DON'T GO

So also you - since you are zealous in matters of the Spirit, seek to excel in building up the Church.

-1 Corinthians 14:12

Recently, a friend shared some of his father’s many dysfunctional behaviors. When my friend brought up the subject of church attendance, his dad quipped, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian!” and then stormed off.

His dad is right.

Church attendance is most certainly neither a condition of salvation nor evidence of it. In Luke 23:43 Jesus promised the criminal crucified next to Him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” There was no water ceremony, no membership 101 class, no history of tithing, and he never signed up to serve coffee or donuts. But where my friend’s dad misses the boat completely is here:

For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.

-Hebrews 4:12

Motive. True, church attendance is neither a condition of salvation nor evidence of it. But God is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.

If you’re not faithfully serving in a local church to build it up, why not? “Those people are all hypocrites!” is a typical response. A hypocrite is an actor - someone who puts on a mask. Sure, there’s one kind of hypocrite that acts like something they’re not.

There’s another kind, a more cowardly and repulsive kind, who uses the behavior of others as an easy out. Rather than being agents of positive transformation, rather than being zealous for Christ’s Bride, rather than making a stand, rather than building up, rather than fighting they “go gentle into that good night” and expose the truth of their love for comfort, sin, and self - more than Christ.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.

-John 15:13

While the criminal crucified next to Jesus never went through a watery baptismal ceremony, he was, in fact, literally crucified with Christ. As he hung on a cross next to the Savior of the world, he was exposed to the truth of the Gospel and blessed with the gift of faith. He publically recognized, repented, died to self, identified with (was baptized into) Christ, was immediately justified, and thus born-again imperishable in the Spirit.

The marginal, cultural, fair-weather, and superficial self-identifying Christians of the world today would benefit greatly from a word of exhortation here, “seek to excel in building up the Church.”

If we truly are born-again, what evidence convicts us? What fruit has been produced? Whose name is written in the Book of Life because of our faithfulness to Christ’s commission? In what tangible and concrete ways have you died to self, identified with Christ, and loved so zealously, so lavishly, as to consider others as more important than yourself? How have you excelled in building up Christ’s Bride - the Church?

My friend’s dad is 100% correct. Going to church doesn’t make anyone a Christian. But if one has the means and opportunity - then not going, not investing, not fighting, not loving, not serving, not excelling in building it up, and not being the church… that certainly exposes one as the worst kind of hypocrite; the impotent whiny coward who defers responsibility and ownership.

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

-Revelation 21:8

I have more respect for the agnostic still grappling with questions than any so-called Christian content to ride the bench as a spectator or critic. If you’re not grappling with the truth, not sold out for Jesus, not excelling at building up the church…  don’t go.

Jesus never looked to boost attendance numbers or create a culture of lazy apathetic consumers. He’s only ever sought worshippers in spirit and truth who, by faith, would take the Gospel to the ends of the earth and prevail over the gates of Hell.

Don’t go; be the Church.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

amostunlikelydisciple.com