Generally, people think of church as a place where churchy people congregate. We all know churchy people. They're the ones who are usually solemn and grim often joyless and many times holier than thou kinds of people. Truly, these are churchy people - religious people. The true church, though, is composed of men and women who have been redeemed and forgiven of their sin. These people are markedly different than churchy people. These people have a joy that is unmistakable. They are kind and compassionate and consistent. They are followers of Jesus. As followers they learn from Jesus how they are to approach life and then they approach in the same way that Jesus did.
As Christ followers, we reach out to those who are living fully in the consquences of their sin or fully caught up in this sinful world. We do this because this is exactly what Jesus did for us. When he came the first time, he didn't come in reference to judgment, he came to extend grace and forgiveness. There will be a time when he will come in judgment and the invitation of grace will cease, but until that happens we are to reach out to those who are bound up in sin. I imagine that many people feel like church is a judgmental and condemning place, but when church is what is supposed to be (men and women boys and girls who have been redeemed and forgiven of their sin), then church can be one of the most liberating places on the planet. The reason for this is because people can see the transformation that has taken place in others and experience that same transformation for themselves.
The bible calls Christians to love one another, to bear one another's burdens, to forgive one another and on and on we are to give attention to one another. Have you ever considered the possibility that church is a place God has given us to help us with our sin problem? For Christians, we need to recognize that many people are carrying the burden of what they have sown. We need to help them see the invitation of Jesus to a light burden and an easy yoke. We need to help them find the antedote to their sin problem so they might know the freedom we know. We need to get them to Jesus.