Today was Easter Sunday…One of the busiest church days of the year. More people attend church on Easter Sunday and Christmas than any other days of the year. Why you ask? I’m not 100% sure. I think the reason can fall into the same categories though.
Some of the reasons they came today and only today could include I’m just here to making insert relative happy or my nosy/aggressive/persuasive/over zealous/bible thumping/nice neighbor invited me for the hundredth time and I was really just tired of hearing him/her asking and I was running out of excuses.
Some of the excuses they could use on the other 50 Sundays could be that the weekend is only 2 days and I don’t want to waste a whole day in church, I’m just too tired to get up that early on an off day, Jesus just didn’t do anything for me, how could God help me?, How could God let insert whatever happen?, how can God use me for anything?, or He doesn’t exist and you’re fooling yourselves.
I’ve used several excuses myself but that’s another story for another day. I would love to be in church every Sunday but I have a silly excuse myself. I work in a job that doesn’t believe that the Sabbath is holy or a day of rest. It’s just another day on the calendar that makes money if we’re open for business. However, I do attend church more than 2 days a year and even if I can’t I try to watch it online. I also attend a small group on Monday’s when apparently it is acceptable to have an off day.
But this isn’t about me….
I’m no better than the person next to me that only comes once a year or this is the first time they’ve ever stepped foot in a church. I’m not holier, better, more christian, more pure, or more important. I’m not here to judge them. I’m not here to look down on them.
They came for whatever reason. They may leave unchanged or uninterrupted by what they’ve seen or heard. Or they be forever changed. It’s not up to me….
It’s up to the Father….
People in this country especially live a life of more wealth and privilege than most. We have more choices than ever. If you don’t like one brand there’s always another to try. If you don’t like that food you can just buy another. If you don’t like that apartment you can just move in a year. If that restaurant had horrible food you just don’t go back. If you didn’t like church there’s another just around the corner to try out next Sunday…
Now hold up…
Do we see a common theme from the beginning up until now?
CHOICES. We all make choices and we have plenty to choose from.
People in most other countries don’t have the choice of what religion they can openly practice. They can’t walk up to their neighbor and ask if they want to hear about Jesus or tell them that they attend an underground church every other Tuesday.
I’ve been asked several times why not serve here in the United states? What about the souls here? Don’t they need saving? Why do you have to go overseas?
And it comes down to choices. Just like people chose the church pew or a bar stool. or neither. or both.
Those people have never heard of Jesus or they can’t openly praise him. They don’t physically pass by 4 churches in their 20 minute drive to work. That’s right I said 4. I physically pass by at least 4 churches that I can see on my way to work. Maybe more. Not including the other churches that would only take several more turns off the main road to get too. One my way to a friends house that’s about 30 minutes away I pass about 5 in the complete opposite direction. I do live in the bible belt however but still 5 churches? There’s more probably more churches than bars in this town.
I’ve also lived in a town where the bars and liquor stores out number the number of churches. Where the choice really was a church pew or bar stool. There really wasn’t an in between. More times than not the bar stool was chosen.
But it still comes down to choices…
The people in the America have the choice to walk into a church. I would be willing to say that 85% of the people in this country have heard of Jesus. They know someone who goes to church. They probably know a lot of people that go to church. They know where a church is. They know what a church is. They’ve probably even been in one. Maybe even attended several or a lot of services. They’ve heard of Jesus…
These people have not….
They haven’t been given the choice of hearing about how Jesus hung on the cross, died for their sins, and rose again.
They don’t know that on the third day He arose from the grave.
They don’t know that the grave couldn’t hold Him and that death has no power over Him…
They don’t know that HE LOVES THEM no matter what they’ve done.
They don’t know that He befriended a prostitute, made a blind man see, and used a drunk.
So my question for you is, how could I not go? How could I not tell them that there is a God who loves them? How could I not tell them that there is something more?
How could I not give them the CHOICE?
