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

Attitude of Gratitude

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

~1 Thessalonians 5:18

In every thing... EVERY thing! Every good thing and bad thing. Happy thing and sad thing. Every trial and triumph. Give thanks! No matter what is going on, we are to give thanks and glorify God.

It's not easy, though. We are so easily distracted by our situations, sometimes is seems difficult, if not impossible, to show gratitude. We feel so "down" we forget to look "up".

God is Love!

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

~1 John 4:16

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

~Romans 2:4

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

~2 Corinthians 1:3

We could go on and on about the many kind, loving, merciful attributes of God! He is ALL of those things! He is our friend. Our comfort. Our healer. Our redeemer! He is that and so many more encouraging and reassuring things! 

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

~James 1:17

Yes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is, was and always will be the God of love, mercy, patience, kindness, grace, righteousness, wrath, justice .... Wait... what? God is more than just things that make me feel good inside? Yes. Indeed He is.

He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!

~Deuteronomy 32:4

God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day.

~Psalm 7:11

You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

~Exodus 34:14

I think many times we forget, or fail to recognize, that God is more than our buddy. He is our King! He is angry with our sin. He is jealous of our time and efforts not directed towards him. He is just and fair and will judge us accordingly. He is all powerful. He is eternal, sovereign, supreme, majestic! And we should recognize him as such! 

Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him.
~Psalm 33:8

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
~Proverbs 1:7

We should recognize Him as our Father. Give Him the respect and reverence He is due. And we should be so grateful and full of thanksgiving to Him for His patience with us! We have all fallen short of His glory!

In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.
~Romans 9:22

Think about it...

Spring Cleaning!

ARE YOU READY?!?!  IT'S TIME!  

Spring is here! And with Spring comes the endless reminders that we are supposed to be getting rid of the filth that is holding us back! It's the one time per year that we open up all our doors and windows and clean every crack, crease, and crevice. We throw out the old and make room for the fresh and new and pleasant!

Shouldn't this be done on a daily basis, not just the obligatory dates or required times?
Shouldn't we try to maintain a level of cleanliness and junk-free living?
Wouldn't it be easier and more beneficial to refresh and cleanse regularly than to let it all build up and try to do it all at once?

Oh, I am not talking about your house. No, no. I am talking about your life!
I am talking about your spiritual journey!

How often do we find ourselves waist deep in the world before we realize that we need to clean some stuff up in our lives? Too often, for me anyway. It's so easy to get distracted and deviate from where I KNOW I am supposed to be. You start slowly... you go a day without reading your Bible, you don't say a prayer here or there, you skip church one Sunday because you "need" a day off... before you know it, you are replacing the things and time you used to devote to God, with things and time devoted to the world. Doesn't God deserve better than that from us? Don't we want better for ourselves?

It's time to do some "Me Cleaning." Get rid of that filth that holds you back. Open up your heart and your mind and clean every crack, crease, and crevice. Throw out the old and make room for fresh and new. Renew yourselves daily in the Lord. Let Him create in you a new heart. Read His word and spend time with Him as often as you can.  

If you are too busy for God, you are too busy.

Christian Rubber: Two Versions of Me

Please take a moment to visit fellow blogger Omochan's most recent blog post about the struggle to find Christian community:
Christian Rubber: Two Versions of Me

New Life

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
~Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)

Colossians 3:1-17 almost seems like the introduction to being a Christian, to me.  It could be labeled "Following Christ 101: Beginner's Guide to Holy Living" (Hey, I like the sound of that) But in all seriousness, it is pretty straight-forward with how we are supposed to live, behave, conduct ourselves now that we know Christ.
Here are the do's and don't's, the yes's and no's of what to do/not do:

YES

• tenderhearted mercy
• kindness
• humility
• gentleness
• patience
• forgiveness
• love
• peace
• thankfulness

NO

• sexual sin
• impurity
• lust
• shameful desires
• greed
• anger
• rage
• maliciousness
• slander
• dirty language
• lies

This list is in no way the definitive, all inclusive list to righteousness. But, it is a really good starting point.  The main theme is stripping your life of the former way, the way you lived before knowing Christ, and clothing yourself in attributes that are fitting/becoming of someone who knows and recognizes the holiness, righteousness, and purity of Jesus. It's about acknowledging that we are sinners. You know how they say that the first step is admitting you have a problem? Admit it. You are human. You are fallible. You need Jesus! And you need to live in such a way that others cannot accuse you of anything other than loving Jesus and living for Him. It's not easy. You will try and you will fail. But the important thing is to keep trying! Keep striving to be more and more like Him. Don't let your flesh get the best of you! You can do it! You can do ALL things through Christ! So, start here. Exhibit love and patience and kindness, etc. Let go of anger and rage and dirty language, etc. Try your best to be an example of Christ's love. Be that little part of Jesus that someone sees today.