Stupid Human Tricks – Going to Church

Greetings Dear Reader,

I love the church I attend and I truly believe that they get it right in trying to live out the Gospel.  In days past, when I first began to try and follow Christ the pastor at the church I attended would push everyone to be at every service.  There were three a week and he would actually say, “If you love God you come Sunday morning.  If you love your church you come Sunday night and if you love your pastor you come Wednesday night. As a young believer I wanted to show my love to all three and did all that I could to be there. 

The Bible verse used to “motivate” us to always be at church comes from the book of Hebrews 10:24-25 - We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things. 25 We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.

We were told that this meant we had to be a church every week.  I am sure that this is making that passage carry much more baggage than was intended.  It is using guilt and manipulation to push people into something.  I think that going to church is important and there is a place for it.  I also think that I must be there when I need to be there.

What is wrong is to coerce others into attending church.  I would ask which is more important: to be there or to be there because you are there with all your heart.  From time to time my Son and Daughter-in-law have need for care for my Grandsons on Sunday morning.  I will always choose to help them over attending a church service.

I took some time off from going to church to be sure I was going because I wished to go.  I love going to church.  I do not go every week and yet the echoes of guilt from that first pastor of my faith are still there.  We are not to burden others with the practice.  We are to increase their faith based actions.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."