Have you ever gone to church feeling as though you would rather be almost anyplace else and then leave the service feeling great? I sure have, many times. So, how is church supposed to feel? If you said it ought to feel like being with family you wouldn’t be far from the truth.
I realize that we can’t always base things on feelings. Placing feelings over facts has got a lot of people in trouble. However, that being said, feelings are important. I’ve been in some churches where it felt like I was in a morgue. Everyone was stiff as a board and cold as an icicle. You couldn’t get a holy grunt out of anyone, even if you broke your neck trying. Nobody said,”Amen”, “Praise the Lord”, “Hallelujah”, or even “hello” or “goodbye”. That amazes me! How can the saints be silent? How can God’s children treat their fellow family members like strangers–or even worse, like enemies?
I’ve often said that a church might have an excuse for not being rich or having a lot of talent or a large crowd, but there is never an excuse for being unfriendly! If God accepted you for Christ’ sake how can you ignore others? Isn’t that a form of abuse? Suppose a mother treated her child the way you treat others–it would eventually starve and die. Again I say, there is no excuse for being unfriendly. Your heart isn’t right with God.
Well, that’s enough of the negative. Now, let’s take a peek at the positive side. Isn’t it wonderful to be in a church where the atmosphere is warm and inviting –where you feel welcome and accepted? Wow–there is no place on earth quiet like being in a friendly church. I’m talking about the kind of church where folks greet one another with a firm hand-shake, a warm embrace, or even a “holy kiss”. I’m talking about a church where people enquire about your welfare, ask about your family, and offer help when they see a need, the kind of church where people “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”(Romans 12:15). When people find a church like that they don’t want to leave.
I suppose we would all say, “that’s the way a church ought to be” or “that’s the kind of church I’m looking for”, but what are we doing to make the church that way? I’ve noticed that most of the time those who complain the most about the short-comings of the church do the least to make it what it ought to be. That’s another form of hypocrisy, and why do we keep excusing ourself when we are as guilty as sin? What gives us the right to expect from others what we don’t demand for ourself?
If you want the church to be friendly you need to do something other than complain–“a man that hath friends must shew himself friendly–“(Prov. 18:24). If you sneak in the building and hide in a corner sucking your thumb, feeling sorry for yourself, never making eye contact with anyone, don’t be surprised that the church feels unfriendly.
People need people and that is one reason why Christ established the church. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of a church family where you feel loved, accepted and needed. Every Christian needs that and there in no excuse for a church not being that way. You can find what you need in this regards and you can be a blessing to others–your life can make a difference. Ask God to direct you to the church of His choice, get involved, and be a blessing. You will be blessed– no doubt about it. Think about it!
