It does not always make spiritual sense where and why people attend the churches they do. Sometimes the Christian’s enemy, Satan, or their own confused flesh directs them to the wrong place of worship, learning, and spiritual growth.
God sometimes directs a man or woman from a Bible-believing church to a particular house for a visit. This person is led there at the right time and place. He is lead to say the right things to a person he has never met before.
The Holy Spirit speaks to the visited person’s heart. They realize they are a sinner bound for Hell and believe that Jesus died for them on the cross. Shortly, they obey the Spirit and are wonderfully saved and on their way to Heaven.
God had used that Christian to show them the way of salvation. However, this is where a wrong decision often happens.
The next week the new convert starts attending another church, a church that has shown no interest in their soul in the past. Maybe they will even visit a ministry they have gone to in the past that never delivered God’s message of being born again. The church was not used to give them God’s truth; a church, if they continue to attend, may result in their not spiritually growing.
Another common scenario of not going to the place God desires them to go happens many times when people are going through hard times. They go to a church for some help. The church members will help with money and food. They freely give to people they never saw before. God mightily used that church to meet the needs of a person. After their problem is solved, the same people that sought help will attend another church that has never shown any interest at all in their soul or body.
No, the people in the mentioned situations do not owe anyone anything, especially church attendance. However, if God used a local church body to meet one’s physical or spiritual needs, it would be logical that perhaps that is the church He would want them attending. At least a short attendance there to see if that is where God wants them is in order to discern God’s will and way for their lives.
Unfortunately, the reasons for going to church, many times, are not spiritual or biblical. They include:
- “I was born that religion and that’s where I will be going.” Many times that religion has never preached the truth that transformed their lives and that may be the reason that person was not saved or matured spiritually when they did attend.
- “My family always attended that kind of church .” It should matter more if God is leading them to a particular church or not. The important question that should be answered in which church to attend should be, “Does God want me there, and do I spiritually get fed there?”
- “All my friends go to that church.” Church is not supposed to be just a social meeting place. It is supposed to be a place where one is taught the Word of God, and where one can find a place to serve God. If nothing is gotten out of attendance, it may be the wrong place to attend, and may be a waste of time.
- “The other church is more convenient.” Maybe it is, but, again, attendance needs to be fulfilling, not just easy to get to.
- “I like the other church because it’s not so strict.” Usually, when someone complains of church strictness, they are referring to how the church interprets and obeys the Scriptures. Those churches that do not follow or believe the Bible’s teaching completely are very lax in obeying its commands. The churches that believe and follow all the Bible teaches tend to appear more “strict.” The Bible is God’s book. It is He that is “strict.” It is His commands we should obey.
- “I don’t believe like they do.” It really should not matter what you or I like or believe. It should matter what God says to do. If the Bible says that we need to be doing something, we need to do it. It usually is for our best.
People need to be in a church where the Spirit of God works in their life and where the complete Word of God is taught and preached. If God is using a ministry to meet your spiritual needs, be it a bus ministry, or preaching that speaks to your heart, perhaps that is where God is leading you. Attend the right place, where God desires you to go.
So true!