If something is child-proof, then why can't I open it?

A funny thing just happened to me. One of my patients came in to pick up his prescription for an eye drop. He asked me to administer his drops for him, and I happily obliged. The trouble was, I couldn't hardly open the dang dropper bottle because it was "child-proofed" with a plastic wrapper around the cap. I struggled, and struggled, and pulled, and did everything short of jumping up and down on it to get that darn wrapper off!

Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

For some non-believers, this is exactly what church, God, and the Bible is like to them. We Christians have "child-proofed" the Gospel. They want to get it, they know they need it, but can't get past the "packaging." Here's what I mean:

• Marathon-length church services.
• Worship music that's dated, stale, and just down-right awful. Don't get me wrong, I like a good old hymn once and a while, but there's a reason you can't find a radio station in your town that plays hymns all day long. Think about it.
• Unwritten "dress-codes" at church.
• Christian speak. "Thanks be to Jesus who is our sanctification and justification by the election of God's redemptive predestination!" (Not trying to be sacreligious here, just saying.)
• "Us" vs. "Them" mentality. Come to us, we aren't coming to you.

Do you see any "child-proofing" at your church? If so, let me remind you of this verse and this one. Now, what are you going to do about it?