Are we guilty of making Christianity too complicated? Sometimes it seems that we, as Christians, become focused on things that just don’t matter. Jesus taught against this. During Jesus’ ministry he had many run-ins with the Pharisees. The Pharisees were an influential religious sect within Judaism in the time of Christ. They feared the teachings of Jesus. They saw in Him someone who could take away their power and authority with these new teachings.
The Pharisees had over 600 Jewish laws that it made in nearly impossible for one to truly serve God. In having these laws, they could maintain their power and rule over the people. During His ministry, Jesus turned their world upside down. Jesus rebuked their focus on all their laws, and instead introduced a focus on the love of God and a love for one another. Jesus called the Pharisees out for being focused on the wrong things and having selfish motives.
In today’s world, we have to be careful not to do the same. If we are not careful, we in our world today can be guilty of the same. When we take our focus off the teachings of Jesus, we become susceptible to falling into the mistakes of the Pharisees. So how do we keep from doing this? We instead focus on what Jesus taught us during His earthly ministry. Jesus taught His followers to love; love God, love your neighbor, and love your enemy. Jesus taught to seek forgiveness from the Father and to give forgiveness to one another. Jesus also sums up the gospel in John 3:16 when he says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Love, repent (seek forgiveness from our sins from God), forgive one another, and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, sum up what it means to be a Christian.
Being a Christian may not always be easy, and choosing to be a Christian does not mean life will be easy, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. In the gospel of John we read that Jesus came so we might have life and have it abundantly, not so it could be more complicated with rules and laws. God is love. When we truly learn to love God and share His love for one another, so much of the rest of what Jesus taught falls into place. My prayer is that we, as Christians, realize that being a Christian means doing our best to follow in footsteps of Jesus and this means a focus on love and forgiveness.
So, why church? Why should someone attend church in the year 2024? Do you have to go to church to be a Christian? 20 years ago, an average of 42% of United States Christians attended church every week or nearly every week. Now that percentage has dropped to just 30%. Studies and surveys will tell you there are many reasons for this drop in church attendance. We could go into the many reasons why people don’t attend church anymore, but I think it is more important to give people reasons why they should attend church. In an article on KLove.com, it lists five benefits of church attendance, and I would say all these are great benefits one can achieve from attending a church:
1) Growing and feeling closer to God
2) Feeling a stronger connection to community
3) Experiencing less depression and anxiety
4) Experiencing better marriage and family relationships
5) Feeling that your life is healthier
In fact, studies also have shown that church attendance is associated with greater longevity, less suicide, less smoking, less substance abuse, better cancer and cardiovascular disease survival, less divorce, greater social support, greater meaning in life, greater life satisfaction, more volunteering, and greater civic engagement. Even with all these great benefits, many people will say, “I just don’t have the time,” or “Church is just not for me.” If you are one of those folks, I would say to you church is simply a place where we discover the love of God, the love of others, and how to share that love. (And, by the way, the church is not perfect, and nor are those who attend it – the church is made up of imperfect people just like you and me). Why church? Why not church!! It’s not complicated. If you are looking for a church home, I would like to invite you to Faith Methodist located at 600 Veterans Memorial Lane in Bowling Green. Sunday Morning Worship is at 10am. We would love to see you!
-by Bro. Mark Rogers
Faith Methodist Church
