Why Won't They Come to Church?

I remember when I was growing up, I was probably about 9 years old and the First Free Will Baptist Church bus used to come through our apartment complex. I would get up and get on that bus all by myself on Sunday mornings. I remember coming home one Sunday with anticipation because I had heard the story of Jesus! I went into my bedroom later that day and knelt next by my bed and asked God into my heart. It's funny how when you are an innocent child you can comprehend the simplicity of the Gospel: God sent His son to live as man, he was crucified, died for our sins, resurrected, and now lives! So why as adults do we find it so hard believe that, live like it's true, or even attend church?

The truth is there are too many of us that claim to be Christians, but nothing in our lives reflects a change in any way. We stroll into church every other week, ask God to forgive us for some broad spectrum sins, toss a $20 in the offering plate and live the rest of our lives like God never came as man, died on a cross for our sins, and left the Holy Spirit to comfort us and live through us! Sure you don't have to go to church to be a Christian, but what are you doing in place of the time you would be spending at church? Are you helping the poor, the widows & orphans, the homeless? What are people seeing in you that makes them think that you are any different from them? If we are truly saved shouldn't we want to be with other Christians praising God for all He's done for us? The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, " And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." If Christians who are saved won't go to church than why would somebody who is lost go? God is coming soon. "The Day approaching" is the coming of Christ. Are we going to be found in Christ when He comes or will we be doing our own worldly thing?

There are many verses in the Bible that tell us how we should live and I have put them in previous blogs. Titus 3:3 says, "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another."I don't want the lost to see that in me! I once was those things, but not any more! I am a new creation! I'm not who I used to be, nor do I want to be her again. We are to stand out from the world, not fit in.  

When you are visiting family and you are the only Christian, do you invite your family to go visit a church because you don't want to miss what's going on with God, even for one Sunday? When family comes to visit, do they understand that you and your family go to church on Sunday morning and Sunday night, no excuses and if they want to spend time with you then they can come with you? Do people see you and think, "Man, she sure loves God!"? We don't have to have perfect attendance and shouldn't feel guilty when we don't go to church every Sunday, Sunday night, or Wednesday night, but there should be a want to be at church, to talk about God to people, and show your family that God is the priority over everything. 

I got an email yesterday with a prayer for our country by Billy Graham. This is what he said, "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable... We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and Set us free. Amen!' With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we once again can be called 'One nation under God!'

I don't think I could even begin to add to this prayer anything other than an another "Amen!" 

Think about it!

Are you ready to be a stand up Christian? One that not only attends church but is the church? Is it time to be courageous and show your family and unsaved friends that God and church coincide and are most important in your life? Don't let "the Day" pass you by, leaving you behind wondering what it was you could have done. Get your relationship with Christ settled today and know that you know that you know, He is your Savior for real!