Many people go into church much like they go into see a movie. We walk into a building and judge if it looks clean enough, big enough or up-to-date enough to please us. If it passes that subconscious test we move to the refreshments and then on to our seats. Along the way we look for clearly marked entrances and exits and hope the people around us are friendly, but not friendly enough to want to sit right next to us or talk to us. When the movie starts we sit in genuine expectation. We have indeed come to be amused and entertained so we hope for a good show. We laugh, we cry and, depending on the frequency of these emotions, we might recommend this movie to a friend.

The crime here is that most people don’t realize that going to church in the same fashion that we attend movies is devastating to our faith. The gathering of God’s people was never meant to be a movie. We were meant to be a movement. Your soul is not crying out for more amusement but more beauty – true beauty. Your soul will not be expanded by a passive observation of Christian activity, but by an aggressive engagement of life and mission, of soul and gifts; this is the church!

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Membership Book (PDF download)