Liars, Losers and Hypocrites


Thirteen years ago, my church, Northridge Church, put up billboards around metro Detroit saying it was for:

  • liars
  • losers &
  • hypocrites
Now as you can imagine - a lot of the existing parishioners did NOT like that!  However, our Pastor said, "there is a belief outside the church that it's [full of] people who think they're better than anyone else.  And there's a false view inside the church of people outside - that they're bad."  Pastor Brad, in his God-given wisdom knew that was wrong, and he wanted to make sure everyone else knew it too.  

In an interview he said, "The reality is, all human beings are the same.  They're flawed.  We're all the same inside [the church] and outside.  We too are failures, losers liars and hypocrites."  

And Brad wanted people to know that God knows that, and He loves us anyway.

Early in his ministry Jesus was having dinner at the house of Matthew the tax collector (later a disciple).  The Bible tells us that many tax collectors and sinners also came to the dinner to sit with the man who was already causing waves by the things he was saying.

"When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" (Matthew 9:11)

Because, of course the Pharisees were religious men who taught that in order to get close to God, you must obey all his rules.  You must be good.  You must, in a sense, "earn" His grace and love. 

But "On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.  But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.  For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners." (Matthew 9:12-13)

Brad - like Jesus, was calling the sick, the broken, the sinful and shameful and saying - "we welcome you - for we are like you."  

That is why God put on human skin and came to Earth - to heal us - to take away our sins, and to welcome us to sit at His table and learn from Him..

"If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

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