Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Why do you go to church? (part three)

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

Why do you go to church?

Some people go to church because they hunger for a spiritual dimension to their lives.  They want to experience closeness to God.  They crave reassurance that good will triumph over evil.  They want encouragement to do the right thing for the right reason.  They want to feel secure in a world that is often quite threatening.

But what happens when church doesn’t provide a deeply spiritual experience?  How do such people react when the preacher’s message deals with technical points of religious teaching?  What happens when time in worship fails to inspire them?  If these kinds of things happen too often, will they leave the church and seek closeness to God in some other way?

We are spiritual beings. We want to know that God loves us and approves of our behavior. We want to know that our lives have purpose.  We want to be confident that God will make everything work out for the best.  Sadly, we don’t have a lot of patience for schooling.  We prefer ease and pleasure over work and putting in effort.  We want to know God, but is it really necessary to study the Bible?  Can’t I just meditate under the morning sun and experience God by enjoying His beautiful creation?  But here’s the thing: you can’t find out what God is thinking by watching the sun come up.  You can’t discover what’s in His heart unless you listen to what He says.  God speaks to us through Jesus, and the only place His words are recorded are the pages of Holy Scripture. Our Lord has a lot that He wants you to know, and His instruction is worthy of your time.

God made us spiritual beings.  Tragically, sin has gotten between us and our Creator.  Sin weakens our desire for a close relationship with the Almighty, letting us be satisfied with a relationship that is only superficial. If you truly love someone, you want to know everything about them; the same applies to your relationship with the LORD.  Time in church should give you an experience of being in the Presence of the Divine, but it should also help you to understand Him better; worship is about growing closer to God by learning more of Him through the teaching of His beloved Son.

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