Don't "go" to Church

People across the nation rise on Sunday mornings, dress up, and head to the church of their choice. There, they greet one another with smiles plastered on their faces and appear to have their acts together. The music starts and they clap, raise their hands, and some even shout. They gather together, sitting in their seats, appearing to listen attentively to the words coming from the pulpit. Meanwhile, many of them are mentally checking off their to-do list, planning on where to eat, or even fuming at their spouse. But to look at them, you would never know these things are going through their minds. The service comes to a close, they load back into their cars, and head home. There. They can now say they are good Christians who have been to church. Now for the next six days, they can return to their normal routines, until Sunday arrives again.

Is that what church is? If so, no wonder so many want no parts of it. We need to realize that church is not the building or the service, but that we are the church. Every day of our lives should reflect the Jesus that is in our hearts, the love that we have for our God and each other. We should be waking up with praise on our lips, spending time with God before the hustle and bustle of our day begins. It doesn't have to be an hour, it can be just a few minutes. Our days should be filled with moments of honoring and thanking our heavenly Father. We should be encouraging  those who come across our path. You never know how much a few kind words or a genuine smile will lift someone's spirit. We need to admit our shortcomings to one another and say “I'm sorry”. 

Does that sound like we're suppose to live perfect lives? Well, it shouldn't. We all deal with the same issues – anger, frustration, worry, finances, etc. We just need to handle them as Christians, as followers of Christ. For instance, someone does something that makes you angry and you react in that anger towards them. When this happens, conviction should start nudging at you. That is when you need to go to that person and admit you should not have said the things you did and you shouldn't have reacted in the way you did. Tell them you are sorry. You see, its not the fact that you reacted in anger, its the fact that you returned to them and apologized. It takes God in your life to enable you to do that. 

If we pay close attention to the directions that God is giving us, every hour of every day, and respond to His commands, then we are truly the church. The bible tells us in John 13:35 “By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].” This is how we become the church. Then, as we go through each day living by God's direction, we can gather together in the church building and have the kind of church service that people will be drawn to.