Is the Church to you a What or a Who?

Is this your question? “Why go to church on Sunday when I can just pray and worship in private?”  Or, this one?  “Why do I have to go to church?  God looks at the heart.  I can worship anytime, anywhere.  I can stream live and listen to my favorite preacher.  And, I do not have to get out of my pajamas!”

I can certainly understand this point.  Convenience and attempting to solve the time constraints that our modern times impose on us demand it.  How much better it is when we do not have to asks these questions in our mind because we look forward to the weekend so we can worship!

We are excited to see the brethren who think alike and we wake up on Sunday eager to go and knowing we will return home having communed with God.

A SPECTATOR OR A PARTICIPANT

For the few times, I was at the pulpit and held responsible for putting a few to sleep with my sharing, I can certainly tell if a person in the audience is a spectator or participant.  Spectators watch and listen but do not engage.  They look at you with expectation and if you fail them, they tune out.  Soon they get to sleep, fidgety or distracted.

On the other hand, participants go where you take them and act and respond to what it is you are sharing, nodding and agreeing, or even disagreeing.

This reminds me of a story of two men who went to heaven.  One is a pastor and the other a New York taxi driver.  The pastor was getting envious of the warm reception the taxi driver was getting as compared to his.

So, he asked Saint Peter why.  Peter answered, “In your life down there, your preaching turned many to sleep and brought the very little result.  But, this taxi driver, as soon as passengers ride his taxi cab, the passengers do not stop praying and repenting of their sins!  That’s why we have so many saved people here to greet him.”

Participants or True Worshipers in church worship with the worship leader.  They pray in agreement with the prayers of the pastor.  The word from God impacts them and they are ready and willing to be changed by it. They return home fulfilled knowing God spoke to them.  So, they come back next time without any urging.

TWO REASONS ONE IS NOT A TRUE WORSHIPER

If we look deeper into this matter, our attitude towards God, which gets manifested in missing church often, being indifferent to the activities of the church, not serving, not obeying, and not giving paints a sad picture of where we are in our walk with God.  There are only two reasons for it.

First, that person relates to the church as a What and not a Who.  

Second, this posture may be the beginning of faith turning cold?  It could also be both.

The Called-Out Ones, the Who

Now, let us understand What or Who the Church is.  Contrary to common practice and belief, the church is not a building or a temple.  Consider this statement the Lord Jesus made: “…on this rock, I will build my Church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18.)

Unlike King Solomon and Herod, the great, who the bible says were builders, the Lord did not build nor leave us a physical building or temple.  But, what He established, which survived and prevailed thousands of years, was (is) an assembly of those who believed and followed Him. Jesus called this assembly His church.  Therefore, the Church is a Who and not a What.

The word “church”, translated from the Greek word “Ekklisia” (Latin: Ecclesia), means “the called-out ones”.  Called out from where? you ask; called out from the world.

The connotation is that believers (followers), who are the Church, are called out from the world and the culture to be distinct and different from that world and culture.

As such, they are to live and to act differently from the way the world and that culture live and behave.  For example, believers are called, to be salt and light, to display and reflect the goodness of God to their peers. 

Believers are commanded by faith, to love, to forgive, not to lie, not to steal, to flee sexual immorality, to shun evil, etc., which will distinguish them from the world.  Evidence of this is throughout history, believers, the Church, established hospitals, orphanages, universities, outreaches, and missions as a testament of their obedience to God’s command to be distinct, different, obedient, loving, and even generous. 

Not a Building but an Assembly of Followers

If the Church is you and me, the followers of Christ, how are we to behave towards it, which is ourselves?  Could there be a place in it for apathy, indifference, and disrespect?

It is like being indifferent and disrespectful to yourself.  We can’t grow a relationship with a building or a denomination.  But we can grow a relationship with the church of which we are a part.

The church of Peter, John, and the disciples is a good pattern to follow.  On the first day of the week (that means weekly on Sundays) they gathered.

The bible says: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread (remembering the Lord’s death) and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42) Implied in this verse is their love for the Lord and for each other.

This is the model the wise God left the church to follow.  They met as an assembly, each one, with his or her giftedness, met together to hear the word of God, to know how the Lord is working in their lives, to be instructed, built up and encouraged, to worship and pray.

Why Going to Church is Beyond Tradition

The Lord Jesus told Levi, “Come, follow Me!” and he immediately followed, leaving all.  So, after we accepted Christ, we follow Him.

Shall we follow from afar, just like Peter that night when the Lord suffered?  Or, shall we follow with a divided heart, serving both God and Mammon? (Matthew 6:24) or, shall we follow half-heartedly with an attitude, compelled and not willingly with joy?

Going to church is more than a tradition. It is also a time of rest from the usual routine of the days of the week.  It is a time to worship together with the brethren of the same beliefs.  It is a time to pray corporately.  And most importantly, it is time to be nourished with spiritual food from the preaching of the Word.

Practicing this week by week, consistently, prevents one from being slowly eased into lethargy and indifference. The desire to do these with joy must be there.  If it is not, then the issue may be of the heart.  It could be a symptom of love for Him that is growing cold.

A Heart turning Cold

The lack of desire to worship God and fellowship with the saints could mean the waning of passion for the Lord.  It violates the first commandment to love the Lord (with all our heart, soul, and mind) and not have other gods (or passions) before Him.

