Articles
Two Important Questions
Spiritual Food For Spiritual Thought
This is an article by a brother Greg Gwin that poses an intriguing question about our assembling together:
“If It Was Up To You, Would The Church Close Its Doors?
Every year hundreds of new businesses are started here in our community. The Chamber of Commerce gladly reports on these new ventures in an effort to demonstrate that our local economy is healthy and growing. What they don’t report quite so openly is that nearly an equal number of businesses close their doors each year.
Why do these businesses fail? It’s really very simple. They just do not offer services or sell products that appeal to a sufficient number of customers. In short, they go out of business because the buying public is generally apathetic about their continued existence.
Whether we realize it or not, we’re giving our vote as to whether these businesses succeed or fail. We do it when we make the choice to patronize a particular business or to trade elsewhere.
We wonder if certain church members realize that a similar situation exists in local congregations. Some folks show an apparent apathy toward the continued existence of the church. They may attend occasionally – perhaps even most Sunday mornings. However, it is just too hard for them to make the earlier Bible study and they never return on Sunday evening. Wednesday night assemblies are absolutely out of the question – they’re entirely too busy, too tired, etc.
What these folks are doing, whether they know it or not, is giving their vote to “close the doors”. If it was left up to them, no one would assemble and no work would be done. Are you one of these people who are trying to put the church out of business? Think about it! ”
Challenge Yourself — How Does This Apply To You?
Really consider each thought and consider if YOU (not anyone else) need to revamp your feelings about the assembly, and, furthermore, your engagement in it! HONESTLY ASK: By my actions, am I casting my vote to close the doors here?
That’s an important question, but we need to consider another one.
If it was up to you, would it matter if the doors stayed opened?
Some Christians view the assembly as a check box. Simply because they’re present every time the doors open must mean they have the right mindset, right?
God often rebuked Israel for their vain assembly & worship (Is. 29:13)! Yes, they were present & gave the bare minimum, but it meant nothing to God. Why? Because they were merely trying to buy God’s favor.
God is so disgusted by this kind of apathetic assembling together that He would even prefer the doors closed. “ ‘Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle the fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘nor will I accept an offering from you.’ ” (Mal. 1:10)
God’s not saying the assembly & worship is unimportant, but that it’s too important to distort by considering it such a small thing. Isn’t it amazing that people can do more damage by apathetically complying to God’s will (perverting it in the process) than by just ignoring it at the first?
HONESTLY ASK: If it depended on my example, attitude, and actions alone would it make God wish the same thing as in Malachi 1?
There is a palpable difference between the church that assembles together to build up each other’s faith & worship God intimately and the one that only meets to fill a check box.
The latter has groups of people that only come because this is where their blood relatives go. And that’s proven by their lack of interaction & consideration for the rest of the group.
- It is filled with arbitrary yet strict cliques instead of an entire group of individuals who seek out the edification & inclusion of everyone there.
- It contains individuals who are more concerned about the preacher making it worth their time than giving their all to the worship of God.
- It holds individuals who complain about the Bible class teacher more than they encourage him for being up there while they’re not wiling to be.
Frankly, our view on and interaction with the assembly matters, and we will be held accountable for it. Let us strive to be like the church as defined in the Bible, not an assembly of uninvested, apathetic, vain worshipers like Israel.
