CHURCH-GOING – SOME REFLECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK

Many people, for one reason or another, have never been or have stopped being churchgoers. Many others are thinking about either starting or stopping. Here are a few thoughts I hope will be helpful to someone.

Church going is popularly promoted and attractive to a lot of Americans today based on any combination of a myriad of reasons. Some primary ones include (1) the social advantages and opportunities offered, (2) the level of entertainment that can be expected, (3) the satisfying of a sense of religious duty, inclination or curiosity, (5) the assurance that no ones personal proclivities, philosophy or lifestyle preferences will be questioned or in any way threatened, (6) the desire of people to have their existing beliefs, behavior and intentions affirmed for them and (7) the feel-good-feeling that people can get from attending the church of their choice. I mention these things, not for the sake of argumentation or to agitate anyone, but simply to underscore a reality that is too obvious to deny. These are simply reasons why church going is popular with millions of Americans today. But they aren’t good reasons.

There are good and proper reasons why people should, do and want to go to church today. Here are some of them: (1) for the sake of simple obedience to God (Ex. 8, 9; Heb. 10:25), (2) to participate in public worship and corporate prayer, (3) to benefit from the spiritual nourishment that comes from the preaching and teaching of God’s Word (2 Pet. 3:18) and (4) to engage in and enjoy opportunities for fellowship and Christian service with other believers in an atmosphere of humility and holiness that permeates both the pulpit and the pews.

People need to have themselves and their families in a church, whatever its size, that is as scriptural and as simple as possible in its worship, its program and its administration. They need to have good reasons (such as those listed above) for going to whatever church they attend. Churches like this are getting harder and harder to find; and there is no guarantee of finding one among self-proclaimed “conservative” churches than there is of finding one among the contemporary, popularized, modern churches.

On a more personal note, I have a recommendation for any in the West St. Louis or Franklin county or surrounding neighborhoods. If you are interested in a church that will give you every good reason mentioned in this post to attend, check out www.thecornerstonebaptist.com.

(The references to “church” in this post refer to the church described in the New Testament that Jesus Himself established while on earth, set its doctrine and disciplines in and commissioned to do the work of the Gospel).

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

—John 8:32