What every born-again believer wants is to be pleasing in the eyes of our heavenly Father, (1 John 3:22) it is important to us, “Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.” (Heb. 11:16)
I believe that too many who may or may not be His children have decided that the way to do that is not by being obedient to His word, but by works done for vainglory, though they would not call it that. Think here on the traditions of almost every church, especially around certain times of the year and even on secular holidays, think on what might be considered habits that each church has devolved into, ones that over a period of time are repeated not because they are worthy to be called part of the worship service, but because they have been repeated for so long that they are not even questioned anymore.
In all the years that you may have attended church services, have you ever known an individual to stand up in the middle of a service and call out for those in attendance to pray for them, tears running down their face. Probably not, those things are to be reported, so to speak, to the one that makes up the Sunday morning bulletin, and please have all prayer requests in by Thursday at 5:00pm. The routine must be adhered to, and they see it as security, not a Spiritual rut.
I have heard prayer requests read from those even present and always read at the same time in the Sunday morning services, with nothing more than a name and a prayer request of “unspoken.” I always wondered, if the person in that service is calling those in attendance their brothers and sisters in Christ, then what is the hindrance to their fellowship, why is not Galatians 6:2 being applied, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
I have attended Bible studies during the week where it is quite evident that no conversation is allowed unless a question is asked by the one teaching it, there is a time frame allotted, and the one who has prepared that evening’s “sermon” wants to be at the end of it by the time allotted. No pressing needs of those in attendance is to be brought up, this is not a discussion group, it is church on Wednesday night with different attire. If you attend one of these churches, and I use that term lightly, show up on Sunday morning in the clothes that you normally wear to the Bible study and see what the reaction of those in attendance will be, it will speak much of who they are serving there. “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool.” (James 2:2-3)
Ask the pastor or one of the elders, deacons or whatever they are called at your church to perform the services in reverse one Sunday and you will receive just as glaring a look.
There are not too many places out there that are worshipping the Most High in those buildings with a cross in them somewhere, but, they are not forsaking the assembling of themselves together, right? “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7)
I meet people occasionally on the street who have attended church for a very long time, and I cannot recall but a handful of times in my life when the conversation was about Christ, and the times that someone has asked me about my walk with Christ, much less how they could pray for me are even fewer yet. I believe the apostacy may have started further back than I once thought, for few that say they serve Christ seem to have a desire to be pleasing in His eyes.
