The Excuses We Make

Very often I hear people say they can't find a church or church's membership is too old, or they don't like the music, it is not their kind of music, or any old excuse not to attend church services.

It is so funny to me because church is not about you! Church is about honoring and worshipping God; giving him glory and thanks. We seem to think that church is about us. God instituted the church worship for Himself! We are to discover the Word of God for God's people. We are God's church, each one of us, individually and collectively.

Folks will say, "well, I watch church services on television," and "that is all the church I need."

How selfish is that? We feel comfortable when we don't have to interact with anyone and we can sit in our comfortable and private homes and watch church services. Don't feel like talking or meeting anyone? Well, oddly enough, God did not expect us to be vacuum unto ourselves.

I was reading in today's paper an article by Rev. Billy Graham and someone wrote him and asked the question,"what would be wrong with just watching services on television?"

His response was that church services on television have their place, and specifically for older people who can't get out to attend, but when you can get to church, you should take advantage of the opportunities God will give you there.

Many folks are looking for a church like the one they used to have, but rarely when you move from city to city, state to state, one part of a state to another part, will you ever find a church like the one you used to have.

In Hebrews 10:25, the bible says, "let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another."

As Christians we need each other. God didn't intend for us to be isolated from other believers. So if you call yourself a Christian, stop being selfish, and go to church. There is someone who needs to see you, to hear your voice, or receive a touch from you! Some of us have a healing touch. Someone might be ill and you have that healing touch, that gift that God gave you! And you don't want to share it; you want to sit comfortably back in your TV chair and watch service on TV. Get up and get out of that chair!

Sometimes we visit a church and one visit we say, "I don't like that church or they were singing my kind of music." The bible tells us to "sing a joyful noise unto the Lord." The bible doesn't specify what kind of music. Maybe the people in the church aren't that friendly, huh? Well, shame on them! They should be friendly. God has blessed them and got them up out of their beds and they should be joyfully singing God's praises, right? Everyone should be greeted with a smile. Guess what? You could be that person. If you are cheerful person and God has blessed that way, you should come to church and cheerful great other Christians.

You can't judge a church only by a single visit. However, my husband and I did. We join our church on the same day we visited. We were greeted warmly, we went to Sunday School class and everyone was friendly and we liked the Sunday School teacher, and then the Pastor came and greeted us personally. True he had heard we were in town, but he didn't know what day we would visit. To top it all, we enjoyed the Pastor's sermon, the message from God that he brought to the congregation.

When you visit a church, look to see how you can contribute to it and not so much what you can take from the church. God has blessed you with specific gifts and He expects you to share your gifts with the body of Christ. We are created for God's purposes, and not the other way around.

Ask God to lead you to a church where Christ is preached and the Word of God is taught, and where you can fellowship with other believers. There are no perfect people in church. Jesus Christ was the only perfect person. We are to imitate Him; no way we can be just like Him.

Thought for Today: Don't pre-jude or judge a church on only one or two visits. Ask God to guide you, for He knows what is best for you!