I Won't Judge You
They are asking me to do something that I am just not willing to do.
There are some things I just won’t give up.
This is one of them.
I mean, if they wanted me to give up a bad habit, or something that may hurt someone – I would understand.
But that’s not what they are asking me to do. They are asking me to give up on people that need help!
Are you shocked??? I am! Every time it happens!
Things They Say
You see – I get people telling me how that they just can’t attend Faith Church or be around me anymore because of the sinners we allow in our church.
That statement floors me – since every single one of us is a sinner! Including yours truly!
They tell me that we make their stomach turn… when people are open about struggling with drug problems. or alcoholism… that they see people finishing their cigarettes before they walk into church.
They tell me this is something they can’t live with… the fact that we don’t publicly confront people.
They also say they hope I change before I reach the judgment seat or I may have a lot of explaining to do.
My Heart Breaks
Who reaches these people with the love of God that draws men to repentance?
Where do these people go to hear about God and how He wants a better life for them free of addictions, sin and condemnation?
When do the hurting people that need Jesus see the love of Christ in Christians that lets them know that the things that they heard about God are true?
How do they get the wisdom and knowledge from the Bible to keep making steps in the right direction?
What in this world is going to encourage them to keep pursuing God even when the change may happen slower than they thought it might?
The answers?
Who?
Us – me and you. My friends and co-laborers in love. We will love everyone, even if they are unlovable.
Where?
At our church and in our lives – hopefully every minute of every day.
When?
Right now, later today, tomorrow and the tomorrow after. I pray we never stop having open arms to those who are hurting and need God.
How?
By loving, instructing, encouraging and never judging. Judging… that job is just above my pay grade. The only one I get to judge is me.
Forgive me for hurting in public a little bit. But I simply can’t turn away from drawing people to God that need to know Him desperately.
And if you judge me for that. Well, I guess I’m okay with it.
Will you join me in reaching out to this hurting world and not giving up on anyone just because their sin may be a little more obvious than ours?
Pastor Nicole – This post is right on the money. Every time I hear stories like this, I’m reminded of the way the Pharisees treated Jesus.
Fact is, its always been this way and it always will – that is, people who live life trying to earn (or keep) their salvation through works will always be at war with those of us who are called to LIVE BY GRACE.
Our Father in heaven has already finished the work, and its our job to share this good news to all who will listen. Thank you Pastor Nicole for not disqualifying anyone from the Gospel. For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. (Rom 1:6)
Tyler – A fantastic point. WOW!
Amen!!! Preach it!!! It is getting ridiculous when people walk away from a Church that is doing exactly what Christ asked us to do, which is reach the world for Him. If not us, then who? This is why, even though we live so far away, we stay connected to Faith Church. There are pastors preaching in the pulpits about how Churches that teach grace are neglecting to teach on sin. I say that is not the case, rather that God is big enough to forgive us of our sin and give us the tools to walk strong for Him. Look at the woman, thrown at Jesus’ feet, caught in the very act of adultry. Did He rail on her about what she was doing wrong? NO! He told the accusers who were without sin to throw the first stone, and every one of them walked away. Then He asked her where her accusers were, and when she said there were none left, He told her He wouldn’t condemn her either, and to go and sin no more. He expected her to change, but didn’t go on and on about how wrong the sin was and how it was gonna send her to hell. We need to be Christ-like, and not Satan-like (who is the ultimate accuser)!!! 🙂 Sorry for repreaching it, but just wanted you to know, I get it!!! Love ya!!!
Debra – You heart is huge 🙂 You get it girl! I love how you love people!
I am thankful to have pastors that care so much for the hurting people out there in this world. Your insights and messages from God have given me hope that God is always with us and loves us just as we are!!
Patti – We are thankful for a congregation that has open arms!!!
Thank you for this post….my Christian friends have commented along these lines…and it just think about character. Thanks!
Preach it girl!
Last night at church, when pastor Morgan asked to grab the hand of the person next to you so she pray for us, the man sitting next to me smelled of alcohol and tabacco. He was also not very clean. But, when I offered my hand to him, he just kind of looked at me and sheepishly took my hand. He was sitting at the time, but stood when Pastor Morgan began to pray. I used to be the type to ignore somebody of this character, but my heart broke as he stood to pray. Afterwards, he just looked at me and smiled. It was really quite awesome. He left before service was over, so I did not get the chance to chat with him. I was going to keep this to myself, but after seeing this post, I felt like I needed to share that Faith Chuch has taught me this attitude to love all and judge not. Thank you Pastors Nicole and David for your genuine love and care for ALL.
