It’s not uncommon for a member of a congregation to NOT be totally satisfied with everything in it. It’s good in this area, but needs work in that area. If it’s not the preaching, it’s the singing. If it’s not the hospitality, it’s the lack of outreach. If it’s not the leadership, it’s the followship. It’s always something wrong. Some people are so dissatisfied with their congregation, they even contemplate leaving to find what they feel is “better” or what they need. I will not begin to pretend that those things don’t matter, because they do. But I will say this, the way some ‘worship services’ are set up in local congregations all over the world, inadvertently have shifted the focus of worship of God on to our cultures, preferences, comfortabilities and likes. They’ve become religious arenas to do what we like, instead of what God likes.
The only person in the audience during worship, is God. We have members that lead in our assembly experiences to serve in different capacities. Sometimes we have a tendency to respond more to their performances, instead of being focused on the fact that God is observing us for our own individual worship to Him — the intentions of our hearts, our focus and the sincerity of our worship to God. When we come into the House of God, we’re all 100% responsible for offering up a worship to God regardless to what others are doing or not doing. Keep this in mind, just because we offer our praise and worship up to God, doesn’t automatically mean He accepts it. I think some of us would be totally shocked if we realized what God thinks and feels about our worship to Him — not the expressions of our worship. We sing good. We give good. We’re committed in service and consistent in attendance, but God is weighing the intentionality, sincerity, focus and hearts of our worship. He looks past how we perform and position ourselves in church, directly at our purpose and heart posture in Christ.
Sometimes, our lack of spiritual maturity, play a bigger part in our discontentment than we may realize. Perhaps we need to reprogram ourselves to think more “worship” than “service”. We say “Service was good.” “Church was good.”, as if our opinion of acceptance solidifies the genuineness of our worship and makes it a sweet smelling aroma in the nostrils of God. We assume that our participation in church or service mean that we’ve worshipped. It doesn’t. And we think that just because we attended ‘service’ means that we’re automatically serving God. It doesn’t. God is looking for a heart posture. And unfortunately, many of us have become the objects of our own worship to God. Our preferences get in the way. We can’t even enter into the presence of God because that preacher is or isn’t preaching; that person is or isn’t singing; that brother/sister is here or not here; that sound system isn’t working right; that greeter didn’t make me feel welcomed; the list is endless.
No congregation is perfect. If it was, it became imperfect the moment we got there. Sometimes, you have to work with what you got — kind of like what God is doing with us. He uses us all in spite of our flaws and failures. Then we must pray that God sends our congregation what or who it doesn’t have. You may be surprised if nothing changes but the people that are already there, including you.
Church folk will complain all day long about what we haven’t even committed ourselves to praying to God about. Shame on us! Our agitations should provoke prayers and Kingdom contributions, not criticisms and abandonment. We should have intentions to be part of our congregations to make a Kingdom contribution. Especially when we feel something is missing. Some of us are planning our exit strategy because we’ve come to receive, but we’ve yet to make a priority to give and serve. We think it’s about us everywhere we go. What we want. What we need. What we like. What we don’t like. It’s not. It’s about God! And when we make Him the priority, He’ll make sure that we have what we need.
Before you leave, spend time praying for yourself and your church. Ask God to grow you into a place where your worship experience with Him is so intentional and so engrossed that what’s going on around you won’t even matter. Who’s worshipping next to you or before you won’t matter, because you’re so focused on His presence and expectations of you; not your expectations of everyone else. Then pray that God sends your congregation whatever and whoever it needs to be more effective at helping people come to salvation and edifying souls. God may just start with you.
I’ve been discontent. I’ve complained. I’ve criticized. I’ve wanted to leave. But my prayer for myself was to keep the main thing the main thing…. My own worship to God and my Kingdom contribution. I want to be a solution to a problem. I want to make a difference, not just a dent in my church. I had to check myself and start praying for my own attitude and my perceptions. I had to address my own worship before the Lord. Then I started praying for my church and those that lead it. And all I can say is “Wow”. God moved! Not to please me. But to grow His church one member at a time to do what He’s called us to do. And He started with me 1st.
*Tressa Jo
BeyondSeeLevel 