Too Busy to Attend Church

 September 8, 2024

Monday

I realize that we do not need to be legalists. I realize that missing church once in a while is no great sin. But I also realize that our relationship with the Bride of Christ, the Church, is a relationship with the Lord. It amazes me that when something comes up, attendance at church almost always takes the back seat. I just don't think that would be true if we were talking about a person's work. Work would take precedence over these other things. Of course, something that is really important would require vacation time. That means that this would be more important than work. I get that. I just wonder why just about everything is more important than church attendance.

Company is coming in town next weekend so people stay at home and miss church this weekend to get their homes ready. Of course, they are out next week too. Surgery is performed and the whole family stays away from church for six weeks even though they continue to go everywhere else. People I see in restaurants or out shopping are somehow to weak to be in church. They will go to the movies but claim they just can't sit an hour in church. Unfortunately, lots of church members buy these excuses because they will need to use them someday.

Let's be honest: God just isn't that important to them. They will be back at church as soon as they need Him. They will call as soon as they have a crisis. They will be on their knees when they claimed they couldn't walk in the church before. Does anyone believe that God is okay with this?

Why would people act this way toward God?

Many of them do not know the Lord. They are depending upon a work that they have done to get them into heaven. They may have said the prayer of salvation. They may have been baptized. They have attended church infrequently. They may even have a bumper sticker. But they truly do not have saving faith. Saving faith compels the person to walk with the Lord. Sure people can resist but God continues to work through the Holy Spirit to bring them home. These people will not go home because their home is not with God.

Some people are passively running from the Lord. They are continuing to make excuses why they can't be that committed to the church and to the Lord. They actually believe their own excuses. They just want to be like the majoring of other people who are exactly like them. Truthfully, they don't think that God notices that they aren't close to Him.

Some people actually believe they have done everything necessary to get all the rewards of heaven. They do not know that they could be building up rewards in heaven. They think that they will get everything everyone else will get because they are Christians. Unfortunately, many of them will not wake up until they stand before the judgement seat of Christ.

Some people have never grown as Christians. They are exactly what they were when they became Christians. They looked around, determined that the committed were weird and just went along with everyone else. Thus, they act like everyone else.

We all have a responsibility to the Lord. We all have a responsibility to each other. We can't neglect meeting together. We can't continue giving God some place way down on our todo lists. He is central to our lives or He isn't. And that, with other things, will be reflected by how we treat Him. He invites you to join Him in church this next week. Will you go? Or are you too busy with something else?

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) ²⁴  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.