PerryDox – BeJustAChristian

   Jesus began parables with…”The kingdom of heaven is like…” to make His teachings plain and understandable.

   The parabolic helps us appreciate the immaterial and spiritual because we understand the material and physical.  As one little girl reportedly said, a parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”  But since most of us our culturally separated from the analogies of Jesus, let’s adapt His process to more familiar surroundings.

   Don’t treat church services like going to the dentist – keep putting it off.

   Most don’t go to the dentist routinely, and don’t savor the experience when there.  In fact, dentists often see us only when painful circumstances force us.  

   Don’t treat church services like going to the doctor –only go if you are sick.

   In our culture we go to the doctor when sick, save for the occasional physical or follow-up examine.  This is opposite the Chinese practice – they go when they are well to keep them from getting ill.  In fact, they only pay the doctor when they are well.  The doctors stop receiving payment when their patients get sick.  Spiritually, some only come to church periodically, when they feel a special need.  We should consider going to church at all services as a method of keeping us well spiritually.

   Treat church services like watching the Super Bowl live – don’t allow anything to distract you or you may miss the winning touchdown!

   When something is considered special, special attention is given to it.  Many fall asleep in the middle of a regular season football game.  How do we treat studying God’s word?  Are we expecting something special?  Are we even awake?

   Treat church services like going to a spa – come and be rejuvenated!

   Having never been to a spa, I’ll have to take their word for it!  Think!  Should the following refresh and rejuvenate our souls: singing with others, praying with and for our spiritual family, remembering God’s grace in the Lord’s Supper, delving deeper into God’s word, pondering our souls as the preacher provokes our thoughts?

   Treat church services like the movies – you don’t want to be late because you don’t want to miss anything.

   Being late to the movies is aggravating because we don’t want to miss anything.  Being late to the movies is rude to the audience because they get disrupted.  If we can be on time to the movies, work, school, luncheons, etc., can we be on time to services?  I asked someone who habitually was late everywhere – and didn’t care – if he was late to work.  He said he was always on time.  Why?  “I have to be” he said.

    Treat church services like going out to a great restaurant – come to enjoy the experience.

In a nice restaurant, you walk in, are escorted to your seat, the chair is pulled out for you – not out from under you – the napkin is placed in your lap, a menu is handed to you…ah yes, the beginning of a fine dining experience.  You savor each pampered moment.  Do we come to church to be served?  Yes and no.  We are served, and we do serve.  We come to serve God and others because Jesus came to serve us.

   Treat church services like dinner time – come to be filled.

   In coming to church too often we are like children called to dinner.  We see the green stuff, and think yuck!  Instead of eating a little of everything to be full and healthy, we complain.  Being on a diet, some come to the dinner table purposely not to get full – they are afraid of getting fat.  Don’t be afraid of getting full spiritually – don’t be afraid of getting fat spiritually.  Come to church ready to eat the green stuff!

   Treat church services like a new recipe (for the women) or your favorite team (for the men) – talk about it with your friends showing your excitement.

   How do we talk about church with other members and friends? Have we ever heard someone bemoan, “I’ve got to try a new recipe;” or “I’ve got to go to the ballgame…?”   How often do we moan because we have to go to church?

   Treat church services like the place to solve problems and read the Bible as if the clues to winning the lottery were found in its’ pages.

   We will not solve all of life’s problems at church the same as we will not solve all of life’s problems by winning the lottery – which we shouldn’t be playing anyway!  We will always fall short of perfection.  Attending church is a chance for sinners like us to learn as much as we can and try as hard to minimize life’s problems by following Biblical wisdom.

   This last one is not an analogy, but nonetheless is powerful:

   Treat church services like it is a commandment from our Creator and actually, it is the least we can do—literally.  We owe God and his Son so much more.

   Not living where attending services can be lethal due to its illegality, we might not consider attending as dramatic as those in earlier centuries or other parts of the world.  But it is a statement nonetheless; stating how different we are from the world; how committed we are.  Do we allow company to keep us away?  “But they won’t come to church with me.”  They won’t if we stay home with them!  What do we allow to interfere with coming to as many services as we possibly can? 

   Jesus died for the Kingdom of Heaven.  Are we willing to live for it?

Tags: Article, Attendance

This entry was posted by PHall on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 2:12 pm and is filed under Hebrews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.