Rick – this is an amazingly powerful story! We don’t know who he is, or what that meant. He could be an angel you entertained 🙂 What I do know is that God Himself in heaven was pleased as you stretched your hand toward him!
As we become more Christ like we will have the same attitude Christ has.Mark 2:17
New Living Translation (NLT)
17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Great Verse Pastor Omar! This needs to be the Faith Church Motto! 🙂
Pastor Omar I was just reading this passage today!!! So so very true!
Great word Omar!
Wow! This really spoke to me and caused me to think outside the box of religiosity. I am challenged to love like Jesus loved.
May the love of Christ flow freely through me, and may that love draw men to repentance!
Thank you Pastor Nicole for sharing your heart on this!
Adrienne –
I love that your box has been stretched! I hope that God stretches you and I continually!
Great word & I LOVE that Faith Church LOVE the hurting, the struggling, the lost & the unlovable!!!!
Katrina – Yes ma’am!
So thankful for Faith Church and the vision God has given you and Pastor David to reach out with love to all. I think about how much my life has changed in such a short time because God led me to Faith Church and I thank Him daily for it. I pray we never grow tired of reaching out to those in need. You are a blessing!
Debbie –
You are a precious person who devotes her life to helping others. God is so proud of you!
Those same people cause people to turn against religion and God. He didnt call us to judge or discriminate, he called us to love. This is the very heart of Faith Church. I havent always been where I am today and Im so thankful God gave me gracy and mercy, something we all deserve, no matter where we are today. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Angela –
Mercy to us from God and mercy to all others from us! Showing love at all times is the biggest challenge we will ever encounter. Let’s keep each other strong and on track!
Great Blog Pastor Nicole! If we being dead to sin, can only judge then I guess we are not dead to sin-are we? If we can’t reach out to the person next to us in love (within the 4 walls of the church) how can we mature to the point of reaching out to those in the world around us? This blog should really stir our heart to search for pure motives and see others through the eyes of compassion-to bless others, more than we look at ourselves.
Thanks again for the powerful reminder that we are not here for us, we are here because Christ died for all, and that love is shed abroad in our hearts to touch those around us.
LY Girl!!!!
Sherrie –
I am excited that you have the vision to love people no matter what! The love of God draws men to repentance!
Pastor Nicole-I think if it were possible to love you even more… I now do! Faith Church was the first church I ever set foot in and for that I’m thankful because one more rejection could’ve ruined me at the time (I was definitely not what some would call “church material”)…. but instead of rejection, I walked into open arms full of love and compassion. It has now been 3 years and I will continue to make every attempt to welcome others in with the same open arms, full of Gods’ love, that I was welcomed into.
Stephanie –
Your just like me 🙂 Redeemed, thankful and ready to pass it on. I love you girl!
Please don’t ever stop!!! because of hearing your messages on love self worth and watching Pastor David on television telling us Gods not mad at you. Walking us step by step through the Bible and teaching us the ways of Christ, I am now free of alcholism since 2006. I am sad for those that don’t truly understand who God is and just how much He loves us. Thank you for this blog because it too extends your reach to the lost. Love you Pastor Nicole thank you for always being there for us, even though sometimes being there for us brings you pain.
I’m so proud of you Angela! You are a sweet woman and you are doing great things for God! Your heart to serve Him is amazing!!!!
Pastor Nicole…. I was dealing with someone over the weekend, by the way he doesn’t attend Faith, and he is so judgmental. I finally stood up and said QUIT pointing your finger…and then said if you DON’T lower your tone of voice what you have to say from here on out is null and void. I said it is so called Christians such as yourself that cause people to high tail it and run from God . I so needed this today Nicole. You are so beautiful inside and out…. and you stand firm. I so admire you!!!! Never, never, never quit loving. This was such a confirmation for me. Thank you so much. Be Blessed!
Susie – I love that you are passionate about being loving. The hard thing is that we are called to even love the judgers! OUCH! God knows how to test us! Sometimes it is the hardest thing I deal with.
I love hearing stories of people who come in one way and leave a completely changed person. Most of the time, those stories start with “This is the first place that loved me despite what I was dealing with”. We are called to love as Christ loved and His love saw no boundaries.
