By Lloyd L. Streeter
A dreadful, destructive, debilitating disease has infected many members of Bible believing churches during our day. The symptoms of this disease are a fever for fleshly pursuits, a loss of spiritual appetite, a nauseating lifestyle, and a lethargic level of energy for serving God. The disease is not a new one. It has been examined, diagnosed, and treated (sometimes successfully) for many, many years.
This disease is called SPIRITUAL APATHY.
Many a church member is dying spiritually because he does not want to be bothered. Some of those apathetic church members may read this article, and say, “So what?”
Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Yes, to have your name on the church roll, but to go week after week and month after month without attending the services of the church is a sin against God. It is rebellion against God, and God says “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft” (I Samuel 15:23).
We have heard most of the excuses for being unfaithful in church attendance. None of those frivolous excuses will satisfy the Lord when the Christian must give an answer to Him.
For example, we have heard people say, “I do not come to church because I do not get anything out of it.” This is usually said rather matter-of-factly as if this is the end of the discussion, because, of course, it would be totally unreasonable and unthinkable to attend a church service unless we “get something out of it.” Naturally, our question would be, “What did you put into it?” You are not supposed to go to church just to “get something out of it.” That would be selfish. You are supposed to go to church to put something into it. The writer of Hebrews said, “Exhorting one another.” That means “encouraging one another.” So, while it is highly doubtful that a truly saved person could go to a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church, and “not get anything out of it,” you should attend anyway as a matter of obedience to God and so that you can minister to others.
We have also heard the excuse, “I do not attend church any longer because I do not like the pastor (or the deacons, or the president of the ladies group, or the choir director).” But, when you joined the church, you promised to abide by the Church Covenant and to “walk together in Christian love . . . to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; . . . to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Saviour, to secure it without delay.” The fact is, that, according to the Bible, even if you cannot bring yourself to love the pastor and the other members of the church, you are not excused from attending. You should adjust your attitude and go to church.
We have also heard other excuses. “I work hard all week, and I need my rest on Sunday.” And, “The people at the church are not friendly to me the way I think they should be.” Or, “Sunday is the only day I have to go visiting (or camping, or shopping, or skiing, or golfing, etc.).” But, these are all lame excuses, which really say, “Even though Jesus died for the church and told us to bring glory to Him in the church (Ephesians 3:21), my own agenda is more important to me than His.”
What are the real reasons that church members miss church services week after week and month after month? A reason is different than an excuse. Someone said, “An excuse is a skin of a reason stuck to a lie.” The reasons for this apathy and sin are the true motives. It may be difficult to admit to the real reasons. It may be too painful and too much of a threat to the ego to admit the true motives for delinquency in the church services.
Laziness is one of the real reasons church members do not attend services. It is easy to make a bad habit. That is why the Bible warns us to be “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). We should not be lazy about God’s business. It is not easy to be a good Christian, but we should shun laziness and be diligent in serving God. The solution to the sin of laziness insofar as church attendance is concerned is for the Christian to put one foot over the side of the bed and then pull the other one after it. Get up! Go to church!
Another reason that many Christians do not attend church is that they are offended by the Word of God. Many were offended by God’s Word when Jesus preached (Matthew 15:12; Mark 6:3). Even His disciples were sometimes offended by His Words (John 6:61). Jesus said that when the Word of God is preached that many will be offended (Matthew 13:21). So, if you want to gamble, or get drunk, or be addicted to drugs, or fornicate, or take God’s name in vain, or talk with filthy words, or be worldly-minded, and if the preacher tells you what the Bible says about your sin, you may be offended at the Word of God and decide to stay out of church. Often people will say, “the preacher offended me,” but if the preacher was preaching the Bible, then it was the Bible that brought the offense. We need to be honest before God and bring our lives into conformity with the Word.
Backsiding is another reason that some church members do not attend. The Bible says, “The backslider in heart [note that you will backslide in your heart before you will backslide with your mouth, hands, or feet.] shall be filled with his own ways” (Proverbs 14:14). That means a backslider is completely selfish and thinks only of what he wants for himself God spoke of Israel as sliding back “as a backsliding heifer” (Hosea 4:16). I grew up on the farm and I know that a heifer can go a little crazy now and then. She may get madder and do more harm than a bull. She will get stubborn and refuse to go through the gate. She will lock her feet and slide backwards. God pictures backsliding that way. If a believer gets out of fellowship with God, he may get stubborn on God and say, “I’m not going to go!” God’s Word to the backslider is, “Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings” (Jeremiah 3:22). Ask God to forgive you and decide now to get back into church next Sunday.
If absence makes the heart grow fonder, some people ought to love their church greatly.