Come As You Are

In MY Church, you WILL....

If you want to be a part of my Church, you WILL.....

1-Wear slacks and a collared shirt.
2-Women will wear dresses.
3-No red lipstick.
4-You will submit to a home inspection and remove anything I deem contrary to your Faith.
5-You will take a class that I offer to explain the proper way to be a Christian.
6-When I feel you are ready, we will Pray the Prayer of Salvation together.
7-You will meet with me once a month and fill me in on the aspects of your life.
8-Before you make ANY life decisions, you will consult with me and the Church. After all, that is why we are here.
9-You will do whatever I tell you God says about your life, and NOT do anything I tell you NOT to do.
10-I will forgive your Sins, once I deem you sincere and find you in compliance with the Church tenets.

Remember, we love you. We only want the best for you. We are here for you. God Bless...

Really?

Matthew 4:

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

Matthew 9:

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

Acts 9:

1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

What did any of these men DO to show themselves "worthy" to accept God's Gift? Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew? Here they were, in the midst of their daily lives. In the middle of their Sins. Jesus came to them. Look at Paul.."yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem." Does this sound like a guy worthy to become Holy enough to WRITE a lot of the New Testament?

God does not care if you put on a thousand dollar dress? He does care if you wear a thousand dollar Suit. He doesn't care if you eat meat on Friday, or if you wash your hands before you eat anything. He does not care if you look Righteous. He does not care if you meet MY standards. He does not care if you are a good little "Insert Religion here." He does not ever really care what is in your head. But rather, what is in your Heart.

I think one of the best quotes I have seen in a very long time, is from Charles Spurgeon, who said this...

“If you are to go to Christ, do not put on your good doings and feelings, or you will get nothing; go in your sins, they are your livery. Your ruin is your argument for mercy; your poverty is your plea for heavenly alms; and your need is the motive for heavenly goodness. Go as you are, and let your miseries plead for you.”

You see, God cannot be lied to. He cannot be fooled. He KNOWS your heart. He chose you. You do know that God chose you. Right? You did not chose Him. Jesus came to you. Just like He did to them. He is saying "Follow Me." Just like He did to them. The only way you heard about Jesus is because God lead you to Him.

John 6:

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Remember the Five Steps of an Anointed Life?

Romans 8:

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

So he knows who you are before you are even formed. He sets course a plan and a purpose for your life. Then He calls you. You have nothing to do with any of it until this point. Then, when He calls you, THEN you have a decision to make. "Follow me?" Yes. Or No. If No? Then you are on your own. He doesn't condemn you. You condemn yourself by saying No. If Yes? Then you have a God Given Destiny. If you endure? He Glorifies you with Jesus Himself.

However, there is nothing you can do to "earn it." Jesus comes to you just as you are.

Romans 5:

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

If God waited for you to become Holy, You would never meet Him. This is why He made "The Way" so simple and all inclusive. All you have to do is accept His Gift to you. All you have to do is accept Jesus. He wants all to come to accept the Gift. He is waiting patiently. Peter put it this way.

2 Peter 3:

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

It was not just His chosen people's Sins He came to cleanse, But the World.

1 John 2:

1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

"We have an Advocate with the Father." His name is Jesus the Christ. Not Father so and so. Not Pastor Rick, or anyone else. Jesus. He made it simple. He opened it up to all. It doesn't matter if you are Rich, Poor, Black, White, Jew, nor Christian, ETC...

2 Corinthians 5:

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

And

Romans 10:

13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

For?

John 1:

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Again, He knows, not only that we are Sinners, but what Sins we are guilty of. He doesn't care. But you cannot come to Him in Sheep's Clothing. You cannot hide from Him. You can not trick Him. He will not be mocked.

Hebrews 4:

13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

He simply wants you to come to Him as you are. just be you. He created you. He planed out a purpose and and plan for your life. He is calling you to follow Him. The choice is yours. What say you? Yes, or No? Do not allow yourself to be distracted with the Traditions of Men. Do not feel you are unworthy to accept His Calling. Do not think for one second, you can trick God. He is only asking one question. He is waiting for only one answer. Simply put, nothing else matters.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Is He calling you right NOW? Do you feel that tough in your Spirit to say Yes? Then say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus IS Lord of all!