CONVENIENT CHURCH

Thirty minutes or less... Have it your way...  Next day service guaranteed....  These are just a few of the modern conveniences that we hear come across our TVs.  But have you ever heard of "convenient church?"  In our churches today we are hearing more and more of this.  But what is "convenient church?"  This is when we "don't have time" for worship services on Sunday or Wednesday so we sing a couple of memorized songs, read a quickly picked out verse in the Bible and finally say a little prayer then go on to our "whatever" activity.  This is being practiced more and more by those claiming to be Christians.  But what is this type of attitude saying to God?  It says that we have more time for us then we do for Him.  I know the argument, "but I am doing my part and worshipping God."  Are you really? 

Worship to God is being presented like it is an option in our lives, rather than a necessity.  What happened to the Israelites in the Old Testament when they gave the left overs to God.  Was He happy?  No He was not!  Look at the following from Malachi 1:6-8; "“A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name.  Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’ “You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’  By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’  And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil?  And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.  When we participate in "Convenient Church" we offer to God our blind as a sacrifice.  We have defiled and despised the name of God.  

So, God is not happy today when we give Him our left over time on Sunday because it would be too inconvenient to go to worship Him.  "You know, we have basketball games, fishing tournaments, golf outings, family visiting,"  and on and on and on the argument goes.  I am very disappointed in our Christian family today.  They don't care about God anymore.  Oh, they will say they are dedicated to God.  But this is only lip-service.  

What if your spouse treated you like you do God?  What if you treated your jobs the same way you treat God?  What if one day you look for your children in worship and they are gone?  You ask them where were they and they say, "oh dad, Johnny had a basketball tournament on Sunday so we said a few get-by prayers."  Ken Hamm wrote a book entitled, "Already Gone."  In it he details the modern teenager in the pew.  He proves that many teens in the pews today are "already gone" from God.  Why?  One reason is that their parents have handed them the example that God, church, worship and everything else that is spiritual, is only an option and not necessary.  

Parents, brethren, WAKE UP!!!  You are going down a dark path that does not have a happy ending.  This is satan's pathway.  Jesus said that there are two roads in this life, one that leads to everlasting life and the other that leads to everlasting destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).  Worship is not an option for the Christian.  And until we see it that way, we will continue down the path of destruction.  So what if Johnny does not play basketball at Kentucky.  So what if you are not able to win that prize at the weekend fishing tournament.  And so what if you can't go golfing with your "buddies."  If you are the right example then Johnny might just go to heaven and so will you.

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