Church: To Go or Not To Go?

Let's talk about church. No, not THE church, the body of Christ, the people "not the building"... Not that. I wanna talk about the place where we go to worship and learn. More specifically, I want to discuss the reasons why people either do or do not attend church. There are many reasons we may give when asked: Why do/don't you go to church?

Here are some reasons Christians give for why they DO attend:

• fellowship with other Christians
• being fed spiritually
• good music
• encouraging messages
• habit
• obligation

Here are some reasons Christians give for NOT attending:

• obligation
• organized religion feels forced/not genuine
• not being spiritually fed
• feeling that attendance does not grant salvation
• hypocrisy within the church
• feel guilty of sin
• offended by pastor/members

Hebrews 10:24,25 states:

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 

25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

I think that it is important for us to each examine our reasons/excuses for why we have decided to attend/not attend.  If you DO attend, are you going for the right reasons? Are you going because it makes you feel good? Are you going because you think you have to? If you DON'T attend, is it because you have been hurt? Is it because you feel like you don't have to go to church to be a Christian?

The main thing is: If you ARE or AREN'T going for any other reason than God, then you may want to reevaluate your choices.

Will simply going to church get you into heaven? No. Will avoiding church help you grow spiritually? No.  God should be the driving force in all of our decisions.  I am not against going to church, nor am I opposed to those who do not attend. 

My personal story is this:

I used to avoid church. I was in the category that believed that going to church made me a Christian as much as walking into a garage made me a car. And I still believe that! The act of attending an hour long meeting once a week does not make you a Christian. I have seen the division in the church, and the gossip, and the lies, and some very "un-Christian-like" behavior. It bothered me. I looked around at a bunch of sinning hypocrites and wondered "What's the point?" But, although I studied at home on my own and sang and worshiped on my own, I did not feel that I was growing in my spiritual walk. I wasn't happy and I felt like I needed someone to hold me accountable, so I started attending church more. And guess what!? I still wasn't content! The people were disappointing. The message was disappointing. Nothing was just how I wanted it. That's right! I avoided church and I was unhappy, I went to church and I was unhappy. So, I changed the reasons why I was going. I started going to hear the Word and to learn about God. I started going to praise and worship Him. I started to realize that everyone there was just like me! Human. Fallible. Sinner. Yes, even our beloved Pastors. I realized that I needed God's grace and mercy just as much as I thought THEY needed it! I don't always want to go to church, but I go anyway. Not because I feel like I have to, but because I think that it is one of the better choices I can make with my time. I enjoy fellowship and I enjoy worship. I enjoy learning and hearing. And I don't put my focus on man, but on God: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I think that it is beneficial for us to gather and learn and worship together. And not just when it feels good or comfortable! It helps to discuss the uncomfortable things. The testing of your faith produces endurance! Let's not just talk about how kind and loving and giving and merciful God is! Let's talk about the stuff that is "not-so-comforting" to most. Let's talk about how God is jealous for us! Let's talk about His anger with our sin! Let's talk about the consequences of our actions! 

I may have went off on a little tangent in here somewhere...  :)

Either way, everyone has their reasons for why they do what they do and I would LOVE to hear your reasons for why you DO or DO NOT attend church services. Please leave your replies in the comment section!  :)

Scrutiny

How do you know you are a Christian? You believe in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? You asked for forgiveness and accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior? You have repented? You have a relationship with Him? Whatever it may be that you have personally experienced, you KNOW in your heart that you are a Christian. Right? 

Ok, then riddle me this...  How do OTHER PEOPLE know you are a Christian? How do THEY know that you have a relationship with Jesus? How do they know that you are a believer and FOLLOWER of Jesus Christ? Do you think it's because you post it all over Facebook or because you quote scripture? Do you think it's because you go to church or sing about Jesus? 

Doubtful.

Actions truly speak louder than words.

The things that you do.... people are watching. Christians and non-Christians alike. Your very lives and actions are a testimony to your walk with God. How you conduct yourself speaks volumes in regards to your beliefs. We are examples. We are examples to the world of Christ. We are to live in such a way that we cannot be accused of anything other than loving Christ and living for Him.

We are also human and horribly flawed, each and every one of us is errant. But that is no excuse to give up trying to be more like Christ. People are watching you. They hear you profess that you are Christian and that you love God! And then they see that curse word you post on Facebook or that picture of a scantily clad woman or some rapper smoking weed. You don't look cool. You look like a hypocrite. And people aren't looking for what you do right. They will always see the ways you fail before they recognize the ways you succeed.

You may be saying to yourself  "Who are they to judge me?!" But maybe it's not judging. Perhaps it's simply making an educated analysis of what they see. We are all guilty of making assumptions like this. Perhaps you have a friend or family member who goes to church twice a week and volunteers for the homeless and quotes scripture and creates beautiful music to magnify the Lord and curses like a sailor. Isn't it sad? That one little oopsy can completely negate all the wonderful deeds and words. Or you have a Pastor whom you love dearly and then you find out that he/she smokes cigarettes. Something simple that has no effect on you whatsoever, yet your view of their validity as a Christian is altered.

Let's face it: We have ALL sinned and fallen short of His glory. But it is not an excuse to conform to this world! Being a Christian is hard work! It isn't something you just say and POOF you're a Christian! It is a daily struggle and a lifestyle change! It is difficult and OH SO WORTH IT! It is rewarding and exciting and lonely at times! But DO NOT GIVE UP! Be more aware of what you are doing. You never who know is watching!

 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 
~1 Peter 2:16


For further study:
https://bible.org/seriespage/mark-1-example-others-imitate
http://christianteens.about.com/od/whatthebiblesaysabout/a/GodlyBehavior.htm
http://www.openbible.info/topics/being_a_good_example
http://www.gty.org/resources/study-guides/40-5216/godly-living