Fear of Commitment with God
According to Barna.com a research group, “more than seven out of ten Americans (72%) claim they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today. But a survey examining some of the other commitments that adults make – and avoid – suggests that people are inconsistent in their spiritual perspectives.”3 Several areas that demonstrate inconsistency are lowering the bar on church commitment, commitment to change, and devotion to God. According to the research the worldview or secular perspective stigmatizes believers in Jesus as soft Christians. I believe the enemy’s role is to distract us from our intimacy with God because Satan knows the closer, we draw to Jesus the more we become committed not only to God but to other areas of our lives that we may fear.
The bar has been set low with church attendance as one out of five believes attending church has any real impact on growth. Only as few as 18% truly believe it has any impact at all. According to the Barna research, “only 17% of adults said that “a person’s faith is meant to be developed mainly by involvement in a local church.” Even the most devoted church-going groups – such as evangelicals and born-again Christians – generally dismissed that notion: only one-third of all evangelicals and one out of five non-evangelical born-again adults endorsed the concept. Only one out of every four adults who possesses a biblical worldview (25%) agreed with the centrality of a local church in a person’s spiritual growth.”3 I believe true devotion to fellowship and congregating is important to growing together and meeting the needs of each other just like the early church did. In Acts 2:44-46 we find the early church committed to building and growing strong together in their faith.
All the believers were together and shared everything. They would sell their land and the things they owned and then divide the money and give it to anyone who needed it. The believers met together in the Temple every day.
What are some factors that people of faith lack the commitment to attending church?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was contemplating, what if the church became a place of true friendship and commitment to help the hurting? What if we were willing to give up our excess to meet the needs of the impoverished? What if we broke bread together to fellowship and lent a kind ear to the destitute? I guarantee the numbers would greatly increase.
The second major struggle of commitment is devotion to God. According to Barna.com research, “a slight majority of Americans (54%) said they are so committed to “having a deeper connection with God” that they would “do whatever it takes to get and maintain that deeper relationship.” Adults 40 and younger were the least devoted to this outcome: less than half (44%) strongly affirmed such a commitment, compared to 58% of Boomers and 63% of older adults.”3
According to theatlantic.com, the hectic pace of contemporary life, complete with Sunday work schedules, makes it difficult for some people to attend church if they want to keep their jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on an average weekend day, 29 percent of the workforce is at work.4 The demands of inflation and the cost of living have created a burden where paying the bills is more of a priority than attending church. Keeping up with our physical needs has become the primary focus over our spiritual needs.
The theatlantic.com goes on to say, “The underlying challenge for many is that their lives are stretched like a rubber band about to snap—and church attendance ends up feeling like an item on a checklist that’s already too long. What can churches do in such a context? In theory, the Christian Church could be an antidote to all that.4 I found a church that has become the antidote in Tampa Florida. Crossover Church is changing the narrative. With messages using multi-media that relate to life’s pressing needs, to quick tools and application from God’s word that prepares the congregation for the week. To the intentional fellowship after service created by serving coffee and dessert, the church is making a difference. I believe what has served the church’s growth is the willingness to serve the community through a campaign called “Love Our City.” From paying for laundry, gas, and groceries the church has extended its hand to serve the broken. As the church continues to grow it builds connections by creating three-dimensional growth tracks to help empower church members to understand the mission and vision of the church and how they can help the mission. Instead of becoming consumers, they become transactional leaders impacting their families first and the community abroad. In essence, it has become a domino effect that is spreading like wildfire.
With a quarter century of data, George Barna believes the evidence of being soft Christians is transparent. Though the writing on the wall may not be evident, the paint brushes and paint cans are in front of the wall. We have a choice to live as plastic Christians or refined gold Christians. What determines our true faith is the heat we are willing to put ourselves under. The trials and tribulations we faith demonstrate the substance we are made of. We will either melt through the heat or be refined through the heat.
Barna shares the rationale of being soft Christians, “It is obvious that most Christians in the U.S. do not see much value in communal faith experiences,” commented the author of more than three dozen books on faith and culture. “Even though the Bible is unambiguous about the importance of experiencing God through a shared faith journey, and Jesus’ example leaves no room for doubt about the significance of involvement in a faith community, Americans remain unconvinced of the necessity of the collective faith experience. This is partially because the typical church model esteems attendance rather than interaction and immersion, partially due to the superficial experiences most believers have had in cell groups or Christian education classes, and partially attributable to our cultural bias toward independence and fluid relationships. Developing a biblical understanding of the preeminence of community life will take intentional leadership, strategic action, and time.” I believe the pressing question is how deeply we are willing to help others as we learn about their needs presented at church, in cell groups, or in Christian classes. People will know us by our love and our willingness to go the extra mile to extend a hand during pain and misfortune.
By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another (John 13:35).”
Explain why our first experiences visiting a church are vital in returning. What do people look for in a church, provide a list.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In conclusion, I believe the enemy’s role is to distract us from our intimacy with God because Satan knows the closer, we draw to Jesus the more we become committed not only to God but to other areas of our lives that we may fear. When experiences at church are intimate and needs are met will develop a deeper richer experience. Life was meant to be experienced together and when the physical needs as well as spiritual needs are met, transformation will take place in our lives, family, community, and the world. It’s time that America comes home to a place of fellowship that welcomes them.