Why People Don't Go To Church
The Psalmist said, "I was glad when they said unto
me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." (Psalm
122:1) Why do so few say that when they are invited
to a Bible-believing Baptist church? Why do so many
that are contacted on house-to-house visitation never
show up to Sunday school or the preaching service?
Surely, there are scriptural reasons to explain their
attitude and lack of response. Excluding those who
are permanently afflicted or shut-in, we find the Bible
has a lot to say about the symptoms of not going to
church. Failure to go to a good church is truly a symptom of a deadly spiritual disease that is already rooted in one's soul.
The first reason people do not go to church is because their heart is not right. Without exception, we have found that people whose hearts are right with God go to a good church unless they are sick. In Luke 14:18 we are told that those who were invited by the Lord to His supper "all with one consent began to make excuse." The devil can give you a dozen excuses for not going to church. For instance, one favorite excuse is "I'm too tired," but you are not too tired to go to work or to town or on a trip someplace. Suppose the house were on fire. Would you sit in your easy chair and burn up, saying, "I'm too tired"? Of course not! You would forget your tiredness and run for your life. Suppose you had to go to the hospital because of an acute attack of appendicitis. Would you excuse yourself by saying, "I'm too tired"? Such an excuse will not stand. Some people are too lazy to get concerned about their soul. Of course, these people are not too tired to visit relatives or to participate in some sinful amusement. Therefore, excuses only show that people's hearts are not right with God.
Another reason people do not go to church is because their deeds are sinful. John 3:20-21 states: "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." People whose deeds are right do not fear to come to church. They come boldly because all of their sins are covered under the blood of Jesus. People who are guilty of evil deeds are ashamed, and are trying to hide from God and God's Word like Adam and Eve did in the Garden. I have found in my experience of inviting people to church that those who do not come are guilty of immorality, gambling, drunkenness, or some other captivating sin. When a person does not go to church, he is really advertising to Christians that he is engaged in some secret sin. Of course, it is true that sinners will flock to some worldly church where sin is not condemned and where they can continue in their sin with a form of religion to salve their conscience as they go to hell. Rather than this, they should flock to a Bible-preaching church where they can get converted by faith in Christ. A final reason that people do not go to church is because of a lack of Christian character. In Acts 2:46 it says, "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart...." The normal thing for saved people to do is to fellowship with God's people regularly as they go to church. Every saved and spiritual person that I know goes to church regularly. Those who do not go may as well face that they are lacking in character. Good Christian character comes by first being born again and then is developed as we are led by the Spirit to be baptized, join the church, regularly attend church, tithe, pray, read the Bible, and witness.
It all boils down to this: If a person does not go regularly and faithfully to a good sound church, it is because of spiritual disease or even spiritual death. Failure to go to church is a symptom or proof that a person is backslidden or lost. If a person were born again and right with God he would want to go to church. They would not only want to go they would make very effort to get there.
Dr John Waters
Founding Editor of the Bible Trumpet
Excerpt from November 1960