The Heart Journal

Stop Making Excuses for Gathering Together (Pastor Ryan)

Last Sunday, something happened at church that fueled me with an excitement and enthusiasm for God that I can hardly explain.

One of the young men in our church had been in a motorcycle accident a little over a week earlier. He had a small brain bleed in his frontal lobe, about the size of a grape, road rash down his back, a huge bruise on his left hip, and constant pain in his neck and back.

That Sunday, our setup team had finished setting everything up, and we were standing around visiting while the worship team practiced their songs to prepare to lead us into worship.

As I sat near the front, I noticed someone coming through the front door. To my surprise, it was the young man who had been in the motorcycle accident just a week earlier.

He was hunched over, being helped inside by his brother-in-law. He could hardly lift his head to look up.

In that moment, something ignited inside me. The Holy Spirit had been dealing with me throughout the previous week, but when I saw that young man walk through the doors of our church, my excitement and enthusiasm for God went to a whole new level.

You see, my first thought was this: We should have absolutely no excuse for not showing up and participating in what God has called the church to be: a vehicle for the gospel.

Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (NLT)

Do you know what that means? We shouldn’t make a habit of missing church. The writer of Hebrews was addressing people who had already made a habit of neglecting the gathering of believers.

Friends, it is easy to develop that same habit today.

Jesus made a powerful statement in Luke 9:59–62 when He called people to follow Him. In verse 60, He said, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” (NLT)

Jesus was emphasizing the importance of putting Him first. Following Him must take priority over everything else.

Did you know that the average Christian attends church about twice a month? There are four Sundays in most months, and sometimes five. Yet some people consider attending twice a month to be a regular churchgoer.

We need to examine our priorities.

Yes, I realize there are Sundays when we absolutely cannot attend church. Going on vacation? Great! Have fun! Sick? Get better quickly. We don’t want you spreading that sickness at church! But when we consistently allow other things to become more important than gathering with God’s people, we need to evaluate our priorities.

Church attendance doesn’t save us, but following Jesus means taking seriously what He has called us to do. The church is where we gather to worship, grow in God’s Word, encourage one another, and prepare to carry the gospel into the world.

If you’ve made it this far, here’s my challenge for you: If you’re someone who attends church once, twice, or three times a month, I want you to prayerfully evaluate the things you consider more important than gathering with God’s people.

Are those things truly more important, or have they simply become your excuse?

That young man reminded me that gathering with the church is a privilege we should never take for granted.

My prayer is that we would become people who make gathering with God’s people a priority because we love Jesus and want to follow Him faithfully.

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, help us to be people who don’t just claim to be Christians but make following Jesus a priority in our lives. Help us stop making excuses for neglecting the gathering of Your people. Give us the strength to show up, worship, serve, and encourage one another, even when we don’t feel like it. Help us never take the privilege of gathering with Your church for granted. In Jesus’ name, amen.