How are you coming with your New Year’s resolutions so far? Are you making progress, or have you given up already? One resolution worth making is deciding to attend church regularly. In a church fellowship, you can develop relationships with others who are going through the same life events you are facing.
One reason people give for not attending church is that they cannot find one that is a “good fit.” Therefore, they hop around from church to church like a water bug. Water bugs can walk on the surface of the water because their feet never break the surface tension between the water molecules. Their feet never penetrate beyond the surface, so the water holds them up as they scurry from place to place. Finally, a fish comes along and devours them.
In “Made to Count,” authors Bob Reccord and Randy Singer wrote:
“Recent polls show a dramatic increase in “Church hoppers”—those who flit from one church to the next like a water bug, never fully landing and immersing themselves into a local body of believers. Something is never quite right. The preacher preaches too long, the members are not very friendly, the music is ‘not my style.’ There’s got to be another church that will better meet my needs. And so the water bug goes, from one church to the next, landing for a flicker here, a moment there, constantly in search of the perfect fit and missing a vital part of their calling. They need to understand an important truth about the church. The church does not exist to serve them. That mindset—consumer Christianity or ‘McChurch’ as some call it—is simply not scriptural.” (https://amzn.to/2RGyhaC) 1.
Instead of church hopping this year, why not penetrate the surface and actually get involved in a church? Go below the superficial level and get involved in the lives of the people there. They are not perfect. The music will not be perfect. The pastor is not perfect, but then again, neither are you. All of us are in the process of becoming more of whom Christ designed us to be. We will never find that perfection in this life, but as Paul said, we need to press on toward the upward calling in Christ Jesus (See Philippians 3:14).
While some would argue that church attendance is not necessary for salvation, the writer of Hebrews exhorted us not to forsake the assembling together with other believers (Hebrews 10:25) Apparently it was a first century problem as well. Many in our country claim to be followers of Christ, but they never attend church except on special occasions like weddings and funerals.
In Revelation 21:9 and 22:17, the Apostle John calls the church the bride of Christ. Reccord and Singer also ask the question of how you could say that you love a friend but can’t stand his or her spouse. Your friend would say, “You must find a way to love my spouse as well if we are going to be friends.” Yet many people want to say that they love Christ, but they can’t stand church. That is like saying, “Jesus, I love you, but I can’t stand your bride.” Christ loved the church and gave his life for her (Ephesians 5:25). The church was important enough to Christ for him to lay down his life for her. The least we can do is to learn to love her, too, despite her imperfections.
Paul compared the church to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-20) All believers have a part in that body. The part you play is an important part of the church. Attending church allows you to exercise your spiritual gifts. If you have the gift of teaching, how can you exercise that gift if you are not involved in church? If you have the gift of exhortation, you need to be involved in the lives of people you can encourage. You will also find encouragement in your own struggles. “As iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17), so we sharpen each other. We need others if we want to stay sharp. Without you and your spiritual gifts, the church is incomplete.
If you only flit from church to church, you will never really know what is beneath the surface. Stay sharp this year. Get involved in church.
- Bob Reccord and Randy Singer, Made to Count: Discovering What to Do with Your Life, (Nashville: W Publishing. 2004) 91. https://amzn.to/2RGyhaC
Mike McGuire Ministries 