Thank you for the reminder, Pastor Nicole, that WE are the ones who are supposed to welcome people with open arms and love them as Christ loves them.
David – It is us christians providing encouragement and love to people that helps them believe they can continue this christian walk when it is hard. Connecting to God and connecting to other christians is so important! I love your response 🙂
Excellent post! Many years ago there was a business associate that I was working with that ended up receiving Christ pretty quickly, but it became obvious that taking him from where he was, (drugs, alcohol, very poor self image and a very strained marriage) to where God wanted him to be, was going to be a process. I did not confront him on any of those issues but allowed him to discuss them with me as on occasion, as needed. My main objective was to submerse him in the Word, in praise and worship, in Spirit filled meetings, and a lot of encouragement. I knew that for over 2 years he was still struggling with the drugs and alcohol but I just keep feeding him all that I mentioned above until he got to a point that he just couldn’t stand those things any more. Now many years later, he is completely drug and alcohol free, has a great marriage, two great kids, his life is going great and he has become a powerful and respected leader in spreading the Gospel with youth that he meets with and trains. A key point here is yes, discipleship takes time and commitment but it ends up paying huge dividends if done correctly. The thing I am most excited about is that he recognizes the (non-judgemental) process (as you have described) that I took him through and he is duplicating it. Great post Pastor Nicole! Keep up the great work you are doing!
Bill – You brought up a great point – PERSONAL DISCIPLESHIP. Personal discipleship is something we all can do and SHOULD do everyday. And yet it is easier not to. Why are all the good things harder to do? LOL
Fantastic testimony! Thank you so much for sharing.
This couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. On facebook a few days ago, a girl on my friends list made a really rude comment about “so called Christians who are actually sinners whose sins stink like infested trash” and it was really hard for me to not go into a rant that turned into a complete judgement of my own. To me, this was the perfect link to share in response to that. Thank you. We all fall short of the glory every day, we all sin in one way or another, and some of our sins are more evident than others. I am positive that there was only one man that remained sinless and he bore our sins on a cross on Calvary. Something that we would never be able to re-pay.
Angie – SO AWESOME that you were able to withhold response! That is the hardest thing to do!
She is right in a way. We are supposed to try and not sin. And our sin does stink! But just like Paul said, no matter how hard we try, we fall into it.
We are all right in some ways and wrong in others. So great that you are willing to talk without being willing to fight. 🙂
wow!! I want to be a part of a church that helps hurting people find Jesus!
Matt – Consider it done!
I’ve run across people with that viewpoint as well. It truly breaks my heart that they’re unable to experience the true power of the gospel, and as a result of the lies they believe they try to keep other people from truly experiencing God’s power. I remember where it is that I came from, and how the process of becoming who God has called me to be is still, in process! Awesome post!!
Jon – ‘The process of becoming’….hhhmmmm. That sounds like a future blog!
I feel the pain of everyone’s comments & the grief the Holy Spirit feels towards this subject, Out of my experience I carry a weight that aslo recognizes the typical Christian rhetoric defending all these points sorrounding what I would conside a very benign example people taking one last puff of a cigarette before coming into a church, would these same points be made if the person had a testimony of being a registered sex offender or closeted homosexual? I personally can not travel back in time to undo horrendous chapters in my past, yet no one has hamstrung me more over events from 20 over years ago like my brothers & sisters in Christian leadership, regardless of what God is doing with us now, I have seen more fear of God & honest fellowship from people we reach out to every week on the streets than most churches I have been in, I told God here a couple of years ago in the middle of a painful period that I was totally prepared to be hated & despised by those who also hated Him, I just wasn’t prepared to despised by those who loved him. I suppose its a good thing He is so merciful to all of us.
Richard –
His mercy is overwhelming! I just pray that we have more of that to give in our own lives!
Nicole, this is exactly why my husband and I loved going to Faith Church. You and David taught us so much about who God truly is. So much in fact that today (we are in a second area since we moved from St. Louis) I still long for a church that loves like God does.
I was raised in a very legalistic church, and I saw how it pushed me (and many others) away from God. I still struggle with those who are so busy trying to remove their neighbors splinter, but miss the beam in their own eye. I find myself being judgmental of them. That’s irony for you.
Never change who you are or what you do at Faith Church. God is there, and He is changing lives.
Kim – Excellent point! I sure don’t have time to mess with other’s splinters!
I applaud you!! Keep on helping people with the true love of God! We know where accusing spirits come from—sure aint from heaven! Love this and you!
