Another Sunday, Another Empty Visit

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   thirdmilleniumposted 14 years ago

   Church-going is mostly ritualistic. Do you really pay attention to what is going during the service or are you there because you are there?

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      SirDentposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I always get a lot out of church services.  Maybe you should ask God why there is little to gain from going to your church.  I do know one thing.  If you praise Him, He will bless.

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      Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I admit I'm rather burnt-out on going to church myself these last couple of years.
      But I'm glad you posted this, because just today I was thinking along those lines and wondering what I should do about it.  And I realized I had often gone to church to be fed.    And when I get bored with man's fallibility and disappointed with the people in church, I realize that I'm also supposed to FEED the other sheep too, not just be fed.  We're not supposed to just go to get fed by someone else, we're supposed to take God into church with us.   Maybe you do, I dunno?   But I've realized that I can possibly do better about that issue.
      Thanks for the post.  And be encouraged, please!  We're to encourage ourselves and encourage others, so I hope you will find a renewed sense of purpose soon in your church attendance.
      
      And, as SirDent said, and the Bible says, God "inhabits the praises of His people".

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   knolyourselfposted 14 years ago

   The world is my church so I do pay quite a bit of attention.

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   TLMinutposted 14 years ago

   The last church I attended was one you would definitely pay attention in. Things happened there, it was amazing and wonderful, I was always looking forward to going and even started going to prayer meetings - something I had never done before. People asked to go with me. The first time I walked in it felt like God was there, like literally, and that I wasn't "going to church with a bunch of other people". People that came with me said the same thing.
   
   Then one day, I walked up to the door and felt blank. I went in anyway but it felt empty, so I went back out to my car, then came in again. Still the same, like it was...I don't know, a big nothing at all.
   
   I told my sister-in-law about it a few months later and she asked me, "Did this by any chance happen after you knew you were supposed to move back to Utah and didn't?" It was. Since I don't assume God "left", I figured it must have been something about me and apparently it was.

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      SirDentposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Well done.

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   Aficionadaposted 14 years ago

   I had an awesome and memorable experience once when I was quite bored and disgusted with a particular service I attended.  Afterwards, a very close friend of ours came up to me and gushed about how wonderful the sermon had been.  He had even felt called into the ministry during that service. 
   
   I realized that what touches and blesses me in a worship service may not be the same for others and vice versa.  Since then, I have tried to make it a practice to pray for others during a service when I felt that I was not getting out of it what I hoped for.
   
   [PS - Brenda, Is it snowing up there where you are? EDIT - I just now saw in the other thread that you had answered this.  Stay warm!]

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      Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Nope, not as of yet, although the News predicted it will.
      Just cold.  Thank God for a warm house!  I feel for people who don't have one....
      
      Edit too..haha.  Thanks. You stay warm too, and with the fire of the Holy Ghost too!

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         Aficionadaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         You too!  I thought of that when I clicked Submit .

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