Scripture Romans 12:3-21
Notice what the rest of Romans 12 shows us about living out our spiritual act of worship:
1) Being an integral part of a local church is not an option for a Christian.
2) Every person in a church has equal value in that church.
3) Christians and Churches never finish changing, rather always improving our spiritual act of worship.
Romans 12:3-21
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
WHY ATTENDING CHURCH NO LONGER MAKES SENSE
The trend is practically universal: fewer people are attending church every year.
You might have even asked the question yourself. Why bother?
There are many reasons why that’s happening, but I think it’s increasingly evident that it no longer makes sense to attend church.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of the church. But I get why more and more people have simply stopped attending. Let me explain. In the fall of 2015, I transitioned out of the lead pastor role at our church and into a Teaching Pastor role. I still carry about 30 Sundays a year of teaching, but that leaves me much freer than I’ve ever been on a Sunday morning which means I’m often an attender. So, I feel what the culture is feeling more than ever before.
And on those Sundays when I have no official role, I’m plagued with the question “Why go to church?”
After all, our church streams our services live online. I could literally watch live on any device I own anywhere. Plus we share the services on demand, so I could watch or listen any time during the week via our website or podcast.
If your church doesn’t have an online experience, no worries, about a million others do. Which brings us back to the question: Why attend church?
Increasingly, I’m convinced there’s no point to merely attending. You drive all the way in to connect with three or four songs, hear the message and then head home. All of that you could almost do by yourself in a much more convenient way. Slip on Spotify and grab the message via podcast or on demand and boom, you’re covered.
DROWNING IN OPTIONS
I wonder if in large measure that’s why the era of attending church is dying. Think about it.
Generations ago, the church was a social and cultural hub as well as a missional hub. In addition to faith reasons, people loved going to church because it was one of a handful of options available in a community as well as the main way (other than personal devotions) you connect with God.
We now live in a culture that’s drowning in options and has 24/7 access to anything Christian.
In fact, I can think of only two compelling reasons to go to church anymore.
# 1 YOU DON’T ATTEND CHURCH. YOU ARE THE CHURCH
The main reason I gather with the church is because I am the church. Merely attending church doesn’t make you much of a church because sitting in a pew consuming church doesn’t make you very good at being the church.
I think being the church has something to do with living your life for Christ, demonstrating God’s love by serving others and sharing your faith with people. That’s very different than consuming church in a back row, which you can just as easily do on your back deck.
The reason you would go to church today is that you’ve moved from being a consumer to being a contributor. You don’t just go to be served, you go to serve. There’s something deeply scriptural about that.
And before you think that you can do whatever you need to do as a Christian in the world without other Christians or without the church, here are couple of reasons I would disagree.
First, gathering together was Jesus’ idea, not ours.
Second, listen to what this young mom had to say about her experience when she started skipping church because of the demands of parenting. (LATER)
You are the church. Remember that. And the church is at its best when we engage in the mission God has given us.
# 2 AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE SAKE OF THOSE NOT YET IN THE ROOM
The second compelling reason to attend a Sunday morning gathering is that you’re bringing a friend with you or because you yourself are exploring Christianity.
I love being part of a church that is constantly designing experiences with those who are not yet in the room in mind.
One of the most exciting things about many growing churches today is they’ve become great at hosting experiences that unchurched people can access and ultimately love to attend. That’s what our church does well, and I love both bringing friends into it for the first time and being there to connect with other people who bring their friends.
Spiritual maturity, after all, isn’t about how much you know. It’s about how much you love. And love that doesn’t flow out into the lives of other people isn’t love.
A DIVIDING LINE
So that’s it. Two good reasons to keep attending church.
First, you are the church, which means you’re engaged in the mission in some meaningful way.
And second, you’re creating space where everybody (regardless of their background) can hear and experience the news of Christ’s love for them.
But that also means we live in an age where attending church for attendance’s sake is dying. Fast. Maybe that’s what we see happening around us. People who aren’t engaged in the mission are leaving the mission. And while that’s sad, you can’t build the future of the church on passionless, disengaged people. Nor can you build it on consumers. The future will be built on Christians who want to serve, share and engage the mission of the local church.
STOP PANDERING TO THE CONSUMERS
As a church leader, what do you do in the midst of this?
Well first, stop pandering to the consumers—those who merely attend and won’t engage. Too many leaders spend their time trying to please people who complain much and contribute little.
They have enough options. And you will never be able to please everyone. So, stop trying.
As my friend Reggie Joiner says, focus on who you want to reach, not who you want to keep.
