Have you ever thought about this question? Why is it that most people do not go to church? I know there are many reasons one can provide on why they do not go to church.
As a committed Christian that does go to church, I have seen many committed Christians walk away from church. Each one has their own excuse. For some they viewed it as a Country Club for Christians. Someone else told me the music was not what they liked. Others have told me the worship leader never speaks to the congregation. I have even heard the excuse that “I feel like the pastor is always speaking directly to me!” (Could it be that God is speaking directly to you?)
Can a person make it on their own without the body of the church as a support? I am sure they can survive but not as well as they would with all the branches that are attached to the vine, the church body. I do not believe God intended for us to fight Satan alone. We need the help of as many fellow believers as we can find to build a strong defense and offense to battle Satan. Satan loves to catch us alone with too much free time.
Back to my original question why is it that most people do not go to church. In today’s world many people must work on Sunday. I get that. I had to do that many times while working repair at AT&T. To those in that situation, I would recommend a Life Group in a home during the week and watch the service online after it has been recorded. “I can worship on my own” is another excuse I have heard. “My Sundays are for family time at the lake!” Hum, I was thinking to myself, “couldn’t you bring your family to church, then go to the lake?”
The latest excuse I have heard is this. “With COVID-19 I have found I can watch online from my couch in my PJ’s.” While online services helped all of us when churches were not allowed to be open, the churches are open again, for the most part. If away on vacation the online service is a cool way not to miss the service, but I really do not think you can feel the full effect of God’s Holy Spirit working as much from the recliner as you can at the altar with the body of Christ surrounding you. There is something special about corporate worship in person with other believers praising God together.
The culture we live in today will always have people who will not attend church because of the church’s view on sexuality. They view the church as the Morality Police. The challenge for churches is that they must hold fast to the Bible’s sexual standards while embracing people regardless of their past. It is cliché to say, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” While it is true, some churches do not live this out. Many congregations judge the sinner and hate the sin. Christ loved us even while we were sinners and gave his life as a ransom for many. As the body of Christ, we must also love the sinner and try our best to lead them to Christ.
Another popular reason people stopped going to church is that someone said something that hurt them and did not apologize. To them I say, “It is way past time to forgive them and free yourself and come back to church.”
The most common reason people have never attended church? “No one has invited me.” That my friends, is on us. We might be surprised how many people will come to church if we would just ask them to come. That is why we started attending our church in our new hometown. The secretary over Special Services at the school district where I work invited my wife and I to come and check it out. We love it and have been there ever since.
So, what’s your reason?
