Why?

Christian, why do you attend church?

Is it for spiritual brownie points, to see and be seen, because you are supposed to attend? Is it to be entertained, to feel an emotional experience, to be impressed?

Why do you engage in musical worship? 

Is it to chase a spiritual high, to enjoy a concert, or to be a part of a show? Is it because lights, sound, and fog bring you closer to the Almighty?

Why do you listen to the sermon?

Is it to improve your life, to become a better person, to feel better about yourself?

Christian, why do you so often answer these questions in these ways? 

Why do you not avail yourself of the infinite blessings of the gathered bride of Christ? Why do you turn “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” meant to be sung, “to the Lord,” into opportunities for mysticism, false emotionalism, and pride (Eph 5:19)? Why do you lust after self-help, self-care, and the self itself, while neglecting the only One who can truly help and care for you? Why do you care more about how the sermon applies to you than to whether or not it is faithful to the Word of God?

Further, why do you not bat an eye at the concept, inherent in my very first question, of merely “attend[ing] church?” Why does it not bother you that the Lord’s day has been reduced to an event to be attended, a building to be entered, an inspiring message to be heard?

Christian, why do you attend church? Is it for you or is it for Him? 

Is it to be entertained, to consume, to be fed? Or is it to worship the one true God, the Alpha and Omega, and the risen Christ? 

The gathered church has one fundamental primary purpose, to worship and bring glory to God. To varying degrees, we have lost this today. We seek entertainment, worldly wisdom, psychology, lifehacks, and community. These things are not all bad, but they are filthy rags without Christ.

Christian, you must turn to Christ. It is for Him, for the Lord, that you must seek the gathering of believers on the Lord’s day. That is why it is called the Lord’s day. Enjoy the music, enjoy the community, and enjoy the sermon. But never for one second forget why you are there. Never forget for whom the church gathers. When the church begins to look horizontally, rather than vertically, when it begins to take the form of the world, rather than that of Christ, it is no longer fulfilling its purpose.

Many people have asked me in recent months about different churches, about whether or not they are “good.” Absent any blatantly unbiblical practices and/or structures and systems (which are all too common and DO matter, no matter how seemingly inconsequential), ask yourself one simple question. Who is actually being worshiped? Look past “word or talk” and focus on deed and truth (1 John 3:18-19).