Hebrews 10:25…”Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is…”
As a pastor stands to preach the Word of God to an assembly of believers, he often wonders what the real reason is for their willingness to attend church. What is driving them to sit for an hour and hear someone expound the Bible. There are several good answers but the willingness to be obedient to God and learn more about Him and how to live for him should be at the forefront. Embedded in their reasons for being in worship is the desperate desire to know that when they die, they will be welcomed into heaven to live forever in heavenly bliss with the Lord.
Most people are not really cognizant of the deeper Biblical doctrines which, if they knew them, would give them confidence and peace concerning their Christian walk and their eternal home. If they knew them, they would have that peace and confidence concerning eternal life. First John 5:13 tells us that we can know that we are saved. Many people have no peace about it because they claim Christ but they live like the world wants them to live.
But, the main reason many people attend church is to try to get some assurance that heaven awaits them. It’s a noble cause but the real reason for worship is not aimed at us, it is suppose to be directed toward God in thanks for His gift of salvation through Jesus.
Preachers talk to one another. They communicate in order to try to discern the spiritual “temperature” in our churches today. They also want to know if their church is doing very well in comparison with other churches around them. I have heard many of them say; “since Covid, I can’t get our people to come back to church in the numbers we had before the pandemic. I think they are still afraid to get in a crowd.” That is not the reason! They go anywhere else without fear of close contact. Just look at the parking lot of the theatres in town. Sitting in a theater is close contact if you ask me.
Here’s the real reason it’s tough to get our attendance backup where it was. Attending church to about forty percent of the people is a habit. Simply a habit. They have been taught all of their lives that attending church is paramount to being saved. Nothing could be further from the truth. But, research tells us that forty percent are habitual attenders in church. The great problem with that is that it is the wrong reason for being in church but furthermore a habit can be broken and that is what has happened. In addition, churches began streaming their worship services which allowed people to sit at home and see the service in their own church. This was started to combat the Covid situation. The problem is that, I believe, satan has used it to keep people from attending worship even after Covid has ceased to be such a large problem.
If worship is a habit and easily broken, they will rationalize staying at home and watching on television. They will think; “well, I watch each Sunday every Sunday morning and I don’t think God is mad with me.” They give their money and by doing so, they feel that God is even more pleased. These folks love getting up later, fixing their coffee, turning on the television and watching the proceedings at church while relaxing in the recliner still dressed in their pajamas and bedroom shoes. It’s comfortable. It’s pleasing and, by rationalization, they feel that they have met the requirements of attending worship. In addition, they will look at some other preachers on television. These “viewers” will argue that they have seen more than one sermon as those in church did so they feel they are better off spiritually.
Such people will continue to practice their worship experience in this same way because it requires very little of them to be in attendance with the family of God worshipping Him in spirit and truth. Why….? Because it is a habit and not a commitment to worship. They are living at the lowest common denominator of Christian experience and expecting that God will reward them as if they were totally dedicated to Him in worship. The Lord knows the thoughts and intentions of the heart and that is what He judges us by.
Let me state that streaming the services or broadcasting on television is a good thing if the motivation is right. Many are confined to a nursing home or assisted living facility and cannot attend worship but would love to do so. Some are sick. Others may be injured and confined. But, those who are healthy and using streaming as an excuse for not attending worship services are not doing right. Forty percent of our people have not returned to church after Covid as I have already stated. They will not return as long as the church continues to stream their services.
In talking with preachers who lament the loss of forty percent of their attenders in worship, I ask them if they are still streaming their services. Most will say that they are still doing so. Then, I usually say, “Well, stop streaming and they will come back if they truly desire to worship the Lord.” It’s simple: continue feeding them at home and they will stay gone. Quit feeding their habit and laziness and they will return to the worship services. It’s as simple as that. I’m not saying that every one of them will return because some of them who have broken the habit of worship by sitting at home will never overcome the situation and will never come back. They are the ones who really NEED to be in worship and confronted with the truths of the Gospel message so they can genuinely get saved. That will solve the problem of whether to be in church for worship or not.
So, most people attend church driven by the desire to know that they will see heaven when they die and leave planet earth. But remember, God tells us in Hebrews 10: 25 that we should not do as others and stay out of the worship service. He desires us to worship and adore Him. It’s hard to do that reclined in one’s favorite chair, dressed in their pajamas and bedroom shoes with a cup of coffee in their hand sipping it with leisure.
If one wants their people to come back to worship with the other saints then they should focus them on the worship experience in church and not in their own living rooms.
There are many other things that could be said about this situation but the bottom line is that the real reason people go to worship is that they want to know that they are going to heaven when they die. Even those people should be aware of the fact that attending church is not the crucial issue. Worshipping God is the crucial issue and we are to do that as the spiritual Body of Christ gathered together in the act of worship thanking Him and adoring Him for His wonderful works in us through Jesus Christ.
7-6-2024…Wm F. Harrell
