Do You Go to Church?

When I was 17 years old, I did not want to go to church. I believe my father told my mother to tell me, “If you do not go to church…you can leave the house.”

Well, I took fast notice of my nice bedroom and my mother’s good cooking and decided to keep going to church. I would often sit on the very back row at church. I believe faith began to grow in my heart and mind by hearing my father preach. Yes, I grew up the son of a pastor and we went to church four times a week. I especially enjoyed the Friday night coffee house meetings. In 1981, at the age of 18, sometime after finishing high school, I prayed in my bedroom. I told God I wanted to try being a Christian for one week. I also reasoned, if God was the maker of everything, why not serve Him? Well, the next day I felt the Holy Spirit in my life and had an awakening experience. I then moved up to about the fifth row in church and would often go to the altar for prayer at the end of the service. At 19 years of age, I was in Haiti serving God. Today, I find myself asking many people that I meet, “Do you go to church?”

I am not ashamed to ask people if they are going to church. I was extremely shy as a child and young adult due to a speech impediment; I would not talk to anyone. Our society today is very fragmented where few people engage other people in conversation. People can do everything online in the comfort of their homes. Now, I enjoy talking with people and I love when people talk to me. But just going to church does not prove you are in a right relationship with God. It is proof that you are searching and seeking in the right direction. Asking the question do you go to church is a good ice breaker for me. I explain to people how the church may have imperfections.

It is not our responsibility to judge the church or each other. God remains true, perfect, and pure. The Bible does not say you will inherit the kingdom of God by being a good person. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Being in Christian fellowship brings admonishment and accountability. We are stronger being knitted into a community. We need to keep seeking and abiding in Christ. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Are you going to church? People often have their excuses for not going to church. Don’t examine the church to look for any imperfections. The prayer I prayed at age 18 did not make any sense doctrinally. However, I made a step towards God, and He graciously came into my life. Everyone needs to make that leap of faith and trust God. How would you ever know what a Coke tasted like if you never tried it? People need to ask God to reveal Himself to them. He will not simply invade your life…He will become your all in all. I am thankful that my whole family attends church. There is hope and a future with God. ~Charlie DeTellis