Each time I think we're done with this topic, I see something that I can't help but share. The first time I touched this topic, I thought that was all. Then came the second one, thought we'll wrap it up there and now comes the third article!
2. Lateness: this is the particular subject that brought about this topic in the first place... Let me give a backstory... I joined a Fellowship some weeks back. It was a small fellowship and we could join the workforce without undergoing any form of training. I joined the Bible study unit and on one of our Saturday preview nights, the assistant Bible study leader was informed that he'd be leading the prayers before Sunday school on Sunday which is 30 minutes before the time. It so happened that some of us got to church before time, and our assistant was no where to be found. Then 20 minutes into the prayers, our able assistant strolled in in style. (How did I know? Well, I happened to open my eyes at that time). I shook my head in disappointment. There's a prayer going on that you're supposed to lead, the prayer had started and here you are, walking in like nothing's wrong. Fine, he might have had a good excuse that made him late but he could have increased his pace since he knew he was already late. Some of y'all dare not go to work 2 minutes late. It's God that we all disrespect because what? You're not serving the Pastor and if he tries to correct you, you pick up your Bible and leave the church.
You should check out the first Bad Church Habits (I) and the second article Bad Church Habits (II) before reading on.
I see some wrong behavioral traits in the church and it breaks my heart each time.
I sincerely thought we were done with this until I witnessed some wrong doings in a fellowship I attended some Sundays back. This time around, I'll be focusing on workers. If you're not yet a worker in church, don't leave yet because that in itself is also a bad habit. And when you finally decide to obey God and join the workforce at the next service, you'll know how not to behave in church. I don't know how you'll attend church and not serve in a unit. You're very wrong. Matter of fact we'll take it from there.
1. Shying away from service: Say you accommodated someone in your home, definitely, you'll try as much as possible to make the person comfortable and feel at home. You'll cook, wash and clean. Say the person is expected to stay for a couple of years and after about a couple of months, the person makes little to no effort to lift a finger to help, how would you feel?? No matter how nice you are, you'd definitely be upset and one way or the other, you'd express your displeasure and the person should take the cue and help out with the chores. Now, bringing the same scenario to the church; you keep going to church asking and asking God for this and that but you've not as much as raised a finger to help arrange the chairs in the church. You're wrong. Yes, you might be a giver which is beautiful. You might even make the biggest donation in church projects and God will definitely bless you, but how about serving Him in a department? Some give God tidy money since it doesn't affect their finances in any way. If you don't have, you'll not give. But service to God in a department only takes your time and strength and maybe your finances as the case may be.
However, these things are not yours. You are God's own. Therefore, you're obliged to give Him your all. It's not limited to your finances alone because you need God to bless you. One thing you must know is this; when you give your money to God, He is not obliged to bless you with money in return. He can decide to bless you through another means. He can decide to increase your productivity and give you longevity or relevance for giving to Him. You expect God to do something for you pro bono... It's not a criterion for answered prayers anyways but take time to think about it. Join a department in church today. Okay, service is over today but I trust that you'll join next week.
The way I was taught, if you come late to church as a worker, you're not going to go near the altar that day. Even if you're to take the sermon, you'd be asked to step down but God is now our acquaintance whom we can do anything to anyhow. We need to amend our ways. God is our friend yet He is not our mate. God is our Father, yet He's not someone to be disrespected. We should reverence and revere God the way we would to someone whom is higher in authority to us. If God were to be physically in church and He asked you to meet Him at a specific time. I'd have thought some people will come earlier than that time but I know some strong headed Christians will still go late because what, they expect that God would wait for them. If we see God as someone who is very real to us like we could meet Him physically if we go to church, then maybe our orientation will change. Anytime I'm going to church and I'm already late, I increase my pace, and the way I help myself is to be prepared ahead of time so I wouldn't have to rush to church. Many a times, I've had to leave my friends behind when we're going to church and they're not walking at my pace. It's not even because I want to minister because I'm not an altar minister but it's because I made that decision that if church is by 5pm, I must be there on or before that time.
If I'm going to a church for the first time and someone would have to lead me there, if I'm told the service is by 8am, I'd try to be ready 30 minutes before the time because I wouldn't want to delay the person but you can imagine my disappointment when I have to wait for the person and then we get to church 15 minutes after the agreed time.
Brethren, let's make amend. Make it a habit to always get to church on time. It won't kill you and I promise you'll love it.
As for this lateness, another angle is that some people only come to church when the sermon is about to start. Is it that other aspects of the service are not important?? I can't seem to wrap my head around it. If it wasn't important, it wouldn't have been included in the service. Please, try as much to possible to be a perpetual church goer and include the spice of being an early bird.
3. Missing midweek meetings: I'd start this with a statement I always hear as touching attending only Sunday services. It says, “Imagine you only have to eat once in a week, you'd definitely be malnourished!" It's the same with just attending Sunday services alone, your spiritual life will definitely be malnourished. I mean, I kinda enjoy midweek services than Sunday service because why, it feels more like a family meeting and what you don't get to hear on Sunday, you get to hear it in the midweek services and even ask questions. It's not possible to ask questions in church on Sunday but midweek Bible studies are the best times to ask your questions and even learn from the answers to the questions of others.
Some use work as an excuse not to attend midweek services... Let's agree work is really taking your time and all, please try as much as possible to still find time to attend. I promise if you attend 1/2, you'll not want to miss any service again.
4. Some of y'all that they have to beg to participate in church... The big men and women in the house of the Lord.
Stand up, no!
Lift up your hands, nope!
Close your eyes, never!
Pray, nah!
Drop your offering, nil!
Sing and dance, not in this world!
Please, how do we help you?? You came to church on your own accord, no one forced you to church. You were not forced to church at gunpoint. Why then would you have to be cajoled to serve your Father?? It's God you're doing these things for, and not the Pastor or the person holding the microphone. Haba, we can do better o. There are even some that they don't participate in anything that happens in church except what the Pastor tells them to do. It's only the Pastor they listen to. If you ask me, I'd say these sets of people need a special prayer program so hands can be laid on them to receive the spirit of participation in church activities. I sincerely have no advice for these sets of individuals rather I have a prayer. I pray that the Lord will touch your heart in Jesus name, Amen.
Please let us quit doing bad things in church so this topic can end here (us including I the writer because I'm also guilty). Next time, I want to refer to “Good church habits" instead.
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