The church is a wonderful avenue to build a strong community of believers who can help point each other to Christ. However, the church is far from perfect and the way that we do church can sometimes be flawed.
In church services, people can build some strong habits that can actually be harmful not just for the body as a whole but also for the person. Here are some habits that church goers should stop doing to fully enjoy the blessing that is the church community.
1. Cherry picking sermons
When the pastor starts preaching about faith, joy and blessing, everyone seems to be all ears and attentive to the feel-good sermon. And then suddenly the pastor starts encouraging people to read their Bibles, join a small group or give to missions as an application to God's grace. By that time people have their eyes set on smartphones and on the exit. Every Word spoken through sermons fulfil a need in us, even those that we don't want to hear.
2. Coming in late to miss worship
The first ten minutes of church service will sometimes look like a deserted hall, but just as soon as worship ends people start flocking in through the doors. Worship is the most integral part of the service, and it's even more important than the preaching of the Word. The preaching is for our benefit, but the worship that we give is our way of blessing and honouring God for His goodness.
3. Saying no to small group invitations
There's a reason why your pastor wants you to be part of a small group, and that's because he wants to see you get discipled, grow in your walk with Christ and win in every area of your life. Church is a great place to find friends whom you can experience worship, fellowship and discipleship with.
4. Leaving early and skipping fellowship
Church isn't a once-a-week event that we attend to fulfil a religious duty. It is a gift given to us by God to grow in relationship with others whom we can do life with. People should be just as excited about after-church fellowship as they are with the service itself. It's the time that we can share life with one another.
5. Feeling entitled to a favourite spot
I've seen people give ushers daunting looks after they were requested to give way for the elderly or to move to the front. Often people can feel a sense of entitlement thinking that the church- and ultimately God- owes them something. Here's news for you: The church doesn't owe us anything and it is us who owe our lives to God. It is a blessing and privilege to be a part of the church community.
