Yea, it's been awhile. But I was awakened early this morning with a burden to write some thoughts that God has been stirring in me for awhile.
In my work as a young adult ministry director, tasked with helping to solve the issue of a young adult migration from church, I’ve stumbled on something I find somewhat disturbing. The conversations start out well enough, but invariably lead to a statement made by my conversant that, though they take many forms, typically have one origin.
“Well Pastor, I like going to church, I really do, but Sabbath mornings, I am so tired that I like to sleep in.” Or “I get so much more out of just sitting in nature and allowing God to talk to me from His second book than I do sitting in church.” Or “I have to be honest with you, there are things the church is doing that I just don’t agree with and I can’t get anything whenever I go.” Or “There are so many great preachers on the internet, I get my spiritual blessing there. I mean, sometimes I watch 4 or 5 sermons in a row!” Or “I get so much more spending the morning alone with my prayer journal and my Bible reading plan, I’d rather not go and bother with all of the people at my church. Besides, most of them are hypocrites anyway.” Or “Sabbath School? Just an opinion fest! Church? Just a show…and it’s always the same.” And I could go on, but I think you’ve heard enough variations on the theme that you get my drift.
These aren’t new, but what is disturbing is that I’m hearing them more from people in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s than I am from young adults. To be sure, young adults are using some of the same statements and even adding new variations, but they all have a common origin. Self. What’s in it for ME? Or what isn’t there for me? Or what I get more from. Or what I like better. Or how I’m spiritually more advanced than the average pew sitter so shouldn’t have to be bothered on a Sabbath morning to go and sit next to them. And if church really is all about me, then why shouldn’t I be able to decide how I spend my Sabbath mornings? And the same being that started the selfishness thing is behind those thoughts, because he knows that if he can’t hit the church head on, then he will divide and conquer.
But then I come to this passage in Hebrews 10:19-25 NLT
Heb. 10:23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 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.
Verses 19-23 most certainly would encourage us in our personal pursuit of God, but suddenly verse 24 turns us outwardly. Now we move from thinking about “me and God” to “we and God”. Notice the words “Let us” and then the commands that follow… “think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” “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.”
Perhaps here, we get a clue as to why many of us have given up on church. Perhaps it’s because we have missed our role. And perhaps church, in the way it is currently happening, isn’t conducive to helping us with our role.
If I were to make a case for your role at church just looking at these passages, unassisted by the many others in scripture that are saying the same thing, I would say that first and foremost, you are called to be a worshipper as you remember the sacrifice Christ made, and the fact that He made it possible to approach the throne of grace. Worship because your guilt has been taken away. Christ has made you clean. Hold tightly to that belief and worship Christ because of it.
“But I can do that at home, or in nature!” you might be saying. And you would be right. You can worship anywhere. But now we come to another role of every Christian in the church. That of using your gifts to add to the sum total of the church.
A believer, singular, is just that. A believer. But to have a church, you have to have a group of believers. And it is into that group that the Holy Spirit disperses His gifts for the good of all believers. No one has ALL of the gifts. YOURS are important to the Body of Christ as well. So… “think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” “Encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
This means that even if you aren’t on the program, you have a role to play. The Holy Spirit could have brought someone to church that needs your love and encouragement. And if you aren’t there to distribute it according to your giftedness, that person will leave just as empty and discouraged as when they came. And enough times of experiencing nothing at church ends up causing another to drop out.Now before you accuse me of laying all the blame on you and seek to self-justify, let me just say, “I get it.” YOU aren’t the church’s salvation, and therefore you shouldn’t have to carry the responsibility of being there for other people. And to a point…you’re right. Jesus is the only Savior of anyone, the church people included.
But what I am saying is that He has called you to be His hands and feet, not just to address the noble causes of starving children and abused women and homeless people. But He is calling you to also serve those who sit in the pew with you. Those who come and are starving spiritually. Those who have suffered the abuse of a bad workplace all week and just long for some spiritual balm to give them courage to go back into it. Those who find themselves without a home church, but who keep looking. YOU have what they need, and God can use YOU!
So before you skip church again this week, think about the blessing of service that you are missing if you do. Think about who won’t be welcomed or encouraged if you aren’t there. Think about the contribution to the Body of Christ that you can make instead of the blessing you want for yourself. And you will invariably find that the blessing you were looking for is waiting for you in the foyer before church, or in the fellowship hall after church, or in Sabbath School class where someone pours out their heart and gives you a chance to respond with a private note of encouragement. As the old Nike ad pointed out: “You won’t know unless you go.”
And after you have engaged for a while, take a Sabbath off to recoup. Spend some time in nature, or with your Bible, or watching sermons on the internet. Just don’t make that your weekly go-to. Because someone at the church was put there to encourage YOU. And they can’t use their gift if you aren’t there.
Heb. 10:23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25And 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.
