Back to Church

If you haven’t been to church lately, why not come this Sunday? Whether that’s the First Baptist Church, or the one you belong to but, you know, it’s been awhile since you’ve been there, matters not, as long as they worship Jesus as Lord and Savior, teach truth from the Bible and don’t serve lethal doses of red Kool-aide.

What are you doing this Sunday anyway that’s more important than encountering Almighty God in worship? Oh, you have a good excuse for not going to church? I totally get where you’re coming from. Here’s why I stopped going to ballgames:

1)      Whenever I go to a game, they ask for money.

2)      The other fans don’t seem to care about me.

3)      The seats are too hard.

4)      The weather is too cold/hot/rainy/windy.

5)      The coach never visits me.

6)      The referee makes calls I don’t agree with.

7) Some of the games go into overtime and make me late for dinner.

8)      The band plays songs I don’t know.

9)      My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.

10)  I know more than the coaches do anyway.

11)  I can be just as good a fan at the lake.

[* For the record: This list is not my own. It's out there in many variations in various places. I would cite the original source if I knew it.]

Okay, you’re right. I haven’t stopped going to ballgames. It would make me a hypocrite to say one thing and do another, and I don’t really want to give you any more ammunition to skip church because of all the hypocrites there.

I’ve read of motivational speaker Zig Ziglar inviting a friend to go to church with him. The man answered, “Well, I’d like to go, but the church is so full of hypocrites.” Ziglar responded, “That’s okay. There’s always room for one more.”

So, what’s your best excuse for not going to church? Any of the above sound familiar? Or, do you have a real, valid reason, like, “Someone in the church offended me”? Here’s my tender, kind-hearted, pastoral response to such an excuse: “Get over it.”

Seriously. Get over it. Forgive them and go on with life. Don’t let one person keep you from a right relationship with God. “But I love God,” you say. “It’s just that I can’t stand to be around His children.” And if that’s your attitude, then let me ask you how many friends you have who can’t stand your own children? I didn’t think so.

The Bible commands us to forgive one another. That’s not optional, nor conditional. I’m not saying your hurt isn’t real or that the wound is not deep. But your love for the Lord is revealed in your obedience to His commands, and your disobedience to the Lord reveals your lack of love. Regardless of whether the other person has admitted wrong or apologized, your job is to obey, “forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Nobody said following Jesus would be easy.

Let me challenge you to stop making excuses and come back to church. If you’re a professing Christian, you do need to be part of the fellowship of God’s people. You need the church body and the body needs you! (See 1 Corinthians 12 for details.)

Here’s what will happen. You will be welcomed with love and joy, not loathing and judgment. Whether you’ve been away for years or have never set foot inside the doors of the church for fear the walls will cave in, go to church this Sunday.

To be upfront, it’s not merely church attendance we want for you. We want you to know and love Jesus, love His people and get in on His mission to reach others with the gospel. That happens in the context of church. Come, encounter God in worship!