The church has been known for many years to be a place where the list of DON’Ts is posted. The church spends so much time telling everyone what not to do. Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t dance, and so on. The job of the church is not to make sin inaccessible but instead to make Jesus accessible.

When the church tells a guy not to sleep with his girlfriend, the message seems to say, “You shouldn’t have fun.” When the church tells two men that it is wrong to be in a homosexual relationship then it seems to be judgmental. When the church tells a person not to blow money on luxury items, then it seems hypocritical. All of the “stop signs” the church posts may be well intentioned but it also stops people from seeking Jesus.

When the church is not making Jesus accessible, then it is simply moralizing people without life transformation. We do not need to “clean” people up first, but simple show the love and compassion of Jesus to others. Jesus will take care of helping people through each issue. If I had to be perfect before I met Jesus I would never have approached.

When the church is simply putting up “stop signs” to keep people away from sin, then the result is a building full of hypocrites trying to make everyone look like them. How you dress, the words you use and the way you act must all conform to their image. The Bible calls us to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Take the “stop signs” down and put up the directional arrow to Jesus. It is the only path worth following.