When inviting people to church, I am often met with statements like, "I can get just as close to God by appreciating his Creation." By this, they mean that they can worship God while fishing, hunting, or whatever it is they do instead of going to church.

To such a statement, I have learned to reply, "Do you?"

• Do they really spend that time worshipping and glorifying God?

• Are their hearts and lives purified by communing with Him?

• Do they edify other believers, "in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Colossians 3:16)?

• Do they truly "Love one another" (John 13:34)?

• Do they preach salvation to others (Matthew 28:19-20)?

Granted, there are many churchgoers who are not good Christians. They think that by "clocking time" in church, they have fulfilled God's requirements and earned their salvation. But church is not really what you do for God, it is what God wants to do for you. It is intended to edify, strengthen, and purify you. True worship in church is meant to enable you to go out into the world and begin to work for God.

There is a story about a man who was looking for a perfect church. What happened? He FOUND it, JOINED it, and RUINED it! The Church ceased to be perfect when God let people in. That is the paradox of the Church:  the Church IS people!

And the hypocrites? Call it a "catch-22," but anyone who is enlightened enough to point out to a hypocrite the error of his ways has already been granted the responsibility of going to church and showing them how it should be done.

Have you yet to see the value of church in your own life? Would you like to get more out of it? Let me share with you three suggestions (or "Three Demands"):

1. Demand God's Word.  Look for a church that teaches the Bible -- the whole Bible -- in an honest, informed, and balanced manner: the parts that make you feel guilty as well as the parts that make you feel good.

2. Demand "Solid Food".  Without being a whiner or judgmental, expect your church to give you spiritual and emotional nourishment. If you are not being "fed" spiritually or being included in fellowship, consult with your pastor. Be patient but persistent.

3. Demand from Yourself.  I have seen Christians sit in church for forty years but never grow spiritually. Learn God's Word. Strive to live by it. You will fail (all Christians do) -- but repent and keep on going. God wants his Church to grow continually (Ephesians 4:11-16). Expect it of yourself. Work at it. Demand it.

Originally published in the Polk County Enterprise, August 12, 1990.

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Copyright 1996 Paul A. Hughes
Last updated February 1999. For more information, comments, or suggestions, write pneumatikos@geocities.com.