Church Life: Assembling or Shopping?

Going to church this Sunday? Yeah? Good for you. Why are you going?

• To worship
• To hear God's word preached
• To see my friends
• To hear some good music
• To assemble, after all, Hebrews 10:25 says to not forsake assembling with each other.

Assembling... Assembling...

I think that for the most part, we don't assemble anymore. I think we shop. I think this because of the reasons one might hear from people who, instead of going to church, are leaving it.

• Doctrine is so dull.
• Preaching is so dull.
• The music is so dull.
• I'm not being fed.
• I can't thrive.
• They don't have puppet shows for the kids.
• I hate quail: it tastes like chicken.
• Manna again? how boring, you'd think God could do something more spectacular than that.

I think in large part we have no more commitment to our local church than we do to the place where we buy our milk and eggs: "I'm going to shop here today, and I'll leave the second I find a better deal, or something more convenient, or better customer service."

Going to church this Sunday? Yeah? Good for you. Why are you going?