But I just don’t want to go…
Dear church,
You ever just don’t want to go to church? In the church I grew up I remember hearing my pastor tell this joke…
A guy woke up on a Sunday morning and he just didn’t want to go to church.
“You should really get ready to go to church,” he asked.
He replied, “but no one’s nice to me there!”
His wife said, “you really should go because you always feel better when you do.”
“But I don’t want to go today!” he exclaimed.
A few minutes his wife said, “you know, all your friends go to church.
Don’t you want to see your friends?”
And he replied sadly, “Sometimes I wonder if they really are my friends.”
“Honey, you know what you’re going to do…You’re going to jump in the shower.
You’re going to put your Sunday best on. You’re going to paint a smile on your face.
And you are going to church this instant!
And you know why?” she finally asked.
“Because I’m the pastor?” he asked sheepishly.
“Exactly!” she said with satisfaction.
How about you?
You ever feel like it would just be easier to stay home?
I’ve been thinking about this recently for a couple of reasons. One, as seasons change, and the weather gets a little more unpredictable and football season is upon us – it can be easy to talk ourselves out of going to church. Two, as your pastor I’ll confess that there are times when even I don’t want to go to church.
In those moments, are there good reasons why we should go to church even if we don’t feel like it?
(I’m glad you asked 😉)
#1 We should go to church (even when we don’t feel like it) because it is a place where God’s truth will be declared.
It’s not always a given, but church should be a place where God’s truth will be declared. The writer of Hebrews reminds us…
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” ~ Hebrews 4:12 ESV
Hearing the preaching and teaching of God’s word is so important to our well-being. We listen to so many voices on a given day. Social media speaks to us. The news media speaks to us. Our past speaks to us. Our guilt speaks to us. Our shame speaks to us. And that’s only on a given day! Imagine going a whole week hearing every other voice that speaks to us – going to church should be a welcome respite from the other voices in the world as we hear God’s truth.
It’s a high value of mine to preach and teach the Scriptures with clarity, relevance, and authenticity – but also truthfully. It's true, you can hear God’s truth through a live stream. And if you are avoiding a physical gathering due to physical restraints or health concerns, then by all means, please join us online for our live stream. But if you are physically well and able, let me encourage you to prioritize gathering with other believers to hear God’s truth.
#2 We should go to church (even when we don’t feel like it) because worshipping God together is different than worshipping God alone.
There are times, days, and even seasons when worshipping God alone is appropriate. It can oftentimes be beautiful and wonderful. Consider the verses in the Bible…
“Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” ~ Ephesians 5 ESV
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!” ~ Psalm 95 ESV
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” ~ Matthew 18 ESV
Notice the use of plural pronouns? Worshipping with one another in the same physical space cannot be replaced with worshipping alone. For many years it was hard for people to commit to being a member of a church, let alone attending a church faithfully. As the pandemic unfolded in 2020, I believe we collectively felt a shift. We felt the emotional toll of being alone and isolated.
Duke Kwon, a pastor, and author said it this way…
“Our commitment-averse, self-ward culture has left an entire generation of isolated people *starving* for belonging in thick,
reciprocal relationships that can only be found in promise-bounded community.”
Worshipping in a community of other believers will inspire you, motivate you, encourage you, and build you up in ways that worshipping alone simply cannot.
On a practical note, I speak to people who regularly worship at home via our live stream (or another church’s live stream) and in my conversations, it is incredibly rare to find someone who sings along with the worship portion of the service. To be fair, there are a lot of people that physically attend services that have a tough time singing aloud – but it doesn’t negate the reality that singing and worshipping together is not only encouraged in Scripture but it’s also commanded (we’ll get to that more at the end of this).
#3 We should go to church (even when we don’t feel like it) because going to church isn’t necessarily only about us.
Your presence in the church has the power to encourage others far more than you could imagine.
Please understand, I recognize that many times people simply stop attending church because of other people. People have hurt us. People have failed us or haven’t lived up to our expectations. People are hypocrites and they let us down.
