I came home from church this morning with a heavy heart, pondering something that was said in the service. The person that was preaching said that we have made Christianity convenient, which we should not do. He said, “So, you don’t want to dress up for church? Fine, we’ll make it convenient and not make you. You can’t come on Sunday morning? Fine, we’ll make it more convenient and have services at other times.” I believe that there is nothing wrong with those things at all. Those things would make church convenient not make Christianity convenient. There is a difference.
I believe that church should be accessible and available to all. Almost everyone that is a Christian became one by going to church. If we didn’t make church convenient and accessible they might not come in the first place. What if that person has to work on Sunday mornings? Then they wouldn’t be able to attend church but with other services at different times or days they can still attend.
If church services are convenient and available, more people will most likely attend and more people will most likely give their lives to Christ. As Christians we are told to reach out to and bring people to Christ. The way we do things may need to be changed. It may be inconvenient for us to change things like the songs we sing or the services we attend but when it may bring even one person to give their life to Christ I believe that it is definitely worth it.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Christianity, Faith, Jesus Christ
I completely agree with you. Church should be accessible to everyone. I try to look nice on Sunday morning for church, but I don’t always dress up. God is not concerned with our outward apearance on Sunday morning. He is concerned about the condition of our heart
Wise beyond your years! Dead on brother!!
This “thing” we have must be attractive, before it can be promoted. Nobody is interested in belonging to “something” that is unattractive.If it is somehow unattractive because it is inconvienient, then change it. Then it begins to look more attractive as well as convienient. It is inconvienient for me to commute over an hour to my church, but i may do so because I am “dedicated/obedient”. Not all members would travel 20 minutes. Convenience is not something that Christ promoted. Good stuff!
You are so right. I think the heart behind the “conveniences” has a lot to do with it too. It gets into legalism when you “have” to dress up or go to church on Sunday mornings or sing certain songs. We have to adapt the church so it is attractive, as the previous comment mentions, but we have to at the same time keep the heart the same – we cannot change our beliefs to be attractive, because that would be compromising… it would be being of the world. If that makes any sense… I think your post is great, and I always enjoy reading your thoughts. And I have to echo another comment on here… very wise!
Keep it up! 
Good thoughts, Matt – and very perceptive! Is it OK if instead of trying to answer your question I add more to think about? (hope so).
Some compare the church to a gym. People come here to work out spiritually, get better, improve their times and their stats. Make sure they’re in shape for the rest of the week. Oh – and it’s where we have our games. You should come sometime.
Some compare the church to a hospital. People come here to get better – to get well. We won’t criticize people when they first arrive, many are born here! But if people don’t grow and become healthier here we start to wonder if we’re doing the right things. Spiritual health is what it’s all about after all.
Some compare the church to a military outpost. We work here. We work hard. We study our surroundings and the people in the area so we know how best to reach them. Then we infiltrate so we can win them to Christ, bring them on-board and start teaching them the important things of the faith. This is war – and we’re out to win! We’re soldiers, true, but we are some of the friendliest soldiers you’ll ever meet. And our Commander is the greatest ever.
Here’s a fact a lot of people don’t know about. Did you know a lot of churches decided to have church at 11:00 AM because by the time the dairy farmers milked the cows cleaned up and drove the horse-drawn buggy into town (2 mph) it was pretty close to eleven o’clock? The devoted ones made it by 9:30 for Sunday School
In setting the time when they did they made it convenient as they could so people could participate.
Other things probably affect our start-times and meeting days now. (I don’t know anyone who drives a horse-drawn buggy into down at 2 mph) I agree with you – we need to meet when people can be there. As they get more excited about the Lord they’ll start letting go of other activities because they’d rather do what God needs them to do than what they were doing before.
Do you think maybe the speaker yesterday morning was trying to build a fire under a few people sitting out there who’ve forgotten what the church is supposed to be? and do? Or are maybe getting a little lazy?
Good thoughts!!
Phil—
man. it’s probably a good thing i didn’t go. i would’ve been pissed.
convenience in Christianity has NOTHING to do with church.
it’s a personal thing.
convenience and accessibility are probably what they had confused.
but thank you for blogging about it.
you are a thinker, and the church needs more of you.
I too was at that service and heard the same message as you..and I am a 50 plus women and I was there with my 19 year old daughter, and we both agreeed that we did NOT like or agree with what was said…We were only hoping that there were not new people there because it would deffinitaly turn them away…Keep blogging you have a great mind, heart, and soul
Matt,
You’re right on here bro!
I love your distinction between “church” and “christianity.”
Bottom line man, it sounds like this man preached in a place that was built by the very things he preached against.
Keep the faith man!
Paul
Matt,
Great post. The church is not a “place where” it is a “people who”… I think you are challenging external (cultural) expectations of church… as you seek the real issues (the heart). Maybe your heavy heart is because you can’t see Jesus saying these same things. Always critically listen to watch bible teachers say… with your Bible in hand. Great post!
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce