I have talked to many people who say church isn't for them. They say "I don't like the atmosphere. I don't have time. I don't have to go to church to be a Christian. So-and-so is a hypocrite and they go to church, so I don't want anything to do with it. Church people are self-righteous. I don't like to sing". The list goes on and on!
Then there are those (I have/do fall into this category) who go to church but aren't being the church. There is a huge difference. Going to church, doing bible study, joining a small group, posting cute pictures of bible verses on facebook and downloading a devotion app are all important and contribute to spiritual growth but is that really being the church? Are we being the hands and feet of Jesus? God chose us to be the people He uses to work miracles through, share love with and provide for His children. He is using US to do HIS incredible work! One of my pastors (I go to many different churches) Todd Cook of Sagebrush Community Church said that God does not care about what kind of car we drive. Well, yeah that is an easy concept. Everyone knows that! Then he proceeded to say God cares about how many people we gave a ride...
God must be frustrated with us. We have some who think church is a building of moral people who judge the sinners, self-righteous hypocrites and a bunch of bible thumpers. We let one person, two, maybe even many people turn us off and now we have shut out God. In the words of C.S. Lewis "A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell". The point is; you are loosing out. God's wonderfulness does not depend on whether or not you believe He exists or is a good God. He is no matter what you think. And for those of us who think 'living a good life' by going to church every Sunday, not smoking and tithing a few times is really being the church well, we would be wrong! God wants our heart, He wants us to serve all people and sacrifice everything we are for others.
This situation we find ourselves in would not have been apparent to me had I not tuned into Pastor Todd's message today. So, whether you are hesitant to give church another try or you need to be inspired again to get out of the pews and into the streets pouring out God's love to everyone you meet, I encourage you to change your day (and maybe even your life) by listening to a much wiser and funnier person than me! Tune in at http://www.sagebrush.cc/currentseries. Be prepared for a whole new church experience!
