Church Folk

In our 'enlightened' age many people do not feel the need to make church attendance a part of their regular schedule.  If I were to take a poll to find out why, I would hear varying excuses: 'I can have church at home by listening to a television preacher', or 'my church streams services', or the all time  prevailing answer: 'Christians are hypocrites'.  I've heard it all, and quite honestly sometimes I don't blame them for that last comment.  As Christians we know that as awesome as many of the television pastors are, or how cool it is to watch our own church online, there is nothing like experiencing church in real time.  Psalm 133:1 says 'Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity'.  Attending church brings unity and gives us a sense of belonging, but more importantly, deepens our commitment and relationship to Christ.  Or it should.

I said earlier that I don't blame people who say 'Christians are hypocrites'.  That thinking however will not give them a pass go into Heaven.  If all it takes to get into Heaven is to tell Jesus that church folk were hypocrites and that you did everything else right, then none of us would need to go to church.  I am not saying you have to attend church to get into Heaven, I am saying that part of being Christian is obeying Christ's commands and living the kind of life he lived.  If you think you have trouble dealing with church folk, think about what he went through.  He was ridiculed in his local synagogue, he had to chase the money lenders out of one synagogue, and we all know who the masterminds were behind getting him killed.  

None of us has any excuse for not going to church.  Let me tell you a secret: there is no perfect church because there are no perfect people.  The key is to find the right Bible-based, Christ-taught church for you.  It may not be the same church to which your family has gone for generations.  It may not be a 'traditional' church with 'traditional' service times and days.  Remember, the key is what is taught. Also remember, the people inside the building came from outside of the building, just like you and I did.  Now everyone inside the building is growing at different levels.   Some people grow fast like grass in the middle of the Florida rainy season.  Some people grow slow like grass in the dessert, in the summertime.  On top of the growth process we must all go through, we will always make mistakes.  Mistakes that range from simple foot-in-mouth disease to falling, through weakness.   

When we go to church we go to gather together but even Jesus knew there were some people in the church who were only there to cause trouble.  Ask God to direct you to the right church for you.  When you get there, ask Him to direct you to the right groups and the right people.  Ask Him for wisdom and for discernment,  'For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.' 1 Corinthians 14:33.  What I am saying may sound mean, but the point is we need to be strong enough to be able to deal with and interact with all types of people and personalities or we can break under the pressure.  That is not God's best for us.  As Christians we are all God's children, but He did not call us to personalize every one's issues and worldly attitudes because they have not grown to where they should be.  In those instances we must pray for people then let go and let God.

Stop making excuses for not attending church.  Stop allowing people, their personalities, and yet worldly attitudes stop us from our blessings.  God has a way of directing our paths and answering our prayers for a job, a house, a car, a spouse, then why not a church?  

'Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  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.' Hebrews 10:23-25.