Church can be confusing, especially to people who are new to it. Newcomers may not understand our words or our expectations. For example, many a person has worn a tie to church, only to find out that the church dresses casually and the men don’t wear ties, or they have come without a tie, only to discover that the men at that church all wear coats and ties. Consider these true stories:

 

A little boy came home from Sunday School and told his father that he learned that “Goliath had nine feet.” (First Samuel 17:4 says that Goliath was over nine feet tall.)

 

A teenage girl trusted in Christ and wanted to be baptized. She asked what to wear, and was told, “It doesn’t matter, because we’ll give you a robe.” So she came in a bikini, which shocked that congregation.

 

A newcomer showed up at the Monday night meeting of a church board. The elders asked him why he was there, and he said, “They said tonight was the meeting of the church bored, and nobody was more bored in church than me.”

 

Yes, people can easily misunderstand our words and intentions in church. Often, the misunderstandings don’t amount to much more than minor embarrassments. But when it comes to sharing the good news of how to go to heaven, we need to make it clear and plain.

 

So let me make this as clear as I possibly can: God loves the whole world (John 3:16) and wants all of us to go to heaven. (2 Peter 3:9). But you and I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and deserve to go to hell. So Jesus Christ, God’s son, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin (Romans 5:8). If you will trust in Jesus as your Lord, you will be forgiven of sin and you can go to heaven when you die (Romans 10:9; Ephesians 1:7).

That’s good news, tie or no tie!

 

 

(Copyright 2010 by Bob Rogers. E-mail: brogers@fbcrincon.com. Read this column each Friday for a mix of religion and humor. For more “Holy Humor,” go to the Web page of First Baptist Church of Rincon at www.fbcrincon.com.)