A Hard But Honest Question - Kyle E. Sims
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13 (ESV)
We as Americans living in the post-modern age are heavily influenced by the prevailing pragmatism of our day. We see it in our approach to religion and church. We have the end goal in mind of being saved from Hell and spending an eternity with our family and friends in heaven (oh yeah and with Jesus too). Pragmatism can rob us of the great joy and peace of Christianity. Instead of seeing our faith as a communion with God and his people, it is more like our life insurance policy. It is there and we are glad of it, but we do not like to think about it or interact with it. It brings us a little peace of mind, but no joy in our heart.
The Christian life is suppose to be one of joy and peace! This joy and peace is fueled by a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a philosophy to be learned and adhered to in life. It is not a mystic power. It is a relationship with a person, Jesus Christ. I wonder why people do not come to church faithfully? I wonder why so many sit on the fringe of congregational life. This happens not just at First ARP Lancaster, but in every church. Those who are strongly committed to worship, fellowship, and serving within the church have a joy and peace that is greater than those less involved.
Last Sunday, we had communion for the first time in seven months. I honestly was disappointed with the attendance for worship. Our safety protocols are good. It is safe to come to church for the majority of our congregation. If we can go to eat and do activities out in public, how is church not one of the first places you want to come back to as we open our world back up?
My point here is not to guilt anyone, but rather to ask a harder question - Why is worship and church not a priority? Is it because we are pragmatic about our religion? Is it because we do not really comprehend the joy and peace that is ours in knowing God? What joy, peace, and happiness we forfeit when we do not grasp fully all that Christ has given to us in worship, in the church, and in the church family.
I would encourage you to take a hard look at where you are with the Lord. Is your relationship just pragmatic, keeping you from Hell, or is there a real joy and peace that is found in your life because you know the Lord Jesus Christ? It is my desire that each of you will wake up every Sunday morning with praise and happiness that we get to worship Christ with his people today!