A common response from a non-attending church member is, "Why do I need to go to church? It's always a hassle to get up on Sabbath morning and go to church after a grueling work week; besides, I can read the Bible, and meditate in the comfort of home; also, I have a satellite dish, so I can get top-notch preachers and great music on TV. So, why should I go to church to hear a mediocre sermon, uninspiring and often irritating music, and associate with unfriendly people? I pay tithe, support missions, and faithfully contribute to the church budget, which is more than I can say about some regularly attending members. At least I am not taking any pew space away from a visitor."
Good questions. Many of these non-attending members are dedicated Christians; some are absent because of physical disabilities, but there are many who have dropped out by personal choice. What can one say to encourage these to come back? Well, the Bible gives us counsel in Hebrews 10:24-26. We are told that we should encourage each other, we should be thoughtful and do helpful things for others as the coming of the Lord approaches. Since we are inclined to be self-centered, it is good for us to help other believers. After all, Christianity must be a sharing and caring experience or it will become a ritualistic formality.
The story is told about a pastor who was concerned about one of the members of his congregation whom he had not seen for several weeks. He decided to pay him a visit to see if there might be a problem. The man gave him a warm welcome, and they settled into easy chairs in front of the fireplace. After the initial greetings, they sat in silence looking at the fire. Then the pastor took the tongs and picked up a burning ember and placed it on the hearth. His host watched as the ember flickered and faded to a faint glow, and then it became cold and dead. The pastor stood up to leave, but first he placed the dead ember back in the fire, and it immediately began to glow and give off light and heat. As the pastor was leaving, the host shook his hand, and with a smile said, "Thanks for the sermon, pastor, I'll be in church next week" (David Roper).
Has your fire gone out and have you become a cold, dead ember Christian? If you have been neglecting regular church attendance and become indifferent to your own spiritual condition and the needs of others, perhaps you should consider the sermon of the embers and abandon the coldness and loneliness of the hearth for the light and warmth of the fireplace, and again become as you once were, "a glowing ember."
