How to go to church

A couple weeks ago I preached on John 2:12-25, where Jesus whips some lazy worshippers and extortionists into shape and cleans up the Temple. I took some time at the end of that sermon to show how you can best prepare yourself to come to a worship gathering.

Don’t blow it off – Hebrew 10:24-25
Scripture tells us to be intentional about gathering for worship so we can encourage each other and motivate each other to live lives that actively love others. As a Christ-follower, it is a sin to not regularly participate in a local body. We are created as inter-dependant beings who need each other (cf. Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4).

Right motivation – Psalm 122:1
Come not out of guilt or selfish gain, but come expecting to meet God and to worship Him with your community of faith. Coming together to worship is a joyful occasion…you should look forward to it and you should be glad about it. If you are not glad about coming together to worship, you need to examine your heart, repent of sin, or reconcile a relationship.

Come hungry – Matthew 5:6
Come needing to be filled up with Jesus’ righteousness. All of our so-called “righteousness” are nothing but filthy rags to God. We need to come before him, both personally and corporately, hungry and thirsty for Jesus. If we don’t come hungry, we will become critical, judgmental, and unteachable; preventing ourselves from being blessed by God and by our community (much less blessing anybody else).

Bring your best gifts – 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Come prepared to give to Jesus sacrificially and cheerfully. Every local church is dependant on the financial giving of her members and regular attenders to accomplish the vision and mission of ministry that God has given to that church. Ultimately, we give to God…and God deserves and demands our best gifts, not our leftovers. But our giving is a response to the great love that God has shown us through Jesus, so we are to give sacrificially (like Jesus sacrificed for us) and we are to give cheerfully (because we love Jesus so much).

Manage your time well – Numbers 9:2
Come well rested, unhurried, and prepared. Each worship gathering happens at an ‘appointed time’. You know when it’s coming, so we should prepare our selves not just spiritually, but also physically. If we go to a morning gathering, we need to make sure that we get proper sleep the night before (especially the kids!). Our mornings also need to begin early enough to where we aren’t rushed and getting to church 10 minutes late while we’re arguing with our spouse and dragging the kids behind. If you are serving in a ministry during a worship gathering (band, children, greeter, etc), make sure that you have reviewed, rehearsed, and prepared yourself to serve with the right attitude and spirit.

Use your talents – 1 Corinthians 12:7
Come ready to bless your community of faith with the talents, gifts, and abilities that God has given you. The whole point of our abilities, talents, and spiritual gifts are for the ‘common good’ – that is, to bless and minister to the entire body. Withholding your gifts does not honor God or your church; in fact, withholding your gifts hurts the body.

Engage the lost & disconnected – Luke 7:34
Come with a friend or ready to befriend someone who is spiritually disconnected and needing Jesus. Jesus was known as a friend of sinners. The reason Jesus came was to connect the disconnected and heal the “spiritually sick” (Mark 2:17). As we join Jesus’ mission, we actively befriend the lost and include them in our community of faith, praying that they would come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord. The lost and disconnected are a vital part of the church, for they are the reason that the church exists.

Easy Bible Reading Plan for Dudes

So I was talking with a guy from church the other day about reading the Bible. He was very honest about not being a big reader and would rather be out hanging with friends. I totally get that this is where many guys are at. So, to not just excuse any spiritual laziness, here's a suggestion to help guys read their Bibles more:

Read in the bathroom.

Seriously. A guy's "bathroom schedule" is relatively predictable, and most guys read in the john...usually a magazine like ESPN, Car & Driver, or some porno. So guys, engage your brain and turn down the hormone-o-meter. Keep a Bible in your bathroom (but not the one you would bring to church, that's just nasty) and read the following:

1. Genesis 1-2. It's where everything begins, plus Adam's living in a Garden with a naked chick.

2. Genesis 19. Good ol' wrath of God stuff destroying Sodom & Gomorrah.

3. Genesis 29. How to win a woman's heart (hint: you have to work a long time for it).

4. Genesis 39. How to remain sexually pure and not sleep with every chick that comes on to you.

5. Exodus 14. Great story on the power of God (plus God wipes out an army).

6. Judges. Yes, the whole book. But it's story after story about war and battles.

7. 1 Samuel 17. The underdog wins big! (and the giant's head gets cut off, which is the best part of the story)

8. 2 Samuel 11 & 12. Learn the consequences of sexual sin.

9. 1 Kings 18. The One True God beats up on a false god.

10. Nehemiah. Learn how to lead with vision, and carry out that vision.

11. Psalm 1. Basic comparision of the godly and the ungodly.

12. Psalm 119. This shows the worth of scripture.

13. Proverbs. Practical wisdom for young men.

14. Daniel 3 & 6. How to show faith in God and have courage.

15. Luke. You gotta read about Jesus! Plus, good stuff on John the Baptizer, who Jesus said was the greatest man ever born.

16. Acts. How the church got started.

17. Mark. The shortest Gospel; you could read this in one bathroom visit.

18. 1 Corithians. Paul answers questions that the church in Corinth had about living the Christian life.

19. 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus. An older guy mentoring a young leader.

20. James. This is how to actually live out the faith of a Christ-follower.

So, there you have it. The Bathroom Guy's Bible Reading List. The next step is to maybe print all this on a roll of toilet paper....hmmmmm...