What do You Expect to Happen at Church?

Routine is something we all find ourselves falling into. Having a routine is important for us. We function best when there is a rhythm to our lives. That rhythm should include elements of our spiritual life. We should have a defined time to sit down and read the Bible and pray. These are elementary things, but I’m astounded by the statistics showing how many people actually do this. According to Lifeway Research only 39% of regular church attenders read the Bible on a daily basis. That’s a bad statistic. We need to improve that routine.

These routines set the tone for our lives, but they can also rob us of what God is trying to communicate to us. Routine becomes familiar and settled. We can often times find ourselves going through the motions of our routines without really thinking much about it. I think this happens to our spiritual lives just like it does with brushing our teeth or checking our email. That’s where the problem comes in. God isn’t a part of a routine. He is the creator of the universe. I think many people just check off their spiritual endeavors like they do bread on a grocery list. The individual’s thought process is, well that’s done.

When that is how we approach our relationship with God we will miss much, if not all, of what He has for us. Church attendance becomes part of the routine. It’s been a part of my routine for my entire life. I was awoken, dressed, and driven to church from the time I was born, and I am so grateful that I was raised like that. Church was a part of the rhythm of my life. It was something I did on a consistent basis. It was important. It was part of what defined me as a person from a very young age, but if it just becomes a ho-hum part of life like the seven dwarfs going to work in Snow sang “hi ho hi ho it’s off to work we go” because that’s just what we do I believe it can lose its meaning. This causes us to just go through the motions. We continue because we know it’s right, and we may get something from our attendance from time to time, but there is so much we are leaving on the table.

You should arrive at church with an expectation of God doing something. You should come in the doors with the thought of what is God going to show me today? When we walk in with no expectation of God having anything for us outside of Him being “happy” we checked off the show up at church box we will miss what God wanted to tell us. Full disclosure, I’ve been guilty of this. I’ve shown up at church because it was something I always did. it was an obligation I felt I needed to fulfill. Let me tell you I missed what God wanted for me because of that way of thinking. As we prepare to go to a worship service we should ask God what do you have for me? We should arrive at the physical location of the church with the expectation that God is going to do something. How many times to do you arrive with the expectation that God is going to answer a prayer, save a soul, bring about repentance, heal a hurting soul, heal someone physically, or speak to you as an individual about your life?

We should roll up in the parking lot with the idea in our heads that God is about to show up in a powerful way. We have to reject the idea that church attendance is just another part of our routine. If we will do this we will open the door of our hearts to actually be changed by the God that loves and sacrificed Himself for us in the person of Jesus Christ. This Sunday stop and prepare your mind and heart before coming to church. Stop before you get out of the car in the parking lot, and tell God you want to hear from Him. Tell Him you are ready for what He is going to do, and then walk in with an expectant heart. I believe God will answer that prayer and do more than we can imagine.

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