Harder To Go Than Not To

Some have said it's harder to believe than not to. It's harder to be a Christian than not to. Lots of people fall by the wayside because following God is a lot harder than not. So it should come as no surprise that it can be generally harder to go to church than not to.

As it turns out -- and this may be a big surprise -- every church, regardless of its location, its form, its structure, has people in it. Seriously. That means, based on Scripture, that every church will be a mixed population. There will certainly be the born again -- true believers seeking to grow in Christ and follow God. But if you stop there, you're sadly mistaken. There will also certainly be a segment of false believers, people who may think they're saved (Matt 7:21) but are not. They are not necessarily malicious or devious. They may just be confused or misguided. And there are plenty of those in any given church. Finally, of course, there are the false teachers. These are there spreading lies in the name of God. They are a common topic of Scripture, a common warning throughout the New Testament. They go out from us, but they are not of us (1 John 2:18-19). We only recognize this group by their deviation from the truth (1 John 2:19) and their deviation from godliness (Matt 7:15-20).

This, then, is what we expect every time we spend time in church. There will be ... trouble. There will be bad things. We can expect it. We mustn't, however, allow this fact to stop us from doing what is right. We are commanded to fellowship (Heb 10:25). We are commanded to love the brethren (John 13:34-35; 2 John 1:5). We are given spiritual gifts expressly to exercise in the Body (1 Cor 12:7). We have a job; we have a ministry. We are called to minister to one another, and the fact that Satan wishes to disrupt that should be a motivation to work at that ministry harder, not a reason to give up. It may be harder to go to church than not to, but don't let that hold you back. Be a part of God's work among His people and in His world. Be part of a local body and minister where you are planted.