Into the New Year: 5 Questions About You and Your Church

I think it’d be safe to say that most Christians would see their church as being an important part of their spiritual journey.  But I wonder if we really understand, from God’s perspective, just how important a role the church is to play in the Christian’s life.

The purpose of this post isn’t to point out the Biblical basis for the church’s purpose. But I do believe it would be healthy for us to take a step back and ask ourselves how we are currently viewing our relationships with our churches and what attitudes and actions that may need to be tweaked in order to bring me more into alignment with God and His Word.

Let’s be honest: some of you have checked out of church either mentally or physically.  Neither is healthy.  God wants us in Biblical, structured community where there is submission to Eldership, meaningful connection with other believers, accountability and wise stewardship of what God has entrusted to us.  Here are some additional thoughts that may help you think wisely about the role of your church in your life:

1. 1. Have I been using my words to encourage the work of my church or am I typically throwing up roadblocks?  Do people see me as an encourager or a pessimist?  Additional food for thought: if you consider yourself a “realist” you probably should ask a few people if you’re actually a pessimist.
   2. Am I demonstrating by my behavior patterns of spiritual maturity for a younger Christian to follow in?  What is my plan to invest in another believers maturity in 2017?
   3. Am I going out of my way to show love to the unlovely in my church?  Or do I find myself sticking to the same groups of people?  My “comfort zones”?  When was the last time I went out of my way to build a relationship with someone I wouldn’t normally pursue?
   4. Am I serving regularly in my church (not irregularly) and giving to the church (not irregularly)?  If I’m not, why am I not?  How can I change these patterns of disobedience into obedience in 2017?  When am I going to call my Pastor/Elders to ask them about how I can be more involved?
   5. Am I allowing worldly attitudes to impact my thinking?  Am I more inclined to be attracted to the world and be a part of it or am I more and more drawn to my brothers and sisters in the church and praying for my church to be God-honoring?

I think most Christians feel pretty justified in their current levels of commitment to their church or their current attitudes towards serving in the church.  But we don’t want 2017 to be like 2016 – we want to be maturing and growing in how we think and how we live.  So in 2017, how can you change some current thought processes towards the church from a “me” to a “we”…from selfishness to selflessness?

Are there other questions we can ask to help us to be more connected to our church?  Feel free to leave a few of your own in the comments below…