Well, let’s not get too extreme! Yes, you love going to church, but on balance, everyone has a life apart from church. It is important to avoid going to church just out of a sense of duty. Legalism is depressing. Sometimes a chill Sunday morning is priceless. These are easy thoughts to have, even when you do go.
However, there are places on our planet where Christians are literally dying because they go to church. News agencies like the BBC are reporting that the murder of Christians is approaching genocide levels, especially in sub-Sharan Africa and in many places in Asia. Yet, people continue to go to small, wooden buildings knowing that they could be burned alive inside on any given Sunday.
Dying to go to church, yeah, it is kind of an extreme thing. But, then the idea that someone died for my mess and my ugliness, that’s when it gets really extreme! Going to church doesn’t make you a better person. Going to church means that you understand that you are a forgiven person. That’s extreme!
Everything in the plan of the enemy wants us to be in love with what brings pleasure so we won’t miss out on the cool things life has to offer. Your enemy wants you to focus what works for you and leave the extreme stuff to those poor souls who think it is worth dying to go to church.
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. (Mark 8:35)