If you look at the “un-church’s” Sundays, it is filled with things personal, sleeping-in, hair or nails job, hanging out with friends (or boyfriend), entertainment, work, or even errands.  These are not necessarily wrong in themselves, but, these are wrong when you exchange them for the time which should have been spent for your regular, weekly spiritual edification and fellowship with the Lord.

Yes, as believers, we have the freedom to worship at any time and anywhere.  But, when you give up the consistent gathering with the church, the natural tendency is to veer away, albeit slowly. This pretty much explains why we go to church.

We need fellowship with God and with the saints consistently and regularly.  That is why the Lord set aside that day as a day of rest, precisely to rest from our daily pursuit, rest from looking after our own selves, and devoting that time for Him and our spiritual health.

The waning of passion for God should not be a surprise.  The Bible prophesied about this.  In 1Timothy 4:1, it is written “…in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons”.

We cannot but conclude that our culture, technology, and times eased in the church of the Laodiceans, the church which is neither hot nor cold.  Now, the phrase “departing from the faith” does not necessarily mean abandoning the faith in the gospel or the salvation we have in Christ, altogether.

It could mean abandoning some precepts of the faith while maintaining the others; sort of half following, half disobeying.  That is why the Lord characterized that faith as “lukewarm”.

The Last Days

Remember the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13:24-30?  As the wheat was growing with the tares, the master cautioned his servants not to take out the tares because they look so alike to wheat that doing so will endanger the wheat.

This parable is a sad commentary of our times.  This means that in the last days (before the harvest; during our time), there is little distinction between the tares and the wheat; between the un-church (the tares who disbelieve), and the church (the wheat).  At this time, believers behave, live, and look like the world.  Do you agree?

The proof is, if we look at the issues that the Christian home is struggling with, we see that it struggles with the same issues as what the world is struggling with – Addiction, cohabitation, patronage of pornography, divorce, gender identity, and disrespect of parents.

The church of earlier generations did not live like this.  It ought not to be for us but it is.  What should we do?

Concluding Thoughts

From the Old and New Testaments, we are taught that those who obeyed and followed God closely were not many but only a few, a “remnant”.  They are a small number who are faithful followers, consecrated, dedicated, and set apart for the Lord.  In the Old Testament, God called
the Jews who responded to His call, “His people”, a remnant.

In the New Testament, we are told this: “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:14).  There, the Lord acknowledged that those who will follow Him are but a few.  Only a remnant finds that narrow way.

Sadly, even some of those already in the narrow way fall away.  That is because the way is narrow and difficult and Satan works to derail our walk.

You know that the deceitfulness of sin and the wiles of the enemy are shrouded with apparent benefits.  It takes discernment to identify and avoid them. All the distractions that the enemy throws our way are meant to slow us down, distort our focus and priority, trick us to set aside our goals, or overburden us so we do not triumph.

The enemy is wise.  He knows our weakness and he is working double-time to tempt us and take us away from our race.  His success is a heart that is turning cold for God.

Remember that our walk as believers is a marathon!  That being the case, we have to be focused, vigilant and intentional in our walk to keep at it.  Are you prepared to make the choice to be part of the few who are a remnant and follow Him?  Or, will you let go, allow yourself to fall out of the narrow path and be swept away with the world into the broadway? The choice is ours and time is ticking away.

We ought to be that remnant who are faithful to obey.  And, even if we failed in times past and continue to fall, fortunately, just as He has given a chance to the church of the Laodiceans, He gives that chance to us, too.  There is a way out!  He said “As many as I love, I rebuke (saying you are lukewarm) and chasten.

Therefore, be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me.” Revelation 3:19-21.

God is the God of many second chances.  He is merciful and loving, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.  But, it is wrong to abuse that kindness.  Let us respond as we responded to Him when we first believed.  Let us repent and have a change of mind and a change of direction.  Let us rekindle our love for the Lord.  Having repented, coming back to the fold, and coming to the church regularly is a good first step.

In His word, He gave all the tools and examples needed to enable us to do it.  The spiritual disciplines taught in scriptures such as meditation in God’s word, prayer, getting a prayer partner to make us accountable, communion, and of course, consistent fellowship with the brethren are vital in keeping the love vibrant and alive.

The Lord said in John 5:4, “Abide in Me”, instructing us to cling to Him, as a branch clings to the vine, which is perfect advice to cure lethargy and “lukewarmness”.   By abiding to Him, we will continue to get the nourishment for our souls that keep us thriving for the long haul.  We have to be proactive to keep the love burning, reminding ourselves of the goodness of God over and over.

Lastly, let us be reminded of the words written to us in Hebrews 10:22-25 saying let us draw near v22, let us hold fast v23, let us consider one another, stir up love and good work v24 (not possible doing alone), not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as you see the Day approaching.

Yes, being part of an assembly requires sacrifice and making choices.  The Lord knew that and it is part of the reason why He said, “deny yourself and follow Me”.  That means denying yourself the pleasure of spending that day in leisure, entertainment, and other pursuits and spending that time in obedience to Him.

For He is much better than any of our pursuits and passions!  And, He is infinitely better than silver or gold!