Healthy Church Habits (1)

If my maths is not wrong, we should have about 10 bad church habits broken down into 3 parts. I do sincerely wish we'd have same number for the healthy habits as well... Without further ado, let's delve right into it but before you read on, can you think of about 5 habits you've noticed in church that's what emulating?? 

Read: Bad Church Habits (I)

Actually, one would think it's the opposite of the bad habit that'll make up for the good ones... Well, that's true but I'll love to include more...

1. Fellowship: according to the English dictionary, fellowship means, “A company of people that share the same interest or aim." If I'm to put it in my own words, I'd say fellowship is simply the coming together of people of like minds. The fact that you chose to go church for the first reason of fellowshipping with the brethren, you're a good person and you're maintaining the right habit. I don't know about you but when it comes to going to church, the joy that feels my heart is unquantifiable. I can relate when David said in Psalms 122:1 that “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.'"

I'm always looking forward to service days whether on Sunday or during the week... Thinking about it alone breeds euphoria in my heart! Wait, did you go to church today?? Let me know how service went in the comments. Do share just a bit of what the minister preached today (read mine in the comments.) The popular Hebrews 10:25 says, “not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching." I had to find the version that relates the forsaking of fellowship with brethren as an habit so you see that this first point is taken directly from the Scriptures. 

I've heard (I'm sure you'd have heard it too) lots of things about going to church and all, and the most popular of them is, “church is in the heart..." Excuse you, which of the hearts?? Is it the one you use to hold grudge, or the citadel where you think evil of others and even yourself?? (yes, some think evil of themselves when things are not going well.) Is it the heart where you keep malice (by the way, your common knowledge of malice is very wrong. Check your dictionary for the accurate meaning of malice. The one you were taught in school is quite wrong. I'm sorry the meaning will break your heart.) I mean, how many members do you have in your church of the heart? Mind you, church is not the building. The church is you and the brethren! If you saw a building with a church banner in front, you go in and discover that office work is going on there, like a secular job, what'd be your first statement?? “This is not a church!" Exactly, because what is going on in the building is not what is peculiar to a church . If you're just 2/3 fellowshipping together and Christ is the motive for the gathering, you're a church! It doesn't have to be over a 50/100 people before it can be referred to as church (Matthew 18:20.) A church is where you fellowship. The number is not what matters, that Jesus is the reason for the gathering is the matter. Don't fall for the lie from the pit of hell that church is in your heart. Your heart still needs renewal and you claim to have a church there... Are there not times that you think about some things and you look at yourself like, “am I sure I'm still born again? How did I come about thinking like this??" Then you quickly ask for forgiveness. If church is really in the heart, what's the need for God raising ministers to start up ministries where people are getting blessed today?? Even your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ went to church o and He was regular there! The Apostles as powerful as they were didn't stop visiting the temple even when the high priests were still in office. It didn't stop them from going to the temple. Apostle Paul, if not that the prison housed him for most of his apostolic years, he'd be found in the temple. Your biblical examples attended church. Now, it's your turn and you decided to be the church all by yourself... You're treading a wrong and dangerous path. I heard a lady say some weeks back that she has not stepped foot in a church for about 2 years and my jaw dropped! If I get to a place for the first time, the first thing I ask is, if there's a church there, preferably my local church. If no, I ask for other denominations I know I can attend, and I don't hesitate to stand when first times are called (don't look at me like that. Do you expect me to miss the first timers package? Though I've been disappointed a couple of times, but then, it won't stop me from attending the church.)

