How much of your service to Christ is an obligation, and how much of it is done simply for the joy of being profitable to Him?
This may seem as if it is almost the same statement, but I fear that many who say they are serving Him are doing so only out of what could best be described as the possibility of personal repercussions if they do not. Many who serve do so merely out of an obligatory nature, they feel they should, because if they do not, there will be some form of withholding of His mercies and grace from them. This is the construct of every religious organization upon this planet, and one sadly that many Evangelical churches have fallen into. It is not so much a “Thus saith the Lord or you will be punished” mentality in their minds as it is one of a fear of offending Him in the case of the Evangelical community, but in essence, they are the same thing.
Works are the basis for this obligation they feel, if they do not do this, then will not only God not do that, but they will lose something that they once had with Him, He will take back something that He has freely given them. “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jer. 31:3) The obligations they continue in are in a sense their superstitious nature, for they cannot be found in the Word of God unless the Scriptures are twisted or corrupted. It is one of the reasons our adversary knew that one of the prime weapons he can use is the creation of new “bibles” on a regular basis, to lead the people, one must pull the nose ring slowly, they must not realize they are being led.
No matter the name above the door of the supposed church building, those that enter into it always do so of their own free will, there are no mandatory church attendance laws that I am aware of, but the reason those thresholds are crossed are the tell-tale signs of an individual’s heart. If every Sunday morning your habit is to attend church with as much enthusiasm as you do every other morning that you head off to work, then you are wasting your time. If your thoughts on the way there are one of hoping to feel better either during the service or of getting your spiritual fix so that you can face the week, you might as well not even show up. You are obligated, it is something you should do, whether you want to or not, it is the right thing to do, in other words, these individuals have corrupted Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
The obligated person performs these rituals either because they feel they should, or in hopes that they will get something personal out of it, or as stated previously, because they fear the possible loss of His presence or anger of the Lord towards them if they do not. In todays terminology, we call that being in a cult. Obligations are replacing love, and it is the reason that we are in the great falling away.
Many who attend church do not do so because of their love for Christ, they are simply performing an obligation, while others see it as a safe place, a place to hide from the world, a place to meet friends and acquaintances, but they are not there for the one reason they should be, to worship the Lord our God, to lift above the heavens His name, (Psalm 148:13) to present themselves as living sacrifices, (Romans 12:1) willing and humble servants prepared to do His will no matter the cost.
Servants have obligations only to their master, and masters who are loved are never served out of any other obligation than love. Anything that we try to add to the cross of Christ is a sin, and anyone who tells you that you must follow in anyway anyone other than Jesus is an antichrist. (1 John 2:22) We perform our duties out of a love for Christ, any other motive is an obligation on our part, and is counted as filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6)
