| It's Good to Know A Christian perspective on current issues. By Bob Smith |
| I once read that 48% of people who claim to go to church only attend once a month. It would appear that the days of perfect attendance pins are long gone and maybe they should be. I recall a conversation I had with an old farmer who boasted to me that he once attended Sunday School every Sunday for ten years and had the pin to prove it. But he also said that he hadn't been to church in about twenty years since then. I couldn't help but wonder what it was that he was so devoted to for ten straight years that would disappear and lead him out of church. I could appreciate a doctrinal issue causing him to leave that particular church; but to give up on church in general? What was he going to church for? Church attendance has fallen way down on the priority list in recent years and that is both good and bad. It is good because church attendance is no longer used as an indication of our spirituality. It is bad because we have thrown out the baby with the bath water. Because church attendance has been abused in the past doesn't mean that church attendance isn't important. Unfortunately, in our society, church attendance has become irrelevant to our spirituality, but is it? Every so often, I will hear the comment, “You don't have to go to church to worship God.” This is a true statement, but there are a couple of problems with it. First there is the assumption that the sole purpose of church is for worship. Church does indeed facilitate the command in Ephesians 1:12 to “live for the praise of His glory.” As well, we are told to be “singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart.” But there is more to the purpose of the church than the worship of God. Church involvement plays a part in our witness. When we leave our homes to come to church, we are making a silent statement to the unbelieving world concerning our commitment. What is so important that we would sacrifice our weekend time for it? I recall when, a few years back, a couple missed church because they attended a ballgame. It would be legalism to judge their spirituality based upon this choice; but what kind of message does it send to those within their sphere of influence? Could they have not found another date to attend? Maybe not, maybe these were tickets given to them; but when people miss church what keeps them away? The point here is: what kind of message are we sending to our neighbors, spouse or kids? | Even with this public witness, the purpose of the church is not fulfilled. In Ephesians 4:12-13 Paul adds to the scope of the church's purpose, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” In verse 11, Paul identifies the leadership that is given to believers and in verses 12-13, he gives the reason why. The church's purpose is also to be a place where people come to serve in order to build up the church, bringing together faith and knowledge resulting in mature Christians. The work of the saints is service. This would seem to be in direct contradiction to the idea that maturing comes by sitting and listening; but here it is clear that the pathway to maturity is through the service of building up the people of God. This doesn't mean that sitting and listening doesn't take place, but clearly, God's design is for more than “sittin' and soakin'. There is more to church than just worshipping; there is evangelizing and discipling through service. Yet, people still feel that consistent involvement in a local church is unimportant because they feel that these behaviors can still take place outside of the four walls of the church, and they can. But do they? Many people miss church to be involved in other activities, but do these other activities involve worship, witnessing and discipling? We still need to mention the place of the Lord's Supper and baptism in the purpose of the church. Many times these are forgotten as unimportant in the Christian life, but nothing could be further from the truth. Ultimately, we should be encouraged by the knowledge that God does not ask of us that which does not ultimately benefit us. It is good to be reminded of that here. This shouldn't be a witch-hunt to chastise people and label them as “lazy” or “uncommitted.” Rather this is an opportunity for us to be reminded of the importance of church and the greater gain that is ours through our consistent commitment. Church is a place where our souls find great satisfaction through worship, witness and service. Sometimes it's easy to forget that. Let us be encouraged that our commitment to a local church is not wasted, but is working for us the abundance of life that we eternally seek. |
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