There's another reason why some others don't go to church, and it's because of hurt from the members of the church. Trust me, I've had my fair share (I'm talking serious allegations that could implicate and tarnish one's reputation) but I didn't stop going to church because of them. I'm not going to church to seek them. I'm going to seek God. At work, one time it the other you'd have been spited by your colleagues or even insulted by your boss but you don't because of that pack your bags, go home and say you're not working again. It's hunger that'll enlighten you and show you the way back to work to beg your boss. Even in the university, why don't you pack your books and leave the school when the lecturer or even your course mate insults or embarrasses you?? I guess it's because we understand that we have an assignment there that we must fulfill! Why then do we pack our bags and leave church when there's an offense?? I've been there but I don't see that as a basis to leave. I guess it's those who're not fully grounded in the reason for fellowshipping that pick up their bags and leave. Even if it's the pastor, forgive and let go. Am I asking you to forgive just like that?? Emphatically, yes I am! Dear reader, I know it's not easy. I'm telling you from experience that forgiveness is not easy but you can cry to God to help you. You know, Pastor Mildred has said not once that “the way to easily forgive someone is to pray for them." Pray for the person genuinely from your heart. If you're wishing the person bad, you're not praying for the person; you might call it praying wicked prayers but you're just hurting yourself the more because as I've learnt, forgiveness is not for the one who hurt you but you the hurt one. Each time I decide to forgive, the burden of unforgiveness is lifted from my soul. Do you know that your refusal to forgive can even hinder your forgiveness as well? Recall that part in The Lord's Prayer... “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us..." Yes. You'd just have to let go. Trust me, I've had to forgive the same person more than 3 times because each time I remember, my heart tightens but you know what I tell myself, “I've forgiven this person" and in a few minutes, my heart is light again. I'm sorry but I don't preach forgive and forget. Only God is capable of doing that- forgetting. You're human. Even when you and the person who hurt you are now on good terms, you will remember what the person did to you once in a while but what do you do?? Forgive all over again! (I have a feeling this not just for the person who has stopped going to church but also for that person who finds it difficult to forgive someone dear to you who has hurt you. You know, it's even the pain in form of hurt that was inflicted on you by a very dear person that hurts more than the one by a random person. And for the umpteenth time, I've had my fair share of that.) Forgiveness is not easy but by the help of the Holy Spirit and your willingness, you'd be able to forgive the person and each time the hurt resurfaces, forgive all over again. Leave vengeance to God because I know you really want someone to avenge you but as a child of God, leave such in the hands of God. Don't even wish or seek for vengeance from God for the person. Just let it go. I pray the Holy Spirit helps you in Jesus name, Amen.

 

I do hope with these few points of mine, I've been able to convince and not confuse you that fellowshipping with the brethren is a very healthy church habit. I'm not referring to just Sunday services or thanksgiving services or yuletide season or special program fellowshipping; I'm referring to a consistent, every Sunday and mid-week service fellowshipping with the brethren. If you're fond of just Sunday services before now, change your ways. I leave you on this point with the question that was posed last week, “Say you have to eat only on a particular day of the week, wouldn't you be malnourished??" But you're trying it with your spiritual life. You feed only on Sundays. I know the place of your personal devotion is very crucial but the place of fellowshipping with the brethren cannot be substituted for anything else. There are things that you can never get to know while isolating yourself from other brethren, there are some dimensions you cannot attain on your own but you get it on a platter of gold in a corporate environment. If you're not a perpetual church goer, I pray the Lord touches your heart such that you see the need to be in the company of other brethren. And if you're a consistent member of the church, I pray the Lord grants you the grace to keep up with it and do more in Jesus name, Amen.

Okay, lemme just include this last thing; I promise we'll move to the next point after this. Fellowshipping in your local assembly every service day is a healthy habit. Not jumping from one denomination to another. Stay in one church and be committed there. The Lord bless you. 

2. Service: I'll let you in a deep secret of mine; I find some people very attractive in church and they're the ones that are every involved in church activities. I'm not just talking eye-service involvement. I'm referring to a deeply spiritual person who is on fire for God and is also involved in church activities (mind you, whether male or female, I find them attractive and I love to be close to them because they push me to do more for God.) Serving and being involved in at least one department is a pretty healthy behavior. You can choose to be in the choir, sanitation, media, ushering, Bible study, prayers and every other department there is in church. Another thing that makes me joyous about church other than attending the service is actually serving. I'm always eager to join a department and work diligently when I get to a new place because I see it another way of giving back to God. I don't do it to get a thank you because the ‘thank you' I need is from God and not from humans. Humans can tell you thank you and God whom you're supposedly doing those things for does not even acknowledge it. I'd rather not be told thank you by people but be appreciated by God. I know of churches that won't take you as their bonafide member if you're not a member of one department or the other and I see nothing wrong with that since they're indirectly making you work for God and guess who gets rewarded for it?? You! Dead that thought that you're working for the pastor or you want to be appreciated for what you do. You're doing it for God and not for the pastor, your department head or any other person. If you get appreciated, glory be to God but if not, serve happily! Nevertheless, don't do it because you want to get something from God because I've heard of stories of people serving in church and when they get the blessings they've been asking God for, they go MIA. Don't be that person; serve God with all diligence and from the depth of your heart, not because of what you want to get but because it's God and you can do anything for Him. There's one a department in church I believe is not exclusive to everyone. It's the sanitation department. At least, if everyone cannot join, everyone should be able to help out if need be. If you ask me, I'd say it should be mandated that every member of the church join that department but that's not going to happen because people regard to it as the dirty job in church. Who else will I get my hands dirty for, if not God?? 

To be continued...