The title of this post isn’t a question, it’s an assertion. I’d like to take a few moments to reflect on What Should Happen At Church.
When God’s people come together on Sunday, it is a day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a day for God’s people to lift up their voices in joy and great happiness to the one who saved them. It is a time to remember that the God we worship is sovereign, loving, merciful, gracious, and giving. It is a time to glorify Him… to honor Him… to magnify Him… to bow before Him… and to surrender anew our life to Him.
When God’s people come together on Sunday, it is a time for confession of sin… it is a time to unite our hearts together with other believers in prayer… it is a time to be still and quiet… it is a time to listen to God… it is a time to contemplate the eternal truths found in His Word… it is a time to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ… it is a time to strengthen our faith and hear God speak.
Conversely… the beauty shop or Jacks is the place to find out about community happenings… not church. ESPN will give you all the scoop on sports… but church is not the place to discuss them. Talk radio will catch you up on politics… but church is not a place to debate policies. The Wall Street Journal has all the information about finances and the economy… so there’s no need to bring those issues to church.
Church is the one place where the world and all the things that weigh us down should be left outside. Once we drive onto campus, all (!) the other issues of life are to be set aside… forgotten… ignored… dropped. Church is the one place where what we wear… where we live… what we drive… the job we have… who we are in the community means absolutely zilch! At church we are all equal… we are all sinners saved by grace… we are all in need of mercy… we are all only forgiven because of the grace of God and nothing else.
Church is a place of refuge… healing… restoration… forgiveness… encouragement… and family. When we leave church we should be able to say with passion, “It is good to have been in the House of The Lord!”
This Sunday… make a decided effort that what happens at church (As much as it depends on you) to be what SHOULD happen at church.