Wisdom From John
So, who needs Church?
There I was last Sunday standing outside our main sanctuary looking forward to another Sunday worshipping with friends and family when I was called to work. Duty called and I was off to distant places. Oh well, it was just "one" Sunday service; no big deal. And, then God began to teach me the lesson of the day.
It wasn't really work that had called me away; it was God. Seems He needed to teach me something important … like who needs church. How many times have we heard people say things like, "I don't need to go to church in order to find God. I see God everywhere; on the golf course, while I'm at the beach, and even when I'm hunting."
Many hold the belief that church attendance is not an essential part of living a good life. Many of the same individuals feel that churches are filled with hypocrites and radicals who have lost touch with reality. Their favorite question is, "Why go to church with a bunch of hypocrites?" On my drive yesterday, I discovered that the question they need to be asking is, "What happens when we die?"
If I am an Atheist then church is unimportant because at death, I'm just gone…there is nothing after death. It is to live for the moment, get what you can, forget the guilt trips and, enjoy the one and only life you'll ever have. Church is for the weak minded individuals who are afraid to think rationally or face reality; those who believe in superstitions. So, why attend?
If I belong to the Agnostic school of thought, I believe in a supreme being who created the universe and then left humans to their own demise. In this case, church is OK now and then, but don't overdo it. Church is really for those who need a social gathering place or some community involvement; a place to meet friends. But hey, if the Saints are playing at noon, don't look for them; they'll be at the game.
So, now we are down to the remaining two groups of individuals; those who are afraid of dying and are hedging their bets by going to church and, those who really believe in God.
For those hedging their bets, church attendance is like keeping score at the game; the more attendance check marks, the more likely they'll get into heaven …that is, if there really is a heaven. For these folks, church attendance depends on weather conditions, who is preaching and the length of the service. After all, these folks are basically good people who just need a little religion now and then in order to secure a ticket to heaven. Hell? God doesn't send "good" folks to hell. Hell is just for the really bad people.
Our last category consists of the nuts who really believe in God. These folks read their Bibles, attend church regularly regardless of weather conditions or NFL schedules, and actually pray believing God hears their prayers. It is their belief that if it is Sunday, it's time for church. To them, church is a place of healing, a place to learn and grow spiritually, and a place where they have an opportunity to be a servant to the Most High God whose name is the Great I AM. To them church attendance is not a requirement but an opportunity to learn and serve; missing a Sunday service is like not seeing a dear friend. To these nuts, a Sunday without church leaves an emptiness in their heart.
As one of the nuts who attends church regularly, I missed not being in service last Sunday, but God showed me something I needed to see again. I saw that He missed seeing me surrounding His throne with the others who believe. There is a power that exist only when we worship together that is not there when we are alone; like the body when it is missing a limb.
True, church attendance is not required to get us to heaven and, for sure, it will not keep us from Hell. Church is where we learn to become one in spirit with the living God and to encourage one another in the faith. If you are a nut like me, then I'll see you at church next Sunday. If, however, you fall into one of the other categories, I'll see you when I see you, but just so you'll know, if you'll stick around church long enough you might just find something exciting.
This is what I learned while driving to Meridian on a Sunday morning. Hope it is a blessing.
ICWAO (In Christ We Are One)
Dad/John/Johnboy/Papa John 12/29/2009
