Privacy Please, Pt 3

“No church for me, because my faith is private.”

Another way this excuse manifests itself is with church. Some people have quit the church and their reasoning is “my faith is private”. These people are claiming that they can have a private relationship with God and, therefore, do not need to go to church.

People have a plethora of excuses for avoiding church. There are also some wrong reasons for attending church. There are two false ideas that I battle against when it comes to church.

False Idea #1 – Church is my ticket to heaven. This is false, and yet many people buy into this idea. They go to church a lot, but they do so because they think it somehow earns them credit towards heaven. This is patently unbiblical.(Eph. 2:8-10) Salvation is not found on a church attendance chart. Salvation is found only through the blood of Christ. Attending church cannot save anyone.

False Idea #2 – I don’t need church, faith is a private matter. This idea is the other end of the spectrum. People who espouse this idea don’t want to go to church and rationalize it by the claim that “faith is private”. This, too ,is false.

This group of people really don’t want to be inconvenienced with church. It is too much of a chore to get up so early on a Sunday morning and spend a couple of hours worshiping the God who loved them so much that He gave His life for their very soul. They don’t want to be bothered with fellowshipping with other believers who need their help in their walk with Christ. They don’t want to waste time being obedient to God’s command to assemble with His family. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

No! This excuse is one of selfishness, pride, and laziness. It is unbiblical. Church is not optional and your faith is not that private.

It might sound like I am trying to have it both ways. On one side I am saying that just going to church is not good enough. On the other side I am saying that if you don’t go to church that is not good enough. How do I answer that charge?

It is really rather simple. If I have been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ who died for my sins to save my soul; then obeying Him in all matters, including church, is not a chore and it is not a check mark. It becomes a privilege that I can obey my Lord, worship Him among the family of God, and be involved in His service to others.

If your faith is THAT private, it might not exist.

Don't Neglect!

Hebrews 10:23-25

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.


I have been studying the background issues relating to the book of Hebrews and it has opened my eyes to this particular verse. For a long time I thought this verse was just a word of general encouragement about church attendance. It is an exhortation not to neglect meeting with other believers that some were in the habit of doing.

I assumed that there were a group of people whose attendance at church was sporadic at best.

The issue goes much deeper than that.

This sermon was probably sent to a group of believers in Rome. There was probably a great Jewish element to this church, thus the title of the book. Although this is not definitive, it was probably written in the mid 60’s A.D.

This is very significant for several reasons. This letter was written near the time of the famous Neronian persecution in Rome. And, it wasn’t just the Romans who persecuted these followers of Jesus Christ. Even though they had a Jewish background, the Jews distanced from this group as well.

This means that these followers of Christ were facing all kinds of persecution from many different angles. They were unfairly taxed, had their property seized, faced arrest, physical harm, and even death.

How did the persecutors know who the followers of Christ were? They had a habit of meeting together on the first day of the week. We call it church. When the followers of Christ met together to worship their Lord they were putting themselves in danger of some form of persecution.

It is understandable that a certain group of these church goers started missing the weekly gathering.

It is in that context that they receive the instruction in Hebrews – don’t neglect meeting together! Yes, you may face physical persecutions but the benefits of meeting with other followers of Christ to worship the Lord far outweighs anything society might do to them.

I don’t think there are any people that are in the same situation today in America. The only hindrances we have to faithful church attendance are barriers of our own making. Rest, recreation, a ball game, a hard week, I need to spend some time with the family, or whatever else – is a flimsy excuse in the eyes of the text of Hebrews.

As a pastor, I sometimes feel like people see me as the attendance police. This is not true. I do have the responsibility to care for the sheep that the Lord has given me. And, when they go missing I do take notice. But, I don’t have a secret little attendance book with your name written in it.

Here is the flip side of that coin. Your faithfulness does speak about your relationship with Christ. A follower of Jesus is a lover of Jesus. That means that we are going to love the things that Jesus loves. Jesus loves His church. He died for her. If you cannot be faithful to His bride, the church, that does say something about the nature of your relationship with Christ. Besides, the church is good for you and it needs you.

Don’t neglect meeting together!

Can You Be A Christian and Not Go To Church?

Question: Can I be a Christian without joining the church?
Answer: Yes, it is possible. It is something like being:
A student who will not go to school.
A soldier who will not join an army.
A citizen who does not pay taxes or vote.
A salesman with no customers.
An explorer with no base camp.
A seaman on a ship without a crew.
A businessman on a deserted island.
An author without readers.
A tuba player without an orchestra.
A parent without a family.
A football player without a team.
A politician who is a hermit.
A scientist who does not share his findings.
A bee without a hive.
- taken from Wesleyan Christian Advocate


Ephesians 5:25-32

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church .
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Eph 5:25). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Church Attendance Saves Lives

You know what they say about statistics?! So, take this humorous compilation that I got from FUMC Palestine with a grain of salt.

Play It Safe

1. Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of fatal accidents.
2. Don’t stay at home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.

3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.

4. Avoid traveling by air, rail or water because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.

5. Avoid hospitals because 32% of all deaths occur in a hospital.

Conclusion: Only .001% of all deaths occur in a worship service in a church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. Therefore, the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is in church! Bible study is safe too. The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even less. For safety’s sake – attend church and read your Bible.