3 Considerations Before Going to Church Today

When I was a kid, my parents almost had to threaten me to go to church. I didn't like it at all. There wasn't any "children's ministry" so I had to stay during the whole service. I found it to be a very boring place in which the best thing I could possibly do was sleep my way through the sermon. I was actually trained in waking up as soon as the preacher said, "And now, in conclusion..."

Nevertheless, now I have come to love the Church. And I love the Church because Jesus loves the Church and gave himself for her. Freely attending a worship service without fear of persecution is a privilege not all our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world have. We in the West must think of ourselves blessed because of this reason.

But, sometimes we can lose sight of what's truly important in the corporate gathering of the Body of Christ. This is why, I would like to submit three dispositions you must have before you attend a worship service today:

1.) Go willing to worship

"They didn't sing my favorite song..."

Our culture, in so many ways, has been molded around the principle of instant gratification. That's the reason businesses are constantly doing surveys in order to know with more detail what their customers want so they can provide a better service or product. This makes us feel good. We feel special and unique. This is a great move in the marketplace. However, it's very dangerous when you go to a worship service with a "customer" mentality.

Going to the Lord's house with a consumerist inclination can, in reality, leave you emptier than when you came in. Several people completely shut their hearts during the musical part of the worship service simply because the songs they sang were not in the "Most Played" list of their iPod.

The Worship is for the Lord.

The musical part in the service is an opportunity for us to express our adoration for who God is and our gratitude for what He has done. So, whenever you're having a hard time joining the river of praise, start bringing to mind His divine attributes and recall the times in which you have seen Him work in your life in a crystal clear way. This will surely melt your heart and will cause you to explode in extravagant worship of Jesus.

2.) Go willing to learn

"His style of preaching is not that relevant"

This is a frequent excuse to not be engaged with the message during the service. Regardless of the eloquence, or lack thereof, from the person in the pulpit, if we are truly humble enough, God can speak a word to us through him or her.

Probably, the one preaching is not your favorite speaker or his style of teaching doesn't resonate much with you. But, if the man or woman is preaching the Word of God faithfully, he deserves your attention because your heart needs His Word.

The revivalist George Whitefield would often say, "There may be better preachers of this message. But there are surely no preachers of a better message."

"Lord, speak. I'm listening."

It's very easy, during the sermon, for your body to be present but your mind be absent. You're listening to the message and all of a sudden you catch yourself thinking in the upcoming game of your favorite team, or the steak you'll order at that fancy place where you're heading right after service. But, in Christ we have the power to exercise self-control and focus our attention. When you notice your mind is wandering off, I encourage to make this brief prayer: "Lord, speak. Help me to listen."

3. Go willing to implement

Let's be doers and not hearers only

The worship service is over. We go and spend the evening with our family, share lunch together, head back to the house, watch the game and "That's all folks. We call it a day. Another Sunday less another Sunday more." And the message did not seem to have any effect in us.

I mean, yes, you hollered "amen" a couple of times when the preacher got excited and emotional. Yes, you shook his hand at the end of the service and politely told him you “enjoyed” it. But, have you decided what to do on Monday with what you heard on Sunday?

How are you going to apply it when your boss turns his "jerk mode" on at work?

Have you consider when are you going to start treating your wife differently because of what you heard?

How will you become a better parent, by God’s grace, with the principles you learned?

Can I give you a suggestion? Take notes during the sermon. Yes. It's a lost art. We should use it more often. I once heard, "the best memory is in the tip of a pencil." Take notes of what you think the Lord is talking to you. And make this very important question: How can this be real in my life starting tomorrow morning?

If you have a church where to go, where the Bible is preached faithfully, Jesus is exalted and growth in community takes place, you should consider that a stunning blessing from the Most High. Therefore, whenever you go to church, go willing to worship, learn and implement.

By Luís Luna Jr.