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At a recent Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir concert, I saw two women who, at least from the outward appearance, looked to be lesbians. And yet here they were.I got to thinking....When Mary washed Jesus' feet, Jesus admitted that her sins are many, and yet He accepted her worship. When Jesus was entering Jerusalem, He said that if people held their peace, the rocks would immediately cry out. Well, rocks aren't saved, but apparently it would have mattered in heaven.The wisemen were, so far as we know, not Jews. For all we know, they may even have had some very messed up doctrine. And yet they are considered sincere and worshipful.What about when someone comes to your church and, even if they are a drug addict or alcoholic, raises their hands in the worship service?Or what about a couple living in sin who do worship?We all agree, I imagine, about not considering such a person for a ministry or leadership position. But how do you feel about them worshiping?Do you think God accepts it?Do you think God appreciates it?And if not, how do we address that? (Or should we?)

I've been wondering about this same thing lately. We have at least two couples in our church who are living together and are not married. A couple of weeks ago all four of them partook of communion. I'd personally be afraid to do such a thing,but they didn't seem the least bit apprehensive about it. I am troubled about it actually “Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”

FLRon....

There are children that raise their hand if I ask if anyone got saved, or the such. Now, I could act like I know their hearts...and perhaps do incredible damage. Or I can--as we want other to do--proceed in faith.Remember when Phillip baptized the eunuch? He didn't go through a checklist of things about whether he had REALLY repented...whether he REALLY understood the gospel, etc. In fact, it might be that if we had put the eunuch through some of the hoops we've developed over time, he might never have gotten baptized.Now, indeed, if someone is living in open sin, that's an issue. But there are some things that need to be considered....1) Does that couple understand that it is sinful to do so? It has become such an accepted part of the world AND THE CHURCH, that it doesn't sent waves of guilt over people like it used to.2) Are the sleeping together? Yes, we all know that they shouldn't even be in the same house. But I was recently reading about a couple living together that came to Brooklyn Tabernacle and got saved. He started sleeping on the couch. Not perfect, I know. But it should be considered. It's not always possible to just move out and land on your feet somewhere else until marriage. I mean, EVEN PASTORS often are unable to just up and leave a church due to the financial considerations.3) Give God time. Unlike you and I (SMILE), not everyone who comes to Jesus is instantly perfected! While you and I may grimace over the terrible sin of fornication, God might start with their bad language first. We prioritize differently.HOWEVER...at the end of all of this is the truth that, while sinners may worship God because of the love and joy we feel in his presence, they are not to remain in sin. Just as Jesus forgave Mary when she worshiped (and we have no record of her asking Him to forgive her sins!), so, too, worship does something to the heart of Jesus. He will forgive when we worship (just as he forgives when he heals)...but we dare not think it is His permission to continue in sin.I don't know if you are a pastor or not, but either way, it's a hard conversation to have. We don't want to hurt people...we don't want to come across as judgmental (that's been drilled into us for years now)...and we don't want to run them off. So we are often reluctant. But the Lord has a way of convicting them...and readying them for a sweet conversation about Your next step in living for Jesus.

Yikes. Shouldn't your pastor be guarding the table from people in open, unrepentant sin? The table is not in jeopardy. What is in jeopardy is their everyday life. I would never restrict anyone from the table. I am not the judge but I am the keeper of the message and we make it clear that the table is a place to observe and respond to covenant. It is not a talisman ceremony, but a sacred moment of worship - saying You made me worthy of this table as there was no way I could have approached on my own righteousness. It is here I call myself out and judge those things I am aware of in my life that are not ordained by God or that give Him glory. If I cannot say I am wrong and willing to enter the space of repentance, I will choose to not treat the Table as anything less than holy, and itself a calling to holiness Live an epiK life!Discover More...www.refocusing.orgA Mission in Formationwww.bluewaterinthekeys.com

Phil, I would agree with that in this case. I would disagree in the case of members of the community who are under formal discipline.

Yikes. Shouldn't your pastor be guarding the table from people in open, unrepentant sin? I have not had the opportunity to discuss this with my pastor, but fully intend to do so. If in fact the unmarried couple who are living as though they were married have been instructed in the ways of Godly living(and I have every reason to believe they have been), this places me in a quandary when it comes to serving them communion. On one hand, I feel like an accomplice or contributor in wrong doing. On the other hand would it turn them away from the church if they were not offered the opportunity to partake of communion? I cannot possibly know their hearts, yet feel as though I am passing judgement on them “Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”

Well, that is a wry hard conversation to have, and since I am not a pastor it is not my responsibility to have such a conversation with them in an “official capacity”. I would gladly do so if I were asked, but will not overstep my bounds in the matter.And I’m on board with how you state that the Lord has a way of reaching those who were not raised in church. Thinking of myself, I was not raised in church and knew nothing about it when I first came to faith in Christ. I sort of remember my first pastor conducting a serious lesson on how our hearts must be pure before we partake of the Lords Supper, and ever since then I’ve been more on the strict side of the issue. I just want to do what is right in the Lords eyes “Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”

Yikes. Shouldn't your pastor be guarding the table from people in open, unrepentant sin? The table is not in jeopardy. What is in jeopardy is their everyday life. I would never restrict anyone from the table. I am not the judge but I am the keeper of the message and we make it clear that the table is a place to observe and respond to covenant. It is not a talisman ceremony, but a sacred moment of worship - saying You made me worthy of this table as there was no way I could have approached on my own righteousness. It is here I call myself out and judge those things I am aware of in my life that are not ordained by God or that give Him glory. If I cannot say I am wrong and willing to enter the space of repentance, I will choose to not treat the Table as anything less than holy, and itself a calling to holiness. I like your take on this Phil. The only thing I would call to question is the issue of blatant unwillingness to acknowledge the sin in my life. For example, if I have been taught that living together as a married person while remaining unmarried is sin, and I choose to disagree with the clear teachings of scripture, that does not make my choice free of sin. I am guilty, but don’t agree that I am. I believe in that situation the person should not partake of communion “Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”

None of us should come to the table in disregard of our sin. It should be acknowledged to God, confessed as sin and forgiveness asked, followed by the fruit of repentance Live an epiK life!Discover More...www.refocusing.orgA Mission in Formationwww.bluewaterinthekeys.com