As your pastor who desperately cares for you and loves I want to share two things about this subject. One, as a representative of the church, I am deeply sorry for your hurt. I am deeply sorry for the wounds. Two, as your pastor, don’t let your spiritual walk suffer further hurts and wounds on top of the hurts and wounds you’ve already experienced.
We serve a God of restoration, redemption, and healing. The device that Satan often uses in these moments is to divide and conquer us. When we are divided from one another (or isolated from one another) we lose the strength we had by being in community with others and we are susceptible to the attacks from the enemy of our soul. And if Satan can pull us away from the flock (the church family) we become vulnerable. Every scenario is different and I understand and respect that. So please, if you’ve been hurt by the church in the past and that is why it’s difficult to worship with others, please reach out to me. I’d love to pray for you specifically and provide the love, guidance, counsel, and affirmation that you might you need.
Recently after a church service, I was standing outside exchanging greetings with people as they were leaving the building. For most people it was a quick ‘hello’, ‘have a great week!’, or ‘great to see you today.’ While most people had left I saw someone come toward me with a determined look and as the person got nearer to me it was evident that the person had been crying uncontrollably. I extended my arms and hugged this person and prayed with them. In recent weeks, their family got some very unexpected news. I drove home thanking God that this family decided to come to church on that Sunday. Their presence encouraged me, considering what they were walking through, and it gave me the opportunity to love them and be present for them. That type of moment cannot be done unless were worshipping together.
Not too long away I had a pastor friend of mine who lives 117 miles away drive that distance on a Sunday morning to be present for one of our services. When I asked him what in the world he was doing there he simply replied, “I just wanted to encourage you.”
And you know what? It worked.
His presence encouraged me. Your presence will encourage others.
#4 We should go to church (even when we don’t feel like it) because our kids need us to prioritize God.
It is in the early and formative years that kids establish their rhythms and routines and also their spiritual disciplines. One of the instrumental factors in whether or not your kids fall in love with our Savior is watching how you love your Savior. Kids can sense our inauthenticity when it comes to our faith. Then can discern our hypocrisy. And when we haphazardly choose when or when not to come to church we are sending a message that it is not a priority.
When we choose sports/camping/hobbies/anything instead of church, we simply remind them that those activities and distractions are more important. To be fair, I’m not talking about the occasional vacation or weekend get-away…but rather, the consistent disregard to the gathering of God’s people will send a message to your kids that, perhaps, you never intended.
#5 We should go to church (even when we don’t feel like it) because God has commanded us to be faithful.
The writer of Hebrews puts it simply…
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” ~ Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT
Are you willing to disobey Him?
I know that sounds a bit extreme but truly – at the end of the day – this is the heart of the matter. Are you willing to disobey Him? Or are you willing to trust Him? Are you willing to give space to the idea that He knows what is best for you and your family?
In a few weeks, we will observe the National Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. In preparation for that Sunday, I’ve been reading a prayer guide supplied by the Voice of Martyrs. There are many countries where not only gathering as the church is restricted, but even access to Scriptures is severely limited. And yet you know what followers of Jesus do in those countries where persecution is severe? They gather. They meet. They worship together. They do so because God has commanded us to do so. They do so in the face of clear and present danger. The type of danger and persecution they were facing included physical abuse, losing everything they owned, and being imprisoned, and yet – they continue to gather. They continue to meet. They continue to worship together.
We’re not keeping score, by the way. We’re not assigning gold stars for attendance.
‘Church’ as it’s described in Scripture is not a place for us to go, it’s a description of how we live our lives. ‘Church’ is not simply somewhere we go, it’s who we are. It’s my prayer that God’s church would live and breathe the way He intended us to. As the psalmist said with joy,
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” ~ Psalm 122:1 KJV
I love you, church.
Pastor Daniel
(In upcoming issues of ‘Dear church’ we’ll talk about three guest speakers that will come to FCC in the coming months, how I study for a message, and what a week looks like in the life of your pastor)