Keisha – You are so precious! You keep praisin’ and I’ll keep preachin’! Deal?
Pastor Nicole,
This post is one of your best. I love how honest and transparent you are in your blogs.
Thank you for doing what God called you to do. There are so many people on the other side of our obedience to what God asks us to do.
A Christian that lacks compassion is about as useful as a decaf coffee or sugar free ice cream, or a lollipop that tastes like carrots… What is even the point? LOL.
Morgan –
Carrot lollipop? I hope that is not your attempt to be healthy! LOL
Great Blog … Less judging and more loving … I like it and I trust to live it!!! We are called to judge fruit, not people. May we always be the light to those who are in the darkest of dark, that they may know we can help to lead them to His light, His life, and His salvation! Preach on Nicole, preach on!!!
Kimberly –
Girl you are strong (in the Lord and the power of His might!) Bring it! you encourage me!
WOW! WOW! WOW!!! This one made me cry!!! Reaching the lost is what it’s all about!!! Sure do LOVE this church!!! Grateful, grateful for all you do! xoxoxo
Man I’m so glad God didn’t Say nope sry not today, you smoke come back and see me when you quit..
Haters=Pride
God=Love
Just pray for the haters they’ll come around and when they do welcome them with open arms.
Were here to win the lost…
Great wisdom Aaron!
Hey Pastor Nicole!
Totally amazing blog!! U rocked it!
It’s wild and I can’t comprehend even relate to where those people are coming from that think this way…It’s probably on my top ten list of why Faith Church is so amazing – because anyone can come and feel the love and see how super cool and accepting God really is instead of a grumpy God that is throwing out lightening bolts and judgement as He is unfortunately portrayed a lot of times.
I’m thankful that we have pastors that love people and accept people for where they are and who they are and then help us to grow and be better people so we can do the same for others. You both are great examples and leaders to all of us! I can only wish I grew up to be the even close to the same as you guys – well…even tho I am the same age :).
WOW.. It’s crazy to hear the comments and criticism of those that do not totally understand what Faith Church is doing. This Church is on fire to HELP people and not turn them away… If that is BAD then Faith is the BADEST church of them all. Love that Pastor Nicole has such a loving heart willing to reach out and help without judging! YOU ROCK, thank you for your passion in NOT GVING UP on the HURTING!!
Wow! This is powerful! I love that you take a stand and are true to who you are. It is only when we are humble and honest that we are available for God’s work in us and through us. We are strengthened when we are weak!
Thank you for writing this & sharing your heart! It’s our job to be the light of Christ & “be who we be”…to just be real. We have to accept people for who they are and as they are – otherwise how are we to reach hurting people and help them through their struggles & trials? No one could have spoken it better than you did. Thanks for LEADING by example Pastor Nicole! Love you!
Your post has reminded me of the love and power and God’s love for us and how each and every day we should be encouraged to love like our God love’s us by reaching out to those are hurting and in need of knowing God’s love. We have the power to change the world through our actions and our voice.
Together we will change our city, our state, our nation but loving and not judging.
Pastor, you are truely a STL saint…
I believe, like you, that we all are called to and should want to try to the best of our abilities to love the “unloveable.” They are the ones who are broken and don’t trust love within themselves. Have been so hurt that they have forgotten how to allow others into their world. They need the empowerment to believe in themselves and GOD who has all the grace to change and heal their hearts. A smile, kind word or helping hand opens the doors. We as christians need to take the risk within ourselves to give those these things that open the doors and GOD carries it from there, but someone needs to show the “unloveable” the door of love.
I so love Faith Church for all it does to show the doors of love and the enouragement and empowerment to walk through. I am also very proud to call Faith Church my chruch and to be part of such a great community that is changing lives. Thank you for helping me to obtain the tools and support to continue to heal mine as I try to pay it forward. God Bless all you do 🙂
Great word Pastor Nicole! Our job is only to Love, never to judge! Thank you for this message!
Amen Pastor Nicole! I have always felt that way. Breaks my heart that others would even ask you to ignore people for thier sins and give up on them. Hold your head high and keep up the great work. Thank you for being you.
Awesome, awesome blog! I agree 100%. He came to give us life and life in abundance! Thanks you for making the difference.
I met you at Viva @potentialchurch. This is my first time on a blog. GOD BLESS you for your boldness in professing Gods’ word that needs to reach all sinners! Could not have said it any better sister!