When your car is making funny sounds and you call the mechanic to explain the sound and get a possible diagnosis, do you end the phone call with a fixed car?
When you are hungry and go online to order a pizza, do you hit that submit button with a full belly?
The answer to both of these is an obvious no. Your car is not fixed just because you called the mechanic. You have to take the car in to be fixed by the mechanic. Your hunger is not satisfied because you placed an order for food. You have to consume the food.
The same principle is applied to our lives with God. Just because we attend church doesn't make us a Christian. It just makes us an attender. Just because we bought a Bible and had our name engraved on the leather cover doesn't make us a Christian. It just makes us the owner of a Bible.
We need to engage. We need to be intentional. We need to make a move.
Attending church doesn't make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car. It's about a relationship with God. Going to church is important. Very important in fact. In church we learn; we learn from our pastors, God gives them messages to share with us; and we learn from our church family, you will always find someone who has been where you are and can encourage you and lead you. In church we grow; we grow in our faith as we see others in our church overcome trials; and we grow as we watch others come to Christ. And in church we serve; we serve in ministry and helping others; and we serve in reaching out and witnessing. Yes, going to church is vital to a Christian walk.
But a relationship with God is about so much more than attending church. You see, your Sunday morning worship service should never, ever be the only worship you have. Your Sunday morning worship service is simply an outpouring of your private worship you had the rest of the week. The Scripture you hear in the Sunday morning sermon should never be the only Scripture you hear. You should be daily reading God's Word on your own. The ministry you perform in your church should never be the only ministry you have. In fact, your main ministry should always be within the walls of your home, to your family. Your ministry should also be to your neighborhood and in your job.
The word Christian means to be "Christ-like." We can't be Christ like one day a week. Christ is holy all of the time, not just when He walked the earth and went to the temple. If we say we are Christians, it is time to start living as Christ. It's time to start opening that Bible and reading and studying the Words. It's time to start praying and worshiping at home in private. It's time to start getting involved in ministry at our church as well as ministering to our families, neighbors, and co-workers.
Being a Christian takes more. More than being a church attender. More than being a Bible owner. Are you ready to do what it takes?
Such a good post. I have found myself saying similar the last few days. We need to be intentional in our growth and relationship with God. I am blessed when God repeats and confirms His thoughts to me through repetition. Blessed to have stopped here this morning!
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