How Some People Attend Church

• Some Christian’s church attendance is very important to them.

• To others there are other things in their life that is more important than church attendance.

WHAT ARE THESE PEOPLE SAYING WITH THEIR LIFE?

Think about it, they are actually saying there are more important things than worshipping the God that created them!

THAT IS ALMOST UNBEIEVABLE, ESPECIALLY FOR A PERSON WHO PROFESSES TO BE SAVED.

We can thank the Lord that all that professes to be saved is not like them, because if all Christians were like them, there would be:

• No Churches

• No Missionaries

• No Sunday School Teachers

• No preachers

Yes, Thank God everyone who professes to be saved is not like them!!!

For example…

Illus: On Sunday morning, September 27, 1959, President Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to accompany him to a worship service at Gettysburg Presbyterian Church.

The communist leader declined, and Eisenhower went without him.

WHAT A TESTIMONY, THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THOUGHT THAT ATTENDING CHURCH WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT HE PUT GOD AHEAD OF THIS COMMUNIST LEADER WHO HAD COME TO SEE HIM.

Today people have all kinds of excuses to putting other things ahead of the Lord than to worship the Lord Jesus!

What a bad testimony it is to our lost family members and friends, when we profess to know the Lord and they know we are somewhere else when we should be in the house of God.

Illus: Reminds me of the Christian young lady that went to a dance. She was advised by her Christian parents that it would hurt her Christian testimony. She went anyway, telling them that she was going to witness for the Lord there.

She was dancing with a fellow and she said, “Are you a Christian?” He said, “Of course not! If I was, what would I be doing here?”

There is no better way of destroying our Christian testimony than FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OR OURSERLVES TOGETHER AS THE WORD OF GOD COMMANDS US IN HEBREWS 10-25.

Church attendance reflects that God is a top priority in our life.

Illus: You would have a hard time convincing the Lost world that you love the Lord Jesus when you take six days to do whatever you want to do and then take His day also to do whatever you want to do.

I would like to read you a letter how important church attendance is to some people.

The letter goes like this…

"Dear Pastor,

You often stress attendance at worship as being very important for a Christian, but I think a person has a right to miss now and then. I think every person ought to be excused for the following reasons and the number of times indicated:

Christmas (Sunday before or after) 1

New Year's (Party lasted too long) 1

Easter (Get away for the holidays) 1

July 4 (National holiday) 1

Labor Day (Need to get away) 1

Memorial Day (Visit hometown) 1

School closing (Kids need a break) 1

School opens (One last fling) 1

Family reunions (Mine and wife's) 2

Sleep late (Saturday night activities) 4

Deaths in family 4

Anniversary (Second honeymoon) 1

Sickness (One for each family member) 5

Business trips (A must) 3

Vacation (3 weeks) 3

Bad weather (Ice, snow, rain, clouds) 6

Ball games 5

Unexpected company (Can't walk out) 5

Time changes (Spring ahead; fall back) 2

Special on TV (Super Bowl, etc.) 3

Pastor, that leaves only two Sundays per year. So, you can count on us to be in church on the fourth Sunday in February and the third Sunday in August unless providentially hindered.

Sincerely,

Faithful Member

As ridiculous at that letter may be, there are people who profess to be Christians who attend church this way. I HOPE YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THOSE!!!

Church attendance is IMPORTANT, but listen it is equally IMPORTANT how you attend a Church.

And that is what I want to preach about in this sermon.

Today in this sermon I will be preaching about HOW SOME PEOPLE ATTEND CHURCH.

Illus: We naturally assume when people ATTEND church they come to worship God. RIGHT!!!

After all…

• It is safe to assume the reason people attend horse races is because they love horses

• It is safe to assume the reason people attend a football game thy love football.

• It is safe to assume the reason people attend car racing because they love car racing.

• So, it should be safe to assume that the reason people attend a church service is that they love the Lord and have come to worship Him.

But that ASSUMPTION does not work when it comes to why some people attend a church service.

Illus: For example, we had a man to attend our church and join our church.