Church Dropout

"A Christian who does not have a faithful and consistent presence in a Church has begun a downward spiral that will finally lead them away from God completely."

That statement is not true.

It pictures dropping out of church - or a neglected attention to attendance, participation, and involvement ---- and then things decline.

As a matter of fact --- after nearly 50 years of ministering in and observing churches and church members --- I have found that in a person's journey away from God --- Church Attendance is one of the last things to go. Not the first.

A person does not become an unfaithful Christian over night.

A person who drops out of Church has already been secretly, privately, and quietly dropping out on God for a very long time.

You see, Church attendance is something that you can do just for appearance's sake. If you come and sit in a pew every once in a while it can still give the impression that you and God are still tight and that your Christian life is working and on track.

But it is so easy to give a false impression.

You are thought of as a Christian. Your family history and friendly associations are Christian. You have a reputation as a Christian. If you don't make a show every so often -- you might cast all of that in doubt.

But for a VERY long time now you have been developing that false theology, that unbiblical ideology, that unChristian philosophy that you can be just as close to God WITHOUT Church as you ever have been WITH Church.

You have evolved to such a high spiritual level that you now know all that you need to know about the Bible. You know more than your Sunday School and Bible Teachers. You know more than your pastor and other spiritual leaders.

You are so close and so tight with God that you can be the Christian Lone Ranger. You have no need of worshiping with or praying with other believers. You can pray driving down the road or sitting on your sofa just as effectively as you can with other Christians at Church.

You're absolutely sure that you are closer to God than most of the people at Church, if not ALL of them. THEY are a bunch of spiritual slugs, hypocrites, and religious robots who can only kill or dampen what you and God have going on.

I have bad news for you ---

If ANY of what I just wrote hits home with you --- you are probably unreachable, unchangeable. More than likely you will never be real or genuine again. You've gone too far. You have rationalized your condition for far too long. You've convinced yourself that you are okay -- and you will probably never believe anything different.

You have forgotten or ignored EVERYTHING that the Bible teaches about the Church and its Purpose. You have accepted a way of thinking about the Church that your own sinful mind and heart can accept, but a way that cannot be supported by the teaching of scripture.

There is nothing that anyone can say or do that will change your mind --- because the only voices that you might ever hear that might change your direction and change your mind --- are the voices that we hear at Church.

If you believe that the Church that you attend bears all of the responsibility for your poor image and negative regard --- find another church. Out of the millions of congregations out there, surely there is ONE that might meet your standards.

But you won't do that -- will you.

You have no interest in that. The fact is -- there is not a Church anywhere in the world where you would be happy . . . because your REAL problem . . . is with God. HE is the one who CREATED and FOUNDED your local family Church.