Why do you go to Church on Sunday?

1. Because if I don't, I will get a phone call from a church member or Pastor
2. Because I may get a letter from my Pastor
3. Because my Pastor won't love me.
4. Because what will others think.

Listen folks, it all comes to one word "commitment"!!!!!!!

Is your commitment to work greater than your commitment to God?
Is your commitment to your spouse more than your commitment to God?
I realize that circumstances and situations arise than can hinder or prevent us from attendance at times. How do you think God feels when His house is open, His message has been given to His messenger and, you stay home. What excuse do you think will suffice? I'm tired, I wasn't in the mood, I just didn't feel like it?

Whether you are a new Christian or a mature Christian, you still need spiritual food just as much as you need physical food to grow accordingly. Without either of these, you will become either spiritually or physically anorexic.

Here are some reasons for Spiritual Anorexia

I. Lack of physical rest:

It is difficult to receive anything spiritual when you are worn out physically and mentally. Here's s question. How many of you have ever fallen asleep while setting at a table eating physical food? Most of us, regardless of how tired we are, laugh, joke, fellowship with one another if we go out to eat somewhere. Should we not stay awake and alert when God's word is being preached. It's spiritual food for the soul!

Here is the flip side of that. People will set and fellowship, eat and have desert and an hour or so can pass but, let a Pastor preach over 15 minutes, people get mad or upset!!!!!!!!! These things out not to be.
Sometimes un-confessed or hidden sin causes one to ignore what is being preached. God hates sin. Why?
He knows it's destructive power and it's end. How many people has God seen die and go to hell, since the Garden of Eden, because of Sin?

II. Lack of expectancy:

Some people come to church out of formality or denominational duty. They get nothing out of the service because they put nothing in. They do not tithe, they do not put anything in the collection plate, they do not sing when the song leader tries to lead the hymns and, they pay little attention to what is being said because their mind is on what's for dinner or what they are going to do later in the day or tomorrow. Here's a little secret. You don't receive a blessing, because you never expected one when you came.

III. Distractions around us:

Someone may be whispering or talking to someone else while the Pastor is preaching. If people did this in a movie theatre, what would you do? A small child may be unruly and the parent does not take the child out of the service. I have a preacher friend of mine who tells his people that the kids belong in the nursery and to take them there.

IV. Habitual Fault Finding:

When you start criticizing, you stop worshiping. You can't be critical of your neighbor, the preacher, etc., and at the same time receive the blessing that God has for you. Faultfinders are always going to find something to complain about. If it not the songs, it's the bulletin, or the prayer list or, the length of service or, some other part of the service.

Remember the Scripture where the Pharisee and the Publican went up to the temple to pray. Luke 18: 9-14
The Pharisee ( organized religious church member), basically told God how fortunate God was to have him attend His temple that day. He bragged to God what all he does then, he finds fault with the publican who is there in the temple with him. Should I say maybe a member who was maybe just a plain John Doe. The truth is, the Pharisees presence and prayer was nothing more than a pious counterfeit pretense of worship.
The old publican, never put anyone down in his prayer and wouldn't even as much as lift his head and eyes towards heaven. He instead, smote his breast, which was a sign of remorse and humility yet, he went home with peace in his heart and Jesus said he was justified.

V. False Gods--Idol Worship:
Some people worship their families more than they do God. Some worship their spouses more than they do God. Some worship their kids more than they do God. Some show more loyalty to their friends than they do God. Some worship pleasure, more than they do God. They think that life is one big party and they try to get all the gusto they can. Listen, God is more concerned about your Holiness than He is your Happiness.
The world promises happiness, fun, and who cares attitude. "If it feels good, do it". What does that lead to?
False hope , false joy, false happiness and if they are saved, it will lead to sadness and despondency and if the people are not saved, it will lead to eternal destruction. People are so fascinated with what the world says or deems success. Education promises success and big money. Scientific research promises prestige and big profits. In some cases, that may be so but, let's look at something for a moment.

The last major disease that researchers and scientists have came up a cure for was Polio. In the 1950's that was the most dreaded disease in America. In 1952, there were 58,000 cases of it. 3,145 people died from it and 21, 269 were left paralized or crippled from it's effect.

In the last 58 years, with all the computers, drugs, pharmaceutical companies, research grants, Doctors, etc., we have not been able to cure 1 major disease. Not one.

Some people are so busy trying to achieve notoriety, popularity, prestige, and riches, that they are starving themselves to death slowly spiritually and are Spiritually anorexic.

If you looked in a Spiritual Mirror today, how would you look? I wonder if God looks as Christians and sees them like most of us have saw the POW camps at auswitz where physical bodies looked like walking skeletons. We see those pictures and we are shocked yet, we have people setting in our pews,possible looking the same way, in God's eyes.

Christians are Spiritually weak because they are not committed to true worship. How many souls have you won to Christ this past year, past 5 years, past 10 years? God knows and is the tally keeper, not me.

We should all be more focused on Him, His Message and His mission for us. Churches today are dwindling in membership every year and closing every year because Christians do not have any commitment to 'God anymore and they just don't care enough to stay committed to the only way of Salvation through Jesus Christ, for a lost and dying world.

Oldbiker