36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both LORD and Christ. ~ Acts 2:36
Peter said, “You crucified Jesus!” He didn’t deliberately soften his words or his message in order to spare their feelings. He didn’t ease them into it to give them something to relate to or make them feel good. He didn’t water down the Gospel. No.
He let that “arrow of truth” fly and let it pierce whomever it hit, and that’s why they were cut to the heart, which caused them to yell in panic, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). You know how many were saved at that event? Three thousand souls.
Why do we, as Christians, try to continuously reinvent the wheel? Why do we feel we need to change the Word of God for the sake of not comfort? Any church that sinners (those actively living and indulging in sin) feel comfortable in and never feel any form of conviction isn’t housing the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit should move the hearts of the people through the words of the pastor.
We should be seeing growth in our Christians. Repentance in our sinners. Conviction in our heathens. There should be signs that the Holy Spirit is dwelling and meeting with us.
The church is to do more than just welcome people in. Yes, people should feel welcome to come to any church. Yes, they should be greeted with love. But the message should come from God and pierce their hearts.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do More Than Welcome.