"Church is boring!"
Oh no! That's not me speaking! Our church is wonderful and involving! :) The speaker here was a friend of mine, a Signal Officer. Of course, he was deployed in Iraq at the time so compared to that anything would be mild. But his point was that, for men especially, sitting still for an hour (or more if you include Sunday School) with a rope tied around your neck is not the most fun thing to do in the world. We'd rather be out and about doing something, rather than sitting and listening.
Do you agree? Even if you're a woman, or a child, do you find that there are a hundred other things you'd rather be doing than sitting in church? And if you have a physical challenge is that even more of a reason to avoid the place because you can't hear or see or follow what's going on and you seem to either be ignored or stared at?
If so, where are you during church? Not the building with the children crying and squirming and the air conditioner or heater on the blink (or if you're a child, stuck in a seat with a bunch of adults telling you to be quiet). But in your heart and soul and mind? Do you see "the LORD, high and lifted up" like Isaiah did (Isaiah 6:1)? Do you have your eyes "fixed on JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2)? That's what you could be seeing and enjoying if you will only ask the LORD to open your heart to it.
We are told in the Bible that as Believers we are not to "forsake the gathering" (Hebrews 10:25). We need each other. Not for entertainment, like a night at the theatre, but for mutual support. A church is just a get-together of "sinners saved by Grace" and other folks who may not have experienced salvation but know they want to see a clearer vision of God.
Yes, the pastor and the other folks in charge at a local congregation have an obligation to involve those sitting there every Sunday. No, you are not required to wear a tie (and might be out of place in some gatherings). And with the culture the way it is the pressure is on to make it entertaining. Too often, too much so. But the real power of a congregation is a gathering of souls in one place to affirm their need for each other and the LORD in a world where taking a stand for either is not politically correct.
Get into the Word of GOD on your own and spend time with Him so that you can share what you hear and learn from Him with others when you gather. Listen to the Scriptures and speak to the LORD from the heart, alone and when you are in a church. And soon you will find yourself not just in the presence of other human beings but in the company of angels, praising and adoring the King of Kings and LORD of LORDs with thousands upon ten thousands of heavenly beings and with the souls of all the saints who went before you whenever you are at church. You will see the exploits of the Bible brought to life in your heart and mind as if you were there at the Creation, on the mountaintop with Moses, in the midst of the storm with JESUS. You will see before your eyes the very GOD of very GOD nailed to a cross, dead, and risen from the grave, and seated at the right Hand of the Almighty, all for you, inviting you to join Him after telling others about Him here and now. And that can never be boring.
Do you agree? Even if you're a woman, or a child, do you find that there are a hundred other things you'd rather be doing than sitting in church? And if you have a physical challenge is that even more of a reason to avoid the place because you can't hear or see or follow what's going on and you seem to either be ignored or stared at?
If so, where are you during church? Not the building with the children crying and squirming and the air conditioner or heater on the blink (or if you're a child, stuck in a seat with a bunch of adults telling you to be quiet). But in your heart and soul and mind? Do you see "the LORD, high and lifted up" like Isaiah did (Isaiah 6:1)? Do you have your eyes "fixed on JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2)? That's what you could be seeing and enjoying if you will only ask the LORD to open your heart to it.
We are told in the Bible that as Believers we are not to "forsake the gathering" (Hebrews 10:25). We need each other. Not for entertainment, like a night at the theatre, but for mutual support. A church is just a get-together of "sinners saved by Grace" and other folks who may not have experienced salvation but know they want to see a clearer vision of God.
Yes, the pastor and the other folks in charge at a local congregation have an obligation to involve those sitting there every Sunday. No, you are not required to wear a tie (and might be out of place in some gatherings). And with the culture the way it is the pressure is on to make it entertaining. Too often, too much so. But the real power of a congregation is a gathering of souls in one place to affirm their need for each other and the LORD in a world where taking a stand for either is not politically correct.
Get into the Word of GOD on your own and spend time with Him so that you can share what you hear and learn from Him with others when you gather. Listen to the Scriptures and speak to the LORD from the heart, alone and when you are in a church. And soon you will find yourself not just in the presence of other human beings but in the company of angels, praising and adoring the King of Kings and LORD of LORDs with thousands upon ten thousands of heavenly beings and with the souls of all the saints who went before you whenever you are at church. You will see the exploits of the Bible brought to life in your heart and mind as if you were there at the Creation, on the mountaintop with Moses, in the midst of the storm with JESUS. You will see before your eyes the very GOD of very GOD nailed to a cross, dead, and risen from the grave, and seated at the right Hand of the Almighty, all for you, inviting you to join Him after telling others about Him here and now. And that can never be boring.
posted by Ariel Lion of God | 7:55 AM
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