The last few weeks I received a sequence of 9 e-mails in my inbox from Perry Marshall where he talked about “The Nine Great Lies of Sales & Marketing”; very interesting. It made me think about the lies that we all believe about Christianity; our Christian walk.
Everyday we hear things and subconsciously believe all these things that the world tells us. Satan’s strongest weapon against you is lies. So, let’s expose some of these myths and then explore what God’s Word says so that the next time you hear a myth, you can name the lie and replace it with the truth. And then we can start making righteous choices for our life to go into the right direction.
Ok, this is my first choice;
Myth #1:
“It’s ok if I am not committed to a church as long as my relationship with God is healthy.”
From high school graduation to age 25 is a 42 % drop in weekly church attendance and a 58% decline from age 18 to age 29. That represents about 8 million twenty something alive today who were active church-goers as teenagers but who will no longer be active in a church by their 30th birthday.” Barna Research Group
I have heard so many stories from people that are not involved in church right now and think that. that really doesn’t matter. They say things like “going to church does not get you saved. It’s your personal relationship with Jesus that matters and church has nothing to do with that. As long as I pray and as long as I am right with God, then church can wait. I will get back eventually”.
Let me tell you I have been in and out of church for quite a long time. We had all kinds of reasons, which actually were excuses if you think about it! It takes an effort to get back into church. You really have to want it, otherwise you never will I believe.
I like this quote from Dwight.L Moody “The difference between listening to a radio sermon and going to church…is almost like the difference between calling your girl on the phone and spending an evening with her.”
No, church attendance doesn’t save you. But the church does matter to God. So what? you may ask. Think about this:
- Church wasn’t your pastor’s idea or your mother’s idea. It was God’s idea. Because the church matters to God, it should matter to you too. Paul calls the church “God’s household, which is the church of the living God”. 1Tim 3:15
- Sometimes we approach church with a fast-food attitude – wanting to zip through the drive-through window, get what we want in minutes and not have to interact with other people. Instead we can transform our attitudes about church by approaching it as a place to give, to know and to be known, to invest our time, to develop intentional relationships and to slow down and truly worship.
- While our personal relationship with Christ is what saves you, the bible also emphasizes that you are a apart of a body with many parts (1Corinthians 12). It is impossible to be a healthy Christian apart from the life-giving local body.
- We were not designed to live in isolation, plowing through life alone. God intended for Christians to do life together. To raise our families together and meet each others needs (Acts 2:42). To roll up our sleeves and work together. To support each other through the good and the bad times in life. While the church isn’t perfect, it’s the most amazing institution on earth and one worth investing in; both for what you can give and for what you can get.
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another… Heb 10:24-25
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