our church, there must be repentance.