Where Have All the Christians Gone?

Hebrews 10:24-25

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

They say excuses are like armpits. Large or small, everyone has them and they all stink.

For the past 2 years, if not longer, we have seen the attendance in churches the world over shrink in its fellowship and gatherings. We have given way to a dreaded and deadly disease we knew nothing about, and panicked in reaction. We shut down business, closed up the school house, shut in and locked down the citizens, and vacated the church.

Since then, the country has bounced back some. The mandates and restrictions are being lifted, and we can “breathe” again. But many are still forsaking church gatherings on Sunday. Holding onto fear, or perhaps an old habit of tuning in to the internet and watch worship services on-line, or just finding other things to do on a Sunday - making excuses.

Don’t get me wrong, on-line services has its benefits. It is especially good for those who are ill or shut in and cannot physically attend. But if you think about it, what would we do today, if we did not have the technology we have now? Face it, 10 to 15 years ago, we would not even have imagined having the ability to enjoy a Sunday worship service from the comfort of our homes.

In a way, I am grateful we have things like social media where we can broadcast our Sunday worship services. But I fear this method is only availing us the excuse to stay out of fellowship, and is the cause of the diminishing of the fellowship, and moreover, our worship.

Although it is true you can worship God anywhere, because He’s everywhere, you can’t ignore the fact that the Church exists for us, because Jesus gave His life for us – for we are the Church.

Jesus built the Church so that we could gather in force to win the world over from evil and share in the common good of our faith and most importantly, honor our Father in heaven with our worship.

How much longer are going to give an excuse for our absence from church? If we continue to excuse ourselves from assembling together, we are going to see churches all over close for good.

There is a reason why the Church even exists. As the writer of Hebrews mentions about considering one another so that we may stir up love and good works. That is something you cannot do from your couch.