Ask the Pastor 90

What attitude should I have when I go to church?

At first gasp this would seem to have an obvious answer, but upon further review, not so obvious. In doing research of fast-growing churches, we find that there are a number of things that are attributed to fast growing and large churches. It starts on the outside of the church, the way to church must be easily marked with attendants to show us the way etc.; you must be greeted at the door; a nursery is provided to drop off your baby(s); a children’s church for other little ones; there may or may not be a Sunday School as families are to sit together for worship (at least the older children, who can learn to sit); music must be contemporary, like what you are accustomed to hearing; preaching must not be over your head, don’t want to think too much etc. Let us think through 3 main areas for consideration. First, that we worship God in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24), the word worship is literally to bow down, therefore as we sing, pray and preach, it is with an attitude of bowing down to the Lord God. Our view is of the Lord, not on others or how we might be entertained. The Word of God is to be preached in truth and therefore, we may need to think at times and grasp things that are over our head. Second, all things are to be done decently and in order (I Corinthians 14:40). The God of creation is the God of order and to honor Him is to do things in order and with decency. Third, we serve and honor the Lord through our service to one another to build up or edify each other in the faith (Ephesians 4:12; I Peter 4:10). It is not about me but about the Lord and His people. We do not think about what we “get out of it” but rather what we put into it. So, go to church, worship the Lord our God and serve others.

Have questions about the Bible? Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article.