RAISE THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT
Second, focus on engaging people in the mission of the church. Nothing is more exciting. Nothing will change the world more powerfully than the love of Christ shared with a world that so desperately needs it.
KEEP UNCHURCHED PEOPLE FRONT AND CENTER
That means everything you do needs to work in a way unchurched people can access. The best churches assume that every Sunday is someone’s first Sunday. One good way to check whether your church is ready to reach the unchurched is to see if teenagers love your church services. Not your alternative service. Your main-open-the-doors-wide service. If teenagers hate your church service, so will unchurched people.
Maybe it’s not a bad thing in the end that the era of attending church is dying. Please hear me, we need more churches. We need more, healthy churches. And we need churches that are doing a fantastic job at reaching people. What we don’t need more of, are churches where people merely attend and never engage.
Sarah Piercy, is a wife and young mom
I thought missing a Sunday morning service wasn’t a big deal.
I have worked at Connexus Church for 8 years and would only miss a Sunday because I was away on vacation. Quite honestly, I didn’t think missing a Sunday was a big deal. It’s not a sin. It’s not earth-shattering. No one notices (or do they?). Right? Then I had a baby and went on maternity leave. And everything changed.
Because, when I miss a Sunday service, I miss way more than I ever thought.
From birthday parties to a sick baby, a variety of reasons had kept me from participating on Sunday mornings. I would watch online. And online is great to keep me connected when I can’t be there in person. Or to share with friends and neighbors who are curious about church but not ready to come. So easy!
But – given the choice – attending on Sunday morning trumps all else. Every time.
Why?
When I skip Sunday morning…
# 1 I MISS UNINTERRUPTED TIME TO LISTEN FOR GOD’S WISDOM
Sunday’s practical teaching translates into godly wisdom that I can apply daily life – it is so valuable. Sure, you can hear great teaching in a variety of ways. But listening online is different than listening in the service.
I don’t know about you, but when I listen at home I have a long to-do list. A child that loves attention. A phone that rings. Floors to sweep. Laundry to fold. Neighbors’ dogs barking. I almost never absorb the message in the same way as I do when physically present on Sunday.
When I’m in the service, I have uninterrupted time. Time to focus on what God is teaching me and reflect on how He wants me to grow. My child is being cared for, my phone is on silent, and there are no chores waiting for me.
I can focus. I can engage my heart and mind.
# 2 I MISS THE VALUE OF WORSHIPING GOD THROUGH MUSIC WITH OTHERS
This one is interesting. And might even be surprising to you.
There’s something intangible that happens when we worship God – out loud – with other people who share faith in Jesus.
Sundays are an irreplaceable opportunity to take a step back from the busy day-to-day and directly praise the God that loves me and is incredibly worthy of my worship.
Music roots my heart and mind in the truth of who God is. It remembers and celebrates powerful scripture. It leads me to humble myself before God’s majesty in a way that doesn’t always happen when music is playing in the car or in the background while I do the dishes. Worshiping God through music on Sunday’s – with other people – grounds and fuels my faith.
It inspires me to keep worshiping, keep believing, keep serving, keep loving. There’s something intangible that happens when we worship God—out loud.
# 3 I MISS THE POWER AND MOVEMENT OF THE CHURCH
The Church has a mission and purpose. And every believer is part of it. We get to spread the amazing news that Jesus Christ loves you, died to forgive you, and he is alive, bringing new life to all who believe in him.
We can be a Christian and not actively participate in the local Church. Our salvation is not dependent on that. It’s dependent on Jesus.
But there’s more at stake than that…
Imagine this:
Your life is a babbling brook. It twists and turns and bubbles and splashes. It’s beautiful. But has little strength.
But, what happens when you cross paths with another brook. And another. And another?
Something bigger starts to happen. Something one babbling brook can’t do on its own.
Momentum happens.
Then power happens.
Then Niagara falls happens! (Note: did you know Niagara falls generates enough energy to power almost 4 million homes? No babbling brook does that.)
In the same way, dozens, 100s (or 1000s) of people moving in the same God-given direction is POWERFUL. And it doesn’t happen when we are disengaged.
When I miss Sunday mornings, I miss how God is moving our church community to action. When I miss the welcome, connecting opportunities and the stories of God at work, I miss getting to be part of it because I don’t know how.
I don’t want to miss being part of the power and movement of God’s Church.
Plus, if I’m not there, then how can I bring anyone with me?
So – I do everything I can to attend a Sunday morning service.
Because when I miss a Sunday, I miss way more than I ever thought.
Matt 18:18-20
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
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