Why is Church boring?

This is one question I often asked myself when I was a young boy and maybe you asked the same one at some point as well.

After many years now, when I look back I can see how graciously God led me to find the answer to that question and so let me share why I personally found Church boring when I was young and what really changed in these past years.

In attempting to answer this question please note that I am not referring to any particular church or congregation but it’s a general view.

Here’s why I felt church boring:

1. I never knew what God’s Love truly meant.

I was born in a Christian family and for 17 years all I knew about church was that no matter what, we have to go to church every Sunday without fail and anyone who doesn’t go is a sinner who will one day end up in hell.

And because of that knowledge I would regularly go to church with my parents and siblings. It worked well for us until we were kids because the Sunday school kept us entertained. The boredom started when we stopped going to Sunday school.

On the other hand, I was a pretty bad student in my school and felt rejected by my teachers, neighbors and even by my father. A hopeless young guy like me found pleasure in sin and would indulge in all unwanted activities and ungodly friendships.

Until one day an old man visited our home and my Mother asked him to counsel me. Instead of talking to me at home, he took me to a park and all I remember is him telling me how much God Loves me; a love so deep that God sent his only son to die for a worthless, hopeless and rejected person like me. He told me the story of Jesus all over again and all that while I kept weeping for I knew that God had touched my heart.

The day I truly understood God’s love, church worship became more meaningful because it was then that I could express my love and gratitude to God in praising and worshiping him.

2. I did not bother to know the purpose of my Life.

It hurts to see people who never feel the need to find their Life’s purpose. I was one among them.

After knowing God’s Love my next journey was to find the purpose of my existence. In a world of consumerism where people exist just to consume and survive we often fail to understand the true purpose of Life.

We are taught that life is about the survival of the fittest and you got to do whatever possible to get to the top. Parents teach them, schools promote them and companies encourage these ideas.

After much struggle with the forces outside me, I finally came to a realization that my Life is meant to Glorify God. That is it! That is why I am created and that is why I exist.

It sounds mean, right? Glorify God? What about me & my life?

I did struggle with those questions but I learnt that my greatest satisfaction and fulfillment only comes from Glorifying God. We are objects of God’s affections made to have an intimate relationship with a loving Father.

It can’t be about making lots of money or else every rich man would have been happy, which is not the case. It can’t be about reaching the top position in a company as well or even becoming the top businessman.

When I learnt that my purpose was to Glorify God and that true fulfillment in life will eventually come from God, Church became a training ground to learn more about this God and what it means to glorify Him.

3. I found no joy in reading the Bible.

I found the Scriptures too heavy, unapproachable and disconnected from the thoughts and views of our current generation. Especially the old testament books always would put me off.

Have you ever felt so?

As I continued going to church and listening to sermons and talks by godly men I began to realize how wrong I was in my understanding. I learnt that the scriptures were not only approachable and applicable even to this generation but I also experienced the life-transforming power of the scriptures in my life as well as others around me.

I grew in love with the Bible as I systematically started reading through it. It gave me direction for life and helped me mature in my faith.

My love for the scriptures encouraged me to go church even more.

4. I failed to see people the way God did.

In church you will find all kinds of people, some who will always encourage you, uplift your spirits and then there are others who like to poke their head in everything you do, say things that put us off and so on and so forth.

I’m sure you’ve experienced these kind of people.

The people who come across negative are often people who are still struggling and are yet to mature in their faith. Yes, they are imperfect people. But guess what, Church is supposed to be a place of imperfect people, Isn’t it?. Jesus died for the sick & sinful people of this world.

If I expect the church to be a place where only perfect people should meet, then I am the first one to be thrown out because I am still an imperfect guy and I will be imperfect until the Lord comes.

I often looked at people with a judgmental attitude and never enjoyed their company and would end up hating them even more.

All I needed was to see them the way God saw them, the way God saw me, imperfect yet loved ones, purchased by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Who am I to judge them when God doesn’t? The beauty of the church is about a perfect God connecting with imperfect people like us and to one another and fulfilling His purpose.

When I started looking at people the way God did, Church became a place to hang out and share the pain & the joys with every brother & sister.

Conclusion

Church is not a place, it is people; wherever God’s people meet it’s the church. The church is who we are as the people of God, an outward expression of what is being accomplished through the life-transforming message of the gospel.

We view the church as a family, a redeemed people being reunited to God and one another through Jesus Christ.

It is our desire that everything we do as the church would be a reflection of that message. We also desire that as the gospel changes the hearts of God’s people that change would flood into the streets of Mumbai and the world around us.