"But I Don't Want to Go to Church": Why God Won't Let You Off the Hook

No one can effect you like church folk.

No one.

When things go right, there's no place you'd rather be. When things go wrong, you're looking for the closest exit. That's our culture today. We treat church like a hard job or a bad marriage. Society's access to more options has diluted our willingness to see a thing through to the end.

You say you don't have to put up with it but, child of God, you do, and God is not letting you off the hook. But hang with me... be encouraged. It will be worth it.

“Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. ~2 Chronicles 29:4-7

The story of young King Hezekiah and the return of God's people to the temple is easily my favorite story about church folk. Hezekiah had witnessed his father shut the doors of the church and seek favor outside its' walls. He saw what was sacred to God be sacrificed to those with an agenda, but the effort was in vain. Favor would not be found in these streets. Glory would not reveal itself through unfaithfulness. And now, his father is dead and the throne is his. In my sanctified imagination I can hear him say,

"Enough is enough. We're going home."

Home. Do you miss having a church home?

God sits in the heavens, but His soul rests in the local church.

There comes a point where you and I have to stop looking at the behaviors of man and focus on the soul of God.

I can hear someone whispering "No, I don't" right...here.

Yes, you do. God does it for you.

The local church is not heaven, but it is the place where the train of His robe fills the temple. It is our strong tower, our safe haven. It is where the Father can rest His feet and you can free your mind. He will not honor us when we abandon it.